[Updated (6/4/2015, 5:30 p.m.) with reactions to the notice of allegations.]
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill “lacked institutional control” over athletics, according to the NCAA’s notice of allegations against it, released on Thursday by the university. The document relies heavily on a report, issued last year by Kenneth L. Wainstein, that found thousands of students at Chapel Hill had benefited from a system of fake classes that advisers used to pad athletes’ grade-point averages to keep them eligible to play.
In its allegations, the NCAA focuses most prominently on Jan Boxill, a former chair of the faculty whose apparent active participation in the fake-classes scheme shocked fellow faculty members when it was made public in the Wainstein report. Ms. Boxill, an ethics expert, resigned this year from her position as a lecturer in philosophy.
The NCAA makes five claims:
- The university gave impermissible benefits to athletes through its fake-classes scheme.
- Ms. Boxill gave impermissible benefits to athletes.
- Deborah Crowder, a former manager of the department of African and Afro-American studies and the engineer of the fake-classes scheme, violated NCAA ethical standards by refusing interviews with NCAA investigators.
- Julius Nyang’oro, a former chair of the department, violated NCAA ethical standards for the same reason.
- Because it did not monitor Ms. Boxill and other counselors providing benefits to athletes, the university lacked institutional control.
The “lack of institutional control” allegation is the NCAA’s most severe charge, often leading to postseason bans, the vacating of wins, and scholarship penalties. It has also been used to justify the so-called death penalty, which results in the shutting down of specific sports programs temporarily.
While the charges are serious, informed observers were quick to point out there is reason to believe the NCAA will show some leniency during the punishment phase. Dennis Dodd writes for CBS Sports that Chapel Hill might have reason to let out a “sigh of relief.” Why? The allegations largely avoid mentioning the college’s basketball coach, Roy Williams, meaning he is likely to keep his job. In addition, because the alleged violations ended in 2011, the university won’t be subject to stricter penalties the NCAA adopted in 2013.
The university has 90 days to formally respond to the allegations.