Office of Outdoor Leadership develops on-campus

By Betsy Baertlein
Feature Editor

Many opportunities for outdoor recreation have been offered for students at Saint Mary’s University so far this year, including weekend hiking and canoe trips, in which over 120 students have participated. This programming has been made possible by the newly-implemented Office of Outdoor Leadership at SMU, directed by Davey Warner (’07).
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The idea for this office came last year from a group of staff members, including Chris Kendall, vice president for student development. The idea regarded the many outdoor opportunities that exist in the area. The premise was that many students choose to come to SMU because of its natural surroundings, but they find it difficult to actually get out into those surroundings. The Office of Outdoor Leadership serves to organize outdoor recreational activities for students to enjoy the environment firsthand.

The Office of Outdoor Leadership has been collaborating with the Environmental Awareness Center, managed by Brother John Grover, to provide students with the resources necessary for outdoor ventures. The Environmental Awareness Center offers outdoor equipment such as canoes, sleeping bags, tents and cross country skis for student use. Warner said that Brother John has been a great asset to the office. He has provided all of the equipment for events thus far, and he has even joined students in a couple canoe trips, Warner said.

As well as offering opportunities for outdoor recreation, the Office of Outdoor Leadership plans to encourage environmental leadership development. SMU is a partner with the Leave No Trace (LNT) organization, which means that the university is committed to spreading the message of outdoor ethics. Warner is a trained LNT Master, which allows him to train others. Eventually the Office for Outdoor Leadership would like to train students as volunteer trip leaders so that outdoor opportunities are available almost constantly.

Some of the activities that Warner hopes to implement during the remainder of the year include: indoor rock climbing, downhill skiing, backpacking, cycling, winter camping, snowboarding and kayaking. Also, Warner said that he is always open to students’ ideas for activities, especially during this time of development. If students would like to make suggestions, they should stop by his office at 8D Toner Student Center.

Ultimately, the Office of Outdoor Leadership hopes to develop in students an appreciation for the environment, which will lead to stewardship of the land. Often times outdoor experiences allow people to take a step back from the stressors in their daily life and reflect. Warner said that experience in the outdoors helps the development of virtues that grow the total person.