Three former faculty members of Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) have told CampusReform.org that the school systematically raises the grades of African-American students.

Shira Hedgepeth, former director of academic technology, and two anonymous former WSSU professors said the practice was done to raise the historically black college's national standing.

Hedgepeth, terminated in 2011, has two pending lawsuits against WSSU because the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled her firing was racial discrimination. The other two professors said many faculty members are fearful of speaking out because the school will retaliate.

"All the faculty, white and black are very fearful to speak," said one of the professors. "The department is run by fear and through retaliation. If you speak out you will be retaliated against."

Hedgepeth and the two former professors said the way it worked was professors would submit the final grades to administrators who would raise the grades.

"None of the Caucasian or non-African American students... none of their grades were changed," Hedgepeth told Campus Reform last month. "The way the grades fell out, there was no other reason for changing."

Campus Reform also said they received documentation supporting the ex-faculty members' claims but could not publish them due to possible Family Education Rights and Privacy Act violations.

"Some students had their final grades changed based on their race," Hedgepeth said. "That was a common complaint of many of the faculty that I worked with."

WSSU spokesman Aaron Singleton said the school has received no complaints about these accusations.

"I checked throughout our administration and the university has not heard of any of those allegations," said Singleton. "No one has filed any complaints at the university."

One professor said numerous faculty members have filed complaints, which were ignored, while most keep quiet out of fear.

"I have tried reaching out to our accrediting body but they would not take complaints such as these," Hedgepeth said. "We have done everything we can to get somebody to start looking."

One professor said the practice still occurs and no action against it has yet to be formally undertaken.