This is a class action lawsuit that any of the 3,100 who took the Afro American Studies classes are eligible to join in. And before you say 'who cares' to this situation because we already know what happened, there is one big, big difference between what has happened in the past and now. That is, the plaintiffs now have power of subpoena and can call anyone they want to testify under oath about what was really going on. This is something the NCAA has not and never will have the power to do.
A really bad situation just got a heck of a lot worse for UNC. Expect this one to be settled out of courts ASAP. They cannot afford their dirty laundry to be aired in a legal trial.
Source: CNN: Former UNC athlete sues school over academic scandal
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I'm going to make a guess without even Googling McAdoo's stats that he has failed in an attempt to make it in the NFL.
Just sayin, this certainly can't make UNC too appealing for a certain defensive end who will be deciding between us and them soon...
I said the same thing about Hughes (can't think of his first name right now - LB we recruited heavily, older brother named Trenton played for MD). I was blown away that he went there, with all of the possible sanctions looming. That, and how involved and intelligent his father was with the recruiting process. They must have something very appealing going on there that escapes me. Going out into the world and saying "I am a UNC grad" is a just a wee bit different now. The best you could hope for after that announcement is awkward silence, I would imagine.
I sure hope you are right, though. If he picks UNC at this point, I'd be....hmmm...let's pick "flummoxed" for the word of the day for any UNC fans out there.
Agreed on being flummoxed. We've seen strange twists on the recruiting trail before so who knows
A very sad, sordid and sleezy situation, hope UNC is somehow held accountable.
Unfortunately, if history is any guide, they will not be. UNC is one of the golden children. No matter how much dirt the gang in Raleigh digs up, the powers that be in both Chapel Hill and Indianapolis will find a way to sweep it under the rug or otherwise handwave it away.
I will be surprised if there isn't a class action lawsuit by other grads who have had their degree tarnished and were discriminated against that they had to take a full set of classes for their degree while athletes were able to take these BS classes for theirs. I could see folks wanting their tuition back but we will see.
Well the science majors knew they were coming out with a BS degree right? So BS classes make sense... /S
Perhaps I just don't understand the situation, but aren't the students who signed up for the class complicit? Did they really have no idea they were taking a fake class? If that were the case (and I don't beleive it was), did they not have qualms about it when they noticed they weren't doing any work for their grade?
I just don't buy it. They weren't victimized, they saw an opportunity to get something without working for it and took it, and they're doing the same thing with this lawsuit.
And even if you didn't know at first, I feel like you would figure out pretty darn quickly just what sort of class it was because you're taking it...
Music appreciation at Tech is rather easy and boosted my GPA. Its online and every quiz was loaded onto Koofers. I knew it was a BS course and I didn't learn anything from it. I wouldn't ever sue VT because of it though
I think there's a significant difference between taking an easy class (all colleges have them) and taking multiple "paper classes" where grades were pre-determined by what the student needed to stay eligible. Several people are on record as to the nature of UNC's fake classes and the lawsuit will certainly expose more due to subpoena power.
I think there's the complicity issue to deal with, as well as what exactly is guaranteed. A student on an academic scholarship is expected to maintain certain grades in order to qualify for the scholarship. If they don't get the grades, they lose the scholarship. No one is guaranteed a college education, even if they're paying for it. You're paying for an opportunity. The lawsuit will hinge on whether or not McAdoo et al. can prove that the University did them harm in some way.
Appalachian Studies was mine, same koofer deal. I hate seeing people sue just to sue. Clearly these people knew what their class was. Now if you've pissed away every opportunity life has given you (likely because you actually have to do work in the real world), then deal with it.
Can anyone say Creativity and the Aesthetic Experience?
Glass blowing was the easy class that I found, only downside was that the instructor had banned his students from making long glass water filled tubes that might be used for non approved purposes.
I'm assuming that class is taught by Tom Wertalik. He's a really cool guy, he modified and even blew from scratch a handful of items for me for my graduate research.
As I remember he was a pretty decent guy, but I don't recall his name, this was over 30 years ago. He definitely enjoyed teaching his craft, but he had seem one too many fake flower vases for student projects. Main thing I remember is the glob of molten glass landing on my hand during one of my lab sessions, still have a small scar today.
My music appreciation class wasn't online and it was pretty tough. It seems that students at UNC that didn't take the paper classes would have more right to complain since their diploma is worth a little less now.
"My music appreciation class wasn't online and it was pretty tough."
Preach! Easy classes, my butt.
If I remember correctly...For tests, we had to go in, put on headphones, then correctly identify all kinds of classical music like Stravinsky's 5th, or some such. Indoor Plants? Identify about 100 of them by sight, along with their Latin names.
And (insert "for the love of God" here) don't EVEN get me started with "Intro to Religion"...
If there were any easy classes, I couldn't find them. And believe me, it wasn't for lack of trying, ha. Looking back, though, learning all of that stuff is what "being educated" and "well rounded" is all about, IMO. It SHOULD be difficult, too (again, IMO).
And I am now, at this late stage of my life, quite pleased with what I accomplished.
UNC grads? Maybe not so much. At first blush, as a petty, bitter, and vindictive man,
I love seeing UNC swirl the drain. But all joking aside, I really hope this trend, which is seemingly everywhere, starts to reverse course, and something good can emerge from this situation.
Yeah, my wife took Music Appreciation for an undergrad elective and she learned a lot. It really expanded her musical tastes and knowledge. This seems to be one of those 'life is what you make it' situations.
One of the best classes I took at Tech was a Film Appreciation class where we got to see and study films like Casino and Brazil. It was actually a really informative class and you learned so, so much about the films and the small little details that went into making each one awesome.
That, and you got to watch some pretty good movies in the process.
I took a film appreciation class as well. It wasn't nearly as easy as I thought it might be but was a cool class.
I think i found the one section of geology that wasn't rocks for jocks.
whoa, whoa, whoa... complicit? qualms? seriously? come on petebuddywilson, this is ridiculous. I mean they don't even know what complicit and qualms mean. Let me break it down in terms they will understand:
"Hey Mikey, Hey Mikey... who's a cute widdle guy? You are. You are... ah, you're so silly. Now Mikey, you know that time you ate too many cookies and got a stomach ache even when your mommy said not too? yeah, that's right. It wasn't the right thing to do and it didn't feel good did it? Well, you see this is just like those cookies. When you had that nice girl do your homework and never attended your class, even though a 5th grader could have passed it, it was like when you ate those cookies. Yes Mikey, it was wrong. And you know what's even more wrong? you don't? are you sure?.... alright... well buddy, lying about it and blaming others for your mistake is even more wrong. And you shouldn't ever get money for that because that would just teach you that doing wrong things can give you good things. Yeah buddy, you deserve nothing .... don't be too sad though, here's a cookie."
Well, there were academic advisers steering athletes to these classes. I agree that there is plenty of blame to go around (particularly on the players who took part in the classes), but the institution is also very responsible for creating an environment like that. I can see both sides.
While I don't disagree that the kids taking the class have some responsibility, you have to remember that a lot of these kids shouldn't have been admitted to UNC to begin with. These kids, some of which read at a 5th grader's level(!!!), are "expected" to perform academically at least 7 years beyond their current level. They can't (understandably so) but really have no other out...
Until they're offered these 'fake' classes. They figure out that they can avoid doing the things they don't like (school work) and focus on what they enjoy (sports). If I were thrown in PhD level courses that were 7 years beyond my understanding of a subject, and I felt that I had to stay in school for one reason or another, and I was offered an easy way out, I'd definitely consider it.
I'm not sure I would sue afterwards... I'd imagine that these kids' quality of life has improved since "earning" their degree, but perhaps I am mistaken.
CRANDALLED!
Charlotte Observer article
Now it's being reported that the 2 semesters involving eligibility for the 2005 national championship basketball team accounted for 35 of the bogus grades. McCants got 4 A-s to land on the Dean's list without doing anything.
"McAdoo claims that he wanted to study criminal justice but was directed to AFAM because it was one of only three majors that aligned with the football schedule. McAdoo is seeking actual damages for the classes in question and also a review of all classes for student-athletes."
Read more at http://www.wralsportsfan.com/former-tar-heels-football-player-mcadoo-aga...
And yet there are some that will say didn't have any involvement from the Athletic Dept.
one of 3 majors to align with the football schedule, and it just so happens to be the one athletes were steered into, and it just so happens to be the one where you didn't have to show up to in order to get grades?
Yeah, that's one heck of a coincidence to not have help from the Athletic Dept...
Being one of these athletes who took these paper classes and suing UNC because "they didn't provide you with an adequate education" is like going to Gold's Gym just to stare at the girls and maybe do 5 bicep curls while there (just to show off) and then suing them because "you didn't lose weight."
Well, if someone came up to you and said that you could win that case, would you do it then?
That's what's wrong with our society.
I heard on the radio this morning, I think WTQR, that the accrediting body for southern universities sent a letter to UNC.
Would not state what was in the letter but that it was related to the classes.
Let me guess
"we kindly ask that you not engage in this behavior anymore. Thanks"
Not quite.
Ah, I got beat to it.
This is the letter:
http://oira.unc.edu/files/2014/11/UNC-Chapel-Hill.pdf