Coach Justin Bishop has been a track coach at Columbia College since 2016. Since starting there Justin has grown the program and has won 5 AAC Championship titles and sending multiple athletes to Nationals every season. Justin became the Head Coach in 2018 when his predecessor was terminated for inappropriate behavior. Justin was essential to each and every woman who came forward to support them, so they knew they were heard. When Justin became Head Coach, he took the role serious and became more than just a coach but a mentor and a friend to every person he came across including the competing teams. He has turned a failing program into a winning program through the success of his athletes. He recruited and developed the men's Cross Country and Track and Field teams when the college went Co-ed in 2020. Justin has always been a positive light at Columbia College after other teams struggled with keeping staff. He always stood on the side of justice and fought for a better program every day to give his athletes what they deserved. 

On November 9, 2023, Justin was wrongfully terminated by the Athletic Director Glen Crawford for taking his Cross-Country team to dinner at Olive Garden after their conference meet where multiple athletes broke personal bests, several school records broken and three students qualifying for the NAIA Nationals. Glen stated that Justin didn't receive approval before feeding his athletes and that Justin was being insubordinate. Glen has stated on his Columbia College bio that he hopes to guide Columbia College Athletics to a place of national prominence through judicious budgetary utilization. According to Glen feeding the athletes a healthy meal at $11.80 a student wasn't enough for his budget plans and as a result terminated Coach Bishop. During Coach Bishop's time at Columbia College, he hasn't received as much as a warning or any type of scrutiny from his superiors. He has been failed by Columbia College. 

This petition is meant to show Columbia College and Glen Crawford how wrong their actions have been and to hopefully reinstate Coach Justin Bishop because feeding athletes should NOT be a punishable offense. Former athletes of Bishop please include how he has impacted your running career or life so the college can see how monumental he is to the program, please let your voice be heard!