UNC finally released their heavily redacted version of the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations today, and this time, it doesn’t appear that the Tar Heels are going to get off with a mere slap on the wrist from college sports’ governing body. That’s because the NCAA charged UNC with perhaps its most heinous crime, “Lack of Institutional Control.”
[NCAA Division I Manual Constitution 2.1.1, 2.8.1 and 6.01.1 (2002-03 through 2010-11)]
NOTICE OF ALLEGATIONS Case No. 00231?May 20, 2015?Page No. 49
__________It is alleged that the scope and nature of the violations set forth in Allegation Nos. 1 and 2 demonstrate that the institution violated the NCAA principles of institutional control and rules compliance when it failed to monitor the activities of Jan Boxill (Boxill), then philosophy instructor, director of the Parr Center for Ethics, women’s basketball athletics academic counselor in the Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes (ASPSA) and chair of the faculty. Further, the institution exhibited a lack of institutional control in regard to the special arrangements constituting impermissible benefits athletics academic counselors and staff within African and Afro-American Studies (AFRI/AFAM) department provided to student-athletes.
Specifically, individuals in the academic administration on campus, particularly in the college of arts and sciences, did not sufficiently monitor the AFRI/AFAM and ASPSA departments or provide appropriate supervision for these academic units and their staffs. The AFRI/AFAM department created anomalous courses that went unchecked for 18 years. This allowed individuals within ASPSA to use these courses through special arrangements to maintain the eligibility of academically at-risk student-athletes, particularly in the sports of football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball. Although the general student body also had access to the anomalous AFRI/AFAM courses, student-athletes received preferential access to these anomalous courses, enrolled in these anomalous courses at a disproportionate rate to that of the general student body and received other impermissible benefits not available to the general student body in connection with these courses.
Additionally, the institution did not monitor Boxill’s activities. Although employed by ASPSA, Boxill conducted her athletics academic advising activities largely within the philosophy department. Despite concerns by some at the institution that Boxill’s relationship with the women’s basketball student-athletes may have been too close, the institution did not monitor Boxill or determine whether her conduct violated institutional rules or NCAA bylaws.
Level of Allegation No. 5:
The NCAA enforcement staff believes a hearing panel of the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions could determine that Allegation No. 5 is a severe breach of conduct (Level I) because the violations seriously undermine or threaten the integrity of the NCAA Collegiate Model and the presumption of lack of institutional control violations as Level I. [NCAA Bylaws 19.9.1 and 19.1.1-(a) (2014-15)]
Oops. And that just touches the surface. Men’s basketball, football, women’s basketball and many other sports were implicated, and this time it appears that the NCAA didn’t give a cursory examination and a slap on the wrist.
You can read the entire document here, in PDF form. Take the time to read it, even though it’s long. After the first pass, it seems clear that almost every one of the items that have been pointed out by writers like Dan Kane, blogs like this one and of course the message boards at Pack Pride were found by the NCAA.
For all of its past, present and future attempts at public relations, legal maneuvering and press management, it appears that UNC is in some deep trouble. Loss of Institutional Control is one of the most serious charges the NCAA can level, and it was clearly mentioned in the curious case of Carolina. The Tar Heels chose to ofuscate, deny, attack messengers, spend millions on attempts to control the media, but at the end of the day, they could not outrun the truth. And now, it looks like it will cost them dear.
Stay tuned, there’s more to come and this saga is far from over, even after five years.
