The University of North Carolina has been ranked 30th in the latest U.S. News and World Report list of top schools and eighth on Forbes' list of top public colleges. But a viral term paper has exposed the shocking truth of how athlete students' papers are given the pass at UNC, Yahoo News reported.
It's no secret that athletes have an easier and different academic life during college. But what exactly is the extent?
A brief essay on civil rights icon Rosa Parks, with grammatical errors and questionable rhythm, has become "a potent visual symbol of the University of North Carolina's fake classes scandal," UK MailOnline reported.
Exposed by UNC professor Mary Willingham, the one-paragraph essay apparently earned an A-minus.
"The shocking essay came to light during an ESPN documentary timed to coincide with the March Madness basketball competition," UK MailOnline reported. "It contains allegations that UNC athletes in danger of failing were encouraged to sign up for fake tutor groups designed to let students pass."
"Athletes couldn't write a paper," Willingham, who spent 10 years teaching UNC's athletes before she turned whistleblower on alleged classroom corruption, told ESPN. "They couldn't write a paragraph. They couldn't write a sentence yet."
In order to boost the GPA of semi-literate and illiterate athletes, they were admitted into so-called "paper classes" that turned out to be no-show study groups. The criteria was to eventually complete the NCAA's eligibility requirements.
"Some of these college students could read at a second or third grade level," Willingham said. "Students were taking classes that really didn't exist. They were called independent studies at that time and they just had to write a paper...There was no attendance."
She added, "Their job isn't necessarily to make Deunta Williams a better person, a smarter person. Their job is to make sure I'm eligible to play."
The UNC was exposed by Willingham in 2011 after she learnt the colleges' system of keeping athletes away from studies rather than giving them an education.
According to UK MailOnline, Deunta Williams, who played football at UNC from 2007 to 2010, admitted to the scam.
