The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has released its response to the NCAA’s third notice of allegations resulting from the joint investigation of past academic irregularities.
The response, submitted May 16, was posted on the Carolina Commitment website after a review to protect privacy rights. Also posted was a public copy of exhibits accompanying the response and recent correspondence to and from the NCAA in response to public records requests.
“We are prepared and look forward to presenting our case to the Committee on Infractions,” said Chancellor Carol L. Folt. “Bringing closure to this process will be an important step for our University. The expansive reforms and initiatives now in place at Carolina reflect the academic values of a community that I am proud to lead.”
“We sent the NCAA a full and detailed response,” said Bubba Cunningham, director of athletics. “Our reply to each allegation is based on the NCAA’s constitution and member-adopted bylaws. We expect the Committee on Infractions to consistently apply those bylaws as the case moves forward.”
Last October, the University participated in a procedural hearing before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions. Following the hearing, the panel requested the NCAA’s enforcement staff to revisit the second notice of allegations issued in April 2016. The enforcement staff issued its third notice of allegations in December 2016.
The University received the NCAA’s first notice of allegations in May 2015. The NCAA notified the University in June 2014 that it would reopen its original 2011 examination of the past academic irregularities. The case was paused in August 2015 when the University notified the NCAA it had identified new information requiring further review.
The next steps in the NCAA’s process for the University include a hearing before the Committee on Infractions scheduled later this summer. The committee typically issues a report several weeks after the hearing.
Under the leadership of Folt, who took office in 2013, Carolina has been extraordinarily proactive in accepting all responsibility for its past, working diligently to get to the bottom of these issues, restoring trust, and implementing more than 70 wide-ranging reforms and initiatives. In 2016, the University demonstrated compliance with all academic accreditation principles and standards of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) following a yearlong probation.
NCAA Bylaw 19.03.01 requires that all infractions-related information remain confidential throughout the infractions process. Consistent with NCAA protocol, University officials will not comment on details about the case until it is completed.
Click here for the University’s response to the third notice of allegations.
Click here and here for the exhibits submitted with the University’s response.
The University also has released additional recent correspondence sent to and received from the NCAA and its Committee on Infractions in response to public records requests. To view those documents, click here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.