Freshmen target academic success in new Summer Bridge program

The fledgling university students, whose majors run the gamut, attended a daily tutoring session on Aug. 30 as part of the university’s first annual Summer Bridge program which commenced nine days earlier. The students, with laptops open, worked and talked, occasional laughter punctuating their busyness. Four tutors hovered around the room, stooping to answer questions and give direction on writing and graphing equations of lines. Instructor Alex Rowell graded homework at a small desk near the front.

Summer Bridge is an annual boot-camp style environment for freshmen who have not tested into college-level math. The four-and-a-half-week holistic program aims to help students improve their score on the Accuplacer math placement exam which provides an objective measure of how the students progressed. Those who place at the college level by the program’s end qualify for foundational college math courses.

“It’s very fast-paced but at the same time you learn so much material,” said pre-dentistry major Priscila Larios of Colton. “It’s hard, but it’s fun.”

While honing math skills, the experience also helped prepare students for college life which officially began on Sept. 26 with the start of fall quarter classes. To support the intensive math experience and college acclimation process, participating students were required to live in dorms Sunday through Thursday while attending Summer Bridge, and were not permitted to work. In addition to two daily math workshops and tutoring sessions, the program included a note-taking seminar, library orientation, study halls, scholarship hunting, charade-like games and team drawing exercises to build rapport and tap creativity, and weekly devotionals. 

“I believe this program is better because it is focused on the learning aspect,” rather than a letter grade,” said Daniel Strathem, a Portland, Ore. resident who arrived at La Sierra to study marketing and management at the Zapara School of Business.

“It kind of gets you prepared for college,” with 7 a.m. wake-up times and late-night study sessions, added Rubi Miranda, a pre-nursing major, also from Colton. “I love the tutors. They’re so helpful.”

The Summer Bridge program is sponsored by the university’s Title V projects and involves four lab assistants/tutors coordinated by the Center for Student Academic Success. The math curriculum was organized by Title V appointees, math department faculty members Jason Wittlake, Sharilyn Horner, and Rowell. Eric Vega, assistant professor of sociology, created the overall program. Participants were accepted following an application process that qualified students who displayed a high level of commitment to the program. “All incoming freshman were provided and presented information about Summer Bridge and those students who took the Accuplacer and tested into the intermediate algebra level were sent an application,” Vega said.

Summer Bridge forms one of five areas of focus within the Title V projects. The other four areas are basic skills English, basic skills math, first year experience and tutoring.

Last fall the university was awarded a $2.6 million Title V grant by the U.S. Department of Education to enhance educational services. Title V falls under the Higher Education Act. La Sierra University, recognized for its diverse population and its service-learning programs, is one of 96 Hispanic-serving institutions of higher education across the United States to receive a portion of $51 million in grant funds intended to help Hispanic and low-income students achieve greater academic success leading to graduation. The grants assist with faculty development, curriculum development, academic tutoring and mentoring and other services.