¡Bienvenido al club de español!
The Spanish Club is dedicated to helping students improve their Spanish fluency while teaching them about various Spanish and Latin American cultures. They host multiple events (pictured above) throughout the year that combine different foods and art from various different Spanish speaking countries (Udeshi Seneviratne/photo editor).
Geneseo’s Spanish Club intends to enrich students’ lives with a fascinating culture, to instill an appreciation for the Spanish heritage in its members and to encourage students to learn the beautiful Spanish language.
Biology major senior Erin Maud is the president of Spanish Club. She and her fellow officers dedicate a significant amount of time to this organization, where they encourage Geneseo students to become more knowledgeable of Spanish traditions.
“The club is mostly just to help students learn the Spanish language and to appreciate the culture and everything that goes along with it, like the traditions and the language,” Maud said.
Maud and her co-officers organize interesting lectures and find relevant media that portray Spanish celebratory occasions and cultural events to educate students about not only the heritage, but also the traditional foods, music and activities.
“[The officers give] mini lectures and [show] videos about different holidays and how they are celebrated in different countries in Latin America and Spain, [and] how different dishes and desserts are cooked,” Maud said. “We listen to music in Spanish and do as many fun activities as we can. We are also very open to any suggestions of topics and activities, and always food—lots of delicious food.”
In addition to enculturating members, Spanish Club has events open to the entire student body. In the Union last semester, the club held a “Salsa con Salsa” where students ate traditional foods and learned dances.
“Our big event in the … fall semester was a [Geneseo Late Knight] event which was held in the Union,” Maud said. “We had students from the Binghamton Ballroom Dance team come and teach lessons and we had food.”
Not only does Spanish Club host school-wide events with the GLK organization, but they also interact with the various departments and students of the college.
“At the end of last semester, we held a potluck dinner with the students in the Spanish department,” Maud said. “We are also part of World Book Day, which we plan along with the help of the Department of Literature and Language.”
Aside from the interactions with the departments and GLK, Maud created a partnership with Geneseo’s Common Hope, an organization that provides children in Guatemala with an opportunity for education that they otherwise may not receive.
“I partner with Common Hope to make bracelets which they sell to raise money for education in Guatemala,” Maud said.
Students are highly encouraged to join Spanish Club to become educated about Latin American and Spanish culture and tradition, and to learn or practice the language.
“We love to have new members, even if they don’t currently know Spanish. We view it as an opportunity to help other people to learn about the language and culture,” Maud said. “We meet every Monday at 7 p.m. in Welles 133. If anyone would like to join, please come to the meetings or send us an email at spanish@geneseo.edu.”
Joining the club reflects an opportunity to learn, become more insightful, make new friends and celebrate the heritage of the Spanish language.