Campus Files: Scandals, Secrets & Crimes at American Universities

Audacy

College holds a mythic place in American culture, hailed as the best four years of your life and revered as a beacon of integrity and excellence. But behind the polished campus tours and glossy brochures lies a far more complicated reality.
Each episode of Campus Files uncovers a new story, exploring everything from rigged admissions to sports scandals, free speech, and hazing.
Consider this your unofficial campus tour.
Do you have tips or story ideas?
Send us an email: campusfilespod@gmail.com‬.
For additional stories on scandals that have rocked American institutions, check out seasons 1-3 of Gangster Capitalism in this feed:
Season 1: The College Admissions Scandal
Season 2: The NRA
Season 3: Jerry Falwell Jr. and Liberty University

Campus Files is an Audacy original podcast.

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86 episodes
Updated July 22

Episodes86

Newest first

July 22 · 31 min
Missing Ole Miss: Lane Kiffin's Dramatic College Football Career
Over the last decade, college football has undergone a dramatic transformation. Universities now have a growing financial stake in the game, blurring the line between college athletics and professional sports. Few people embody that shift better than Lane Kiffin. Read Nicole Auerbach’s work: http://www.nauerbach.com/about For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
July 15 · 32 min
Above the Rules: Baylor's Sexual Assault Crisis
Baylor is the largest Baptist university in the country. The rules there revolve around scripture. For most of its history, the school banned premarital sex. That meant no policy on sexual assault. No recourse for survivors. For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
July 8 · 30 min
The Gophers Beat: The University of Minnesota Cheating Scandal
In 1997, a young out of town reporter moves from Los Angeles to Minnesota to cover the University of Minnesota Gophers. That year, the Gophers basketball team had made it to the NCAA Final Four in a stunning show of force. Two years later, the reporter broke a story that would throw the state into an uproad, and wipe that Final Four appearance from the history books. For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
July 1 · 25 min
AI Apocalypse: What’s the Point of College?
AI has arrived on college campuses, and professors and administrators are racing to respond. But there’s no clear rulebook, and the stakes are high. At Ohio State, one professor believes many universities are getting the response all wrong. Read here: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/colleges-ai-education-students/685039/ https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/magazine/ai-higher-education-students-teachers.html And here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/students-ai-cheating-solutions_n_6a173aa3e4b062ca52d7e393?hp_auth_done=1#comments For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
June 24 · 28 min
When Fascists Were Welcome | The National Party of America at Reed College
Speech on campus is the defining issue of higher education today. Many call for a return to the past when nearly anyone was received with respect. So, this week we look back to a moment in 1965 when the National Party of America, an openly fascist and anti-semitic political party was invited to speak at Reed College in Portland Oregon. Read Seth's writing: https://rightlandia.ghost.io/ For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
June 17 · 31 min
Broad Daylight: The Transylvania Book Heist
Transylvania University houses one of the most valuable rare book collections in the country. In 2004, four college students decided to steal them. In broad daylight. For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
June 10 · 30 min
Weather Pledges | Corruption and Hazing at the University of Tennessee
"It’s the middle of a September night at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga and two young men light themselves on fire. Both are later rushed to the hospital. The resulting investigation uncovers alleged hazing, and possible public corruption within the justice system. For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts"
June 3 · 27 min
Sworn In: The Hidden History of American Sororities
Pick up any history of women in higher education and you'll find sororities in a footnote, maybe a paragraph. But that's not the whole story. The first sororities weren't social clubs - they were academic lifelines for women. So how did that get forgotten? For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
May 27 · 22 min
Frankly Fraud | “The $175 Million Scam”
In 2022, famous young entrepreneur and founder of the student financial aid startup Frank was charged with fraud and conspiracy, facing up to a 100 years in prison. How did this wunderkind turn into an alleged con-artist, and how did America's largest bank get duped? For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
May 20 · 29 min
Contamination on Campus: What Did NC State Know About Poe Hall?
Poe Hall, an academic building on NC State’s campus, shut its doors abruptly. It later emerged that the building was contaminated with PCBs, a known carcinogen, and had been for decades. Faculty, staff, and former students say they raised alarms after developing cancer, only to be ignored. For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
May 13 · 25 min
Upside Down Stanford | The University of Austin
For the last decade at least, the question of free speech has been the defining issue of American higher education. One school set out to tackle those problems head on, but appears to have lost its way in the process, struggling to define itself even before opening its doors. Read Evan's piece: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/01/16/civil-war-university-of-austin-bari-weiss-00729688 For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
May 6 · 27 min
The Cambridge Five: From Students to Soviet Spies
They were ambitious students at Cambridge University who went on to climb the ranks of British government and intelligence. But they had a secret. All the while, they were working for the Soviet Union. For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
April 29 · 29 min
Hostile Takeover | The Dramatic Reshaping of New College of Florida
The story of the New College of Florida becoming a pawn in Ron Desantis' campaing for president, and what happens when a school is reshaped by force and against the will of students and faculty. For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
April 22 · 32 min
Original Sin: The Rise and Fall of the CCNY Basketball Team
In 1950, the City College of New York pulled off one of the greatest Cinderella stories in sports history, winning both the NIT and NCAA tournaments in the same season. The team, made up largely of Black and Jewish players, became a symbol of possibility. Within months, a point shaving scandal shattered that legacy. For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
April 15 · 26 min
Bloat@Brown: DOGE Comes to Brown University
In the first weeks of Donald Trumps second term, the Department of Government Efficiency ransacked the federal government. One student at Brown University decided to take the same approach and bring DOGE to campus. For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
April 8 · 27 min
"100% Preventable": The Death of Bucknell Football Player Calvin Dickey Jr.
What was supposed to be a light workout during football orientation ended in tragedy. Calvin Dickey, a freshman with sickle cell trait, collapsed and died days later. His parents say Bucknell failed to follow basic safety protocols and then withheld what really happened. For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
April 1 · 21 min
Assassination on Campus | Should UVU Memorialize Charlie Kirk?
The fight at Utah Valley University over whether or not to install a memorial to Charlie Kirk after his assassination on campus Read Matthew's work: https://www.uvureview.com/author/matthewfranke/ For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
March 25 · 30 min
Rush for Sale: The Business of Sorority Consulting
Sorority recruitment has grown increasingly competitive, with more applicants and the same limited number of spots. A new industry has emerged to meet the pressure: sorority rush consultants. For thousands of dollars, they promise to coach students through every step of the process. For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
March 18 · 27 min
A Tale of Two Presidencies | Texas A&M Caught Up In Culture Wars
The story of Mark Welsh III, the beloved president of Texas A&M who was dramatically forced out as part of a conservative backlash to academic freedom in higher ed. Read Kate and Nico's Reporting: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/12/10/texas-a-m-mark-welsh-regents-abbott-fired/ Read Jessica Priest's Reporting on Melissa McCoul's firing: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/19/texas-a-m-welsh-firing-professor-gender-mccoul/ For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
March 11 · 32 min
Naked Orientation: When Yale Freshmen Were Photographed Nude
For decades, freshman orientation came with an unusual requirement: students had to pose for a photograph - completely naked. It wasn’t a fringe practice. Colleges across the country, including several Ivy League schools, did it. Why? And what happened to all those photos? For a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts

Campus Files: Scandals, Secrets & Crimes at American Universities

Missing Ole Miss: Lane Kiffin's Dramatic College Football Career

Above the Rules: Baylor's Sexual Assault Crisis

The Gophers Beat: The University of Minnesota Cheating Scandal

AI Apocalypse: What’s the Point of College?

When Fascists Were Welcome | The National Party of America at Reed College

Broad Daylight: The Transylvania Book Heist

Weather Pledges | Corruption and Hazing at the University of Tennessee

Sworn In: The Hidden History of American Sororities

Frankly Fraud | “The $175 Million Scam”

Contamination on Campus: What Did NC State Know About Poe Hall?

Upside Down Stanford | The University of Austin

The Cambridge Five: From Students to Soviet Spies

Hostile Takeover | The Dramatic Reshaping of New College of Florida

Original Sin: The Rise and Fall of the CCNY Basketball Team

Bloat@Brown: DOGE Comes to Brown University

"100% Preventable": The Death of Bucknell Football Player Calvin Dickey Jr.

Assassination on Campus | Should UVU Memorialize Charlie Kirk?

Rush for Sale: The Business of Sorority Consulting

A Tale of Two Presidencies | Texas A&M Caught Up In Culture Wars

Naked Orientation: When Yale Freshmen Were Photographed Nude