Book

Take Down: Inside the Jan Kemp Affair

2018

Synopsis

Jan Kemp was a professor of English and coordinator of the four quarter non-credit Developmental Studies program at the University of Georgia that prepared marginal students for success in the regular curriculum. Nine revenue-producing athletes failed to attain the mandatory grade of "C" in English during four quarters in 1981-1982. Those failures mandated their expulsion from UGA. Kemp was disappointed, of course, but not as disappointed as when she learned that those athletes had been "exited" from the program into the regular curriculum by her superiors. The Sugar Bowl was coming up, and the athletes were needed to ensure a UGA victory. When she refused to stay quiet, she lost her job. The ensuing "Jan Kemp Affair" led to President Fred Davison's forced resignation.

Take Down, written by plaintiff's attorney Hue Henry, covers the history of authoritative abuses at the University of Georgia from 1972-1986 under the administration of Davison. Amidst continuing scandals related to college athletic programs and vexed debates about fair treatment and the long-term interests of student athletes, Jan Kemp and her story are as relevant today as they were decades ago. This is the story of a hero who fought on behalf of academic integrity, the ethical rights of instructors entrusted with the education of their students, and what society expects and deserves from our institutions of higher learning.

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Take Down: Inside the Jan Kemp Affair

Synopsis

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