In an effort to familiarize athletes at Pierce College with skills for achieving academic success while participating in sports, Personal Development 15C – The Summer Readiness Program for Athletes – started today and will continue through Thursday.
The one-unit class is geared toward freshman and sophomore football players, and is taught by a mixture of faculty members, administration and coaches.
Joseph Roberson, a counselor and Pierce alumnus, thought up the idea for the class in 1977 while playing for the Pierce football team.
“It’s the skill sets and critical thinking processes that they need to take forward to the university…in order to be successful, and in the secular world as well,” Roberson said.
After sharing his idea with the faculty, many individuals took interest in Roberson’s idea and began working together to get the program up and running.
“Because all these individuals from the administration to the faculty knew that something like this was necessary, it then came to life,” Roberson said. “It really is just an effort contributed by everyone on campus.”
The class comprises a mixture of study-skill tips, lectures from faculty members and tours of buildings and offices on campus that may aid students in achieving successful academic careers.
Although PD 15C is aimed toward athletes, it is open to any student who would like to learn more about personal development, especially if they are just entering college.
Efrain Martinez, head football coach, supports the program and feels it would be useful for teaching athletes how to promote themselves in a positive way to the student community.
“We’re trying to change the image of the football program by getting the administrators, the sheriffs, counselors, teachers and the whole school involved,” Martinez said.
Athletes will be introduced to peer mentors – football team members who have previously played on the team – and academic mentors.
In addition to the cost of the course, Pierce will also be paying for counseling and mentoring. The total cost for these services will be around $12,000; nearly half of the money will be used for counseling that will continue through December.
Janet Duenas is an academic mentor for PD 15C and was excited to be a part of the program. After graduating from Pierce, she went on to California State University, Northridge and is now working toward a master’s degree from University of La Verne.
“I think it’s fulfilling to help students,” Duenas said. “A student that’s an athlete is a student nonetheless.”
If the program is successful with the football team, it may become inclusive to the rest of the sports program. Roberson said with the football team consisting of at least 50 to 80 bodies, the population was large enough to test the effectiveness of the class.
“It’s a nice time to bring the campus community together to really assist this group of students and get the students to understand what their role and responsibility is to the campus as well,” Roberson said.
Joseph Roberson, counselor and Pierce alumnus, gives an orientation speech to athletes enrolled in Personal Development 15C, a one-unit academic-success course. ()