UNC Faces Lawsuit for Guiding Student-Athletes to Be Just Athletes

Another top university leaves student athletes behind while making millions off them. This January, news of a class action lawsuit from two former University of North Carolina athletes surfaced to the school's horror. According to the lawsuit, the school, and by association the NCAA, had not “safeguarded and provided a meaningful education to scholarship athletes who agreed to attend UNC- and take the field- in exchange for an academically sound instruction.” This is just one of the latest developments in an array of bad press for UNC concerning its academic practices regarding athletes. Academic scandal is a blow to any school's reputation, but this is a school with a very highly regarded academic reputation that has been in trouble multiple times in the last year. The responsibility to provide them with a first class education is completely sacrificed for athletic eligibility and success. Most of these players don’t play professional sports successfully after they graduate. What are they supposed to do then?

These “shadow classes” were run through the Afro-American studies department and required minimal work to achieve a good grade. Students did not have to go to class, meet with professors, or do any assignments. All that was required was a final paper that was usually graded highly without being read.The focus of the institution has shifted entirely. It is a flawed system where the revenue stream is more important than their education.The multi-million dollar T.V contracts that football and basketball teams are part of must be worth more than the student-athletes themselves.

It’s one thing if a recruited athlete struggles to succeed at the school they attend. But it is an entirely different situation when the school places them into joke classes with one paper for a final grade. Many of these students were considered “under qualified” for the university's usual academic standards, however they do provide a service to the school in the sports they play, which generates a good portion of the yearly revenue. There is a trade off that needs to be maintained. The school has a responsibility to them, and this is an absolute disgrace to lead them through without educating them as they would with any other student. If the students don't care enough, that's fine, but the administrators have a duty to do their job regardless of economic influences.

(Photo is of a Final Exam paper that received an A-. Please excuse photo quality, it is the best available.)