La Dolce Vita! Students launch Italian Cultural Club
Show support for this budding club by joining, learning, and enjoying their future events!
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Another club is beginning to take shape here at SUNY Geneseo and is now on its way to joining the more than 180 student clubs and organizations on campus. Between Feb. 23 and 27, representatives from the newly-established Italian American Cultural Club tabled at the MacVittie College Union (MCU). Through this effort, the club has had 55 students sign up with the first meeting being held Mar. 6. Much like with other cultural clubs on campus, the Italian American Cultural Club (IACC) aims to spread its culture among the campus community, and create a space for those interested in learning about Italy and its cultural exports.
The co-founder and President of IACC, Vito Lonardo, a sophomore economics major, had a lot to say about the club’s establishment and goals. The idea behind IACC, he said, originated during a conversation with a friend in which Lonardo thought about his future at Geneseo as well as the legacy he would leave behind. “I asked myself, how can I have a good impact on campus? What could I leave behind because at this point, I haven’t really found something yet. That’s when I thought that I should start a cultural club since I know a lot about the culture,” Lonardo stated.
Starting IACC was not an easy task, with Lonardo stating that he found himself in over his head because of his lack of knowledge about establishing a club. While the process to start a club on campus can certainly feel overwhelming and confusing, due to the amount of paperwork and processes that must be completed, Lonardo’s passion for Italian culture and desire to give back to the community enabled him to navigate the many channels of obstacles. He stated, “I thought to myself, let me just focus on what I know what to do and what I can control and I just took it step-by-step. Over time, the steps came easier and easier and now we’re getting closer to being able to operate as a full-functioning club.”
Despite the club’s first meeting taking place on Friday, Mar. 6, Lonardo is already thinking about how IACC is going to expand and what kinds of activities and events it will bring to the Geneseo community. A proud Italian, Lonardo’s ambitions lie within his heritage and his desire to share his background and culture with others. As the semester progresses, IACC is planning a multitude of events and activities such as screening movies that feature Italian culture, hosting cooking classes, and even bringing in guest speakers to discuss their Italian heritage. One such example, Lonardo noted, would be inviting the owners of the pizza shop Mama Mia’s to talk about their own experience with Italian culture and what it means to them.
The club’s biggest objective, though, is to host a cultural dinner similar in nature to the ones hosted by the Chinese Culture Club or the Filipino Student Union. Lonardo followed up on this, explaining that a cultural dinner would serve as a moment of pride for him as it would demonstrate the impact of IACC on campus and attract students to learn more about all things Italian. Such an event would solidify this club’s presence on campus and enable it to thrive well after Lonardo graduates, which he stated as another one of his objectives. “I hope that this becomes a well-oiled machine that I no longer have to maintain and that someone else can take care of it and have it grow and become a big cultural club like the Chinese Culture Club,” Lonardo added.
With the club still in its beginning stages, Lonardo is still focused on attracting new members, stating that “everyone should try and give Italian Culture Club a shot because it’s something new and exciting on campus. This is something that we want to give back to the campus, and it doesn’t hurt to learn more.”
When asked for final remarks, Lonardo expressed his appreciation for the other students who played a role in the club’s establishments, namely senior business major and club Vice President Lucas Porpiglia, junior sociology major and club Secretary Carly Valerino, and junior adolescent education and biology major Timothy Krulder, the club Treasurer.
As time flows on, students should expect the Italian American Culture Club to join the ranks of some of Geneseo’s biggest and most influential clubs and student organizations.