Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Washington State University
News Travels December 2016 Newsletter Home Page

News from our other campuses

WSU Tri-Cities

An enthusiastic WSU Tri-Cities community came together to commemorate family, friends, and icons of the Latin-American culture for El Día De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The multi-day holiday focuses on remembering and praying for loved ones who have passed away. It consists of music in addition to altars honoring the deceased. The holiday has an overall joyful atmosphere which surrounds the tradition. The event was organized by Dr. Francisco Serratos from the Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures.

For the occasion, the Spanish and Foreign Language classes decided to create an altar honoring Roberto Gómez Bolaños, an iconic Latin humorist more commonly known as, “Chespirito.” The altar consisted of flowers, foods, and beverages that the deceased enjoyed. There were also candles and photos featuring Chespirito, Diego Rivera, and Walt Disney. Diego Rivera was a Mexican painter and muralist.

The event featured a performance by the Mariachi Halcon del Rio from Chiawana High School. DFLC Students offered sugar skull face painting. Attendees enjoyed pan dulce (sweet bread) and hot chocolate, while remembering ancestors and the beautiful traditions of Latin-American culture.

WSU Vancouver

Foreign Languages and Cultures in Vancouver would like to extend its congratulations to Senior Instructor of Spanish Language and Culture Cassandra Gulam, who in early November received a Teaching Innovations Mini-Grant, awarded by the WSU Office of Academic Affairs. She will use the funds in support of a flipped language classroom research project in Spring 2017.

The department is also excited about an in-progress critical edition and English translation by Professor Joan Grenier-Winther on “Dialogue Between a Lover and His Lady”—a 15th-century French lyric poem which exists only in late-medieval manuscripts located in Paris, France, and Torino, Italy.