Spanish Club seeks students looking to improve verbal skills
By Meredith Mason ’14
The Spanish Club invites students who are looking to improve their verbal Spanish skills to join their campus organization. Formed last fall, the club aims to provide students with an opportunity to speak Spanish outside of the classroom, regardless of their skill level.
The group meets at 5:30 p.m. Mondays in the Antone Academic Center, Room 121 to watch a telenovela (Spanish soap opera) and converse in Spanish. Dr. Linda Crawford, the club’s faculty adviser and chairwoman of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, emphasizes that speaking Spanish outside of the classroom is vital in order for students to progress.
“This year the club has taken off much stronger than it did last year,” Crawford says. “We really have a strong group of people participating on a regular basis.”
In addition to the weekly meetings, the club hosts dinners and takes part in community outreach programs. This semester, several students volunteered with Bike Newport to distribute reflectors and safety gear at Leo’s Market on Broadway.
“The large biking population in Newport consists of people from Guatemala and Central America,” Crawford says. This outreach program provides students with an opportunity to communicate with native speakers of the Spanish language while giving back to the Newport community.
Students who are interested in getting involved with the Spanish Club can email Crawford or co-president Samantha LoPinto ’14.
