March Madness:  Our Own Martha Stewart

Guest Editorial
The Shelby Star

08 March 2004

Chris White still does not get it.  Martha Stewart never got it and she could get 20 years.  Both are not good things.  Martha lied to Federal Agents and lost millions.  Chris White is committed what amounts to academic fraud and will receive $600,000.00.  Is something wrong with this picture?  Do we just blow off the wrongdoings of White and his cronies and forget about it?  I don't think so.

If you still support White, then just read the Gardner Webb University Public Infractions Report issued by the NCAA on March 4, 2004.  The Report documents that White had an athletic program that regularly operated in violation of the NCAA Rules governing recruiting, academic eligibility, extra benefits, ethical conduct and basic institutional control.  Simply stated, the Gardner Webb athletic program was "totally out of control" under White's leadership.  The NCAA specifically stated that the Gardner Webb case was illustrative of "the risks to a university president when he or she directly intervenes in situations involving student-athletes and academics."  The NCAA also suggested that the misconduct of White "should serve as cautionary lessons for institutional chief executive officers."

The NCAA also stated that "with regard to the former president's involvement, this case and another case recently heard by the committee (St. Bonaventure University) are two examples where university presidents asserted their influence and made improper decisions on issues relating to student-athletes and academics."  The NCAA also noted that in both the Gardner Webb and the St. Bonaventure cases the presidents left office at least in part because their actions resulted in major NCAA infractions. The inference seems clear - had White stayed, the NCAA would have made him leave.

Notwithstanding this scathing report, White still maintains that he did nothing wrong.  He has expressed regret for what has happened to Gardner Webb but he has refused to accept the responsibility for the permanent damage he inflicted on the University.  It would serve no useful purpose to rehash all of the acts of misconduct by White and his cronies.  However, one example from the NCAA findings of fact is illustrative of the problems.

White's star basketball player received an "F" in of all things a Religion.  He was caught copying another student's paper.  This is not disputed.  The academic rules made it clear that in a case like this involving academic dishonesty the "F" would always be calculated in computing the student's grade point average.  White has admitted that in October of 2000, just before the basketball season, he directed the registrar to change the policy for his star basketball player so as to remove the "cheating F" from the calculations and replace it with a "D" that the student received when he repeated the Religion course in summer school.  Without this change, this athlete would have been declared academically ineligible and Gardner-Webb would not have won the 2001 National Christian College National Championship.

White still maintains that his intervention in the grades of his star basketball player was appropriate.  And, White has repeatedly asserted that he intervened in a similar manner for a number of other non-athletic students in the past.  White's Atlanta lawyers even argued that the "cheating F" policy was vague and unclear and therefore required White's intervention.

The NCAA Committee concluded, however, "that the University's policy regarding the treatment of "cheating F's" in the calculation of the grade point averages was inappropriately circumvented in the case of the [star basketball player] as a direct result of the former president's actions."  The NCAA also found that "despite the former president's claim that he had performed comparable actions for non student-athletes, the university reported that it could not find any past instances of such treatment that were similar to the situation involving the [basketball player]."  Finally, the NCAA specifically found that White "did not consult with appropriate university personnel, such as the faculty athletics representative, the provost or the vice president for academic affairs before making the decision to intervene on the student-athlete's behalf and circumvent university policy."

In his testimony before the NCAA, White offered the following explanation for his conduct:  "In retrospect, though, I was not knowledgeable of NCAA legislation enough to see the potential problem.  Also, as a busy university president, I did not give the issue much attention . . . I do recognize that such intervention, without broader consultation can create suspicion, controversy and perhaps have NCAA rules consequences."  This explanation is obviously preposterous and utterly absurd.  Does White really expect anyone to believe that when the Athletic Director came to him in October of 2000 on the eve of the 2000-01 basketball season and said our star basketball player will be academically ineligible unless you intervene that White "did not give the issue much attention?"  Does anyone really believe that White failed to recognize that his actions or lack thereof would determine the fate of his beloved basketball team?  Does anyone really believe that White, who pushed the University to Division I when it was not ready for Division I,  was too "busy" to appreciate the academic  problems of the his prime-time basketball star? 

The inappropriateness of White's actions has been exacerbated by his repeated refusal to tell the truth and to accept the blame.  What do they say, "If you can't do the time then don't do the crime!"  It seems to me that White did the crime, Gardner Webb is now doing the time, and Gardner Webb is literally and figuratively paying for it.  Come on Chris, it is way past time to come clean!  Tell us the Truth and refund the money.