A Carolina-blue whitewash

The National Collegiate Athletic Association purports to stand for academic integrity in the Division I programs it oversees. In giving the University of North Carolina a pass last week in a long-running investigation into academic shenanigans, the NCAA proved just one thing: The “student-athlete” model in top-level programs is a sham.

For 18 years, UNC sanctioned an independent-study course in the Department of African and Afro-American Studies. Attendance wasn’t required, and a paper roughly as long as this paragraph could be enough to pass the course.

Not coincidentally, more than half of the 3,100 enrolled in the course were athletes, many from the school’s basketball and football programs.

In an independent report submitted to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools academic accrediting organization, UNC admitted the course “constituted academic fraud.”

But — how’s this asterisk? — because the bogus course was also open to non-athletes, the NCAA concluded no major rules were broken.

And so, Michael Jordan’s storied alma mater will keep raking in the recruits, the applause and the TV money. A virtuous circle for the fans, coaches and players, and a vicious one for those who care about higher education.