Saldaña’s false degree gets mixed parental reactions

By Jessica Bach
Daily Bruin Contributor

The parents of the players of the men’s soccer team
offered mixed emotions about the recent disclosure of coach Todd
Saldaña’s degree from the discredited Columbia State
University.

While some of those reached feel a university’s athletic
coach should be required to hold high academic standing, other
parents feel only the coach’s athletic performance is what
matters.

George Carson heard the recent developments from his son,
sophomore forward John Carson. For him, the coaching position
serves not only as an athletic role, but as an academic role as
well.

“My son is trying to get a degree from a top
university,” Carson said. “He should be coached by
someone that is of equal academic stature.”

“I do have concerns with my son playing for
(Saldaña),” he added. “I think it is important
that coaches have a bachelor’s degree. The university should
act on this accordingly.”

UCLA requires all athletic coaches to hold at least a B.A., but
some parents feel the coaches should be hired for their ability to
coach rather than their educational background.

“My son did not go to UCLA because of the coach,”
said William Akwari, father of sophomore defender Nelson Akwari.
“He came to the school because of its tradition of
excellence, and the coach’s degree does not make a
difference.”

Saldaña received his diploma in 1997 from Columbia State,
but the institution was closed down a year later after it was
discovered that it was giving out fake degrees.

UCLA has yet to make a formal announcement regarding the
situation and Saldaña’s future at UCLA.

The parents who were reached differ among their perceptions of
the coach’s role, but all the parents interviewed agree the
university should have a system to check the credibility of
applicants’ resumes.

“I’m shocked that a university like UCLA
couldn’t discover this when they hired him,” said
Adolfo Gregario, father of sophomore midfielder Adolfo Gregario
Jr.

Despite these recent events, Saldaña has a successful
record as the head coach at UCLA, with a record of 43-17-4,
including a trip to the semi-finals this season. He also stays on
top of his players when it comes to their own academic records.

“He wanted us to get good grades. He put it on the
assistant coaches to make sure that we did that,” senior team
captain Ryan Futagaki said Thursday.

“He would get on our case if he heard we weren’t
doing well or something.”

With reports from Scott Schultz and Christina Teller, Daily
Bruin Senior Staff.