Club celebrates British culture - News
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By: Jose Pagliery / Contributing Writer
Issue date: 2/20/06
Section: Beacon / News
With Scottish highland games, Curry Nights and the occasional Cricket game, the FIU British- American Student Association embodies culture and diversity. "I've always thought that this club offers something different," Helyett Harris, president of BASA said. "You'll actually learn something along the way."
Harris is one of the original founders of the club, along with students Brent Capley, Robert Dunn and Mariel Garcia. They met at the Student Organizations Council club fair during the 2003 Fall semester. They decided to start a club that embraces British culture.
Harris, whose father served in the British Royal Navy, had always been interested in British culture, but hadn't found a club that embraced that passion."When I couldn't find one, I decided to create one myself," Harris said. So began the dive into a sea of pub nights, polo games, British car shows and Indian Curry Nights, an activity otherwise known as "hitting the Punjab."The monthly Pub Night always falls on a Friday, usually at John Martin's in Coral Gables.
"We do it religiously," Harris said.
This outing allows club members to socialize in a British-influenced environment, exemplifying what the organization is all about: A chance for students living in a diverse city to experience and celebrate a culture they may know little about.
The same applies for the Curry Night, where club members visit either the Punjab Palace or House of India in an attempt to get a taste of the food that Harris describes as "colorful and not as spicy as most people think."
There, members of all ages get the chance to enjoy foods ranging from 'sausage and mash,' a delicious combination of sausage, mashed potatoes, peas and gravy, to 'sticky toffee pudding,' where a sugary syrup is poured onto a small cake, allowing it to sink to the bottom. Another perk to membership is the chance to take part in the annual Scottish Highland Games, full of strange events such as 'tossing the caber,' where a player sees how long he or she can toss and flip a 20-foot-long, 18-inch thick log.
Members also enjoy the art of highland country dancing, piping and massed bands, in which about 150 musicians march with pipes and drums for minutes at a time - for free.
"It's good to volunteer," Harris said.
Knowing that his club members will get in without being charged. The arts also play a large role in the BASA.
"We support the FIU theatre and try to get a good British movie once in a while," Phillip Church, the club's advisor said.
The British-born Church is one of the head faculty members of the Theatre Department, and is quite supportive of the initiative. Even British music plays its part in the cultural experience.
"I've been the most involved with music," Harris said. Harris introduces club members to bands like Keane, The Doves, The Verve and Travis, while enjoying well-known bands such as Radiohead and Coldplay and inviting fellow members to attend concerts with him.
Harris, who is majoring in international relations, now enjoys the fruition of starting a club with others over their common interest in British culture, although things weren't always so easy.
When asked about starting his own club he said that, "it's not easy if it's an undermanned club. Most clubs at FIU have trouble finding members because it's often seen as a commuter school."
He explains that students regularly find themselves packed with credits, trying to graduate as quickly as possible, therefore not finding the time to join clubs that may interest them.
Still, he believes that the club will gain students' interests over time. "We've met each other as strangers and we've all become friends," Harris said.