I dread those cold winter mornings when my alarm goes off and my body just lies in the confines of my warm covers for a few extra minutes, which eventually turns into a few extra hours. We’ve all been there.
That’s part of the reason why IU usually allots us three absences per class with no strings attached. Just imagine if IU allowed students to take classes that didn’t require attendance at all. Starbucks sales would go down for sure.
The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill has reportedly suggested that athletes have taken classes that required little to no effort in order to receive an A.
These faux classes have been taking place for 18-plus years, and one of the main figures involved in the scam is Debby Crowder, the manager of the African and Afro-American Studies department.
As a former Tar Heel, Crowder might have had some bias concerning the academic performance of athletes. The investigative report commissioned by UNC on UNC-Chapel Hill stated that Crowder “managed a line of academically unsound classes that provided deficient educational instruction to thousands of Chapel Hill students.”
A key word in this passage is “managed.” What’s truly astounding is Crowder wasn’t even a teacher, yet she was the person scoring the papers and reporting the grades.
Crowder retired in 2009 and her successor, Julius Nyang’oro, was advised to continue the academic fraud for athletes who were ?struggling to maintain grades.
He complied and continued to assist athletes in summer classes that weren’t legitimate, where no one met and no assignments were given, but grades were still ?distributed.
In 2011 Nyang’oro was caught red-handed and was forced to step down. He has since then avoided charges by complying with the ?investigative efforts.
These classes were not only available to athletes, but they were open for student enrollment as well. The divide between athletes and general students was about 50 percent. Imagine seeing a graduate from UNC’s class of 1994 today. They’re now 42 years old, most likely work at a professional job and maybe even have a family to care for.
The fact of the matter is that their degree is now tainted.
UNC’s foundation of longstanding credibility has been torn out right before their eyes.
Universities around the country should learn from this and prevent it from ?happening in the future.
Frequently I overhear students ask peers if they’ve taken any “easy” classes recently.
But what I can’t seem to figure out is the benefit of taking these stress-free courses.
There are no make-ups in real life. Grade-booster courses aren’t going to give you a successful foundation for the future.
It’s the classes that require the late-night caffeine boost and multiple trips to office hours that are going to build your moral character.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
jlkarl@indiana.edu
