UCLA men’s soccer coach Todd Saldaña may have made a
legitimate mistake by pursuing a bachelor’s degree from
Columbia State University in 1997, an institution later shut down
by the state attorney general’s office for fraud. But the
UCLA Athletic Department would be making a bigger mistake if they
don’t hand Saldaña a red card and escort the coach out
of UCLA.
Saldaña was hired as the women’s head coach in
January 1998, six months before Columbia State was proven to be a
fraud ““ a year later, Saldaña was hired to head the
men’s team. By this time, Columbia State had been shut down,
making Saldaña’s degree worthless. The Athletic
Department, however, failed to conduct a thorough review of his
academic background when he became coach for the men’s team
““ otherwise they would have realized Columbia State was no
longer operating.
Now that it knows Saldaña’s degree is unaccredited,
the Athletic Department should stand by its policy of requiring its
head coaches to have a legitimate bachelor’s degree. College
coaches often serve as mentors and role models to their players,
who sometimes may feel they have to compromise their academic
education for the sake of sports. Having a coach with a
bachelor’s degree shows players they can balance both sports
and their college education.
The Athletic Department is responsible for maintaining the
integrity of UCLA sports by enforcing their rules ““ if
Saldaña doesn’t have a degree, they must fire him.