University Board hosts French-themed activities
Corryn Brock | The Daily Eastern News
Hannah Lyons, a freshman studio art major, paints during the University Board event, Passport to Fun: France. Several students attended the paint-and-sip that had two two-hour sessions.
January 23, 2019
Kadija Robinson-Stallings, an Eastern alum, led a paint-and-sip for University Board’s Passport to Fun: France. This is Robinson-Stalling’s fifth time coming back to Eastern to lead a paint-and-sip. “I love coming here every year,” Robinson-Stallings said. “This is my school.”
“Passports to Fun: France” was hosted by the University Board in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union on Wednesday night.
Among the available activities were a French-themed paint and sip, a tastes of the world display of desserts and lessons in French cooking, language and history.
Maya Hunter, a political science and foreign language double major and president of the French Club, lent her cooking talent to the event as she demonstrated how to make a traditional French Crepe.
Hunter said the most important part of the event was seeing the influence France has on other countries.
“I think a lot of students don’t realize that French is truly an international language and that there are so many cultures that share it in unique and beautiful ways,” Hunter said.
Kadija Robinson-Stallings, host of the paint and sip and an Eastern graduate, instructed two groups of participants while they painted the Eiffel Tower beneath a starry sky.
Robinson-Stallings said the most important thing for participants to remember is that no matter one’s talent or the finished product that they end up with, it is the individual’s creativity, and it is fine.
Lydia Schrock, a sophomore health promotions major, paints during a paint-and-sip that was a part of an event hosted by University Board. The event, Passport to Fun : France, was hosted in both ballrooms of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union Wednesday afternoon.
Professor of French Ryan Schroth brought his students to help teach visitors about the language and history of the nation on display.
“I think the goal of this event is just to … broaden students’ horizons,” Schroth said. “It’s a nice way for students to learn a little bit, but also have fun.”
Among the participants of the event was Samantha Schultz, an accounting major and senior at Eastern.
“I think it’s just a good way to be social, really,” she said. “It just builds a strong community … it makes Charleston more appealing.”
Corey Bentley, a health administration major and a junior at Eastern, said, “I’ve seen a Facebook post about (“Passports to Fun: France”) online, so I tagged my friends in it and brought them along.”
Tess McArthy, a senior hospitality management major, is the human potential coordinator for the University Board and co-founder of the event along with special events coordinator Sienna Mark.
“Here at University Board, we try to showcase different cultures that our students wouldn’t be exposed to on a regular basis,” McArthy said.
This is the first of the Passports to Fun series of events that the University Board will be hosting every semester.
John Enright can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].
