2008 Woodie Awards
Vote Absentee
PALS host potluck
R-N students, staff and administrators feast on internationl dishes at party; club holds cultural events every semester to celebrate cultures
Jessica V. Wilson
Issue date: 11/6/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
The Program in American Language Studies (PALS), in collaboration with the Rutgers-Newark Writing Center, held its first ESL Club event by throwing an International Potluck dinner.
Celebrating foods and music from around the world, students and faculty of the PALS program enjoyed a spread of mouth-watering dishes from around the world that they themselves had cooked for the event.
Also in attendance to indulge in the sumptuous buffet were members of the Writing Department faculty, staff and tutors from the Writing Center, the students of Dr. Minoo Varzegar's Persian Literature class, Vice Provost Gary Roth, and Dean of Administration Heidi Szymanski.
Participants in the potluck devoured savory tidbits from countries such as Korea, Colombia, Turkey, Croatia, Ecuador, Vietnam, Brazil, Peru, China, Puerto Rico, Iran, The Philippines, Egypt, France, as well as traditional American salads and beef stew and some amazing, decadent desserts.
Hot apple cider accompanied the feast as guests rang in the long-awaited arrival of autumn's cooler weather and enjoyed tunes from Persia, the Far East, Ireland, South of the Border, and more. After stuffing themselves thoroughly, some students gave the dance floor a go with a little salsa and merengue to entertain on-lookers.
Dr. Varzegar, director of PALS and founder of the PALS ESL Club, gave a speech thanking all participants in the potluck and outlining her plans for future ESL Club events, including movie nights and trips to New York for the holiday season.
She also announced the launch of the PALS Professional Development Seminars, an edifying lecture series to be conducted by experts in the field of teaching English as a Second Language. Finally, Dr. Varzegar provided statistics on the demographics of PALS students currently attending the intensive ESL program. Ahu Senol, a former student of PALS and a current student of Computer Science at Rutgers-Newark, gave a presentation on her experience as a student in the program and as an assistant for two years in the PALS office after she finished her English language studies.
By late afternoon, the sated attendees of the PALS ESL Club's first cultural event ended the International Potluck with full bellies and smiles. Despite a turn-out of almost 100 people, there were still some leftovers. These were gladly wrapped up for eager students hoping to indulge in just a little more later that evening or the next day.
The PALS ESL Club will hold cultural events every semester. Participants can look forward to activities that will engage them in actively practicing English, and which will introduce them to the lives and experiences of people from all around the globe.
Native English speakers will enjoy meeting PALS students and making new friends while enjoying what looks to be a fun and exciting new aspect of the Program in American Language Studies at Rutgers-Newark. Past and upcoming events for the PALS ESL Club will be posted on the PALS-Newark website for all interested in joining up.
Celebrating foods and music from around the world, students and faculty of the PALS program enjoyed a spread of mouth-watering dishes from around the world that they themselves had cooked for the event.
Also in attendance to indulge in the sumptuous buffet were members of the Writing Department faculty, staff and tutors from the Writing Center, the students of Dr. Minoo Varzegar's Persian Literature class, Vice Provost Gary Roth, and Dean of Administration Heidi Szymanski.
Participants in the potluck devoured savory tidbits from countries such as Korea, Colombia, Turkey, Croatia, Ecuador, Vietnam, Brazil, Peru, China, Puerto Rico, Iran, The Philippines, Egypt, France, as well as traditional American salads and beef stew and some amazing, decadent desserts.
Hot apple cider accompanied the feast as guests rang in the long-awaited arrival of autumn's cooler weather and enjoyed tunes from Persia, the Far East, Ireland, South of the Border, and more. After stuffing themselves thoroughly, some students gave the dance floor a go with a little salsa and merengue to entertain on-lookers.
Dr. Varzegar, director of PALS and founder of the PALS ESL Club, gave a speech thanking all participants in the potluck and outlining her plans for future ESL Club events, including movie nights and trips to New York for the holiday season.
She also announced the launch of the PALS Professional Development Seminars, an edifying lecture series to be conducted by experts in the field of teaching English as a Second Language. Finally, Dr. Varzegar provided statistics on the demographics of PALS students currently attending the intensive ESL program. Ahu Senol, a former student of PALS and a current student of Computer Science at Rutgers-Newark, gave a presentation on her experience as a student in the program and as an assistant for two years in the PALS office after she finished her English language studies.
By late afternoon, the sated attendees of the PALS ESL Club's first cultural event ended the International Potluck with full bellies and smiles. Despite a turn-out of almost 100 people, there were still some leftovers. These were gladly wrapped up for eager students hoping to indulge in just a little more later that evening or the next day.
The PALS ESL Club will hold cultural events every semester. Participants can look forward to activities that will engage them in actively practicing English, and which will introduce them to the lives and experiences of people from all around the globe.
Native English speakers will enjoy meeting PALS students and making new friends while enjoying what looks to be a fun and exciting new aspect of the Program in American Language Studies at Rutgers-Newark. Past and upcoming events for the PALS ESL Club will be posted on the PALS-Newark website for all interested in joining up.
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