This year, Purchase College offered free English for Speakers of Other Languages classes organized through Casa Purchase, an Outreach Center for Latin American Studies, in partnership with the Westchester Hispanic Coalition and the Office for New Americans of New York State.
Suzanne Kessler, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said, “The ESOL program reflects two core values of Purchase: To fulfill our responsibility as a public institution serving the larger Westchester community, and to instill a sense of social responsibility in our students.”
Leandro Benmergui, assistant professor of history and coordinator of Latin-American studies, heads Casa Purchase, which serves as a hub of collaboration between the college and local communities and provides service-learning opportunities to students.
Professor Benmergui says, “Casa Purchase weaves together the educational, artistic, and research opportunities at Purchase College with the needs of local residents, schools, and organizations.”
Classes at the beginner, intermediate, and intermediate/advanced levels are taught by ESOL certified instructors. Purchase College students have the chance to act as learning assistants.
Jennifer Turano, a journalism student, said, “My experience as an ESL Learning Assistant really solidified my interests in languages and communication. As a bilingual student with near fluency in Spanish, I found that I could assist the teacher and the students in bridging the communication gap at times.
It really was special working with members of the community who have a dedication to bettering their English speaking and writing skills. Hearing about their experiences in the United States and what brought them here from their home country also gave it that much more of an impact because it is in times of hardship that people come closest together.”
For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.purchase.edu/casapurchase.
2015 30 Days of Giving
- Day 1: Binghamton University hosts Welcome Week Service Project
- Day 2: Brockport hosts a Saturday of Service
- Day 3: Niagara CCC Penny Wars for St Jude’s Children Research Hospital
- Day 4: Farmingdale Little Flower Event
- Day 5: Onondaga CC works to help K.I.D.S.
- Day 6: Tompkins Cortland Participates in Cancer Resource Charity Walk
- Day 7: SUNY ESF Contributes to the Food Recovery Network
- Day 8: Literacy Matters at FMCC
- Day 9: HVCC Builds Walls for Habitat for Humanity
- Day 10: Oswego’s Positive Community Impact Through SEFA
- Day 11: Dutchess CC Organizes Clothing and Food Drives
- Day 12: Morrisville Holds Back To School Drive
- Day 13: Charity on Ice at SUNY Cortland
- Day 14: Delhi’s Out of the Darkness Event for Suicide Prevention
- Day 15: Dare to Care Day at Buffalo State
- Day 16: FIT Students Engineer Garments for Veterans with Disabilities
- Day 17: SUNY Ulster Sends Text Books to Kenya
- Day 18: Niagara CCC Tackles Breast Cancer Awareness
- Day 19: Herkimer CCC Supports Gram Lorraine Children’s Christmas Program
- Day 20: Jefferson CC Gives Gift of Comfort
- Day 21: SUNY Canton Giving Tree
- Day 22: Alfred State participates in ELK Charity Challenge
- Day 23: Old Westbury goes Shopping for Service
- Day 24: SUNY Oneonta Giving Tree
- Day 25: Purchase College provides free ESOL classes
- Day 26: Tree Trot at Fredonia supports Big Brothers Big Sisters
- Day 27: Geneseo Continues to Provide Hurricane Relief
- Day 28: Rockland CC luncheon raises funds for Alzheimer’s Foundation
- Day 29: Stony Brook Bike-A-Thon For Disabilities
- Day 30: Suffolk County CC volunteers at Special Olympics event
