USC Study Reportedly Was Quashed

A former USC employee says he was ordered under threat of dismissal by school officials to discontinue a study of academically deficient student athletes, the Washington Post reported in today’s editions.

Matthew Duncan, a former testing and assessment coordinator in USC’s Learning Center, said in a letter describing the study done in 1988 and 1989 that he also was told to stop corresponding with a U.S. senator, congressman and the executive director of the NCAA in regard to the study. Citing unspecified “documents,” the Post said USC officials asked Duncan to direct all information to them instead of going outside the institution.

Duncan, who lost his job at USC last year, contended athletes were being admitted to USC with serious reading deficiencies, according to documents.

Sylvia Manning, USC’s executive vice provost, said Duncan was directed to stop the study because “he was hired to counsel students--not to do studies” and because of concerns about the privacy of academic records, the Post reported.