- Video shows members of MSU ASL Club practicing sign language at their weekly meeting.
- MSU hasn't offered American Sign Language courses since 2014. Now, as a result of student advocacy, these courses will return this summer.
Some words... you can't hear. But that doesn't mean they aren't understood.
Some people, like Nina Blum, use sign language every day. She lost her hearing when she was 3 years old and studies at Michigan State University, a college that hasn't offered American Sign Language courses since 2014.
Students in MSU ASL Club wanted to bring them back, so Mallory Bergmann reached out to the university.
"We wrote them letters, we emailed them, we kept bothering them, and they finally said, 'okay, let's sit down, let's have a conversation. And they ended up saying, 'okay, we'll give you guys a trial run this summer'," says Bergmann, one of the club's founders.
And when enough students enrolled in the course...
"That signals to the university, yes, there is enough interest in having ASL classes here at MSU," says club President Nina Blum.
So this summer, ASL courses are returning to the course schedule for a 'trial run'.
Student Hana Sakkijha enrolled in the course, because she wants to communicate with her coworker, who is hard of hearing.
"I'm so excited to show my coworker that I've been learning it outside, and hopefully I'll impress her," says Sakkijha.
These students all hope the ASL program at MSU will expand throughout the years.
"The more languages you know, the more people you can talk to and you can get more ideas, you know," says Sakkijha.
"We're making an impact, and I hope it reaches the heights it can reach," says Bergmann.
"Hopefully, if the summer classes go well, MSU will put ASL classes in for the regular fall semester coursework," says Blum.
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