Jerry Morris works with Jefferson School pupil Bradley Burgess during Titans of Tomorrow tutoring sessions at IU South Bend.
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Tables are pulled to the side, refreshments are iced and snacks are opened. IU South Bend students are waiting for their young charges to arrive. It is late afternoon, and the Administration Building’s employees are heading home. But a constant buzz of activity will soon fill the IU South Bend main cafeteria as it opens for the business of tutoring.
Last semester, the Titans of Tomorrow tutoring sessions opened the doors three days a week to pupils of Jefferson Intermediate School.
IU South Bend senior biology major Jerry Morris, who has set his sights on medical school, is the guiding force in the new venture; this is the first time tutoring sessions on campus for middle school students have been offered.
James Kapsa, the principal at Jefferson, said the tutoring program is an answer to his prayers—to help pupils who are “falling between the cracks” in the school.
The program was first offered during parent-teacher conferences in the fall. The tutors had an information table set up at Jefferson, and they were ready to answer questions. The parents asked for help for their children and there it was—a table full of willing tutors.
Kapsa said he sees a number of benefits, including convenience, for Jefferson pupils. IU South Bend is only a mile from the school. Coming onto campus is attractive to the young pupils, and they enjoy knowing college students.
“It is the perfect place and time for us,” Kapsa said.
Morris said he got the idea for the tutoring after he volunteered at a number of places. “I’ve been a volunteer at the Chapin Street Clinic (in South Bend). Professor Brenda Knowles asked me to present a program to the honors students (at IU South Bend) about involvement and what they could do for the community that is tied to education.”
Then the idea grew. Morris and fellow student Matt Droste began working on the details, wrote a mission statement and recruited 26 volunteers. They worked with 30 pupils in the fall and are hoping for more this semester.
“Our mission is to help (middle school) students, bring students to campus and increase the visibility of the campus. IU South Bend has a lot of potential, and we have to get out and make a statement to the community,” Morris said. “It has been excellent.”
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