The Spire

Kate Santini ’27 & Ben Lepper ’25

Chief News Editor & Editor-in-Chief

For over 20 years, the Foreign Language Assistant (FLA) program has been a hallmark of the College’s World Languages department. The program invites advanced English-speaking students from nine countries around the world to join the campus community for a semester. In addition to leading practicums for students taking introductory and intermediate classes in World Languages, they also coordinate a variety of culturally-rich activities to educate students about what life is like back in their home countries. For example, every Holy Cross student knows about the FLAlidays, the yearly tradition in which the FLAs cook traditional dishes from their home countries and set up a table in the middle of Stein Hall for all students to enjoy.

The FLAs also get the opportunity to be a full-time student at the College as well, and take classes alongside the very students they teach in practicum. By the end of the year, they aren’t just FLAs for a lot of students; they are dear friends who Holy Cross students remain in touch with after they’ve returned to their home countries. 

But, last week, the current group of FLAs were notified by the Provost’s office that the program was being terminated primarily for budgetary reasons. 

This decision came as a shock to not only the FLAs, but to several professors in World Languages, and, of course, the student body. As soon as word got out that the program was in jeopardy of being shut down, the students stepped up, created petitions, sent emails, and fought for their beloved FLAs. 

Erin McCaffrey ‘25, a French and Political Science major, created one of the largest petitions that currently exists for the cause, with nearly 1000 signatures at press time. She had a very close relationship with one of her FLAs, and claims that her Holy Cross experience wouldn’t have been the same without her. She shared that “Inès, my French FLA sophomore year, encouraged me to study abroad in France for a full year. I would not have had the motivation to pursue this opportunity, nor the confidence to declare a double major in French and Political Science, if it were not for the support I received from her and the other FLAs. My time in Strasbourg, attending Sciences Po, living with a host family, and traveling across 14 countries, was life-changing. None of it would have been possible without the invaluable connections I made with the FLAs throughout my time at Holy Cross.”

Spanish student Allie Sawyer ‘26 expressed a similar sentiment, sharing that, “I’m most grateful for the FLA program because it allows students to have connections with students from other countries. I met [Spanish FLAs] Mercedes and Catalina last year even though I didn’t have them directly in my practicums. They are both from Buenos Aires and I plan on hanging out with them when I am in the city. I wouldn’t be able to have these connections while I am abroad in a Spanish-speaking country if it weren’t for the FLA program.” Meredith McDonough ‘26, an Italian student, added that beyond “providing comprehensive language practice and worldly perspectives that allow students to fully immerse themselves in a language, Foreign Language Assistants foster a sense of camaraderie both inside and outside of the classroom, as they are students of the College themselves.”

Several professors have also stepped up. According to an email obtained by The Spire, 54 faculty members, many from the World Languages department and many from other departments, signed a petition to call for the reversal of the cancellation of the FLA program, amongst other issues. 

The director of the FLA program, Professor Helen Freear-Papio, spoke to the many merits of the program, sharing that “as someone who knows more about the FLA program than anyone else (given that I have directed it for almost 27 years), I’ve always loved to teach language courses with an attached practicum because it gives me the privilege of working with wonderful young people from Spain, Peru and Argentina. The FLAs perfectly complement what the professors do in the classroom. FLAs are living, breathing representatives of their cultures who make their language come to life for students in practicum and through Spanish Club events.” 

She added that as students from the College’s partner institutions, FLAs “increase participation in our study abroad programs…precisely because the students are exceptional ambassadors for their home countries. In fact, upon their return home, many FLAs continue to work for the College’s Study Abroad Program, guiding our students as they negotiate living abroad. FLAs are an essential piece of a complex multilingual, multicultural, multiracial puzzle, and I cannot imagine teaching Spanish without them.” Freear-Papio concluded that “on a personal note, there are many former FLAs whom I now consider dear friends (and some of those friendships date back decades) and who constantly tell me that this life-changing experience made them who they are today.”

Current and former FLAs were devastated by the news. María de la Puente Fernández, a Spanish FLA during the 2023-2024 academic year, lamented her grief over the potential loss of the program, stating that, “My year at Holy Cross was a transformative experience, both professionally and personally. On a professional level, Holy Cross opened doors to numerous opportunities that I would not have been able to access otherwise. For instance, thanks to the skills I developed as a FLA, I secured a teaching position at one of the most reputable schools in my city–an achievement directly attributable to the experience and training I gained through the program.” Speaking highly of the relationships she developed during her time at Holy Cross, Fernández added that, “on a personal level, this program fosters an enduring sense of community that transcends cultural barriers. Those of us who have been part of this educational journey share a bond that lasts a lifetime.”

French FLA Emma Pietras also spoke fondly of her experience with the program. She explained that “as FLAs, we offer a unique cultural perspective that enriches the students’ learning experience. For many, this opportunity helps [students] form a deeper connection to both the language and the culture—key elements of a study abroad experience. Furthermore, our presence provides a more relatable and supportive atmosphere for students, as we share similar experiences of being abroad and learning a language.” Pietras added that “the benefits of this program are reciprocal—our time here also broadens our own perspectives and deepens our understanding of different cultures. Seeing the positive impact this program has on students encourages us to become more open-minded and globally engaged.” She concluded that “being a FLA is more than a job, it is a real human experience: We share our culture that is really different from the American one, we share a way of living, we open their world to something different. We give them knowledge that is precious.”

Returning to the students, Claire Corwin ‘25 credits her Russian FLA with helping her to “grasp the intricacies of several aspects of Russian cases, along with understanding the meaning behind different words and connecting different vocab words to each other.” Speaking on behalf of her fellow students, Corwin voiced that the “FLAs support and amplify our education” and “bring invaluable perspective to our classes which help students connect with class material in new and engaging ways, both in practicums and in our other courses.” Allison Lambert ‘27, a Spanish student with plans to study in Spain during the upcoming semester, found it “incredibly valuable to communicate with native speakers in conversational contexts.” She confessed that the FLAs “made all the difference for me in SPAN 301.” Bearing this in mind, she urged fellow “students and [members of the] faculty to fight for our FLAs.”

This story has a happy ending: the administration has heard the outcry. The Provost’s office informed The Spire that they have reversed their decision to end the FLA program. “We recognize the importance of this program to our academic community and we are listening,” they said in a statement to The Spire. “After productive discussions with faculty from the Spanish and World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures departments over the past week, we have decided to withdraw the planned decision to end the FLA program after the 2025-2026 academic year. We look forward to exploring, in partnership with our outstanding faculty, new ways to enhance our language programs and offerings at Holy Cross. We deeply value and share our community’s commitment to academic excellence, language study and intercultural education, and we look forward to continued conversations about how we can best support those shared goals at the College now and in the future.”

The past few weeks have been a true testament to what the students and faculty can achieve if they work together towards a common goal. Thanks in part to them, one of the school’s most beloved programs will remain for years to come.

Featured images courtesy of College of the Holy Cross

Copy Edited by Annamaria DeCamp ’27