THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 17, 1994 TAG: 9408170422
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER AND HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 105 lines
A Norfolk State University committee on Tuesday announced the results of a 13-month investigation into grade-changing allegations aimed at NSU's football program. The verdict: Not guilty.
The committee cleared former coach Willard Bailey of two central allegations, made by former players:
That Bailey gave football players passing grades for classes in which they did no work.
That Bailey improperly allowed players to withdraw from classes - rather than accept a failing grade - long after final grades had been posted.
The committee was formed by Wilson in July 1993, after The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star reported that the National Collegiate Athletic Association was looking into the allegations.
In a statement Tuesday, the committee said it ``could not prove'' that Bailey improperly changed grades of football players.
``It clearly exonerates Coach Bailey,'' said committee Chairman Dr. Ronald Proctor, referring to the investigating panel's 24-page report.
``Naturally I'm pleased,'' Bailey said. ``I'm also pleased that the university and the administration jumped on this as soon as the reports came out. I'm glad the investigation is over. I'm happy I can continue to hold my head up. I never held it down because I knew I had done nothing wrong.
``I'm glad everyone knows now I never tried to hurt anybody. I've spent my entire life trying to help people like I was helped. It's in times like these that you find out who your friends are. I found out that I had a lot of friends. I found a lot of people believed in me.''
The committee found that although Bailey did change some failing grades to withdrawals, he did so ``in a manner consistent with university practices.''
Proctor said the committee found no evidence to support allegations that players received grades for courses in which they did no work.
``We directly addressed that and found no substantiation for it,'' Proctor said.
Norfolk State President Harrison B. Wilson, who appointed the committee members, said he is ``very pleased'' with the results.
``We didn't find any action that would be considered illegal,'' Wilson said. ``What we did find is that we had some problems administratively.''
The seven-member committee interviewed 35 athletes and several coaches, including Bailey, Proctor said.
The committee examined 120,000 grades over a four-year period, Proctor said, and found just eight cases of students receiving withdrawals after grades were posted. In most of the cases, he said, students had submitted forms saying that they had dropped one class and substituted another, but for some reason, the forms weren't processed. When the forms were later discovered, the students were allowed to withdraw, he said.
The committee's statement said that instances of ``perceived irregularities'' may have been the result of sloppy administration.
As a result, the committee made four recommendations for tightening administrative control over the grading process:
That reasons for student withdrawals be verified in writing, and that those records be kept.
That ``supplementary'' grades be submitted through the department chairman, rather than sent directly to the registrar. ``Supplementary'' grades are grades for students who do not appear on the regular class roll. For example, a student who had not paid tuition in full would not appear on a roster, although he or she may have attended class and done the work, Proctor said. Bailey submitted several such grades without going through the department chairman, Proctor said.
That class attendance policies be tightened. Proctor said the committee was unable to locate attendance books for certain classes.
``That hindered the investigation, but did not deter us,'' he said.
That head coaching assignments and teaching assignments be separated as soon as possible.
Wilson said the school has already implemented the first three recommendations and is considering the fourth.
Wilson said coaches probably will no longer teach once Norfolk State moves from Division II to Division I in 1996 as planned. Most Division II coaches also teach classes because of budget constraints.
Wilson said there are no plans to make the investigative report public, classifying it as a presidential working paper and, therefore, exempt from disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
A copy of the report has been sent to the NCAA and to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Division II conference of which Norfolk State is a member.
CIAA Commissioner Leon Kerry said he is satisfied with the report.
``When you look at the numbers, 120,000 grades looked at, we feel pretty confident the school did a good job,'' Kerry said.
Kerry said he has spoken to the NCAA and that the agency is reviewing the report. NCAA investigators typically await the results of internal investigations by the schools before deciding whether to launch an inquiry of their own.
The completion of the investigation closes a two-year period of turmoil in the NSU football program. After Bailey's resignation in 1992, the school hired Archie ``Gunslinger'' Cooley as head coach. Cooley won just three games and was accused by players of verbal abuse and unfair treatment. He resigned in April and was replaced by Darnell Moore. ILLUSTRATION: Staff color photo by MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN
``What we did find is that we had some problems administratively.''
Harrison B. Wilson, Norfolk State president
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY
by CNB