Throughout the season, USCRipsIt will be taking you into the off-the-field life of a player, showing you what goes on behind the scenes through "Inside the Life." In this weekly series written by staff writer Courtney Kalisz, we'll bring you into the daily life of a player and reveal the details that fill a student-athlete's schedule while off the field. Here's a feature about the academic rigors of a student-athlete and the support system in place to help them:
The glamorous life of a USC football player: National notoriety, press conferences, celebrity status ... and spending hours studying in Student-Athlete Academic Services.
With the outstanding reputation of the USC football team, it could be assumed that football is the primary focus of our student-athletes. On the contrary, the athletic department takes an outstanding amount of pride in academic excellence as well. Located in the basement of Heritage Hall, below the displays of Heisman trophies and championship awards, lies the core of the academic aspect of student-athlete life. Student-athletes convene in SAAS to meet with their academic advisors, do homework, utilize the computer lab or simply study. One of the most interesting things about SAAS is that it is not exclusive to the football team. It is the base for all USC athletic teams, and it is hard to go into SAAS without seeing at least one other athlete that you know.
Jon Hackett is the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, an organization that serves as a liaison between USC student athletes, academic advisors and the NCAA. He describes SAAS as "just another support network where student-athletes are able to make sure they can excel both as a student and an athlete at USC."
If SAAS is the heart of the academic life of the Trojan football players, then the academic advisors are the heartbeat. Dr. Magdi El Shahawy, the director of SAAS, is instrumental in the operation of the academic center. Jason Pappas and John Mosbach are the academic advisors for the football team. Pappas and Mosbach monitor grades, assist football players in selecting ideal classes and work with them on a personal level to ensure optimum academic success. Although there are assigned advisors for every athletic team here at USC, all of the SAAS academic advisors are eager to help all athletes and it is very common for an athlete to be assisted by an advisor for another athletic team. Much of the academic success of the student-athletes can be attributed to the fantastic staff of SAAS and their outstanding attention and care.
In order to reinforce the importance of academic success, the SAAS staff implemented the "student-athlete of the month" program to honor those student-athletes who go above and beyond in terms of effort and success in school. Each month, the "student-athlete of the month" program features six student-athletes, whose photographs are displayed in SAAS among the other recipients of the honor.
In the 2008-09 school year, at least one member of the football team earned the prestigious title of "student-athlete of the month" nearly every month. In the last academic year alone, Jurrell Casey, Uona Kaveinga, Alex Parsons, Matt Barkley, Jordan Congdon, Malcolm Smith, Joe McKnight, Drew McAllister and Khaled Holmes all earned the "student-athlete of the month" honor. This demonstrates focus both on and off the field and the well-roundedness of the football players, a difficult feat considering the demanding lifestyles that they face as Division I student-athletes.
There is a sense of gratitude from Trojan student-athletes for SAAS, the services provided, and the academic advisors.
"SAAS is very reliable in terms of having space to study," wideout Ronald Johnson said. "The advisors are very helpful. They help us stay organized."
As declared in the SAAS mission statement, "The USC Student-Athlete Academic Services Program is committed to providing the necessary support to assist all student-athletes in reaching their full potential academically, personally, and professionally." The success of Trojan student-athletes in both academics and athletics is certainly a testament to the effectiveness of the SAAS program.
- By Courtney Kalisz, USCRipsIt staff writer
The glamorous life of a USC football player: National notoriety, press conferences, celebrity status ... and spending hours studying in Student-Athlete Academic Services.
With the outstanding reputation of the USC football team, it could be assumed that football is the primary focus of our student-athletes. On the contrary, the athletic department takes an outstanding amount of pride in academic excellence as well. Located in the basement of Heritage Hall, below the displays of Heisman trophies and championship awards, lies the core of the academic aspect of student-athlete life. Student-athletes convene in SAAS to meet with their academic advisors, do homework, utilize the computer lab or simply study. One of the most interesting things about SAAS is that it is not exclusive to the football team. It is the base for all USC athletic teams, and it is hard to go into SAAS without seeing at least one other athlete that you know.
Jon Hackett is the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, an organization that serves as a liaison between USC student athletes, academic advisors and the NCAA. He describes SAAS as "just another support network where student-athletes are able to make sure they can excel both as a student and an athlete at USC." If SAAS is the heart of the academic life of the Trojan football players, then the academic advisors are the heartbeat. Dr. Magdi El Shahawy, the director of SAAS, is instrumental in the operation of the academic center. Jason Pappas and John Mosbach are the academic advisors for the football team. Pappas and Mosbach monitor grades, assist football players in selecting ideal classes and work with them on a personal level to ensure optimum academic success. Although there are assigned advisors for every athletic team here at USC, all of the SAAS academic advisors are eager to help all athletes and it is very common for an athlete to be assisted by an advisor for another athletic team. Much of the academic success of the student-athletes can be attributed to the fantastic staff of SAAS and their outstanding attention and care.
In order to reinforce the importance of academic success, the SAAS staff implemented the "student-athlete of the month" program to honor those student-athletes who go above and beyond in terms of effort and success in school. Each month, the "student-athlete of the month" program features six student-athletes, whose photographs are displayed in SAAS among the other recipients of the honor.
In the 2008-09 school year, at least one member of the football team earned the prestigious title of "student-athlete of the month" nearly every month. In the last academic year alone, Jurrell Casey, Uona Kaveinga, Alex Parsons, Matt Barkley, Jordan Congdon, Malcolm Smith, Joe McKnight, Drew McAllister and Khaled Holmes all earned the "student-athlete of the month" honor. This demonstrates focus both on and off the field and the well-roundedness of the football players, a difficult feat considering the demanding lifestyles that they face as Division I student-athletes.
There is a sense of gratitude from Trojan student-athletes for SAAS, the services provided, and the academic advisors.
"SAAS is very reliable in terms of having space to study," wideout Ronald Johnson said. "The advisors are very helpful. They help us stay organized."
As declared in the SAAS mission statement, "The USC Student-Athlete Academic Services Program is committed to providing the necessary support to assist all student-athletes in reaching their full potential academically, personally, and professionally." The success of Trojan student-athletes in both academics and athletics is certainly a testament to the effectiveness of the SAAS program.
- By Courtney Kalisz, USCRipsIt staff writer
This 'behind the scenes' or 'a day in the life' feature is great. As a fan and alum, it is always nice to see the activities of student athletes away from the field/court/pool, etc. I recall seeing something like this with Sam Baker a few years back on a different Trojan affiliate that went through his study habits, his apartment, his eating, etc. You guys have done a great job and if there is one suggestion I can make, it would be interesting if you had a video component to this as well. For instance, walking through the SAAS facility so we can see the resources or even just the setup of the area. I know some places or people might be off limits, but I am sure that video compliment would enhance this feature even more. I am sure I speak for all the Trojan faithful in that we look forward to more of these interesting pieces.