SPANISH COMES ALIVE AT COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS POPULAR PROGRAM BATTLES BUDGET CUTS.

Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer

VALENCIA - Flamenco, tortillas and stem-changing verbs crammed College of the Canyons this week at the annual Spanish Language Institute, as the popular 5-year-old program struggles to grow despite shrinking budgets.

Besides language workshops, the five-day seminar provided some 150 people cultural lessons in food, dancing and literature as well as history and politics, institute director Claudia Acosta said.

``Not everything is bullfighting or flamenco,'' said Acosta, who chairs the college's Foreign Language Department. ``It's a little bit more profound.''

The theme, which changes annually, has included Spanish-speaking regions from the Caribbean to Central America. But current events made Spain especially attractive this year, Acosta said.

During the war with Iraq, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Anzar broke ranks with most of Europe by siding with the United States, which led to widespread public protest. The nation is also dealing with social issues stemming from its volatile mix of Muslims, Jews and Catholics while responding to occasional violence from Basque separatists.

``I wanted people to see that within Spain, there is great diversity,'' Acosta said. ``It's similar to what we experience in the United States. There are some differences, but it also unites us.''

But the program has been strained by budget cuts, Acosta said. To reduce costs, enrollment was capped to about 150 this year, and extras such as trips to local missions were trimmed. Also, a state fee hike enacted at all California community colleges this fall will raise costs for the three-unit class from $11 to $18 per unit next year.

Yet Acosta remains optimistic, and is planning to extend the institute for an optional second week next summer to include a trip to Costa Rica.

``It's a program that works well,'' she said. ``It's an opportunity to immerse themselves in Spanish. It's not something they get every day.''

At a language seminar Wednesday, students Mark Johnson, 13, of Valencia and his 10-year-old sister, Brittany, guided their grown-up classmates through a question-and-answer exercise.

``My mom's from Guatemala,'' he said. ``I go there a lot. I like to talk in Spanish, like when I go to shops. But I want to practice reading and writing.''

Volunteer Kellyann Jackson, who speaks the language at home with her Costa Rican mother, believes it's a valuable program.

``It's a language that living in Southern California you'll actually use on a regular basis,'' said Jackson, 19. ``There is always somebody who needs a Spanish translator in any field you can think of.''

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Phylise Smith gets students to dance to Latin sounds during the one-week Spanish program at College of the Canyons.

(2) Lucia Pozo, right, shows students how to make tapas banderillas, a mix of cheese and chorizo sausage, during the Spanish program offered at College of teh Canyons.