FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 5, 2007
Contact: Joshua Hollis
(662) 329-7119

MUW's Bunnell teaches wives of SeverCorr executives conversational English

COLUMBUS, Miss. - Answering the telephone. Talking to a bank teller.
Mailing a letter at the post office. These are things that natural English speakers sometimes take for granted. To someone from another country, even with a basic grasp of the language, these routine tasks can be frustrating and overwhelming.

The wives of several of the SeverCorr executives know this feeling well.

Todd Bunnell, instructor of English and director of the TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) Certificate Program at MUW, is helping them overcome the dread they feel when interacting with people by offering an English conversation course.

Bunnell said he was approached by three of the women who were looking for an ESL class that could meet at a time that worked for all of them.
He said, "I thought it was a great opportunity for [the university], since we don't always reach out to the community." Bunnell said he believes the women got his name from a former student in the TESL Program.

Bunnell said the class consists of the students learning about and working on interactions in real-life situations. They cover material in an assigned book, but the students are allowed to lead discussions on topics about which they are interested.

The five students (two from Germany, one from Germany via Romania, one from China and one from Brazil) all possess basic English communication skills, meaning that Bunnell does not need to know another language.
"They're more advanced than they think they are," he said.

The main goal of this class, said Bunnell, is to give the students the confidence to communicate effectively and leave behind the shyness or embarrassment.

The class will run until at least the end of the semester. Bunnell said he would like to continue the courses next fall and would be open to having more students.

"I would be very receptive to anyone who needed the language skill classes," he said, repeating that it is important to "reach out to the community." He said these types of exercises could create a "stronger connection from the W to the community."

SeverCorr is a next-generation steel plant currently in construction just outside of Columbus.

For more information, contact Bunnell at 662-329-7392 or by email at tbunnell@muw.edu.