N&O Editorial About UNC Scandal

UNC Scandal31

John Drescher, Executive Editor of the News & Observer, wrote an editorial Saturday about the questions that should’ve been asked by the Faculty Council last week…but weren’t.

When UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp appeared before the Faculty Council last week to discuss investigations into the Tar Heel football program, the scene was set for the faculty to blitz him with questions.

Thorp signaled serious problems a few weeks earlier in opening a news conference by saying, “To anyone who loves this university, I’m sorry about what I have to tell you.”

Shortly after, 13 players were kept out of the season-opening game in Atlanta.

So how many questions did Thorp get last week from the Faculty Council?

Two.

Not 22.

Two.

One more than one.

Which questions would he have asked?

1. You are investigating whether a tutor employed by the university to work with football players gave inappropriate aid. That tutor also worked for coach Butch Davis and tutored his high school son. Is it appropriate for a tutor to work for both the university and the football coach?

2. You have indicated that academic misconduct might have occurred. If so, who is ultimately responsible?

3. If the NCAA hadn’t investigated football players and their relationships with agents, would UNC have learned of the possible academic cheating? If not, isn’t that a problem?

4. Some players used social media to discuss their travels and possible contact with agents. Shouldn’t UNC’s compliance officers closely monitor Twitter and Facebook?

5. Will you conduct a sport-by-sport review to see whether other athletes might have received inappropriate academic aid?

6. Should the $70 million expansion of Kenan Stadium be cancelled or scaled back, depending on the results of the investigations?

7. Is UNC admitting more football players who don’t meet typical UNC admission standards than it did five or 10 years ago?

8. Are you satisfied with the oversight of the athletic department?

9. Is it possible to have a winning football team and maintain top-rate academic standards for all students?

10. What have you learned about operating a Division I football program since starting your job as chancellor?

If anyone, the Faculty Council should require maximum accountability of The Carolina Way. But no one else does, so why should they be any different?

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UNC Scandal

31 Responses to N&O Editorial About UNC Scandal

  1. cWOhLFrPAiCKs 09/18/2010 at 11:35 AM #

    I guess I just don’t understand. Were I a member of the faculty who was not part of the academic misconduct, I would be furious that this kind of thing was going on at my school. I would want to know who was responsible and what was to be done about it to ensure this kind of thing never happened again. The fact that no one could stand up and ask the difficult, but necessary, questions to the chancellor speaks volumes towards the atmosphere over there…

  2. Alpha Wolf 09/18/2010 at 11:42 AM #

    I know several alumni of UNC who are madder than hell that their school is being dragged through the sewer by their football program. They want to win, and that’s fine, they should want to win. What they do not want is to be the next Miami, the next USC or the next SMU…and many of them see it as the football program is really running the show over there.

    Thing is, they are right.

  3. Elrod 09/18/2010 at 1:07 PM #

    One thing about that meeting and the aftermath has bothered me. What we saw was the public portion of the meeting. Do we know what happened after the doors were closed? What is the possibility that these kinds of questions were asked out of the public eye? Not saying it did, but the way BBU loves to spin everything, it would be understandable to me if they wanted the public discussion to go off as it did and have the real discussion privately.

  4. Pack78 09/18/2010 at 1:34 PM #

    ^^Alpha-madder than hell is the reaction that I would expect and I would have if this was happening in Raleigh-the reaction that I am getting from unx alums in the past two weeks (~5-6) that I have spoken with is summed up neatly by the phrase: ‘everybody does it, we just got caught…`

  5. bradleyb123 09/20/2010 at 11:31 AM #

    2. You have indicated that academic misconduct might have occurred. If so, who is ultimately responsible?

    This is a KEY question. There is nothing wrong with getting an answer to this up front. Do we really need to wait until we have the results of the investigation before asking (and answering) this question?

    I say answer it NOW. That way when the verdict (whatever it ends up being) comes down, there will be no need for further debate. If it stops at the player, or the coach, or the AD, or even the Chancellor, let’s answer it NOW. Is there any reason NOT to?

  6. bradleyb123 09/20/2010 at 11:36 AM #

    If the Faculty Council really only had two questions, that is very telling about what is going on in Chapel Hill.

    If they REALLY think they can make it through this without making some difficult decisions for the direction and management of the football program, and some big changes, to me that is arrogance of the highest degree. The message is that yes, we can break the rules and we don’t care. You can’t stop us. You can’t prove anything, and if you do, we’ll minimize the impact to our athletics program and recover in short order. I think that’s what they really think.

    This is why I want them to get slammed as hard as possible by the NCAA.

  7. Sam92 09/20/2010 at 11:37 AM #

    yep, this is what disgusts me — everyone at the top of the university structure, who are mostly UNC grads, are doing everything they can to give UNC a pass – contrast Valvano’s difficulties twenty years ago, when they were all over us, the double standard makes me sick

  8. bradleyb123 09/20/2010 at 11:37 AM #

    This has the feel of a corrupt cop that feels above the law. I feel like I’m watching a movie, and hoping the corrupt cop gets taken down.

  9. TENN Packfan 09/20/2010 at 11:42 AM #

    This may be the 1st substantial pile of poop to be flung at the fan by local media. It will be fun to see where it flies to from here. Hopefully it snowballs. So to speak.

  10. IMFletcherWolf 09/20/2010 at 11:43 AM #

    I’ve been waiting for a response from UNC-Ch faculty ever since the academic part of this scandal started, and this is what they have to offer after two months of silence? Two questions? Unbelievable. This must be the “new” Carolina Way.

  11. wolfbuff 09/20/2010 at 11:50 AM #

    Alpha, you said “and many of them see it as the football program is really running the show over there.

    Thing is, they are right.”

    The football program THINKS they are running the show. Basketball really does. But some of the folks over there have encouraged this thinking. Their ambition to raise the football program up has led to careless oversight of how they want to raise it, giving the program the illusion they could do whatever they wanted which, is the very definition of “lack of institutional control.” Not many people over there care about football the way they do basketball. They’re just mad that football is dragging the whole athletic program through the mud. You’d see people committing suicide if this was happening within the basketball program – which I have no reason to believe is happening.

  12. Alpha Wolf 09/20/2010 at 12:02 PM #

    I think that the faculty over there believes that this will work:

  13. 61Packer 09/20/2010 at 12:04 PM #

    Don’t get too carried away when the News & Observer seemingly takes UNC to task. There are two things the N&O will always hold dear to its California-liberal hearts, and that’s the Democrat party and UNC-CH. They may occasionally scold them, but they’ll never slam them.

    This major story would’ve had more credibility had it appeared on the paper’s front page or the sports section’s front page. Instead, it was in the center of the Triangle section’s front page. The Triangle section features primarily local and area news, which I’m guessing is how the N&O editorial heads still see this story.

  14. bradleyb123 09/20/2010 at 12:23 PM #

    It’s like government-controlled media. We’ll never get the truth or fairness from our local media.

  15. old13 09/20/2010 at 12:27 PM #

    Seems to me that UNC-CHeat has already shot itself in the foot with a howitzer the way it’s been played! If it really is as bad as it seems to be, when all the findings and punishments come out, the administration (and possibly the BOG) will be faulted for letting something this big happen, PLUS not taking proper steps timely when they found out about it. If somehow they get it swept under the rug (not likely IMO), there will be a large stench of coverup and special treatment PLUS questions about the systemic issues that led to all of this. (I would think that the USCs, UGas, So Caros, etc would have a few questions about the NCAA if this were to happen as well.)

  16. choppack1 09/20/2010 at 12:53 PM #

    Funny how the N&O has pretty much given this institution a pass on this. Did UNC offer up all the details of the texts/phone calls when Blake’s records were requested or are they fighting the release of this info? If they are fighting the release of this info – where is the N&O on this. If they are not fighting the release of this info – then that certainly needs to be stated in articles about this investigation.

    Let’s face it – if you go by what the UNC leaders have said, and what’s been in the N&O from anyone but Joe Giglio – you would pretty much have the impression that UNC’s leaders are on the case.

    You only realize the difference between this investigation and others if you look at what has happened at those other schools.

    My impression is that the faculty are reacting as employees at a big corporation would react if their employer had some very bad publicity for one quarter…The employer says, “We’ve got our best people on it – and we’re trying to resolve the problem.”

    They seem to be saying “OK – we’ll take your word for it.” Unfortunately, our educational community and the mainstream media really believe in “taking your word for it” – if the word comes from the right individuals.

    It’s sad that you can’t, for example – trust the New York Times or Washington Post to expose potential issues with popular democratic candidates and instead have to rely on the National Enquirer.

    The truth is that UNC’s silence speaks volumes. It tells us probably one of 3 things about the majority of UNC faculty:
    #1. UNC faculty, students and donors would rather win football games with less than stellar student athletes.
    #2. They trust Thorp to take care of any problems assuming that there are some problems.
    #3. All of the above.

    UNC wants to be seen as an elite university. I’ve stated that the easiest thing to do to prove this is to announce that they are changing course in admittance of athletes. They can minimize or eliminate the number of athletes who don’t meet academic standards that differ significantly from the student body. They can create a higher baseline GPA and SAT score.

    My guess is that they don’t want to do this. It would be tough to win – especially on the football field – with such requirements – and I think they realize that they are going to get a pass from those who would routinely call out an NC State, Clemson, VaTech or GaTech because they are UNC.

  17. IamGumbyDammit 09/20/2010 at 1:13 PM #

    I wish i owned stock i whatever company makes Kool-Aid, because it is clear that EVERYONE even remotely associa

  18. IamGumbyDammit 09/20/2010 at 1:16 PM #

    associated with UNC is drinking it… (sorry edit doesnt work for me)

  19. Pack05 09/20/2010 at 1:57 PM #

    INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION NOW

  20. Plz2BStateFan 09/20/2010 at 2:34 PM #

    I bet there are little questions because its much more wide spread than anyone thinks. Therefore most people who could have asked questions have knowingly helped an athlete pass or know a good colleague who has.

  21. Texpack 09/20/2010 at 2:50 PM #

    UNC-CH is going with the unified front where they don’t speak ill of their own and they essentially minimize the magnitude of what has gone on in the hopes that the public will lose interest in the story. This strategy only works when you have a somewhat lazy/complicit media that doesn’t want to see damage done to the institution in question. Erskine Bowles good buddy, WJ Clinton used this strategy with the Lewinsky scandal so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Erskine himself has chosen to employ the strategy again in this case. I’m sure that the faculty has been talked to and told that the best way to salvage the academic reputation of their place of employment is to shut up and not draw any more attention to the scandal than absolutely necessary. I think the strategy they are employing gives them the best chance of winning the long term image battle.

  22. choppack1 09/20/2010 at 3:36 PM #

    Agreed Texpack. And the N&O is doing exactly what a good accomplice would do. Ask very soft, open-ended questions that don’t really get to the heart of the matter.

    Also, maybe UNC has learned from the disaster that was NC State basketball – try to reform what you have first if it’s worth saving before throwing the proverbial baby out w/ the bath water.

  23. Go Army 89 09/20/2010 at 5:07 PM #

    The NCAA is so upset, Weber State will get three years probabation.

  24. MrPlywood 09/20/2010 at 5:25 PM #

    In related news, The Ohio University mascot wrestled with the Ohio State mascot before their game on Saturday. Punishment was swift, and severe. “The student who was dressed in the Bobcat costume has been banned from any further affiliation with Ohio athletics.” Oh, the irony.

  25. IamGumbyDammit 09/20/2010 at 6:24 PM #

    a bobcat and a buckeye – so many innuendos i could make, so little time…

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