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Friday, September 27,2002
News
Page 3
Trail of recent events
Gardner-Webb has made a place on the map
Erin Boyd
Pilot editor
Just over two weeks ago, the Shelby Star shocked many GWU students and faculty with the news of an impending NCAA investigation of the school. The days fol
lowing saw the administration, faculty, staff and students in the Gardner-Webb community become frustrated, angry, sad and confused. Two weeks later the latest hap
penings at GWU have made tiny Boiling Springs a name in several Charlotte Observer stories, an editorial in the Richmond, Va. Times-Dispatch, a blurb in USA Today,
a spot in several area TV news stations, articles in the Chronicle of Higher Education as well as in several Baptist newspapers. The GWU investigation now has its own
separate link on the Shelby Star Web site. Still, many remain ignorant of what is happening. The daily recap below serves to inform those seeking the facts.
Tuesday, Sept. 10
•Shelby Star reports an impending NCAA investigation of
GWU for four separate violations, including a memo from
President White requesting use of the regular repeat rule for aca
demic dishonesty.
•Gil Blackburn, vice president for academic affairs, leads
seven faculty members (Phil Williams, Ron Williams, Darlene
Gravett, Gayle Price, Gil Blackburn, Carolyn Billings, Jeff Tubbs
and Stephen Perry) in approaching White to request a meeting
with faculty.
•Carolyn Billings, vice chair for the faculty, calls an emer
gency faculty meeting.
-White admits to faculty that he “made a mistake.”
-Four faculty members deliberate on what led to the
investigation.
-Faculty members make a 63-39 no confidence vote in
White and a 112-5 vote of confidence in Blackburn.
•Billings informs Tommy Hardin, chair of the board of
trustees, of the faculty vote.
Thursday, Sept. 12
•Athletic Director Chuck Burch answers students’ questions
at a SGA forum.
•Several GWU "senior staff and faculty members issue a
response to the no-confidence vote, in support of White.
Friday, Sept. 13
•The trustee executive board meets off-campus to review the
actions and charges made in the Sept. 10 faculty meeting.
-Board releases a statement expressing “full confidence” in
White.
-Board launches an investigation of the allegations made
against White.
any embarrassment caused to the
-Board apologizes
Carlos Webb family.
for
Tuesday, Sept. 17
•NCAA investigators begin conducting interviews at GW.
•Tommy Hardin, chairman of the GWU board of trustees,
issues a statement to student, faculty and staff:
-says the trustees are “concerned and disturbed” by
actions on campus and in the media concerning White’s conduct,
-says trustees have “heard much innuendo and hear-say’
from faculty and students,
-promises to “learn the facts” and “ensure the integrity” of
the school will remain “above reproach,”
-states that the trustees have hired an attorney, Ed
Hallman (of Decker, Hallman, Barber and Briggs in Atlanta, Ga.)
to conduct a “complete and impartial” investigation and
-urges everyone to “tempihtheir debate and allegationSi“
Friday, Sept. 27
•A meeting is scheduled for the board of
trustees at noon at the Northside Country
Club in Shelby to discuss the current situa
tion.
Wednesday, Sept. 25
•Students meet midday in the Chapel to
pray for healing.
Tuesday, Sept. 24
•Attorneys from Decker, Hallman,
Barber and Briggs, hired by the board of
trustees, meet with 13 GW students to
discuss student opinions.
Photo by Scott Holstein
President Christopher White leaves the LYCC after meeting
with NCAA officials Wednesday, Sept. 18. White is under inves
tigation/or writing a memo to the Registrar's Office to ignore
a cheating F policy for a former basketball player The school
is also under investigation for three, maybe more, NCAA viola
tions. The news of the violations broke two weeks ago.
— Information provided by The Shelby Star
Web site
Friday, Sept. 20
•Faculty members further question.
Hallman’s ability to remain impartial when
reports surface about his previous affiliation
with the university
-Ron Williams, of the religion depart
ment, tells the Shelby Star his interview with
Hallman (on Sept. 18) left him feeling as if
the attorney “is here to vindicate the presi
dent rather than present the facts.”
•Hallman meets with the eight faculty
members who confronted White on Sept. 10:
-tells them he has the right to analyze all
of their e-mails from computers at work.
-Faculty members oppose the e-mail
viewing as an invasion of their privacy.
• I
Wednesday, Sept. 18
•Faculty members express concern over the
trustees’ investigation:
-Phil Williams, of the business department,
tells the Shelby Star he is “concerned that the inves
tigation is directed at us, those of us who raised the
issue.”
•Attorney Ed Hallman conducts interviews
with faculty.
•Hallman acknowledges he represented GW in
a lawsuit about three years ago in an unrelated case.
•'niiii.'.- ,
Thursday, Sept. 19
•Hardin states that the
trustees are aware of Hallman’s
past dealing with Gardner-Webb
-Hardin ensures Hallman’s
impartial and objective investi
gation.