A report released by the University has revealed a slew of academic irregularities in its African and Afro-American Studies department, including evidence of fraud and lax academic standards in some classes.
Among the most severe findings is that between the summer of 2007 and the summer of 2009, grade rolls were submitted to the University’s registrar for nine courses with “faculty signatures that appear to be forged,” according to the report.
The report also outlines the department’s use of independent study courses, temporary grades and unauthorized grade changes as problematic.
Julius Nyang’oro, former chairman of the department, and Deborah Crowder, a former administrator for the department, are the only individuals mentioned in the report. Nyang’oro resigned his position in August, and will retire on July 1. Crowder retired in September 2009.
The report states that between the summers of 2007 and 2009, nine of the total 616 classes in the department were found to be aberrant, meaning there was no evidence that the listed instructor actually supervised the class.
The report also states that an additional 43 courses were aberrant, or taught irregularly, meaning the instructor “engaged in limited or no classroom or other instructional contact with students.” Nyang’oro was listed as the instructor, or his name was on the grade rolls, for all of these classes.
The report notes that no aberrant courses or unauthorized changes to grade rolls were found for any courses taught after Crowder’s retirement.
The University’s investigation of the department began in September following the revelation that former defensive end Michael McAdoo had plagiarized a paper for a class in the department, and the plagiarism had gone undetected.
For a link to the report, click here.
