New RSO Brings French Culture to CMU

Aimez-vous la culture française? Central Michigan University has recently welcomed a new Registered Student Organization on campus, Le Cercle Français. Le Cercle Français gained RSO status around mid-March and aim to promote French culture said Danny Latusek, president of Le Cercle Français and Grayling senior.

Le Cercle Français meets Tuesdays at 5 p.m. on the third floor of Pierce Hall. Meetings are held in English though some French is mildly used. Meetings focus on various areas of French and Francophone culture and change weekly, according to Latusek. French music, Haiti, French castles and Mardi Gras are examples of what have previously been discussed. Students occasionally bring French dishes to meetings, too.

“I made a French cake once and that was really cool. How many times do you try French cake? That’s Le Cercle Français,” said Latusek.

Becoming an RSO has made Le Cercle Français eligible for event funding/refunding from the “vending machine fund” said Latusek, and has since received refunding for an approaching event. This Saturday, April 24, Le Cercle Français will head to Detroit for French food and art. Students will have the opportunity to eat at Le Petit Zinc, a French restaurant owned by a man born in Martinique and raised in Paris. After, the group will take a guided tour through the French Art Exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Latusek said it was very important to gain RSO status so that the group could get funding and have opportunities to experience real French culture outside of the classroom.

Currently, the group is working on internal organization and preparing the group to continue on next semester, said Latusek. Getting a consistent group together and planning an end of the year event are first on the agenda, after the trip this weekend.

“We want to continue to present French culture and current events. Hopefully we can keep encouraging people to study French,” said Latusek.