Increasingly diverse culture leads to classes

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Awareness of a growing cultural diversity in the Ozarks, coupled with low unemployment rates that make Spanish-speaking workers an attractive labor pool are just two of the factors that prompted Southwest Missouri State University to offer a short course on Spanish communication and culture this summer.|ret||ret||tab|

"More and more Hispanic people are moving to this area," said Mary Ann Claypool, director of intersession and special credit programs at SMSU. "And with more business people dealing with Mexico as a result of NAFTA, even a little bit of knowledge of the language and culture helps to convey the idea that you are interested in doing business with them."|ret||ret||tab|

The class, "Spanish in the USA: Communication and Culture Skills," will be offered on the university's Springfield campus from July 7 to 15. Aimed at business and professional people who have an interest and responsibility that involves the Hispanic market, the four-day class will be conducted from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on successive Fridays and Saturdays.|ret||ret||tab|

Claypool said although the class is targeted to business people, anyone interested in improving their knowledge of Spanish language and culture is welcome to participate.|ret||ret||tab|

Unlike traditional classes that focus only on classroom work, "Spanish in the USA" will provide students with a much more diverse experience, said Dr. Nilsa Lasso-von Lang, assistant professor of modern and classical languages, the faculty member assigned to teach the class.|ret||ret||tab|

To achieve that goal, Lasso-von Lang said the class, which has something for those with a background in Spanish and for those who don't, will include guest speakers, field trips and exercises.|ret||ret||tab|

"We want to make this class as real, and as useful, as possible in a short period of time," Lasso-von Lang said. "We know that business people are very busy. We took that into consideration when we planned the course."|ret||ret||tab|

She added that the class will include sessions in the department's language center and on-campus libraries intended to take advantage of available technology.|ret||ret||tab|

The classroom presentations that Lasso-von Lang believes will be most beneficial to students are the ones featuring Hispanic guest speakers.|ret||ret||tab|

"Since this is a non-traditional class, we have four or five speakers coming to address the class," Lasso-von Lang said. "This should be a wonderful opportunity for students since these individuals really know what's going on in their countries."|ret||ret||tab|

Lasso-von Lang said the class grew, in part, from some of the university's outreach programs in which faculty members spend time in area schools.|ret||ret||tab|

"We were visiting one school where they had English teachers teaching Spanish," she said. "With the growth of the Hispanic population in many of the smaller towns, and in Springfield itself, we felt there was a need to prepare business people to deal with this growing market."|ret||ret||tab|

Statistics provided by the Springfield office of the Missouri Division of Workforce Development indicate that Hispanic workers make up about 1 percent of the labor force in Greene, Christian and Webster counties. That figure was nearly the same in labor market information provided by the division's Monett office that supports Lawrence and Barry counties. |ret||ret||tab|

"The Hispanic workforce is growing," said Anne Gonten, a supervisor in the Springfield Workforce Development office. "Some employers are recruiting them due to the difficulty they've had in finding workers."|ret||ret||tab|

Gonten said she believes that classes such as the one planned for next month at SMSU are beneficial because in the past she's seen employers forced to search for bilingual individuals to help with training these valuable employees.|ret||ret||tab|

"We've never heard anyone complain about the quality of these workers," Gonten said. "This group has a strong work ethic and a strong desire to establish a home, get their kids into school and become part of the community."|ret||ret||tab|

And because there's more to life than work, Lasso-von Lang, a native of Panama who came here to study and remained to become a citizen, plans to emphasize Hispanic culture during the time she spends with her students.|ret||ret||tab|

"We will touch on art, dance and music," she said. "The class is planned to provide businesspeople with greater communication and cultural awareness. The need is undeniable."[[In-content Ad]]