by Damien Alarcon
Editor in Chief
Justin Borba, graduate assistant for the swimming and diving teams at the University of La Verne, resigned Jan. 11 after an incident that occurred during one of the team’s tournaments.
A number of team members participated in the consumption of alcoholic beverages in their hotel rooms in Davis, Calif., on Jan. 8. The squad had competed in the UC Davis tournament earlier that day.
Borba was said to have “not exerted his authority to prevent it from happening,” according to Jim Paschal, ULV athletic director. Paschal was informed after head coach John Hallman learned of the incident.
Hallman, who was unaware and disturbed by the events, told Paschal of the occurrence the following Monday.
“When we came back from our trip, a couple of our athletes approached me and told me that they were uncomfortable by the lack of actions by the coach,” said Hallman. “I was very disappointed with the situation.”
“We have certain guidelines that coaches and student-athletes must adhere to when on road trips,” said Paschal. The main guideline that was broken was the school’s no drinking policy.
Paschal said the same rules and policies of the campus also apply for student-athletes on away trips.
“Road trips [for athletic teams] are extensions of the campus,” said Paschal. “We expect the best behavior from our student-athletes because they represent the team, our school and themselves.”
Paschal said that, since Borba only allowed them to drink the alcohol and did not purchase or sell it, police involvement was unnecessary.
The athletes involved in the incident have been handled through the University’s judicial board. None of those students have been suspended or expelled from either the team or the school.
“They made a mistake, and they realized that what they did was wrong,” said Paschal. “I would like to use this situation as a teaching point in terms of correct behavior.”
Because of the incident, the team was unable to participate in the UC San Diego tournament, which took place the weekend following the incident. The denial of allowing the team to play was not set down as a punishment, but Paschal did not feel that responsibility could be placed on the team.
Borba is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz and had been a part of the ULV staff since last September.
Currently, the athletic department is looking for a replacement for Borba, who assisted in recruitment and coaching the divers.
“It was a great learning experience [for the athletes] in the end, but at the time, it was frustrating on a lot of people,” said Hallman.
