Story by Sophia Bauder

Have you ever wondered why Palomar College athletes always seem to transfer to a-four year university much faster than the average student?

Many Palomar students may not know that athletes on campus have a separate counseling department from everyone else. The majority of students meet with the general counseling department while student athletes meet with the athletic counseling department.

Steve White was the head counselor for the athletic department for the past 20 years, but retired this last August. Now responsibility belongs to Amber Slivick. She is currently the only counselor for the athletic department and continues to work one-on-one with athletes to ensure they are eligible to transfer to a four-year university.

Slivick assists on all 22 sports, which means she’s counseling about 400 to 450 students. Slivick said that in order to keep her students on track to transfer she oversees grade checks, student eligibility to make sure they’re clear to play and transfer criteria for the university. She also works with colleges and their coaches to get Palomar students recruited while also trying to secure them scholarships.

Head soccer coach David Linenberger and head baseball coach Ben Adams both feel that the athletic counseling department has had a positive impact on their student athletes.

Athletes must maintain eligibility for Palomar and keep up with the guidelines for transferring to a four-year.

“The program offers tutoring, conducts grade checks, and does a tremendous job assisting our student athletes to maintain eligibility,” said Linenberger via email.

Student athletes juggle school work, practice and games so their schedules might be more intense than others. This is why they may need more one-on-one academic counseling. 

“Without such student support this population would have tremendous difficulty and the likelihood of completing would be rare,” said Adams via email.

The athletic counseling department seems to be an essential part of a student athletes’ success when getting ready to transfer to a four-year. Not only do they keep athletes on track to transfer, but also seek to help their students obtain scholarships and recruitments.