The University of North Carolina (UNC) - Chapel Hill will receive 12 months of probation from its accreditor as a result of the school's "paper class" scandal.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS) handed down its decision Thursday. While probation may seem light considering the depth and breadth of the scandal, SACS President Belle Wheelan told the Charlotte Observer their punishment is "the most serious sanction we have."
A private investigator UNC - Chapel Hill previously commissioned determined the school's African and African-American Studies department hosted false classes for nearly two decades. More than 3,000 students benefited from high marks in these classes, which were mostly intended for student-athletes looking to stay academically eligible for their respective team.
With the investigation process seemingly over, UNC is now fielding its punishments from various overseers and governing bodies. For example, the NCAA is reviewing the case after notifying the school of five major possible violations they are facing.
SACS's decision marks the end of their second review of UNC - Chapel Hill, the Observer noted. However, both reviews were related to the same issue, which Wheelan said is not uncommon.
"Not of this magnitude, but we have revisited issues before," she told the newspaper.
"We believe the University has done everything possible to address the academic irregularities that ended in 2011 and prevent them from recurring," UNC's chancellor, Carol Folt, and athletic director, Bubba Cunningham, said in a joint statement following the NCAA's Notice of Allegations. "We have implemented more than 70 reforms and initiatives to ensure and enhance academic integrity. We will continue to monitor the effectiveness of those measures and, wherever needed, put additional safeguards in place."
