PROVO — Brigham Young University is listed among the schools that may have been deceived by a basketball coach who was indicted by a grand jury for allegedly providing financial help and false academic credentials to several athletes.
Ryan Wolf, Martinsville, Ind., is charged with 36 counts, including a charge that the former Barton County Community College coach falsely informed BYU that an athlete under his supervision was appropriately monitored while taking a correspondence-course exam.
BYU last year conducted an investigation into allegations that former Missouri guard Ricky Clemons, one of Wolf's players, had cheated while taking his exam.
At that time, BYU's Independent Study department found no evidence of violations of the strict rules applied to correspondence courses, say school officials.
"As part of the review process, an official with BYU Independent Study spoke two times with Ricky Clemons' proctor," said Carri P. Jenkins, BYU's spokeswoman. "The proctor verified that all of BYU's procedures were followed carefully. Based on the review, the department of Independent Study found no evidence of any irregularity in relation to the grading of assignments or proctoring of exams."
The department did, however, make some changes in policies regarding the proctoring of exams as a result of the 2003 probe. Proctors who may have a conflict of interest with individuals taking correspondent course exams — coaches or tutors, for example — are no longer allowed to act as proctors.
Exams must be sealed and mailed to the Independent Study office by the proctor, and proctors must remain with test takers at all times while tests are administered.
Accusations against Wolf suggest that he provided false certification to BYU that Clemons had been monitored the entire time while taking a test.
"As at any college campus, students are expected to complete their homework with honesty and integrity," Jenkins said. "There is a trust factor there. We have to be able to work with people with honesty and integrity."
Wolf also was charged with providing false academic credentials for some of his athletes to other institutions, including San Jose State and Barton County Community College, according to U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren.
The false credentials led some universities to believe the students were academically eligible to play NCAA Division I basketball.
Wolf was also charged with forging signatures on Pell grant checks and illegally providing financial help to some of his athletes. The coach allegedly used his faculty position to get grants the students were not eligible to receive, and secure campus jobs that paid the students for work they did not perform.
According to Jenkins, as a result of the charges made against Wolf, Clemons' previous investigation will be re-opened.
"We will certainly review the information that is available," Jenkins said. "And certainly take it into consideration as we look at our policies and procedures."
Contributing: Associated Press
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