(The Beacon)
By Mary Dolan O'Brien & Juliana Ringold, Guest Commentary -- The Beacon
For almost fifty years now, the University of Portland annually sends 40 students overseas to study culture and art in Salzburg, Austria. While their time is spent in school and traveling across Europe, there is an inevitable sense of unity that develops among these students and their connection with the German Culture. As a result UP is one of the top schools in producing Fulbright award winners to Germany. It comes as quite a shock to consider, with all this tradition in German cultures, that the campus has not seen a German Club in twenty years.
This was the primary reason that we created the German Culture Club on campus. We are "09/10 Burgers" and hold our connections to Germany and Austria close in our hearts. We were fortunate enough to experience firsthand, all the beauty, fun, and interesting aspects the German Culture has to offer and now we want to share our passion with the entire UP community.
We're bringing German culture to campus and we're excited. We're excited to wear lederhosen and dirndls, to eat schnitzel and strudel and most importantly, to foster a sense of community among all those who have an interest or appreciation for the German culture. It doesn't matter if the only German you know is "Volkswagen," we're not a language club. We are here to provide fun activities and learning opportunities to the people of the University of Portland.
As a club we hope to create a better understanding of the German culture on campus as well as to offer students the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the culture into the community. The Portland area has a large German-speaking population and we hope to explore the opportunities available. UP has great connections with both the German American Society and the German American School of Portland. These ties connect us to larger organizations with similar goals.
Much of what goes into the German culture is a strong sense of community and togetherness. Our club maintains an environment where everyone is welcomed with a friendly smile. Together we establish connections and interests in the culture of Germany. The beauty of a new club on campus is that everyone has the chance to influence its development. We wish to maintain this comradeship in the developing years of our club.
We love the German culture, but that's not enough. We also want you to love the German culture. Our club is determined and devoted to bring our passion to you. So keep your eyes peeled around campus for flyers and advertisements to come join in the fun. Tschuss!
Mary Dolan O'Brien is a German studies and communication studies major. She can be contacted at dolanobr12@up.edu. Juliana Ringold is a mathmatics and German studies major. She can be contacted at ringold12@up.edu.
