BoG Member Letter

A few weeks ago, an NC State fan posted this, which I thought was interesting and wanted to preserve. So I'm posting it here.

"The following is an actual response from a BOG member, who I shall not name since I did not ask permission to post. If sincere, then the next chapters of the saga ought to be good."

Mr. XXXX

Thank you for your email. You may be surprised to hear that a number of our Governors share your concerns. 16 of us are new members of the Board who took office on July 1, 2014. At our first meeting we raised the issues of Carolina's combined athletics and academic scandal. At that time I expressed the view that the investigations done to that point were inadequate and, no matter how well intentioned, left the impression that they were conducted in a manner that would not uncover all that might be there. I want to quickly add that former Governor Jim Martin is a man of unquestionable integrity and I have no doubt that he did an honest review and report of the areas his report looked into.

However, Governor Martins review was limited in scope and cannot be considered complete. Contrary to what you have been told, not all of the Board was silent even at that point. My (unnamed relative) was a member of the Board at that time. He was openly highly critical of the report. I attach a link to a News & Observer article on this, one of several published during the last four years where he is critical of the efforts made to get to the bottom of the situation.www.newsobserver.com/2013/02/0...r-checked.html.
A review and report on all reports concerning this situation was conducted by a special committee of the Board of Governors. That committee was chaired by Louis Bissette, a member of the Board who is one of the state's premier lawyers. It was a thorough review of the work done to that date. However, it too was limited as it was a review of existing reports already completed.\

At the first Board meeting I attended, I noted that over the past few decades a methodology has evolved to deal with such situations. It is simple. You hire the best well resourced law firm with no relationship to the institution. The firm must have experienced former prosecutors and be given totally free rein. The firm is empowered to look into anything and everything that it feels may be related to the matter. The institution does not get to offer its opinion on the relevance of any area into which the investigation is heading. 

Further, all employees are told to cooperate fully, disclose all information asked for and to be proactive in informing the investigators of areas the individual thinks warrant more in depth scrutiny. All employees are told failure to comply will lead to immediate termination for cause and they can expect no severance or other benefits and no recommendation to a future employer. Once the report is completed, the investigating firm releases it to the public without review or any input from the institution. If the institution thinks the investigators got something wrong, it is free to say so to the public after the report is released. 

I urged that this approach needed to be adopted quickly if we wished to restore any credibility to the University. President Ross and Chairman Peter Hans said they felt it best to wait to do this until the SBI report was released. Their reason was that the SBI had gotten information from many sources that had refused information to the University and a thorough investigation would need this information. It made sense, so I agreed we should wait.
The SBI report has now been issued and a firm employed to conduct this investigation. I have expressed to Chancellor Folt, Provost Dean and President Ross my belief that the rubric I described above needs to be followed and that there must be no appearance of an attempt to influence the investigators or their report or to block any access they deem needed. I believe this is the only way the air can be cleared and we can begin to repair the reputation of Carolina and of the University system.

There will always be questions about whether all was found that could have been found. In the human experience it is rare to feel certain we have uncovered all that could be found. However, we must make every effort not only to find all we can, but we must also do it in a way that convinces people this investigation has been as thorough as possible and as transparent as possible.

I could offer a long list of where I personally believe the University, the Carolina administration and the Carolina Trustees mishandled this situation - a litany of missed opportunities to face up to the facts and face the consequences. Additionally, in my view, the Board of Governors should have stepped in long before it did. However, these are things that have pasted and opportunities that cannot be reclaimed. So we have to do the best we can from here forward.

There are things that have occurred since I began serving that I find unwise and questionable. For example, I personally believe the situation with Mary Willingham was not handled well. Regardless of what anyone has to say about her research, the woman worked with dozens of athletes and I doubt seriously she needed a test to know who could and could not read. There are a number of others on the Board who share this view. Please do not think that just because we have not taken these issues to the media means we have not raised them. We have and we will continue to do so. 

In closing please allow a personal note. I am a Carolina alum. I love that university. I was a student-athlete. However, as a Governor I have not only been campus agnostic, I have probably been more critical of my alma mater than of any other campus. Sadly, I believe that criticism has been warranted. My hope is that a new administration will mean a new approach. Clearly the jury is out on that, but I have seen signs that are heartening. I have told the Chancellor and the Provost that no sport is worth the University's reputation. In truth, I would see us end inter-collegiate athletics at Carolina if that is what it takes to restore our reputation. I would do it without a moments hesitation. So please believe that there are many on the Board of Governors who share your concerns and will not be silent. 

I do appreciate your email and the concerns you express. It is important that you and people like you constantly remind us of our duty to the people of this state. I promise that we will try to discharge that duty in a way that meets the trust that has been placed in our hands. Again, thank you for taking the time to write and please do not hesitate to do so at any time you think we need to hear it. 

Sincerely, Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx