Phillip Marshall column about New York Times

[cleburnecountytigerfan 0]

This is a column Phillip Marshall wrote in the Huntsville Times this morning. This article paints a different picture than the story in the NYT. The quotes from Doug Langenfield in this story are completely different than the quotes Doug Langenfield gave to the NYT. Doug Langenfield says Auburn did nothing wrong in the Phillip Marshall article.

Here is the link.http://www.al.com/sports/huntsvilletimes/i...5850.xml&coll=1

AUBURN - The Auburn University football program is in the crossfire between two feuding professors, leading to a university investigation of allegations of academic irregularities involving football players.

Administration officials close to the investigation told The Times that James Gundlach, director of sociology who joined the Auburn faculty in 1979, has alleged that Thomas Petee, interim chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work and Criminal Justice, has given special treatment to varsity football players in his classes and in the department. Petee, a professor of criminology, has vehemently denied the allegations.

Gundlach, officials said, confirmed to Auburn that, at least in part, his dissatisfaction with being passed over when Petee was promoted in 2002 led him to ultimately take his allegations to The New York Times earlier this year.

 

Auburn Provost John Heilman said Thursday that he appointed a committee June 5 to investigate the allegations.

Heilman said the first complaint came through the university's anonymous Ethicspoint system, alleging that "a single professor gave grades to student-athletes for courses that required little or no work." He said a report will be made public when the investigation is complete.

"Until that time, our office will have no comment on the investigation," Heilman said. "I can assure you as provost that academic misconduct will not be tolerated at Auburn University."

According to two Auburn trustees who were in attendance, university counsel Lee Armstrong told the board in executive session last month that the investigation had uncovered no wrongdoing.

Subsequently, the investigation continued and concerns were raised about professors supervising unusually large numbers of students in directed-study courses. Those are courses in which students work independently under the supervision of a professor. They are available to all students with the approval of the department head.

'Directly and openly'

Interim President Ed Richardson said the university will respond appropriately to whatever the investigation uncovers.

can assure everyone associated with Auburn that, upon completion of the investigation, we will deal with this issue as we have with other challenges - directly and openly," Richardson said.

Petee earned bachelor's and master's degrees in sociology from the University of Toledo and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Notre Dame. He is faculty adviser for the men's club lacrosse team at Auburn.

Gundlach earned a bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State University and a master's and doctorate from the University of Texas.

Responding to e-mails and calls, Petee said he could not comment until the investigation is complete. Gundlach did not respond.

Auburn's football academic program attracted attention last spring when its Academic Progress Rate, as measured by the NCAA, was No. 4 nationally, the highest rating of any public university in Division I-A. Twelve Auburn players played as graduates in the Capital One Bowl in January. Nine, including three who graduated in three years, played in the 2005 Sugar Bowl. Of those 21, three majored in sociology or criminology.

Of the 77 players, including numerous walk-ons, profiled in Auburn's post-spring football media guide, nine are majoring in criminology and seven in sociology. Sixteen list their majors as undecided. The team's four junior college transfers all list sociology as their majors.

Doug Langenfeld, a former junior college transfer defensive end who played his last season at Auburn in 2004 and says he plans to return to finish his degree in sociology, said the allegations of special treatment are unfounded.

"I had Dr. Petee, and the grade I got in his class I worked very hard on," said Langenfeld, who plays for the Arena Football League's Central Valley Coyotes in Fresno, Calif. "It was a grade I had to have to be eligible. Auburn is a very tough school, but we have great support from the academic support people. All the coaches take an interest in your academics."

Langenfeld said he got a call from New York Times reporter Pete Thamel about three weeks ago.

"He said there was a guy in the department that said Dr. Petee gave the athletes special attention," Langenfeld said. "I told him I never got any special attention. I said there is great tradition at Auburn. A lot of athletes graduate on time because they work hard and take heavy loads in the summer

I don't know if any teachers give away free grades. If they do, they're not at Auburn."

'Nothing unusual'

Langenfeld said he had to work hard to be eligible for the Sugar Bowl his senior year, dropping one course and picking up a nine-week criminology course. University guidelines say such nine-week courses are allowable at a professor's discretion as long as the material covered is the same as in a normal semester.

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"I dropped a class, and my counselor found that one for me," Langenfeld said. "It was nothing unusual. It was a class anybody could take. It wasn't just athletes. I didn't want to be ineligible."

Cornerback David Irons, heading toward his final season, is on track to graduate in August with a degree in sociology. According to his father, Irons was among the players interviewed by school officials Wednesday as part of the investigation.

School has been a struggle for Irons, his father said. David Irons Sr. said his son has a learning disability caused by an allergic reaction to soy milk from which he almost died as an infant.

Irons Sr. responded angrily to suggestions of impropriety.

"As an LD student, David gets certain concessions provided by the federal government," he said. "He can have a note taker, get extra time on exams. He can take his tests untimed, have his tests read to him. And David still struggles.

"I think Auburn and the sociology department have done a great job. It's b-s. If he was being given grades, he wouldn't have to study until after midnight to get by. I see it firsthand because I'm there a lot. These kids are putting in a lot of work. If it was that easy, if they were being given grades or the grades were being padded, they wouldn't have to do that."

Irons Sr. said his son has not taken a directed-study course since enrolling at Auburn in 2004.

Athletic Director Jay Jacobs and head football coach Tommy Tuberville were out of town Friday and not available for comment

[bammanmr 0]

amazing how certian 'facts' were absent from the NY Times article.....

[penguin149 391]

I've not read all of the posts on this subject...but didn't Jayson Blair work for the NYT? You know, the reporter that made up stories, facts, etc.

[AUChizad 0]

I've not read all of the posts on this subject...but didn't Jayson Blair work for the NYT?  You know, the reporter that made up stories, facts, etc. 

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Not to mention their blunder just a few weeks ago when they undermined the US war effort by blowing the lid on the secret government program to monitor international finances and track down terrorist funding.