Native Spanish-speaking students will have an opportunity next fall to get away from language classes that some call "Buenos Días 101" and take a Spanish course made especially for them.

The Spanish department will offer a course for students who already speak the language but who need help with grammar, reading and spelling. The course's name will be announced after spring break.

Many Hispanic students learn to speak Spanish at home, but are often unable to read and write the language because they have attended schools in the United States.

"They tend to spell words out the way they say them," said Mirta Pimentel (graduate-Spanish linguistics). Similar problems are found among native English speakers at the college level, she added.

Traditional Spanish courses are designed for English-speaking students, but are inappropriate for Hispanic students who already know the language, according to an article in the Feb. 2 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Some schools in states with large Hispanic populations already offer Spanish classes for bilingual students.

Some University Hispanic students are looking forward to adding the new course to their schedules next semester.

"I'll take it. The Spanish here is not challenging enough for me, but this new course sounds great," said Rafael Ramirez, member of Phi Delta Psi, a new fraternity for Hispanic students.

John Gutiérrez, associate professor of Spanish linguistics, said Hispanic enrollment has increased and the University needs a course to accommodate them. Hispanic enrollment increased by 78 students during 1992-93. Currently, there are 1,065 Hispanic students enrolled at the University.

"As the number of Hispanic students grows, so does the necessity for a course to learn how to read and write the language -- not just speak it," he said.

Hispanic students are bored in the Spanish courses currently offered by the University, Gutiérrez added.

"Why would they want to take Buenos Días 101 where they will end up talking rings around some of their TAs?" he said.

Some students said they have been discouraged from speaking Spanish outside their homes by teachers, parents and society, according to the Chronicle.

And some Spanish-speaking students at the University think they are discouraged from taking Spanish courses because they are wary of other students' reactions.

"Some people might say, 'You're taking this class and you already know the language?' " said Carina Defferrire, Latino Caucus president.

Gutiérrez said the new course's instructor will most likely be a graduate student because the students need to have role models in their ethnic group.

Pimentel agrees with this idea.

"If I teach the course, I hope students will say, 'If she can do it, I can do it,' " she said.