JOHNSON CITY (Dec. 11, 2020) -- East Tennessee State University’s Language and Culture Resource Center (LCRC) has devised a way to help students experiencing financial difficulty during the COVID-19 pandemic, and at the same time, lay the foundation for a specialized library of books about language and culture that students can use in years to come.
The program, “Reading Through the Pandemic,” takes LCRC funds generated by interpretations and translations to buy books about language and culture for qualifying students, according to Dr. Felipe Fiuza, director of the LCRC and assistant professor of Spanish in the ETSU Department of Literature and Language.
According to Fiuza, the LCRC assisted more than 500 individuals last year with language needs. Most of these were Spanish-speaking patients in health clinics, but the Center also did interpretations and/or translations for Vietnamese, Chinese Mandarin, Portuguese, German, Japanese and Arabic speakers.
After using the books purchased through the “Reading Through the Pandemic” program, students may elect to keep them, or they may return the materials to the LCRC. The returned materials will then be made available for students to use in the future for classes or research.
“I can only imagine how hard it has been for ETSU students to study from home, each one doing so from their own specific backgrounds and throughout their own specific struggles,” Fiuza said. “The LCRC has remained open throughout the pandemic, providing interpretation and translation, and distributing health kits, including masks and hand sanitizer. But we felt the need to do something for ETSU students, as well.
“Through this program, we buy books to help students lower their college costs. We ask that they think of this as borrowing a book from the LCRC Library. The difference is that we do not have a library yet, and the students tell us what titles we must include in it.”
Students registered for classes that deal with language and culture who have a financial need may apply for this new benefit at the start of a semester. This covers books required by course syllabi or that would help the students succeed in their courses. To request books not specifically listed on syllabi, students must obtain letters from their instructors explaining how the desired books will help them.
For more information on the LCRC or the “Reading Through the Pandemic” program, or to apply, visit etsu.edu/cas/lcrc/ or email lcrc@etsu.edu.