People interested in learning Arabic will have a new opportunity next semester.
The Muslim Student Association will be providing Arabic workshops for students, faculty members and anybody else who attends.
Adnan Shareefi, the president of the Muslim Student Association, is in charge of planning the workshops next semester.
“We intended to start the workshops this semester but we realized that we wouldn’t have enough time to prepare them,” Shareefi said.
The workshops are one of the first things that the Muslim Student Association is doing.
“We did a survey of our members for suggestions about what we should do as an association, and quite a few people were interested in learning Arabic,” Shareefi said.
Shareefi said that he wasn’t sure why so many people were interested in learning Arabic but he was conducting a survey to find out why.
Approximately 28 people have expressed interest in attending the workshops, Shareefi said.
“28 is a good number for one class,” he said. “If we need more room we can always split it into two classes.”
The workshops wouldn’t be able to offer university credit.
“These workshops would be just for people who want to learn,” Shareefi said. “I got the idea while studying for my master’s degree at the University of Toledo.”
He wanted to gather Muslim students together can help and support each other, he said.
“We’re still growing, especially compared to the Muslim Student Association at UT,” Shareefi said.
The workshops are the MSA’s first major coordinated event since the group began.
“We’ve contacted people in Toledo,” Shareefi said. “They said that they were interested in helping teach for free if we cover their expenses.”
Bo Butler, a depository manager at the University Library, is currently taking an Arabic class at the University.
“I’ve really enjoyed learning Arabic,” Butler said. “I wanted to start learning a foreign language and Arabic fit with my work schedule.”
Butler said that he would take the workshops if they can fit into his work schedule.
Liam O’Brien, a junior political science major, is also currently taking an Arabic class and is also interested in taking the workshops if he can.
“I wanted to learn Arabic because it sounded fun,” O’Brien said.
MSA hasn’t completely figured out all of the details for the workshops yet, Shareefi said.
“We don’t know how much it’s going to cost yet but we are planning on having a fee,” he said.
If you want to attend them next semester, you can contact the MSA at [email protected], their orgsync page or their facebook page.
