Forget The Travel Channel. Skip the brochures, too. Students wanting to learn more about the Pacific Islands can now get all they want to know without ever setting foot off campus, thanks to the Pacific Islands Club.
The group was founded in 1999, but graduation of club officers caused membership numbers to dwindle. It wasn’t until this term that the club reunited, with goals of educating the University about the Pacific Islands and their history, culture and traditions, according to co-coordinator Nicole Shanahan.
“Membership is open to anyone interested in learning from our different experiences and backgrounds,” she said.
The only hitch to becoming a member of the Pacific Islands Club is a $5 non-returnable one-time membership fee.
The group’s 10 members currently represent the islands of Samoa, Saipan, Guam and other areas from the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.
“We want to bring the different cultures of the Pacific Islands to Eugene and the rest of Lane County,” co-coordinator Macy Sevaaetasi said.
The club is also aiming to get more involved through activities. They plan to share Samoan and Chamorro Tongan dances at the Hawaiian Club’s annual luau. The Tongan dance — usually for ceremonies or storytelling — features both male and female dancers wearing island prints, though the two groups do not mix during the performance.
They are also working to organize a spring break trip to the Oregon Coast, followed by a club dance spring term.
“We want to do this event to invite all clubs and introduce who we are and let them know we are part of the University,” Sevaaetasi said.
In the short run, they would just like to see a bigger turnout at meetings. Bringing guests to the next meeting — set for March 5 — was highly encouraged.
The group is also targeting the community in its outreach.
“We would like to do some educating in the high schools about our cultures,” PIC member Florence Calvo said. She and others from PIC also hope to show their similarities to other Polynesian cultures through their stories, dance and song, possibly at the annual Asian Celebration and Eugene Celebration.
“We want people to know where we are on the map and that our cultures are still alive,” she said.