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Michigan Hockey Players Named in Report

It's been a poorly kept secret that Jim Carty of the Ann Arbor has spent many months digging around the University of Michigan athletic department looking for some sort of malfeasance to earn himself some national recognition, and possibly a better job.

The report he finally came up with involved independent study courses specifically for athletes. By itself, it isn't a terrible allegation, since athletes are often forced to keep odd schedules, but the article also goes on to say that the athletes typically do less work in these classes than in a normal class.

The article says that eight members of the Michigan men's hockey team have taken independent studies courses with one professor since the fall of 2004. Two of those players, Danny Fardig, and Chad Kolarik, were named in the article.

On Kolarik:
Kolarik has taken Psychology 200, 327, 421, all independent studies, and 401, a standard course, with Hagen, earning three B-pluses and an A. Kolarik estimated he spent an hour a week doing work for Hagen's independent study classes, well below the suggested guidelines published by the psychology department.

Going into the fall semester, the junior carried a 2.3 grade point average outside of Hagen's courses.
This is 100% speculation on my part, but there are many references to "former athletic department employees," in the article, and I'd be willing to bet one of them was former Michigan assistant hockey coach Dave Shand, who last summer, filed a lawsuit against Michigan athletic director Bill Martin, alleging that Martin had Shand fired from Ann Arbor radio station WTKA for being critical of the athletic department. One of the complaints was that Shand discussed his divorce with Sue Shand, long-time academic co-ordinator for the Michigan hockey team, and the co-director of the Academic Success Program, while on the air. Sue Shand was featured prominently in the article.

The general feeling around Michigan in regards to this seems to be, "It's not good, but if this is the worst they could dig up, that's not all that bad."