French Club engages campus
November 12, 2013
Linfield’s French club has taken a national celebration and turned it into a local bonding experience for the campus.
Senior Julia Galan, president of Linfield’s French Club, took charge of French week with the hopes of making French club more exciting and encouraging people to join.
Galan, along with other members of the club, planned seven events for both students in French club and students not to participate in.
The events included a French history booth, French scavenger hunt, French game night, showing of a French movie, making crêpes, attending a dinner at Bistro Maison and having a French cuisine contest in Dillin Hall.
Certain events, such as the French scavenger hunt and French cuisine contest, had prizes for winners of the event.
“Through French club we hope to break French stereotypes,” Galan said. “French clichés such as families in France not liking Americans or not being as family oriented.”
Delicious French bread and Brie await students at the French
History booth on Tuesday, Nov. 5 inside Walker Hall.
Galan also hoped to raise awareness about the French culture and encourage students to look into French programs offered at Linfield.
Galan lived in Aixen Provence last spring, and wanted to help encourage other students to do the same.
“I really wasn’t sure what to expect,” Galan said. “But it really exceeded my expectations,”
After returning to Linfield this fall, Galan stepped into the role of president for the French club, which has about 10 members that attend meetings regularly.
Galan hopes that through French week, many of the incoming freshmen and students in French 201 and 202 will be more likely to join French club.
“I didn’t know there was a national French Week until this year,” said freshmen Michaela Duffy, who plans on majoring in French and minoring in Japanese. “As Americans, we’re pretty isolated. It’s nice to teach everyone about another culture.”
Senior Julia Galan and freshman Luis Santillán-Guzmán educate students about French history and the Linfield French Club at the French History booth in Walker Hall.
The French club meets every other week at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesdays in Walker Hall.
“A lot of people feel they need to know French [or] French culture to attend,” Galan said. “But that’s not true.”
Samantha Sigler / Editor-in-chief
Samantha Sigler can be reached at [email protected].