Dive Brief:
- Reports of academic misconduct at 20 higher ed institutions are being investigated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
- The investigation includes 18 Division I programs and one program each in Division II and III, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
- Many of the investigations reportedly involve professors, advisers outside of athletic departments, and registrar staff, as well as coaches.
Dive Insight:
None of the institutions being investigated are listed by the Chronicle, which says its source — the NCAA's head of enforcement — refused to name them. The investigations, however, are said to be in varying stages, with some already awaiting hearings with the Division I Committee on Infractions.
Over the past few years, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill academic scandal involving athletes taking so-called "paper classes" has frequented the headlines, with an essay at one point leaking to the public. That controversy has become indicative of the leeway toward academic honesty afforded to athletes at many universities. If any of these newly revealed investigations are on the level of the UNC scandal, they could come as a blessing for that school, drawing some of the heat away from it. But they could potentially serve as more of a curse to the perceived integrity of college athletic programs — and further contribute to debate over whether or not student-athletes are actually employees.