We Seem To Be In Free Fall

The awful impact of corruption in college athletics seems limitless. I don't know if I can watch another game (at any level). Drugs, lies, sex, hypocrisy, and now — death. We are descending into the belly of the beast. If this be (fair & balanced) treason, make the most of it.

[x CHE]

Friday, August 22, 2003

Chairman of St. Bonaventure U. Board Dies, Apparently in Suicide

By THOMAS BARTLETT

The chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. Bonaventure University, who had helped deal with the fallout from a recent scandal involving the men's basketball team, was found dead at his home near Buffalo on Wednesday evening, an apparent suicide.

William E. Swan, who was 56, had been "despondent over issues that had occurred as a result of his positions" at the university, according to a statement from the New York State Police. Neither the police nor the university released the circumstances of his death.

The past year had seen the resignation of the university's president, athletics director, and assistant basketball coach and the dismissal of its head basketball coach. All of this was in the wake of revelations that a student on the men's basketball team had been allowed to play even though he failed to meet the National Collegiate Athletic Association's guidelines for academic eligibility. As a result, the university was banned from postseason play and stripped of six victories.

It was Mr. Swan who appointed a committee to investigate the violations and, along with the rest of the board, demanded the resignation of Robert J. Wickenheiser, who stepped down as the university's president in March. "We will not sacrifice our values for anything -- not even athletic glory," Mr. Swan said at a rally after the resignation. He also apologized to students and fans at the same rally.

"We're just devastated and heartbroken," David P. Ferguson, a university spokesman, said of Mr. Swan's death. "He loved this university and we loved him and the place is very upset." Mr. Ferguson added that Mr. Swan had been "largely responsible for the university's positive and pro-active response to the basketball situation."

In fact, Mr. Swan had written an article in the current issue of Trusteeship magazine about how the university had coped with scandal. In the article, he said he was "at peace with my decisions." He ended the article with the following statement: "The more important question for me now is, knowing what I now know about how good people and great organizations can sometimes go awry (and knowing that "best practices" for trustees do not constitute magic formulas for behavior), would I take the same actions in a similar situation? That is a question I will ponder to my dying days."

Copyright © 2003 by The Chronicle of Higher Education