ANJALI DALAL-WHELAN / FEATURE EDITOR 

A typical Saturday night for a member of USD’s German club might consist of anything from a poetry reading to a dinner party at their professor’s  house.  While  most  students at USD take  Spanish,   Italian   or French for  their   language  requirements, students who   go   off the beaten path and take German  classes find themselves in the midst of a unique community.

At  the beginning of the semester, students in German classes fill out a form about their involvements so that the club can attend games and events to support their fellow peers. Every student enrolled in a German class is automatically a part of the club and encouraged to go to events. But, at the heart of the club are the five student officers and their advisor, USD Adjunct Assistant Professor   and Director of German, Dr. Christiane Staninger.

USD sophomore and German club officer Mia Bruckler said that for her,    it  is  more than just   a  club. 

“It feels more like a family community  than a club,” Bruckler shared. “College can be big, so having people who can make you feel special is important.”  

Staninger, the club’s advisor, was born  in Germany and came to the U.S. for an exchange program in high school. Here, she met her future husband. Because her husband  couldn’t get a job in Germany, Staninger decided to move to San Diego with him. 

After studying  literature at the University    of  California, San Diego, Staninger started working at USD as  an English professor in 1995. When Staninger heard that there   was an opening in the German department, she was excited. She thought that another professor working in the department was hilarious,    and   she wanted to work with her.  At this point, the German department had three or four  professors, including a tenured position. Today, the department is even smaller, currently consisting of  only  Staninger and USD Lecturer Professor Christine Guzman.

When Professor Staninger moved  to   the German department, the German club’s activities  were  more  traditional for a language club. They    had meetings on campus and  went to cultural events. When the former German club advisor  retired, Staninger took over  and switched up the activities, turning the club into what it is today.

“There’s very few authentic events    to    go  to,     so we  started   going  to students’ games, performances and events,” Staninger said. “I wanted them to have a sense of community.  It took off from there.”

Since then, the USD German club officers have continuously thought of creative club activities, from hiking to bonfires to attending their peers’ activities. Once, Staninger said, the group went on a weekend trip to a bed and breakfast where they pretended to be German tourists. 

“The  officers have all the ideas,” Staninger   said. “Sometimes they are       very organized, sometimes they are not, but they are always fun.”

Events that Staninger hosts at her house are some of the students’ favorites. 

Staninger  recently threw a birthday party for Bruckler at her house, which the German club officers and Buckler’s own family attended. 

“Last weekend it was my birthday,” Bruckler explained. “I told  the  professor that my family wasn’t going to be able to come, so she wanted to do something special. We planned a whole dinner party event. She basically  threw me  a 20th birthday  party, at  my professor’s  house. And then my parents  ended up coming, my brother came, along with the German club officers and the other German professor.”

Staninger   has been able to watch many close  friendships develop in the German club. She’s also   seen   a   wide    variety    in   officers’    leadership    style  and  allows   them to   take   control over the club. 

“Over   years,  it got life of its own,” Staninger said. “They know each  other.  Sometimes  they become roommates and stay  together after USD. There is a Facebook group where they chat after graduating. A group of them live in Europe, so they exchange ideas on how to live in Europe. It warms my heart to see these connections.” 

USD first-year Madelyn Churches, who is another German club officer, also described her affection for the German club community

Staninger often teaches a third semester German class over the summer in Austria. Photo courtesy of Mia Bruckler

“The community is a great group of kind people,” Churches said. “German is not the most popular language to take in college, but everyone I have met is very interested in the language and it makes it a thoughtful and fun group.”

Along with teaching German classes    during  the semester at USD, Staninger often teaches a summer class in Austria. This third-semester German course goes beyond the typical study abroad experience. 

When Staninger first began leading this trip to Austria, it operated like a typical abroad class. Students had afternoons and weekends off and could do as they liked.  When  Staninger wasn’t teaching, she went  on hikes on her own time.  However,   when students   started  asking  to come on    the  hikes  with  her, she  realized that students had     interest in more   local activities.  

Now, the trip is a full,   three-week immersion  in the  German language where the students spend nearly  all of their time with Staninger — no weekends or afternoons off. 

“Students sign their life away to speak nothing but German,” Staninger said. “They have to really commit.”

Even family and friends who come  to visit during the trip can  only speak in German. Being with the  students  all day is exhausting for Staninger, but she says it is worth it. 

“It’s a lot of work, but very rewarding,” Staninger described. “Our motto is, ‘We sleep in August.’ I’ve done it for 20 to 25 years, so hiking with a 20 year old is getting harder, but they always wait for me.”

Bruckler went on this trip last summer and spoke highly of the experience. 

“She plans the entire thing,” Bruckler said. “She knows the owner of the hotel because she has been leading it for so long. She puts a lot of work into making it extra special, which says a lot about her character.”

The Austria trip is not scheduled for this summer, but Staninger looks forward to teaching it in the future. 

While  Staninger maintains that  the  German club  is mainly led by the student officers,   it is   clear that her love for her students and German   culture    is  what has upheld  this pocket of  community on USD’s  campus  for so many years.

The  German   club  goes  beyond a monthly  meeting   outside of class.  It includes  the entire German department, c reating  a home away  from home for some Toreros. Students that throw themselves into the community gain a family and create memories that    will  last  long  after  graduation. 

German club events often take place at Professor Staninger’s (right) house.  Photo courtesy of  @usdgermanclub/Instagram