Grand Valley State University will be continuing to offer a course aimed at equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed to officiate sports competitions. The class, FIT-280 Sports Officiating, features a collaboration between two adjunct professors who share an unlikely history, having previously been teacher and student. Having one academic year of the course under their belts, instructors hope the class will grow and allow students to gain more officiating experience.
The course addresses various facets of sports officiating, including rules interpretation, game mechanics and the proactive management of athletics. Students enrolled have the opportunity to also be involved in a partnership with the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) by working as paid officiants for high school games.
The adjunct instructors in charge of the class, Malik Baker and Jamillya (Jay) Hardley, were reunited by FIT Course Coordinator Karol Tiemersma, out of complete coincidence.
Hardley made a special connection with Tiemersma when attending educational leadership courses at GVSU in 2012-14, which prepared her for the position of instructing in a higher education setting. After Hardley described her background in college basketball at the University of Michigan, as well as her experience in officiating, Tiemersma shared her idea of introducing the course.
Baker, also a longtime officiant for MHSAA, caught wind of the class concept and saw an opportunity to utilize his teaching background and passion for sports officiating at the collegiate level.
“I sent a video presentation about sports officiating to GVSU and it was sent to Karol. Unbeknownst to me, Karol was working with Jay (to) create a sports officiating class,” Baker said. “I was Jay’s teacher back in her middle school days. She was not only a fantastic student, but also a tremendous athlete (that played) basketball.”
Hardley attributes many of her achievements to Baker’s early mentorship.
“Throughout the years, Mr. Baker has poured into me with encouragement and support,” Hardley said. “There has never been a time (when) Mr. Baker hasn’t shared how proud he was of me in all my professional and personal accomplishments. Whether it’s in passing, or when we were working together on the court, he has always been a mentor and a positive influence.”
They feel this shared history not only makes their teaching connection stronger, but duly fuels their passion as they work together educating generations of athletes and officiants to come. According to Baker, there’s a significant need for athletics officials in a variety of sports.
“We hope to establish GVSU as a hub for future sports officials,” Baker said.
Tiemersma voiced the possibility of the course being the foundation for more classes specific to a variety of sports.
“This class could help educate, motivate young professionals to earn money and serve their communities (and) stay involved in sports,” Tiemersma said.
Baker, Hardley and Tiemersma envision expanding the course’s scope going forward.
“Officiating is not for everyone, but for those who take this class, the outcome should be to help develop a perspective that would make people better spectators. When it comes to sportsmanship and understanding of why calls are made, this class has great potential for impact on student development and learning,” said Tiemersma.
