When I attended UNC in the early 1980s, one of the classes I took, Geology 10, was well-known as a GPA booster. Every college has courses that are easier than others, and Geology 10 was one of the "slides" at UNC. Everyone in Chapel Hill knew Geology 10, indeed, as "Rocks for Jocks."
When I took the class, the enrollment included a number of football players, most of whom sat near the back of the room. The enrollment also included several friends from my residence hall (yes, we "clustered," too).
Tests -- at least until the final exam, as I recall -- were multiple-choice.
And the answer patterns? Always A-B-C-D.
Recently, I found a 2009 Daily Tar Heel story,
an obituary for my class' professor, Dr. Roy Ingram. Ingram, who served his country during World War II, appeared to love the subject matter, his alma mater and its basketball team.
Ingram's death preceded news breaking about UNC's academic scandal. But knowing what we know now, I had to raise my eyebrows about these two paragraphs, including a quote by his colleague John Dennison regarding Michael Jordan:
Roy Ingram, an avid Carolina basketball fan, played an important role in basketball players' educations, Dennison said.
"Michael went to summer school for geology and Roy Ingram was his professor. He gave Michael Jordan his grade in geology."