UNC to phase out undergrads as tutors for athletes

North Carolina

UNC to phase out undergrads as tutors for athletes

Sep 21, 2011

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Chapel Hill, N.C. — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill plans to stop having undergraduate students tutor its athletes, officials said Wednesday.

The move comes after a former tutor was accused of giving improper help to football players. UNC said it uncovered academic misconduct by Jennifer Wiley and the players last year during an NCAA investigation into players' relationships with sports agents.

The NCAA cited Wiley in the Notice of Allegations it filed against the Tar Heel football program in June.

Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education Bobbi Owen told the UNC Board of Trustees that the university had 74 tutors who work with athletes. Only four are undergraduates, while 61 are graduate students and nine are public school teachers.

Owen said the university hopes to cut the number of tutors and have each work longer hours so it's easier to track personal relationships. She said UNC also would like to recruit more school teachers and retired faculty as tutors.

The four undergraduates who are still tutoring aren't at risk of losing their jobs because they have done nothing wrong, Owen said. Instead, the university will phase out hiring undergraduates and use them only in "exceptional situations," she said.

UNC officials also told the board that they are reviewing how independent study classes are conducted to ensure academic standards are maintained.

Julius Nyang'oro resigned this month as chairman of the Department of African and Afro-American Studies after a former football player was found to have plagiarized a paper in an independent study class.

UNC has been in defensive mode for more than a year because of the NCAA investigation.

The ultimate fallout from that probe is still to come. University leaders, including Chancellor Holden Thorpe, will travel to Indianapolis Oct. 28 for a meeting with the NCAA Committee on Infractions, which will decide how to penalize the university and the team.

UNC has offered to vacate all of its football wins from 2008 and 2009 and cut the number of football scholarships offered by nine over the course of three years.

Reporter: Erin Hartness
Photographer: Pete James
Web Editor: Matthew Burns

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RE: UNC to phase out undergrads as tutors for athletes

Come on. One bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch.

Good luck getting faculty to do it... they have enough on their hands.

RE: UNC to phase out undergrads as tutors for athletes

FIRST DAMM POST YOU'VE EVER MADE ANY SENSE!!WE ALL THANK YOU......
- Posted by holeswishtheycouldcheatlikekcan
Among all the talents you have, recognizing sarcasm is not one of them.
- Posted by cussmikemeout
I knew you would'nt admit it.That was not SARCASM,DEEP DOWN YOU KNOW IT'S THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!1
- Posted by holeswishtheycouldcheatlikekcan
Well, I know that the athletes at UNC were recruited by State and Duke and other universities. Also, signing on the line at Duke and State doesn't suddenly make them smarter, and signing on the line at UNC doesn't make them dumber.
- Posted by cussmikemeout

I BEG YOUR PARDON.THE MOMENT THEY SIGN WITH holes SHOWS IGNORANCE!!!!

RE: UNC to phase out undergrads as tutors for athletes

They are just closing the barn door after the horse has run off.
- Posted by tran
There were other horses in the barn.
- Posted by GhostofSmitty

My GOD!Have you turned to HORESS NOW?YOU ARE SICK...

RE: UNC to phase out undergrads as tutors for athletes

They are just closing the barn door after the horse has run off.
- Posted by tran

There were other horses in the barn.

RE: UNC to phase out undergrads as tutors for athletes

How is this supposed to make any difference? Do they think grad students are less likely to provide improper help? If so, why?

My suggestion would be to eliminate female tutors if you're going to do anything. At least you could cut out one "improper benefit".
- Posted by Ken D.

This is a symbolic move, nothing more, nothing less.

And if there were only male tutors at Carolina, would that guarantee you to cut out that particular "improper benefit"? I mean, we ARE talking about Carolina here.
- Posted by TruthBKnown Left The Building

I knew I could count on you to go there. ;)
- Posted by Ken D.

TBK: I suppose you could also enlighten us on the "tutors" at state. Male, female, other. How does that work there? Any of your football players ever used a tutor? Or is this not allowed at State?
- Posted by ronbo

Tutors tutoring is not the problem.

Tutors cheating, plagiarizing, paying for parking tickets (and who knows what ELSE) and philandering is the problem.

Obviously, there are going to be SOME tutors that are "star-struck" about the big athletes they tutor. For me, the bigger question is, how does someone in Ms. Wiley's position even HAVE that kind of money to pay out? Coincidentally, she's PAID by Butch for tutoring his own son. Hmmmm. And how does a first-year school teacher afford arguably the BEST attorney in the area, just so she can remain in obscurity?

If only the NCAA had subpoena power.

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