A resolution in support of the CSUN Outdoor Adventures Program has been passed.
The Outdoor Adventures Program is an organization which allows students to participate in activities away from campus and take trips outside of the CSUN community.
Tim Szczepanski, interim Outdoor Adventures Program coordinator, presented an overview of what the program entails at Tuesday’s Senate meeting.
Szczepanski said the program includes a rock wall recently moved to an area near the CSUN pool, day hikes in the Angeles National Forest and weekend trips.
“The rock wall is free of charge to students,” Szczepanski said.
Szczepanski said the importance of the program is to offer team building and a different way for students to get off campus.
This funding would also be used to hire and train more students to lead their peers on the outdoor trips, Szczepanski said.
He said it is great that A.S. is supporting the program by providing funding to allow the program to expand and be able to give opportunities not only for students to participate but for students to be employed there.
The Outdoor Adventures Program also leads group outings, such as recently taking the CSUN hockey team on a team-building weekend.
The resolution presented asked the Senate to approve money that was set aside in the recreation sports budget to be moved from the fitness center to the Outdoor Adventures Program, said David Crandall, A.S. general manager.
For the 2011-12 academic year, A.S. funds allocated would increase from a projected $83,000 to $161,000, said Neil Sanchez, A.S. vice president.
For the next academic year, the A. S. funds would rise to $193,000 with a projected revenue of $20,000.
“It allows us to increase what goes in there, particularly program costs,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez said with the passing of the resolution, it is formally recognized that A.S. wants to support the program.
“Not only is it evolving into something that the students really enjoy and have expressed their opinions that they enjoy, but now that this money is becoming available, this is an appropriate time to formally recognize the need for increased funding,” Sanchez said.
Szczepanski said the program is an important tool and students learn a lot more when they participate in hands-on activities.
“Outdoor Adventures creates student leadership opportunities for people who want to do recreational tourism management,” said Ashley Walker, senator at-large II.
Walker said it also helps students make a profession out of something they enjoy doing.
Walker said student leadership and growth is stressed in the different activities the Outdoor Adventures program Provides.
Szczepanksi said the next step for the Outdoor Adventures Program is to look at where this money will go and what the program will do with it.
“What I am going to be doing is gathering information on graduate assistants,” Szczepanksi said.
Szczepanksi said a job posting for a graduate assistant position will be put up on the National Intramural Recreation Association website.
The National Intramural Recreation Association is part of the program governing body, Szczepanksi said
Szczepanksi said he will start interviewing students for the graduate assistant position by Spring 2012, since this was one of the areas the program was hoping to expand in order to offer more trips for students.
To join the Outdoor Adventures Program, students can look online for trips offered and go to the office for more information, Szczepanksi said.
He said students simply sign up and pay a fee based on the distance traveled for the trip.
“We have all the information you would need,” Szczepanski said. “You would need to do general waivers (and) medical history, and we give you information for what you need for a certain trip.”
