UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 28, Page 7
April 22, 1993
HOLA offers Spanish tutoring

     In Spanish, "hola" means "hello." At the University of Delaware, it
also means "Amigos para siempre," or "friends forever."
     That's the motto of a special interest club, HOLA, founded by several
Ibero-American (or Latin American) students last summer to help them share
and promote their heritage.
     "Our main focus is to educate other people about our culture,
language, food and music," Sandra Berges, HOLA secretary, said.
     Berges, from the Dominican Republic with a degree in business
administration from Ibero-Americana University, is working toward computer
certification at Delaware.
     The group, she said, now has approximately 65 members: about 44
percent Ibero-Americans, 35 percent Americans and 21 percent from other
countries.
     HOLA meets at 5: 30 p.m. every Tuesday in the Read Room of the Perkins
Student Center. All students and staff are welcome to join and become
involved in planning activities and exchanging ideas.
     Although the club has only existed for a short time, there already
have been many events, Berges said, such as a Christmas fiesta, Latin
movies, ethnic dinners and a monthly gathering at local restaurants. The
members also bring prominent Ibero-American speakers to the campus,
including a presentation by the Cuban representative to the United States.
     HOLA provides free Spanish tutoring to anyone who joins the group.
     "We understand that Spanish is not the easiest language to learn and
we want to encourage people," Berges said. "Becoming a member also gives
new insight about our culture, which we are really interested in sharing.
We just want people to get to know us and see what we are about."
     For more information on HOLA, or the free Spanish tutoring program,
call Berges at 738-0287.
                                        -Torra DeLano-Nuttall