FEATURES
PAGE 6
NEW AT HURST
New Conversation Assistance Program brings cultures together By Samantha Weber Managing editor
Contributed photo
By Bella Lee Staff writer
“Hurst is Home ‘’ is a phrase often used on campus. Mercyhurst remains home for current and past students. This year we are fortunate to welcome back several alumni, especially from the class of 2020. Of the many recent graduates that have returned back to campus this fall, this week we re-introduce the Mercyhurst community to recent graduate Tessa Sayre. Sayre is the Public Services Manager at Hammermill Library. She’s in charge of overseeing the Circulation Desk and working with other library staff on special projects. “I attended Mercyhurst University beginning in 2016,” she said. “At the time, my major was just Psychology. I went on to add a theatre minor that year and a Creative Writing major my junior year. I graduated in 2020 amidst the Covid-19 crisis and celebrated with a Netflix marathon,” she said. Sayre’s experience with extracurriculars at Mercyhurst was extremely rewarding for her. “As a student, I was most heavily involved in the Theatre Program,” Sayre said. “I found it incredibly rewarding to participate in the shows in any capacity— whether performing on stage, assisting the stage manager or running spotlight. I’ve not found such a wonderful group of people anywhere else, and many of the friends I made in the theatre program as a student I remain in contact with today. I also was a part of the English Honors Society (Sigma Tau Delta) and submitted work to the Lumen.” It ended up being that very experience that drew her back to Mercyhurst. “I chose to come back to Mercyhurst because I was quickly growing tired of pursuing a life path that I did not enjoy,” Sayre said. Overall, her experience as an employee rather than a student has been great. “As a new staff member, I am most thankful for the community here at Mercyhurst,” Sayre said. “I’d been acquainted with the library staff as a student and when I returned as Public Services Manager they were all very welcoming and friendly. It’s nice to work on a team that collaborates so well together.” Sayre is still just as involved in the Mercyhurst community, recently being cast in the Theatre Program’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Be sure to say hello to her if you see her at the library.
Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Mercyhurst has implemented a new Conversation Assistance Program for students. The department reached out to several international students who speak a primary language other than English. The International Student Office and the Department of World Languages partnered together to create this opportunity for students to take advantage of. “We began offering this program as a way to expose our student’s authentic speech from native speakers of the target language. We also wanted them to have the opportunity to learn about culture firsthand from international students,” Sherez Mohamed, Ph.D., assistant professor of Spanish, said. The World Language Department sees the program as an opportunity for domestic and international students alike. “We wanted international students to have the opportunity to share their language and culture with students, as the purpose of having international students on campus is not just for them to learn about US culture; but rather, it’s highly beneficial that we learn about where they come from
as well,” Mohamed said. This program offers a variety of different activities that students can take advantage of including tutoring, conversation tables, and communicative classroom activities. Some courses might require students to attend a few of the conversion tables to better help students work on small speak in their language of study. Mohamed sees great value in having an international student work with an American student. “They can offer authentic cultural and conversation experiences to their counterparts from the US,” Mohamed said. “They can help develop the development of listening and speaking skills.” Valentine Budin, a sophomore cyber security major, is from Paris, France, and her primary language is French. She was recruited by Douglas Boudreau, Ph.D. associate professor of French, to help other students who are learning French get to practice it in a more casual setting. “I took the spot quickly because I was looking for this kind of job on campus,” Budin said. “Indeed, I wanted to share my culture and knowledge about my country.” “I’m looking forward to is being able to help others expand their knowledge on more than one different dialogue of Spanish,”
Another member of the program, Yisela Reyes, said. “There is much more to get out of these programs than just helping other students improve their language skills. I also hope to educate foreign language learning students on different cultures and being able to cross-cultural connect.” The program is also a way for students to make new friends. “I wanted to meet new students,” Budin said. And there is no better way to do that than to meet people who speak a language not commonly spoken in the United States and bond over the language aspect that everyone has in common. Mohamed hopes her students can get a lot out of this program. “I hope all students make cross-cultural connections, expand their horizons, build friendships and of course I hope the US students develop their foreign language skills.” The Conversation Assistance program is great for world language students to get involved in. To find out more information about the program or to get involved contact Dr. Sherez Mohamed at smohamed@mercyhurst.edu.
LAKER MOMENT On Sept. 14, the Starbucks kiosk located in the Mercyhurst bookstore held a promotion for anyone who bought a coffee. With the purchase of a drink, you received a free cream filled donut with chocolate frosting! The lovely Parkhurst staff worked diligently through their morning rush in order to get the caffeine-deprived MU students their coffee and complimentary donut. It was incredibly uplifting to see the surprise and made everyone’s day.
Sarah Beck photo
Parkhurst workers serving coffee and free doughnuts on Sept. 14
