South Dakota State University’s German club is small, but it is steadily growing after restarting in the fall of 2015.

Emily DeWaard and Destinie Marshall, current president and vice president, decided to start the club again after the previous president left SDSU.

“Emily and I studied in Germany this last summer and we wanted to have a club,” Marshall said, a senior business economics and German major. 

Though the club does not have any events planned for the semester, the main goal for now is to start small and spark interest for new members.

Meetings this year include having a movie night, baking German cookies and eating together at Pizza King. 

“We enjoy being small, we can do a lot of different things since we are small,” Marshall said. “It’s nice to meet people and really be able to get to know them.”

Students don’t have to know the language or enroll in a German class to attend club meetings, according to the Faculty Adviser Eckhard Rolz.

Rolz said of the 10 members who regularly attend meetings, they enjoy each other’s company and like to have fun together.

“Some activities focus on German life, culture, customs and films and music, but other times they plan activities that have nothing to do with Germany,” Rolz said. “The meetings are informal and fun.”

Students more advanced in the language also help others with homework and give advice on how to succeed in learning a foreign language.

Rolz said although he is the faculty adviser, the club is very much student-run.

“The leadership is very independent, self-motivated and dedicated,” Rolz said. “I just provide some guidance and make sure they have good, wholesome activities.”

Even though no long range plans are set, the club hopes to become more involved off-campus as well.

“Our adviser is very active in doing service projects in the Brookings community,” Marshall said. “We plan in the future to volunteer together as an organization.”

While the club is gaining momentum, the amount of German students is also steadily growing, according to DeWaard, a sophomore English and history major. 

“We’re a tight-knit group, so things are pretty steady,” DeWaard said. “German club is an open group to anybody. It’s a chance for students interested in travel and other cultures to get together and hang out.”

The club’s Facebook page, SDSU Deutsch Klub, has more information about the monthly meetings.

German club meetings are the third Wednesday of each month at different locations.