The French Club, or Le nid des Cardinaux, is an RSO open to all majors on campus and welcomes new members all year. They find new ways to engage with French culture at each meeting, including serving French food, playing French games, and providing information on options to study abroad in France.
Natalie Anderson, President of the French Club and fifth-year history and international studies double major, spoke about her experience.
“I really wanted to study abroad in France, which I ended up doing for a year in Paris,” she said. “The club is important to me because French culture now … feels like home”.
The club exists more for the aspect of making friends and engaging with culture than to include only one major or minor.
“Talking with others who embrace the culture feels really good,” she said. “When you are involved with a group like this, it is really easy to make friends and learn from each other’s experiences.”
Only 0.4% of American households speak French, according to the latest census, meaning the culture and language aren’t very widespread. A goal of the club is to connect more SVSU students with Francophone traditions in a fun way.
“I think people should join if they are interested in gaining a more global perspective, eating … French snacks, having fun, playing games, or just looking to meet people,” she said. “We want anyone to come who feels they need a break from their studies. Speaking French is not a requirement at all.”
Lily Ratliff, a fourth-year criminal justice major, has been with the French club for three years.
“I have been studying French for over eight years,” she said. “I love the French language and culture, so I wanted to join this club.”
The club can help students interested in French culture get connected with the study abroad office to explore options to travel.
“I was able to study abroad in France over the summer and it just made me love the culture more, and I want to share my experience and what I learned with everyone,” she said. “The club is important to me because it … [connects] me … to others who love French-speaking cultures as much as I do.”
Like most RSOs, they host events year-round to connect with people.
“I want to share the beauty of French and the culture with everyone,” she said. “I want to encourage people to engage with this culture. It makes me very happy, and I think it can make others happy too. I can guarantee there is so much more to Francophone culture than [people] realize.”
The club meets every other Wednesday in Science East 223. Meeting information can be found on their Instagram, @svsufrenchclub.
“We will be hosting a variety of fun activities this year, including a study abroad panel, cheese tasting, recreation of French paintings, and more,” Ratliff said.
