All around campus I had heard talk about the Outdoor Adventure Club, an organization on campus whose name could lend itself to a lot of things, and I’d heard about some of the activities they’d done before— hiking, laser tag, overnight ski trips— and had to know more. I was fortunate enough to sit down with Marc Verity, a junior sports management transfer who was the “president, vice president, and marketing guy” for the Outdoor Adventure Club at the time of the interview, and he told me a bit more about the club and what they do.
The goal of the club is very simple; fun on a budget. Verity noted that the club gives people opportunities to do things they would never normally experience for a fraction of the price, something very appealing to adrenaline seeking, but broke, college students. Among the things they’ve gotten to do in the past include ziplining, escape rooms, ice skating, rock climbing, and hay rides, in addition to their annual ski trips and bi-annual white water rafting overnights. Member Corinne Hennessey has been involved in multiple trips and commented, “I love Outdoor Adventure Club because it’s just so much fun and you get to spend time outside, which sounds stupid but when you go to school in the city it can be hard to connect with nature.”
One of the things Verity highlighted is the fact that, unlike most clubs, the OAC only has one meeting where they plan out the whole semester, and members get to submit suggestions for trips, and whichever ones get the most votes. Wwe make it happen,” he remarks with a laugh.
Not only do members get the ultimate say in what happens in the club, but they get to do these things with like-minded people. Hennessey said, “[Outdoor Adventure Club is] where I met my best friends and get to spend time with them.” On the flip side, Verity expressed remorse at the fact that they can’t harness the pure spontaneity at the heart of a lot of these activities like hiking because of OSA restrictions, but points out that he personally wants to have more hikes because they’re a simple and fun thing to do locally.
If you’re interested, catch them at the fall activities fair next semester and sign up to knock things off your bucket list on a college student budget, or email them with questions at outdooradventure@lasell.edu.