Tarnished Heels

Tarnished Heels chronicles the numerous events that have affected the University of North Carolina and seriously brought into question what was once a sterling reputation, both athletically and academically. From the time that knowledge of controversial actions first emerged publicly in 2010, a number of transgressions, events, and discoveries would redefine what was known as “The Carolina Way.” Players, coaches, faculty, and university leaders all played roles in the scandals, and in many cases appeared complicit. The uncovered issues were staggering; Football coaches were also deemed to be working with NFL agents. Players received cash payments, travel expenses, and impermissible academic help. A sports agent was hired to teach a class at the university. A parent of a basketball All-American was hired as a university employee. Hundreds of fraudulent classes were discovered, countless basketball and football players were enrolled in them, and dozens of grades were forged and changed without permission. Basketball players received impermissible benefits from a convicted felon, who was also directly connected to UNC alumni. About the Author. A native of North Carolina, Rob J. Anderson is a freelance writer with past work experience in statistics and education awareness. From the Author When gathering data, researching articles and information, and then actually writing this book, a number of disturbing issues stood out. Most of them will likely be clear from reading the book's narrative: the lack of those in positions of leadership at UNC to tackle an obvious problem head-on; cheating done for some sort of institutional, personal, and/or financial gain; and so forth. By the end of the writing process, however, the aspect that was perhaps the most frustrating to me dealt with the abuse of our education system. Education has been such a hot topic for years - not just at select colleges and universities, but nationwide and on all levels from kindergarten on up. Teachers in primary and secondary schools remain underpaid and under-appreciated, yet are held to high (and ever-changing) testing standards, most of which are widely criticized as being largely without merit when it comes to properly preparing our youth for adulthood and careers. That is, of course, a topic for an entirely different book. But what has been shown throughout this account at UNC is an utter lack of respect for the education process. The fraud, cheating, and cover-ups have essentially created a trickle-down effect from the university, to the students, to the public education system (high school on down), to the teachers who are trying diligently to prepare their students despite many obstacles, and even to parents who have concerns and frustrations about their children's education and future well-being. In essence, not only were morals and values compromised at the University of North Carolina, but so too was the supposed purpose and mission of an institute of higher learning: to teach students. The result of the UNC scandal is one that reflects an overall de-emphasis on the value of an education in our country and, as a parent, that is truly troubling and sad.