Campus Files
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 at [email protected].
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.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 37 minutes
- Episodes
- 65
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
USC's Drug Peddling Dean
In 2016, a woman overdosed on meth in a Pasadena hotel room. The man who provided the drugs: Dr. Carmen Puliafito, the dean of USC’s Keck School of Medicine. As one reporter at the Los Angeles Times …
00:35:49 |
Wed 30 Apr 2025
Food Science?
Cornell's Brian Wansink was at the top of his field, renowned for translating behavioral science into practical tips for improving eating habits. He famously popularized the notion that we tend to ea…
00:27:12 |
Wed 23 Apr 2025
Trojan Course
In 2010, USC launched a fully remote version of its prestigious social work program. According to USC’s website, it offered the same professors, curriculum, and career services as the on-campus versi…
00:32:03 |
Wed 16 Apr 2025
Introducing: What We Spend
Imagine if you could ask someone anything you wanted about their finances. On What We Spend, people from across the country and across the financial spectrum are opening their wallets—and their lives…
00:11:03 |
Mon 14 Apr 2025
Carolina Way - Part 3 | Carolina's Favorite Son
Holden Thorp was the chancellor of UNC when the university faced the worst atheltic scandal in its history. This week, he opens up about his experience—revealing what he knew, what he kept hidden fro…
00:30:48 |
Wed 09 Apr 2025
Dogmatic Slumber
In 2019, after nearly two decades at Duke University, one of its most popular—and controversial—professors was abruptly ousted. For the first time, Evan Charney reveals the untold story behind his de…
00:31:57 |
Wed 02 Apr 2025
Dissension in the Ranks
In 2022, Columbia University math professor Michael Thaddeus published a 21-page analysis accusing his own university of submitting flawed data to U.S. News & World Report. His findings would cause t…
00:28:56 |
Wed 26 Mar 2025
The Party Never Ends
In 2016, police uncovered a multi-million dollar drug ring operated by fraternity brothers at the College of Charleston. The police report reads like a Breaking Bad episode, complete with firearms, g…
00:29:16 |
Wed 19 Mar 2025
The Hazing of George Desdunes
In February 2011, George Desdunes was kidnapped by freshman pledges as part of a hazing ritual. He was blindfolded, tied up, and made to consume a lethal amount of alcohol. When George's mother stepp…
00:34:42 |
Wed 12 Mar 2025
Hot for Chancellor - Part 2
In 2023, Joe Gow, the long-serving chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, began posting pornographic videos featuring him and his wife, revealing a double life the couple had long kept …
00:34:01 |
Wed 05 Mar 2025
Hot for Chancellor - Part 1
In 2023, Joe Gow, the long-serving chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, began posting pornographic videos featuring him and his wife online, revealing a double life the couple had lon…
00:29:29 |
Wed 26 Feb 2025
Harvard's Secret Court
In 2002, Harvard undergraduate student Amit Paley stumbled upon a strange entry in Harvard’s archival database: “Secret Court Files, 1920.”
This discovery unearthed a dark and little-known chapter in…
00:29:23 |
Wed 19 Feb 2025
Alabama's Segregated Sororities
In 2013, Alpha Gamma Delta senior Melanie Gotz made national headlines when she revealed that sorority hopefuls were being cut from rush based on race. Her allegations shed light on the entrenched se…
00:32:16 |
Wed 12 Feb 2025
The Carolina Way - Part 2
For years, UNC protected its athletic dominance wth fake classes to keep athletes eligible. In 2011, the secret exploded into public view, threatening to shatter the university’s athletic standing.
R…
00:33:18 |
Wed 05 Feb 2025
The Carolina Way - Part 1
Between 1993 and 2011, UNC operated a shadow curriculum—hundreds of courses and independent studies that never met, required no work, and awarded high grades. The reason? To keep athletes eligible fo…
00:30:30 |
Wed 29 Jan 2025
Introducing: Campus Files
College holds a mythic place in American culture. It’s often hailed as the best four years of your life and revered as a beacon of integrity and excellence, but beyond the scripted campus tours and g…
00:02:04 |
Tue 28 Jan 2025
Gangster Capitalism S3: Jerry Falwell Jr. and Liberty University | Bonus 2: Shannon
Jane Doe 15 tells her story.
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01:38:43 |
Wed 08 Dec 2021
Gangster Capitalism S3: Jerry Falwell Jr. and Liberty University | Bonus: Jane Does v. Liberty
More survivors of sexual violence at Liberty speak for the first time, revealing yet again how deeply the coverup culture on campus is rooted. Our reporting has led to a lawsuit against Liberty, in w…
01:15:04 |
Wed 25 Aug 2021
Gangster Capitalism S3: Jerry Falwell Jr. and Liberty University | Ep 8: Playing With Fire
Liberty University strayed far from its mission under the leadership of Jerry Falwell Jr, but even in the wake of his departure, the future of the school may be determined by those who enabled him.
…
01:06:01 |
Wed 07 Jul 2021
Gangster Capitalism S3: Jerry Falwell Jr. and Liberty University | Ep 7: On the Margins
Atypical Liberty students face enormous and sometimes dangerous pressure on campus.
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L…
00:57:32 |
Wed 30 Jun 2021
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