Among the many culture clubs on campus, Russian Club is one that is also offered as an academic minor at CSS. However, as Vice President of Russian Club Jade Morrison notes, “You can learn about Russian culture and small bits of the language as best as we can teach it.”
Officially, Russian club began in December 2019 and were able to hold a few in-person meetings last year before having to disband into a virtual format. Morrison says the club went “public” as they tried fundraising for the group to go to a “Russian ballet; however, that was canceled because we got hit with COVID. We hope to add more things to our roster.” Clearly, looking forward there are prospects and high hopes for the group to be able to do more.
Sadly, many of the members have recently graduated in large numbers, leaving the group on the smaller side of participants. Although it appears that there will “not be enough to continue next year… anyone and everyone is able to join” and with enough involvement, the group may be able to stay alive and well as a club on campus.
On the bright side, there is no need to feel discouraged from joining the club without any experience with the Russian language, as the club spends time focusing on the culture rather than only the language. Morrison also notes, “It’s a fun bit at parties to say you can speak some Russian” and since you can learn a few words at each meeting, you can only improve your skills.
Morrison assures, “No, you do not have to speak Russian and we mostly will be speaking English at club meetings. So don’t worry about being left out.” Whether it’s your first time in a club on campus or you’re looking to expand your social circle in a culturally diverse way, Russian club may be the place for you.
The group has tentatively been meeting virtually on Thursdays at 7 p.m. for an hour to check in with the members as they cannot see each other in their regular format. For further inquiries, email Jade at [email protected].