For Immediate Release August 25, 2005

For More Information Contact: Rich Schneider, 317-278-4564 rcschnei@iupui.edu

IUPUI Tourism Department Seeks to Attract Hispanic Students With Class in Spanish

INDIANAPOLIS - The Department of Tourism, Conventions and Event Management at IUPUI will tap a new market for students this spring when it offers an introductory course that will be taught in Spanish.

The gateway introductory class about tourism and the hospitality industry is intended to attract potential students in the burgeoning Indianapolis Hispanic community, many of whom are already working in the tourism and hospitality industry and are seeking opportunities to advance into managerial positions.

It is believed to be the first non-Spanish language class to be taught in Spanish at IUPUI.

Only about one to two percent of the students currently taking tourism-related courses are Hispanics, said Sotiris H. Avgoustis, an associate professor and chair of the department. "We want to grow those numbers."

The department plans to do that by offering an initial class that would be taught in a language Hispanic students are more accustomed to and would count toward a certificate in food service management or lodging management. The eligibility requirement for the certificate programs is a high school degree or its equivalent.

The class will be taught by Susan Alvarez, a lecturer in the Department of Tourism, Conventions and Event Management, who grew up in Puerto Rico. She did not attend an English speaking school until she reached high school. She also has taught Spanish language classes at IUPUI.

It's not to say these students don't speak English," she said. "But it is a way to encourage them to pursue a certificate through the department."

"Offering the class in Spanish helps take away the fear of taking a college class for the first time," Alvarez said. "Sometimes it's about getting someone into a university setting and working with them to the point where they say, 'I did this in Spanish, let me try a class in English.'"

The three credit hour class TCM 100, will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

For more information, contact the department at 317-274-2599.

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