Ex-Tutor: Athletes Offered Money

Three USC athletes offered an athletic department tutor $200 to $500 to write their papers in the 1996-97 academic year, the former tutor said on Monday.

Stephanie Babcock, a tutor who resigned in September, said she has not been interviewed by the Academic Oversight Committee that is close to completing a two-month investigation into allegations of impropriety within the school’s Student Athlete Academic Services (SAAS) program.

“The athletes would offer to give their stipend checks,” she said. “They would say $400 or $200 or $500. They offered checks to do their work.”

Babcock, who worked in the department from January until September, would not identify the athletes who offered the money but said that two of them were football players who are currently on the team. She said she worked with 10 athletes--many of them football players--in the field of anthropology.

“They would act like they were joking and see if I’d take it,” said Babcock, who added she did not accept the money.

“One of the athletes that offered said, ‘I’ve never written a 10-page paper.’ And I said, ‘Won’t you be glad when you do it yourself and when you’ve made the A.’ ”

At least six current and former tutors have said they had ethical concerns about the program. The investigation started in September after Christopher Cairney, coordinator of the Learning Support Program within SAAS, detailed his concerns in a memo to the oversight committee. He charged that tutors routinely compose and write papers for members of the football and basketball teams.

The investigating committee has interviewed 50 athletes and tutors, several athletic department administrators and professors. Among those interviewed late last week were Cynthia Cardosi, a former academic advisor with SAAS, and former USC basketball player Avondre Jones.

The committee had planned on wrapping up its investigation this week.

“Clearly, we’re not done,” said university counsel Todd Dickey, a member of the committee. “If people want to come forward with that kind of information, we’ll certainly do our best to talk to her.”

Dickey said the committee has not confirmed any NCAA violations other than the improper assistance football player Mike Bastianelli received from Cairney. Bastianelli served a two-game suspension.

Cairney, the tutor whose allegations prompted the investigation, has been on paid administrative leave after being accused of making racist remarks. He denied making any such comments.

Babcock believes the allegations are untrue and said she left SAAS because of the way Cairney was treated. “I just didn’t believe what they said he (Cairney) did,” Babcock said.