Students Bond in Romance Languages Community
Closed for renovations last year, LeFevre Hall now houses a thriving Romance Languages Community in three adjoining suites in the stylishly remodeled basement floor.
The community, modeled after the successful East-West Living and Learning Community in nearby Crispell Hall, was a collaboration between the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, the Center for International Programs and the Office of Residence Life.
Students completed applications to enter the program via the Center for International Programs’ website. They submitted letters of recommendation and a statement describing their motivation for becoming a part of the culturally-diverse community.
Seventeen were selected, including four international scholars from France, Italy, Spain and Brazil, who teach language courses at New Paltz. The students are a mix of New Paltz students who are studying Romance languages, international students whose native tongues are French, Spanish and Italian, and one resident assistant with some serious pre-semester jitters.
Nicole DeRobertis, a sophomore studying elementary education, had only taken Spanish briefly while in high school. She worried about being able to advise such a diverse group of students. “I was scared because it is so many languages, and I didn’t know what degree people would be able to understand each other,” she said.
But when the semester began, DeRobertis’ fears dissipated. The students were excited to be a part of the community and bonded instantly. The doors between suites opened. Students gathered in the lounge and common areas. They helped each other with homework and made lasting friendships.
“I was surprised because there’s so many people living here from so many places, but we all got really close really fast,” said sophomore Tori Amorosi.
Amorosi calls her roommate, the Italian art student Rachele Streccioni, “amore mio,” or “my love.” A transfer student from Kent State University in Ohio, Amorosi came to New Paltz to study French and international relations, but thanks to her roommate, she’s begun learning Italian. Amorosi has an Italian heritage, but her parents do not speak the language.
“Almost every day, I’m learning a new word,” she said, adding, “I only know how to say cute things in Italian.”
Streccioni is a talented artist and cook. The Italian cuisine that she prepared for a floor-wide dinner is already the stuff of legend, much like her recent shopping trip meltdown.
“We went grocery shopping once and she was outraged by American food. We went to the cheese section and she almost had a heart attack,” said Amorosi, adopting her roommate’s Italian accent, “‘This isn’t real parmesan!’”
When she needs to practice her French language skills, Amorosi can call on her suitemates, Séréna Vurpillot and Maelle Simmen, both from Besancon, France. “They try to get me to speak French with them all the time. I have the opportunity to practice all the time, and they’re always helping me get more competent in my speech.”
Vurpillot and Simmen are both junior biology students hoping to improve their English language skills.
“I was a little afraid, because I don’t speak English well, very few words,” Simmen confessed. “But it was ok; everybody helped me or tried to.”
The majority of the students attend the French language club, held in the LeFevre lounge on Tuesday nights. Some are studying the language, but others just come for the camaraderie.
Vurpillot, who wants to pursue a master’s degree in biotechnology and aspires to cure cancer and other diseases, said she appreciates the opportunity to feel “useful” in her living environment by helping others with their French fluency.
For the international students, living in a dorm is itself a notable experience. Streccioni and Fernando Jusdado, a senior electrical engineering student from Madrid, Spain, both hail from cities in which university students either live with family members or in apartments.
“My university is in the middle of a city. We don’t have places to live like this,” said Jusdado. In his final year, Jusdado is studying French and frequently helps his roommate with his Spanish essays. He described being among native speakers as “the only way to learn a language.”
When they are not studying, the students like to venture outside of campus. They attend yoga class as a group on Fridays, have taken hiking trips and traveled to New York City.
DeRobertis meets with the four international scholars each month to plan more formal events and outings. Upcoming events include a Christmastime visit to New York City, a joint dinner with the East-West Living and Learning Community and a professor “hot seat,” which will bring language professors to LeFevre Hall to talk and share experiences.
Junior public relations student Luisanna Sosa, who is minoring in French and international relations, has begun documenting the community’s activities in her blog and hopes to continue writing entries when she studies abroad in France next fall.
Many of the students will take advantage of study abroad programs, including DeRobertis, who has been inspired by her advisees to experience the world outside of New Paltz.
DeRobertis is happy to report that none of the students, including the international visitors, are experiencing any signs of homesickness. They have bonded, shared their languages and cultural experiences, and are having a great time in LeFevre Hall.