Truth is fleeting
Recently, the UNC board of governors released a statement on the athletic and academic scandals at UNC-CH. The gist of the statement said, “while we realize questions around the scandal remain unanswered, we believe further investigation would be unproductive.”
Revelations have emerged in this saga for over two years now, highlighted recently by the flimsy report of former Gov. Jim Martin and the auditing firm Baker Tilly. Even Baker Tilly has since back-tracked on claims in Martin’s report. Yet UNC is eager to embrace it as gospel. A rush to accept, despite its lack of rigor and quality, feels desperate and pre-planned.
Given all the unanswered questions and with the outcome of the SBI investigation still unknown, why close the book? Former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Burley Mitchell recently asserted, “No way all of this fraud was planned and executed for a decade by just two people.”
The public is owed the truth, especially at a time when UNC stands before us seeking ever more funding. The UNC board now looks complicit in trying to help UNC out of a jam. What a slap in the face to member institutions that do follow the rules and operate in the light of day.
Thomas Winslow, Clayton
