Minding the Coach: AFAM Irregular Class Enrollment Data

Introduction

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On this page, below, you'll find a collection of graphs depicting enrollment levels, by sport category, in the African and African-American Studies (AFAM) courses that are the focus of the academic scandal involving athletes at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). The original postings by Scout.com contributor Beezzzzzz, are mirrored here.

It's important to note that two types of irregular courses are identified:

Independent Studies - these courses were listed as independent study courses, offered between Spring term 1989 and Fall term 2011 in the AFAM department. Some of these deviated from institution independent studies policies in some way, such as not being taught by or graded by the faculty member identified, or not involving the required regular interaction with a faculty member during the term. Investigations revealed such courses were often managed by a departmental manager as a "special arrangement" for students -- athletes and non-athletes alike -- in need of course credits or grade boosts. Not all Independent Studies courses were illegitimate, but what would become known as "paper classes" evolved out of abuses of the independent studies format.
Anomalous Lecture Classes - known colloquially as "paper courses," these were lecture courses offered in the AFAM department between 1999 and 2011 that were identified as having been conducted without lectures, faculty involvement (prior to 2010), and required only the completion of a term paper for credit (hence the name) that was graded by a non-faculty department manager (prior to 2010).

Enrollment in these aberrant independent studies and "paper class" courses in the AFAM department is summarized in a set of tables in the Wainstein Report Final Exhibits (PDF) document published along with the Final Report. The source data begins on pg. 90 and is depicted graphically below.

Note: The charts are presented here for reference, without comment or analysis. They are reformatted versions of those created and published by Beezzzzzz. For Minding the Coach commentary on the data, go here.

Chart Index