Three years ago, the University of North Carolina faced a scandal when it was revealed that students had been taking so-called “paper classes,” which almost never met in person and required only one paper submission, often plagiarized, to pass. On Wednesday, a new report detailed that the classes were mostly devised to keep up the grade point averages of struggling UNC athletes. UNC has admitted that athletes were steered toward the classes by advisors, and have set up new checks to ensure that classes are meeting regularly. Four employees have been terminated at UNC as a result of the scandal, and disciplinary proceedings are beginning against five more. How do you react to the UNC scandal, and what can be done to prevent a similar situation at other schools?

Director Erika Lamarre

What happened at UNC, and what happens at institutions around the world, is what happens when achievement is placed above learning. Often when students are academically dishonest it’s not because they are morally flawed or trying to get away with something, but because they believe they can't perform up to expectations.  Students and faculty need to know that academic dishonesty goes beyond not keeping your eyes on your own exam in class. When a student submits work that is not his/her own, it not only puts their integrity in doubt, but it has a ripple effect on their entire student experience and that of their peers. At Brandeis we create an atmosphere where students are set up to succeed amid an atmosphere of excellence. We’ve clarified our academic integrity expectations, and when faculty suspect a problem with a student’s work, they work with the student and/or my office to make sure we combine accountability with learning.  I’m glad this issue is getting the attention it deserves.

Erika Lamarre is the Director of Academic Integrity.

Coach William Shipman

As an alumnus and supporter of athletics of UNC at Chapel Hill I am especially cognizant of and sad about the recent academic issues involving UNC athletics and academics. But the system existing now in major college football encourages these types of actions. Alumni and students of state and some private universities place high pressure on university administrators and coaches to present a winning team.  Literally tens of millions of dollars of personal, university and local business money can be at stake, some of which fund academic programs in the university. This pressure to produce wins results in the admission of some athletes who are not near the academic level of the predominant university population. Undoubtedly UNC must raise its accountability of academic preparation and performance for its athletes, to prevent this type of incident. But let’s look at the deeper influence of a Division 1 college athletics system that places too much pressure on underprepared young men and those that lead them to win and make money on the field while they minimize the primary mission of universities.

Coach William Shipman is the head coach of the men’s and women’s fencing teams. 

Coach Michael Kotch

My initial reaction is that I cannot believe that this fraudulent class scheme grew so large.  I would think that after two or three people got involved, someone with morals or values would ultimately have said no to being involved and blown the whistle.  I’m sure some did say no to getting involved, but why they chose to ignore it is probably a topic in itself. I wonder if the allure of working with high level athletes sucked people into this decision making process, but I still can’t believe that so many people got together and thought this was going to continue into perpetuity without a bad ending. It’ll be interesting to see how deep the fallout is, but in my opinion there is no way the coaches of these athletes didn’t know about what was happening.  I think back to all my interactions with student-athletes over the last 13 years and I have learned more about them than I probably needed to at the time...because they tell you!
Coach Michael Kotch is the head coach of the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams. 
Sarah Jaffe '15
Upon hearing about the situation with the UNC athletes, I was disappointed, but honestly not tremendously surprised.  While the situation is obviously a problem for the specific students that it’s affecting, it actually demonstrates a larger national issue. With an emphasis in political rhetoric on “increased accountability” and “standards” within education, teachers at different educational levels feel pressured to pass their students, even if they may not deserve the passing grades or credits.  They may think it’s a favor to students that they don’t have to stay behind or repeat classes, but they are actually doing them a great disservice in the long term.  Additionally, when University-level student athletes are being given credits they don’t deserve, their institution of higher education is sending them the message that they value athletics more than academics.  If this is the message that universities are sending, we need to honestly examine the hypocrisy and question the values within our education system.      
Sarah Jaffe ’15 is an Education Studies minor. 
Jesse Ruth '16
I was a taken aback by the actions wof the staff at Chapel Hill. I think it safe to assume that we expect our institutions of higher learning to build upon their ingrained tenets of principled discourse and the transmission of knowledge in an ethical and open setting. As more information on the UNC scandal comes to light, it is quite evident that the staff members who facilitated this pseudo academic department were the primary instigators. However, it is unfair to place all responsibility for the longevity of their scheme on them—students at a university have an obligation to their integrity to conduct themselves with honesty, and those who colluded over the years with the staff are just as culpable. The actions of all involved—students and staff—are reprehensible, and in direct opposition to the ethos of the University.
Jesse Ruth ’16 is a member of the Tennis club.