Podcast
Campus Files: Scandals, Secrets & Crimes at American Universities
Hosted by Audacy · EN
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.
58episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
AI Apocalypse: What’s the Point of College?
2d ago00:25:36Summary readyAI 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/And here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/students-ai-cheating-solutions_n_6a173aa3e4b062ca52d7e393?hp_auth_done=1#commentsFor a transcript of this episode: https://bit.ly/campusfiles-transcripts
SummaryWhen Fascists Were Welcome | The National Party of America at Reed College
1w ago00:28:28Summary readySpeech 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
SummaryBroad Daylight: The Transylvania Book Heist
2w ago00:31:52Summary readyTransylvania 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
SummaryWeather Pledges | Corruption and Hazing at the University of Tennessee
3w ago00:30:04Summary ready"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"
SummarySworn In: The Hidden History of American Sororities
Jun 300:27:00Summary readyPick 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
SummaryFrankly Fraud | “The $175 Million Scam”
May 2700:22:48Summary readyIn 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
SummaryContamination on Campus: What Did NC State Know About Poe Hall?
May 2000:29:40Summary readyPoe 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
SummaryUpside Down Stanford | The University of Austin
May 1300:25:23Summary readyFor 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
SummaryThe Cambridge Five: From Students to Soviet Spies
May 600:27:23Summary readyThey 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
SummaryHostile Takeover | The Dramatic Reshaping of New College of Florida
Apr 2900:29:59Summary readyThe 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
Summary