Man, everyone loves clubs. Personally, I know I do. I remember, oh so long ago when I joined Arcadia (going on four years now); back then, there were clubs galore. Everything changed though when the (?) arrived. That’s right folks – when a mysterious force swept over this school, all the clubs got wiped out. One second they were there, the next they were gone. I got back from my summer break, and was entering my sophomore year when I made the horrible discovery – all the clubs had vanished, just when the world (Arcadia) needed them the most. The worst part is (at least in my opinion), that to this day, we still don’t know what happened. Sure there’s been rumors (of which I won’t elaborate on – I don’t wanna create any drama now), but still to this day, no one knows what killed the clubs.
One thing is for sure though, and that’s that it’s been a slow crawl to get back to even a fraction of where we once were. I don’t know about y’all, but when I was a freshman, clubs were one of the few things that would draw me out of my hermit-hole, aka my dorm. They’re such a vital part of campus life, and when they vanished, they left a very noticeable hole. People stopped interacting with one another as much – the complaints started to roll in about how there was nothing to do here. There was no social life; and for a college campus, that’s a big no-no.
While I wasn’t a part of many clubs before most of them got wrecked, I found myself missing the one I attended the most – Polyglots United. Formally known as the Japanese Club, the former club leader had decided to expand the reach. Instead of focussing solely on Japanese culture and language, the group had rapidly expanded outwards to include any language from any culture that members were interested in; makes sense based on the name, because fun fact – the term polyglot refers to someone who can speak multiple languages. Gosh, what a time…
Most meetings were full of fun and schoolwork-turned activities – whether it be learning the basics of kanji or learning about culture – but we’d do so much more . There were some meetings where we’d watch anime, or others where we’d learn how to make the most scrumptious of snacks; there was even a trip organized to the Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center, where we met with students from other countries (mainly Japan) and learned about the site and heritage of the Japanese people. We had planned to expand to cover other cultures and languages as well, and couldn’t wait to start anew the next year.
But just like that, it was gone. I, along with the few other seniors who were a part of the club, are the last generation of students to remember our school’s club of language and culture. However we (at least two of us), would not go down without a fight. I say “we” because my very lively partners in crime Emma Ambrose (our lovely club President), Ava Gallelli (our fantastic Treasurer) and I (the Vice President), missed our beloved Polyglots United. Combining our powers, we have come together to reform the club; bigger, bolder, and better than ever-!
Well, hopefully. Starting a club up after it being gone for so many years can be a tough challenge, especially since no one remembers us. At the recent Rock the Knight celebration, we had an unexpected turnout of 22 sign-ups; which was genuinely a lot more than we expected. However, we’re dipping our toes into some biblical greed and hoping for more.
As the school of Global Relations, and being renowned for our Study Abroad program, there’s a surprising lack of focus and attention on other cultures, languages, arts, writing, music, etc. outside of our own country. Every year I’ve been here, I’ve seen the Language Department take hit after hit. Only three languages are now taught – Spanish, French, Japanese – when there used to be so much more. Interest among the student body has also dropped – which in my humble opinion, is truly a shame. To become a better person; to be more learned and mentally versed, we must always strive to venture outside of our comfort zone. In a world so interconnected by technology, we can’t be afraid to reach out to our fellow humans, to make connections with our fellow man. To do anything less I feel is a betrayal not only to our duties as citizens of our global society, but to ourselves as students and scholars.
Well, that was rather interesting. Sorry for waxing poetics to you all, I think the ghost of Shakespeare himself might have possessed me there for a second. But seriously though – learning about other cultures and languages is so very important. I know it can seem overwhelming and challenging at a first glance, but taking your first step into the world of foreign language and culture is easier than you’d think; and it can start right here, with Polyglots United. If my little tirade at all interests you curious readers, our doors are always open. We hope to be starting meetings soon, and by the time this fancy article is published, our club shall hopefully be underway-! So please, feel free to stop by and further expand your mind’s world view. Polyglots, United-! If you feel like checking our fun little club out, don’t be afraid to reach out to our school emails below. Don’t be a stranger; I hope to see some of you soon. And just like that; Anna, out.
Emails:
President – eambrose@arcadia.edu
Vice President – astevens_01@arcadia.edu
Feature Image Credit to Author
