UPDATED on May 27, 2016 at 3:29 p.m.
Biola Athletics administrators told the men’s golf team on April 7 that their program would be immediately discontinued as part of university-wide budget cuts. The news shocked nearly all of campus, including those who were impacted most.
phasing out
“I found out the program was recommended for phase out on March 8,” said head coach Max Allen in an email, “From my perspective there was no indication it would be cut before that.”
However, the team did not plan to go down without a fight. A meeting on April 28 between the team, several parents, Allen, athletic director Bethany Miller, vice president of enrollment management Greg Vaughan and Eagles Athletic Association director Kevin Royse discussed ways in which the program could at least have the two-year phase-out period that Allen expected. (End of Paragraph)
“Fundraising was not my first idea or choice, but it was feasible,” Allen said in an email.
After the meeting, Miller, Vaughan and Royse crafted a fundraising plan that was eventually approved by the University’s Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs and agreed to by the men’s golf coaching staff and parents. Royse, who also handles major donations for the athletic department, spearheads the effort to raise enough money to keep Biola men’s golf alive for two more years. The extended phase-out period will allow most team members to finish out their collegiate golf careers as Eagles.
The outpouring of support
To date, the program has raised nearly $60,000 of its $130,000 goal to cover all costs for the next two seasons, much to the relief of several players.
“I feel like they’re doing right by the program by phasing it out instead of just cutting the program,” said junior Tristan Ginkel.
The outpouring of support, however, did not come as a surprise to Allen.
“As I saw it, the challenge was to get the extension. Once given the go-ahead to fundraise I trusted God would come through,” Allen said in an email. “My boys and I have not been put here to be left unfulfilled.”
Others believe the initial shock of getting cut outright could have been avoided altogether. Some players cannot understand why the university did not explore the possibility of fundraising for a phase-out sooner.
“To have [our program] back, it feels good, but I feel like this shouldn’t have ever happened in the first place,” said sophomore Dominic Ariondo.
Allen will no longer recruit new players, but will maintain the same mentality with his current team in the final two years of its existence.
“Our focus and approach will be the same: to become like Christ in the pursuit of our best golf,” Allen said in an email. “What we will be mindful of is how close we came to losing it all. This experience will keep us grateful for the opportunity and motivated to take advantage of it.”
