JUCO DIRT: Carpenter out at Wabash Valley College

Story: Adam Nelson (@HD_DirtKing)


Been hearing about this one for a while – now the messy situation at NJCAA D1 Wabash Valley is starting to be made public. Head Basketball Coach and AD Mike Carpenter has apparently resigned – he has been removed from the college’s website.

Carpenter had been as WVC since 2013 after a successful run as the head coach at Danville Area CC. It sounds like associate head coach Isaac Wodajo has been promoted to interim head coach, and has actually been in this role for a while as the college investigated Carpenter. Wodajo is in his 4th season at the college, and was a graduate assistant at Texas before that.

The college’s only public statement so far has been this post taken from their Facebook page:

In March of 2022, IECC received two complaints from WVC students. Given the nature of the complaints, we directed them to our Title IX Coordinator, and IECC subsequently conducted an extensive investigation that spanned six months. In compliance with Title IX regulations, this investigation resulted in a comprehensive written report we shared with the involved parties. We scheduled a formal hearing for September 26, 2022. Before the hearing occurred, IECC received a resignation from the WVC employee cited in the student complaint.

This past Friday evening, an employee informed the WVC administration of a separate issue involving a different WVC employee. Campus administration acted swiftly, gathering information and meeting directly with this employee on Saturday morning. This employee submitted a letter of resignation effective immediately on Monday morning. An investigation into this matter is still ongoing.

While we can make no further comments on these matters, we felt it was important for members of the College community to know that the IECC administration has been aware and active in responding to and investigating the complaints we received. We are committed to ensuring that our students and employees have safe and healthy learning and working environments. I understand that a lack of public communication on matters like this can invite rumors and speculation, including those that suggest nothing is happening. In reality, it is about protecting the privacy and due process rights that we must afford to all parties. For more information about our Title IX policies and procedures, you are welcome to visit www.iecc.edu/titleIX

More on this situation as it continues to develop.

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