Las Vegas Review-Journal

CSN Spanish Club addresses need for bilingual grads

- By YESENIA AMARO LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Will Spanish ever become America’s official second language? Some College of Southern Nevada students think it could. They say the United States is falling behind other countries, where people are multilingu­al. The United States needs to prepare for a majority-minority future that already has arrived, they said.

“That’s how I see it,” said Michelle Mendez-Yela, 19, who acknowledg­ed the topic can be controvers­ial and is part of reviving CSN’s Spanish Club. “Maybe it will or maybe it won’t.”

For the first time, ethnic and racial minorities make up about half of the nation’s under-5 age group, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics released in June.

Census figures also showed Hispanics remain the nation’s second-largest ethnic group.

“Spanish has become one of those things that has to be in your survival tool kit,” Mendez-Yela said last week.

Business and companies are looking to hire bilingual employees, with the main second

language being Spanish, she said.

Mendez-Yela, who is studying health informatio­n technology, is one of more than 30 CSN students spreading that word as they work to expand a Spanish Club that faded away about five years ago.

Members want to make the club more official this time. They received approval in November from the student government to form the club. They are working to increase membership.

“We are going to be active in the community,” said student Monica Barney, 32. “Now we are here to stay.”

The push to resurrect the club comes as CSN plans to apply for the federal designatio­n of Hispanic-Serving Institutio­n next fall.

Deborah VanDamme, a Spanish instructor at CSN and adviser for the club, said she heard about the old club when she arrived at the college this fall. She thought it would be a good idea to bring it back, especially given the large Hispanic population at CSN’s Cheyenne campus, which most student members attend.

CSN’s preliminar­y enrollment figures for fall 2013 show Hispanics account for 25.92 percent of students, according to Nevada System of Higher Education calculatio­ns

VanDamme said the club is for all students. They just need to have an interest in Hispanic cultures. Club members also will be involved in community service and helping nonprofit organizati­ons, VanDamme said.

“It’s vital for people in the community to be knowledgea­ble about the Latino community,” she said. “It’s always been here.”

The club began to meet once a week in November, and members converse in Spanish for about 20 minutes. Members come from various ethnic background­s, and they don’t all speak fluent Spanish. But they want to learn.

“The limit of your words is the limit of your language,” said student Vivien Wu, 20, president of the club, who is studying hospitalit­y management.

Student Danny Boxley, 25, studying Spanish, said he joined the club because he is interested in the language. Also, his girlfriend Spanish.

“I definitely think it will help,” he said.

Nevada’s Hispanic population was 27.1 percent in 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In Clark County, Hispanics accounted for 29.7 percent of the population.

Those interested in joining the club can call 702-651-4104.

 ?? JASON BEAN/ LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL ?? College of Southern Nevada students, from left, Jonathan Antonio, Vivien Wu, Michelle Mendez-Yela and Martin D. Leyva watch the movie “Sin Nombre” on Wednesday with other members of the school’s new Spanish Club.
JASON BEAN/ LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL College of Southern Nevada students, from left, Jonathan Antonio, Vivien Wu, Michelle Mendez-Yela and Martin D. Leyva watch the movie “Sin Nombre” on Wednesday with other members of the school’s new Spanish Club.

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