Academic fraud found at UNC-CH

This is an excellent article from the News and Observer.  No-show professors, unauthorized grade changes, plagiarism, and forgery are all mentioned prominently.

The whole thing is a must-read, but here are some highlights:

One of the no-show classes is the Swahili course taken by former football player Michael McAdoo that prompted NCAA findings of impermissible tutoring, and drew more controversy when the final paper he submitted was found to have been heavily plagiarized.

and

McAdoo sued in state Superior Court to try to get back on the team, and in doing so, he included the paper as an exhibit. Rival N.C. State fans quickly analyzed the paper and found several passages of plagiarism that the university, its honor court, university athletic and academic officials, and the NCAA did not catch. The Wolfpack fans buzzed about the plagiarism on message boards, and the media, particularly a blog known as SportsbyBrooks, took notice. The N&O confirmed the plagiarism in a follow-up report.But the plagiarism was just the beginning of the questions for Nyang’oro, who was the department’s first chairman when it was formed 20 years ago.

The N&O later obtained a partial academic transcript of Marvin Austin, another football player caught up in the football scandal. The transcript showed that Austin took an upper-level summer class from Nyang’oro before Austin began his first full semester as a freshman, and before he had taken a remedial writing class. Nyang’oro gave Austin a B-plus on the course.

and
The plagiarized paper McAdoo submitted lists Nyang’oro’s name as the course professor. The investigation found it was one of nine classes in which there is no evidence that any professor “actually supervised the course and graded the work, all though grade rolls were signed and submitted.” Other professors who were listed on grade rolls for those classes said their names were forged on course documents.
Everyone have a great weekend.  Here is a visual aid UNC-CH’s honor court might want to use in the future to spot plagiarism.
UNC Scandal

40 Responses to Academic fraud found at UNC-CH

  1. dingo 05/04/2012 at 3:13 PM #

    This will all be over by Fri…err, what day is it?

  2. WV Wolf 05/04/2012 at 3:21 PM #

    Tyler Hansbrough in SI
    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1107210/index.htm

    “On learning Swahili at UNC
    I took a class last year [he has not declared a major], and I am taking another this year. Maybe I’ll use the language on a trip to Africa someday. There’s no reason I chose Swahili other than that I thought it would be cool. I enjoy it.”

    No other reason he chose Swahili. Riiiiiiight.

  3. wolfmans brother 05/04/2012 at 3:23 PM #

    Probably the most comprehensive and damning article to date. Of particular note is that some 50 different classes over the span of multiple years: 1) were either complete apparitions that simply did not exist in any tangible way (i.e. no professor/no slyllabi/fabricated grades), or 2) had manipulated and/or forged grades. The world’s best Swahili professor was found to be at the center of much (but by no means all) of this pile of filth.

    And get ready for it — he’s still employed there. And will be until he RETIRES on July 1st. Incomprehensible.

    Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin….

    If UGA basketball received the public flogging it did for the “test” that some members of its basketball team took several years ago (someone can fill in the details) how this escapes large scale public scrutiny is beyond me. This is mockery of academics at the highest level.

    Made up classes with made up grades coming from made up professors.

  4. nav 05/04/2012 at 3:32 PM #

    I’m sure nooooooooo BB players were ever involved with this.

  5. TheAliasTroll 05/04/2012 at 4:24 PM #

    I am absolutely floored to hear that he still has a job there. Truly amazing. I mean What. The. F#$#????

    After reading the article in its entirety, that is just totally incomprehensible.

  6. Pack85EE 05/04/2012 at 4:25 PM #

    I read the whole article and then started to read comments from the readers. I about threw up. Those tarholes are crying that the NCAA is out to get them and they should leave the athletes alone. Are you kidding me? This disgusting situation is an insult to the whole state. I can’t believe the N&O published it but I am glad they did. UNC needs to clean up their house. Where’s the self punishment required to make the atletic department clean this up. Or maybe as the article indicated it’s not just for athletes. Here’s 50 courses with an easy A to help you with your degree. A diploma from UNC just became a lot cheaper. I don’t want to hear any crap from a tarhole about how great the education is at their school. And Nyang’oro got his law degree from Duke. Is that where he learned to teach cheating. Or maybe its just all a feel good degree like the rest of the UNC liberal culture and their liberal beliefs about education. This is UNC crap and it reeks!

  7. westwolf1 05/04/2012 at 5:01 PM #

    The N & O published this to get out in front of it, to control the story. As this unfolds, watch what questions are NOT asked, what connections are NOT made, etc.

    Unc, the institution, is corrupt, an academic fraud, from Dean Smith through today. But at least no one sold any gifted sneakers.

  8. TruthBKnown Returns 05/04/2012 at 5:28 PM #

    Any chance this brings the NCAA down on them again?

  9. Wolf1975 05/04/2012 at 5:33 PM #

    Badger is that you?

  10. TruthBKnown Returns 05/04/2012 at 5:53 PM #

    That’s me!

  11. Mike 05/04/2012 at 7:37 PM #

    I think how this brings the NCAA back on campus is IF this is new inforamation and somehow might involve players on the hardwood.

  12. YogiNC 05/04/2012 at 7:40 PM #

    Where is the Board of Governors???? They should be forming a lynch mob that far surpasses the one they put together in 1990. THIS is WAY over the top. This beats amphibious 100 times over. 50 classes, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Someone (i.e. Thorpe) should get every professor in a room and tell them to get to the absolute bottom of this. THEN, they should take away their birthdays, after killing them like they did NCSU. AND they should be checking the BB team. They should fire Roy for this, and the HAT too, and whoever that baseball coach is. FIRE ‘EM ALL! There is NO WAY, NO WAY that students dodn’t know this was happening…nor faculty either. Those who had their signatures forged knew. And one other question who got paid for teaching these “poof” classes. That’s embezzlement.

  13. Hungwolf 05/04/2012 at 7:42 PM #

    Article stated UNC has notified NCAA. If bball players and other athletes were kept eligible with fraudulent grades and classes, then this is very serious. I would think the NCAA wwould have no choice but to act. Lets just hope the media keeps pushing for those phone records in its lawsuit!

  14. state73 05/04/2012 at 8:10 PM #

    At best the Board of Governors is a fraud. They should all be dismissed and a new one seated!!

  15. oceanman 05/04/2012 at 8:17 PM #

    You left Swofford’s picture out of the headline picture. Finally the hippie hill truth comes out.

  16. Wolf74 05/04/2012 at 9:22 PM #

    If the NCAA were to decide to come in again and Nyang’oro had retired could the NCAA make him testify?

  17. turfpack 05/04/2012 at 10:40 PM #

    Really? This is news(new) HOW? People this has gone on for years!!
    There is a reason nothing will come of it. UNC GRADS AND THEIR BUDS!!
    I truly believe it was going on when we where being investigated 89-90. Now we know what the Carolina Way truly is….Bullshit!

  18. tractor57 05/05/2012 at 1:32 AM #

    Beyond athletics this is academic fraud – period. I thin we all should inform our state legislators that we find the spending of tax money to support that fraud criminal.

    Athletics is one issue for certain, academic fraud on this level takes things to another level.

  19. GAWolf 05/05/2012 at 6:55 AM #

    How on earth was this not addressed by the NCAA? Better yet, how can that organization not address it moving forward?

  20. Pack78 05/05/2012 at 8:10 AM #

    Also, this just in: Captain Renault is SHOCKED to find gambling at Rick’s; as we have known for a good while, this fraud has the unmistakable ‘tip of the iceberg’ look-FSU got plowed for much less-get some more popcorn…

  21. logarithm 05/05/2012 at 8:30 AM #

    The NCAA can’t coerce Nyang’oro to testify, no matter what. The NCAA doesn’t have subpoena power. If there were a State investigation thanks to enough people getting up in arms about tax dollars going to waste in the midst of the last several years of budget cuts, tuition hikes and downsizing, the State can subpoena him and whoever else for their role.

  22. TLeo 05/05/2012 at 8:42 AM #

    An education oveer there is a total joke and a diploma from there is not worth the paper it’s printed on. Maybe their name should be changed from unc -chapel hill to unc at walmart.

  23. newt 05/05/2012 at 9:59 AM #

    Regarding basketball, current assist. coach Jawad Williams graduated from that program – unless he’s suddenly being replaced by Hubert Davis.

  24. 70wolf 05/05/2012 at 12:12 PM #

    …so if we know Hansbrough (and others from basketball ?) took the same bull shat Swahilii courses in 2007 why isnt anyone looking into their grades and whether BB wins should be voided from that period ?? Do we know that htey were in the same no show classes ?

  25. GAWolf 05/05/2012 at 4:30 PM #

    I wish folks would stop talking about “subpoena power.” The NCAA is not a court of law. They can make an allegation and make you prove them wrong. There’s plenty enough here to make the allegation. Let UNC put the folks up to prove the contrary.

    They’re clearly cheating to keep athletes eligible and have been for a long time…. ESPECIALLY in Basketball. Football under Butch just followed their lead, but the football players were indeed so dumb they let the cat out of the bag.

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