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UNC’s Chancellor to step down

Chancellor Holden Thorp, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Chancellor Holden Thorp, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dan Sears

The scandal at the University of North Carolina has claimed another victim.

On Monday, UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp announced his resignation, effective in June 2013.

Frankly, this should come as no surprise, given the magnitude of the scandal currently enveloping the school. The football program has a laundry list of NCAA violations, ranging from academic fraud to impermissible benefits given to players all the way to the hiring of a runner for an agent as an assistant coach. That scandal cost head coach Butch Davis and Athletic Director Dick Baddour their jobs.

Things got worse as the academic fraud at the school got uglier. A number of football and basketball players were, allegedly, involved in no-show in the African and African-American Studies department. The NCAA hasn’t gotten involved (yet), but part of the reason is that it wasn’t only athletes that were getting sweetheart deals on their grades. Regular students were as well. That’s a bigger problem.

It appears that the straw that broke the camel’s back came last week. Vice Chancellor for Advancement Matt Kupec and Tami Hansbrough -- the mother of former UNC state Tyler Hansbrough -- were taking personal trips and charging them to the University. Tami’s hiring also just so happened to come within a couple of months of the beginning of Tyler’s senior season -- when he opted not to turn pro and led the Heels to a national title -- and was in a position where she was working for someone she was romantically involved with that paid her $95,000 a year.

That’s a lot of problems in a short period of time. None of it looks good for the University.

And when that happens, the guy in charge will, eventually, lose their job.

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.