Last month’s revelation that men’s head swim coach Skip Kenney intentionally expunged the records of five swimmers from the 2007 team media guide is the most serious transgression the athletic department has faced in recent years.

After initially denying that he had the records deleted, Kenney admitted he made “a serious mistake in judgment.” Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby responded by suspending Kenney indefinitely with pay, a suspension that prevented Kenney from coaching the Cardinal during its second-place finish at the NCAA Championships in March. Some have called for Kenney’s firing, and it is unclear whether, when and in what form additional punishment will be imposed.

Despite statements of support for Kenney from former swimmers, there is no question that Kenney’s actions were out of line. Stanford has stood out among Division I athletic programs for its refusal to compromise its values as an institution, and the swimming fiasco threatens to undercut Stanford’s dedication to promoting the highest standards of integrity in its pursuit of athletic excellence. Kenney’s deceitful tactics have no place in one of the finest collegiate sports programs in the nation.

Kenney has enjoyed astounding success as a coach, guiding the men’s swim team to seven national championships in nearly three decades at the helm of the program. The Card this year took home its 26th consecutive Pac-10 championship, a feat unprecedented in any sport.

Yet Kenney’s impressive accomplishments do not mitigate the reprehensibility of his dishonest and mean-spirited manipulation of athletes’ hard-earned records. Wins and losses are not always the ultimate measures of success. The record deletions and their consequences must not be overlooked for expediency, or simply because Kenney is one of our winningest coaches.

A student charged with a violation of the Fundamental Standard on par with that perpetrated by Kenney would likely face severe ramifications. While it is ultimately up to Bowlsby to determine whether Kenney’s misjudgment warrants further sanction, we see no reason why Kenney should be dealt with differently than any other University employee or student.