Amid the hustle and bustle of the lunchtime crowd at the Union,students are given the opportunity to practice a foreignlanguage.
Just outside the Tiger Lair, Ana Morales, a Spanish teachingassistant and Spanish literature graduate student from Honduras,sits at a table with a centerpiece of miniature flags thatrepresent a few Spanish-speaking countries.
Morales, along with fellow Spanish instructors MariaEsther-Ramirez, Isabel Matus and Lidia Byrd take turns sitting atthe Spanish Table every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. andThursday from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. to help students with Spanish.
Morales said some students come to the table with specificquestions, but some come to practice speaking Spanish or to listento other people speak to get a feel for the language.
“We talk a lot, but if they want to talk or ask questions,they are more than welcome to,” Morales said.
Morales said the instructors sometimes bring objects fromdifferent Spanish-speaking countries to initiate conversation.
She said they explain the importance of the item to the countryand it usually aids in describing the country’s culture.
Esther-Ramirez said the Spanish Table is an extra curricularactivity for the instructors, and they are not paid to spend theirfree time helping students.
“We do this after office hours because it is fun forus,” Esther-Ramirez said. “We all enjoy it because itgives us a chance to get to know students other than the ones inour classes.”
She said their goal is to keep the activity informal.
“We want students to be able to come to us and have a goodtime without the stress of the classroom,” Esther-Ramirezsaid.
Vandee Keeleevand, a Spanish teaching assistant and English andSpanish graduate student, said she encourages students in herclasses to take advantage of the Spanish Table.
“In class, students learn mostly grammar,”Keeleevand said. “This is a great opportunity for them tolearn how to speak outside of the classroom in a very informalsetting.”
Students currently enrolled in Spanish classes at the Universitythink the Spanish Table is an excellent opportunity for students,and they should take advantage of it.
Jenny Gautreaux, a mass communication sophomore, said she thinksthe table is useful because it gives students help practicing thelanguage.
“In class, the teachers just talk to you,” Gautreauxsaid. “Here, you have the chance to interact with people whoknow the language and learn how to really haveconversations.”
Derek Mitchell, a communication studies sophomore, said he likesthe table because it gives him a chance to learn about differentSpanish speaking countries and their different cultures. He said hehas benefitted from it and has learned more than he does in theclassroom.
Morales said the Spanish Table has been a real success so far,and the Spanish department wants to continue the activity nextsemester.