RebKell's Junkie Boards

[ArtBest23]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/10/12/whistle-blower-alleges-academic-misconduct-in-ucla-mens-basketball-program/

http://www.bruinsnation.com/ucla_basketball/2015/10/11/9504445/ucla-basketball-vehemently-denies-accusations-of-former-academic-advisor#comments

[Nixtreefan]

Gone on for years. The next one will be that the hookers are not only doing personal services for the players but also for their professors

[linkster]

Only the truly naive thought that UNC was the exception. I doubt there are many "clean" programs. That there have been cheating scandals at Harvard, West Point, the Air Force Academy, etc. shows that even elite level academic schools and schools that make integrity and character building a priority are dirty.

Electronic record-keeping and the use of email has meant that records don't disappear. Even attempts to erase them are recorded. I imagine that many AD's are busy watching Casablanca, practicing the look on Claude Raines' face as he says how shocked he is to discover gambling in Rick's Cafe. I imagine that administrators at every D1 school in the country have covered their asses with memos reminding their underlings of the school's commitment to academic integrity.

My guess is that the NCAA has probably spent much more time and resources in the last year or so figuring out how to rebuild the fiction of "the student-athlete" than they have in investigating allegations of academic dishonesty in athletic offices under their jurisdiction.

[ArtBest23]

I put the "this happens everywhere" into the same category as "Elvis is still alive" and "the government has aliens from outer space imprisoned at Area 51."

Actually no it doesn't happen most places. Which is why it's a really big deal when it does happen. Especially when it happens at institutuons with well deserved high academic reputations like UNC and UCLA.

[pilight]

[linkster]

[dtrain34]

UCLA has had some iffy things going back 50 years.

They had John Wooden, who had Sam Gilbert.

[ClayK]

There's way too much at stake for schools not to cheat -- and then really, not much happens when they're caught. Sure, a bit player like SMU gets hammered, but no big schools suffer that much.

And the ADs and school presidents keep their jobs. The players, of course, get punished.

_________________
Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā

[patsweetpat]

Not sure why this discussion is taking place on a WBB board, as the alleged "scandal" concerns UCLA men's basketball. In fact, the staff and players of the UCLA WBB program are cited in the original article as exemplifying a (positive, healthy) contrast to the win-at-all-costs corner-cutting allegedly infesting the men's side. The disillusioned academic advisor (Will Collier) was indeed transferred away from Steve Alford's men's players and over to Cori Close's women's players, and in effecting that transfer, Collier's supervisor wrote the following to him (again, from the original article in The Chronicle of Higher Education):

"I also want the rest of your time at UCLA to be positive, emotionally and professionally, and I think that continuing to work with men's basketball will continue to take an emotional toll on you, especially since I do not see the coaching staffing changing their ways. Focusing solely on women's basketball will provide you with an opportunity to not participate in such an unhealthy environment and allow you to continue to make a real difference with a team that is more receptive and willing to engage academically."

So go ahead and rip on Steve Alford if you absolutely must, but don't forget to give Coach Close and staff their props, along with the student-athletes within the UCLA WBB program. Evidently they're doing the right thing in Westwood.