The Spanish Club, also known as Los Estudiantes de Alabama sin Fronteras, is an official UA student organization that prioritizes language learning and conversation through weekly “charlas,” which appropriately translates to “chatting.” The club meets for one hour every Thursday, where members are separated into groups based on Spanish-speaking ability.
The executive members lead the group through conversation, focusing on a different subject each week. Other than “charlas,” the club hosts cultural activities, such as Hispanic movie and game nights. These activities encourage their members to become comfortable with the group and language.
“We focus mostly on language, especially for students who aren’t in a Spanish class, or who don’t have any other exposure to the language throughout the week to keep practicing,” said Bella Hughes, a senior psychology major and president of the club.
Gabriel Salazar, a sophomore anthropology major, is the secretary of the club. He is tasked with running the official Instagram, sending updates and reminders about upcoming meetings.
“Recently, we changed the way we’re meeting, so now we have the set location, which is different from previous years,” Salazar said. “We have the spot now available on campus that goes all year round.”
The group meets every Thursday at 6 p.m. in Lloyd Hall, speaking entirely in Spanish for an hour and collaborating with other UA student organizations. They recently collaborated with “Removing Barriers: Spanish in Healthcare Club” to create “get well soon” cards for Spanish-speaking patients at the Tuscaloosa DCH Hospital.
In the upcoming fall semester, they hope to start a Spanish tutoring program, in which the executive board would tutor Spanish to either Spanish students at the University or in the Tuscaloosa community.
“We have a lot of students that have really excelled in their Spanish language learning, and can provide insight to other students who are working towards that path right now,” said Ava Murphy, a junior neuroscience major and vice president of the club.
The program is still in its early stages, but they hope to start at the beginning of the fall semester. The executive board is working to get members’ opinions on how the program should operate before officially beginning.
The club also hopes to begin expanding the content of its weekly meetings by adding more Hispanic culture to the subject matter of its conversations. These new topics will help educate members on important Hispanic celebrations and culture, while simultaneously strengthening their conversation skills.
“I’m hoping this year to find some aspect of Día de los Muertos to incorporate into our meetings,” Murphy said. “I really just want Spanish Club to be a place where students can bond over their shared love of language.”
LEASF has been working toward fostering confidence and community in Spanish language learning through its meetings and events. Salazar said he hopes that members of the club are able to meet others interested in learning Spanish and feel comfortable speaking to each other.
“I feel like there’s no real space for Spanish to be spoken on campus, if not like speaking to someone who speaks Spanish already,” Salazar said. “I want people to step away feeling like they want to learn Spanish.”
