Lehigh’s new French club wants to let the campus community know that it’s not just about eating crêpes.
The club was revived this semester with seven new executive board members. Though there was a French club on campus last year, Vice President Ryan Biggins, ’18, said it wasn’t very active.
Although French club doesn’t yet meet regularly, its members hope to change that next semester. For now, they host events and have French conversations with club moderator Mylène Rabanis on a semi-regular basis.
Rabanis is from Brittany, France, and is part of the Fulbright Program at Lehigh. She is a teaching assistant in the French department and said there are not a lot of opportunities in French classes to teach about the culture. This club provides a chance for students to learn about that topic.
Sage Chasen, ‘19, the club’s secretary, said French conversations are great because they give members an opportunity to practice French or to listen and get a taste of the language and culture.
“We try to speak French, but some people are just beginners,” Rabanis said. She said it’s important to the executive board that anyone can get involved in French club and feel included.
That being said, they’ve only advertised to the French classes so far. In the future, the club hopes to get more of the campus community involved, and to grow its overall presence.
This semester, French club had a crêpe afternoon, where they learned how to make crêpes, not just eat them. They also hosted a French dinner, where they ate classic French cuisine. Some students arrived early to learn how to cook, but members were free to come and just enjoy the meal.
“It’s like a mini study abroad experience,” said Siu-yee Ching, ’18, the club’s marketing chair. “It puts you into a different world or culture that you’re not used to.”
Biggins said he feels foreign language clubs should be the most popular clubs on campus because a lot of them make food, which people enjoy.
Chasen also said French club is great because members learn how to cook and it’s a low time commitment.
Biggins, Chasen and Ching agree that French club is a relief and a break from Lehigh’s engineering-focused environment.
“It’s really great just because it’s different from what I’m used to on a day-to-day basis,” Chasen said. “It brings together people who are in all different majors.”
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