AU's Williams: Accusations are 'lies'

July 15, 2006

Collin Mickle
Staff Writer
Opelika-Auburn News
Article Source

Travis Williams is angry.

The proud owner of an Auburn University degree in criminology, Williams has been avidly following the ongoing controversy surrounding the department’s treatment of athletes. And he doesn’t like what he’s seen.

“It’s a bunch of stuff I know is lies,” said Williams, who finished his AU career last season as a three-year starter. He is now vying for a roster spot with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

The criminology program is part of the sociology department, which is the center of the storm. Sociology professor James Gundlach is protesting that criminology professor - and department chair - Thomas Petee offered independent study courses in sociology-related classes to some students, including AU student-athletes.

Much of the coverage of the story has focused on football players, who major in sociology and criminology at a higher rate than other AU students and are more likely to take independent-study courses. Williams says that focus is misguided.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with Auburn athletics,” Williams told the Opelika-Auburn News on Friday. “It doesn’t have to do with students, athletes, any combination.

“It’s politics, man. Office politics. And people who are totally innocent, people who didn’t do anything wrong, they’re getting dragged into this because one professor has a grudge against another, or because (Petee) got a job that this Gundlach wanted? I’ll be honest: It makes me sick.”

Williams said he called Auburn’s media relations department Friday morning, after reading several newspaper stories online. He was especially upset that the New York Times, which published a story on its Web site Thursday afternoon, quoted three athletes, Carnell Williams, Carlos Rogers and Doug Langenfeld, none of whom have finished their degrees.

“I’ve got a degree,” Travis Williams said. “I took all kinds of classes in that major. I’m a representative of that department; I’m an example of what really happens there, which is people working hard in real classes and getting their degrees honestly.”

Williams emphasized that athletes, especially football players, flock to sociology and criminology in part because the majors offer flexible schedules - like independent study. And, he says, plenty of Auburn students enroll in independent study courses, not just athletes.

“Everybody at Auburn takes independent study classes,” he said. “Everybody: Regular students, student-athletes, whatever. It’s just a non-issue, man.”

Williams also isn’t thrilled with Vanderbilt chancellor Gordon Gee. Gee told the Times he found AU’s high performance in the Academic Progress Rate “surprising.” Williams took it as an assault on AU’s academic reputation.

“When I read that, I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “We win a lot of games and we graduate a lot of players. So people want to think something’s wrong.

“But all we’re doing is practicing hard and studying hard. If Vanderbilt worked as hard as us, maybe they’d be doing as well as us.”

Williams says he hopes the current spat will blow over quickly. The university is investigating claims of grade inflation and special treatment for athletes, and Williams is sure the end result will dispel any suspicion.

He hopes it comes soon.

“I can’t look at myself as an Auburn man, an Auburn grad, and sit back and let this happen,” he said. “I want the truth to get out there.”