N&R reports on the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s time sheet scandal.

Summing it up — three former employees of UNCG’s university relations department —have not only been fired but are also being criminally charged —two with obtaining property by false pretenses and the other with aiding and abetting obtaining property by false pretenses. The charges stem from freelance work the employees —both staff photographers—- allegedly performed on the university dime. If convicted the three former employees could face months in prison.

As you can probably imagine I’m not down with public employees fleecing taxpayers, but by the same token I find it odd that my alma mater —- through which who-knows-how many millions of taxpayer dollars flows all the while continuing to make college unaffordable for middle-class families (which in my opinion is criminal) throw the book hard at three employees over roughly $2,000.

Add to this UNCG’s tight-lipped official response and a letter from three other former employees describing the “hostile work environment” and “deplorable treatment” of employees by Associate Chancellor Paul Mason, and makes one wonder if this situation is what it appears to be.