Another opportunity for Park University students has been added to the list for involvement.
The Global Education and Study Abroad office has founded the new International Book Club.
The club held its first official meeting ever on campus Sept 19, in the corner of Pirate Grounds in Thompson.
With this club, students will be reading a variety of books and having meetings once every month after the book list is set.
Some of the books students suggested for the club to read include “Cutting for Stone”, “Before Night Falls”, “Shadow of the Wind” and “The Alchemist.”
Angela Peterson, director of Global Education and Study Abroad, said she is looking forward to the club’s future.
“Our office is always creating new opportunities for our students,” she said. “We don’t want students to feel like this is extra work. We want this club to be fun.”
The Global Education and Study Abroad office created the book club for a number of reasons.
“There is a lot to learn about other countries and people from these countries,” Peterson said. “Not everyone can study abroad, so this club allows student to have international experiences here and develop interests in other places, whether they go there or not.”
Having countless students from other countries present at Park’s main campus is a great way for students to mingle with other cultures.
Global Education and Study Abroad is doing most of the behind-the-scenes work and the university’s bookstore will be providing the books the club read and discuss throughout the year.
Taylor Whipple, Park student, and Naomi Beeman, visiting assistant professor, will work together to lead the book club.
“I am really excited about being a part of a brand new club on campus and I really think this could be popular among the students at Park,” Whipple said. “I am also excited that the club is available to anyone on campus–students, faculty, staff, etc.–so the viewpoints of everyone at the meetings will vary greatly and I think it’s important to understand and consider several points-of-view when discussing literature, or any topic really.”
Having students who have experienced other cultures through studying abroad was one of the focuses when it came to finding leaders for the club.
“We were looking for someone who had a background of some sort in international studies,” Peterson said. “Taylor had recently studied abroad in Scotland this past summer, and Naomi has done some international studying, as well.”
For its first meeting, the book club had a decent turn out of students, faculty and staff members, according to organizers.
“Because it is available to everyone on campus, I think it will continue to gain popularity among a large group of people,” Whipple said.
The next meeting for the International Book Club has yet to be announced but notifications will be posted when the date is finalized.
