Okla-homey
7/14/2006, 06:30 AM
From the "Pink Elephant in the Middle of the Room No One Talks About" Department.
AU Investigates Complaints That Athletes Got Preferential Treatment
Mitch Sneed and Amy Weaver / Opelika-Auburn News
July 13, 2006
Auburn University is investigating a complaint that some athletes may have been given preferential grading by a single professor.[Just one professor mind you :rolleyes: ]
According to Auburn University officials, an anonymous complaint came in through a system called Ethicspoint in May, alleging that a single professor gave grades to student athletes for courses that required little or no work.:eek: :eek: :eek:
AU officials declined to name the professor or give his current status while the investigation is ongoing. The names of the athletes alleged to be getting preferential treament were not released. Officials denied a request for a copy of the complaint and would not supply names of those people assigned to the investigation committee.
“Academic integrity is at the foundation of every university,” AU Provost John Heilman said in a released statement. “At Auburn, we expect concerns related to academics to be reported through deans and department heads, but we also maintain an anonymous on-line system called Ethicspoint.
“The Office of the Provost takes any concern related to academic processes at the University seriously. As a result, on June 5, I appointed a committee to investigate the anonymous claim. The work of the committee is not complete given the number of personal interviews that must be conducted.
“The Committee will issue a report upon the completion of its work, and that report will be made public. Until that time, our office will have no comment on the investigation. I can assure you as Provost that academic misconduct will not be tolerated at Auburn University.”
No timeline was provided for completion of the investigation.Auburn University Interim President Ed Richardson said the investigation will be complete.
“Over the past two years, Auburn has shown a willingness to address serious issues in a very open and direct manner,” Richardson said in a released statement. “The Provost has made me aware of a complaint and related investigation concerning grades assigned to student athletes.
“I am confident that the Provost will perform a thorough investigation, and upon completion of that work we will make the results of that investigation public. I also want to make clear that in the event that any academic misconduct is confirmed, we will take appropriate action to insure that Auburn University's strong academic reputation is not damaged. Auburn has been, and is, fortunate to have many dedicated instructors who, like us, will not tolerate academic misconduct.
“I want to assure everyone associated with Auburn that upon completion of the investigation we will deal with this issue as we have dealt with other challenges –- directly and openly
AU Investigates Complaints That Athletes Got Preferential Treatment
Mitch Sneed and Amy Weaver / Opelika-Auburn News
July 13, 2006
Auburn University is investigating a complaint that some athletes may have been given preferential grading by a single professor.[Just one professor mind you :rolleyes: ]
According to Auburn University officials, an anonymous complaint came in through a system called Ethicspoint in May, alleging that a single professor gave grades to student athletes for courses that required little or no work.:eek: :eek: :eek:
AU officials declined to name the professor or give his current status while the investigation is ongoing. The names of the athletes alleged to be getting preferential treament were not released. Officials denied a request for a copy of the complaint and would not supply names of those people assigned to the investigation committee.
“Academic integrity is at the foundation of every university,” AU Provost John Heilman said in a released statement. “At Auburn, we expect concerns related to academics to be reported through deans and department heads, but we also maintain an anonymous on-line system called Ethicspoint.
“The Office of the Provost takes any concern related to academic processes at the University seriously. As a result, on June 5, I appointed a committee to investigate the anonymous claim. The work of the committee is not complete given the number of personal interviews that must be conducted.
“The Committee will issue a report upon the completion of its work, and that report will be made public. Until that time, our office will have no comment on the investigation. I can assure you as Provost that academic misconduct will not be tolerated at Auburn University.”
No timeline was provided for completion of the investigation.Auburn University Interim President Ed Richardson said the investigation will be complete.
“Over the past two years, Auburn has shown a willingness to address serious issues in a very open and direct manner,” Richardson said in a released statement. “The Provost has made me aware of a complaint and related investigation concerning grades assigned to student athletes.
“I am confident that the Provost will perform a thorough investigation, and upon completion of that work we will make the results of that investigation public. I also want to make clear that in the event that any academic misconduct is confirmed, we will take appropriate action to insure that Auburn University's strong academic reputation is not damaged. Auburn has been, and is, fortunate to have many dedicated instructors who, like us, will not tolerate academic misconduct.
“I want to assure everyone associated with Auburn that upon completion of the investigation we will deal with this issue as we have dealt with other challenges –- directly and openly