The New York Times: Tar Heel Scandal In College

When a school like the University of Chapel Hill, it is virtually impossible not to get caught up in all of the school spirit and pride that this campus takes in being academically and athletically vigorous and successful. This is illustrated through everyday events like the “UNC ” and “Tar Heel” that are seemingly in every student’s social media bios, or the plethora of Carolina blue t-shirts seen in the pit on a daily basis. This undying love for UNC and everything it encompasses is even more undeniable on nights like Saturday when the Carolina basketball team smoked Duke and it felt like every student ran as fast as they could to celebrate the victory together on Franklin Street. Being enrolled here it feels like students who never cared

All the dirty information about the scandal has been out for years, and the correct measures have been taken by the university to try to correct these wrongdoings. With this being said, it is again confusing to many why the issue is still being discussed today if not for reasons more than to shame the university. However, this cannot be the reason though because it is not just rival schools that are bringing up the past, we do it too. The New York Times does a good job drawing contemporary lines to the issue in contrast to the recent one-year anniversary of Dean Smith’s death. Smith was such a beloved man and such a spearhead for what it meant to be a part of Carolina Athletics. On the surface Smith has nothing to do with the scandal. Smith retired years before the paper classes began and is known for being morally just. This moral code that Smith illustrated and expected from his athletes he coined as the “Carolina Way” that was previously mentioned. It created from the idea that great academics and great athletics could exist side by side both with great integrity leaving no room for corruption. The idea of the Carolina Way has spread throughout campus, taking on different meanings; however, some would say the paper class scandal destroyed this. The whole idea of what it means to be a tar heel and live by the Carolina Way has been challenged. The Times article goes on to talk about different groups of people such as an elite

When asked about the scandal freshman Sheridan McKeithan has this to say, “Yes, this scandal happened. But, this school is so rigorous and successful that this one thing that happened, that has been dealt with, shouldn’t effect the universities name as a whole”. She then goes to point out that while some fans have changed and might view the university differently, real fans have stayed loyal. She says, “A scandal this big has definitely affected the idea of the Carolina Way. It might’ve changed its meanings and implications slightly. We are still talking about it though, because people who really know what the Carolina Way means know that it is all about standing up for morals. Most fans are standing by Carolina through all of this because even though what happened is different then what Dean Smith would’ve wanted, true Carolina fans are helping everyone get through it so that one day we won’t be deemed as cheaters or liars because changing these stigmas is our moral duty back to this university. That is the Carolina Way.” I think we must all view this contemporary issue this way so that we can learn and grow from it. True Carolina fans must stick with the university during these tough times through discussing the incident so that when this issue finally starts to rest in the past Carolina will know they have true fans behind them who believe in Carolina and everything it stands for, without