Gear Rooms and Other Bits | ODC Newsletter 12/5/22

Hello ODC friends! dang. it’s the last email of the semester already. In the officers honest opinion (really!) this has been the best semester of ODC yet. We hope you feel the same, and we can’t wait for all the adventures of next semester.

with love,

the officers <3

 

 

ANNOUCEMENTS:

Bring Me Your Gear!!! / Winter Break Gear Room Policy

  • Goblins, gremlins, friends. With the approaching winter break upon us, and ONE WEEK of gear rooms left, we are asking you to please bring us back borrowed gear (!!) so that it may hibernate in it’s cozy ODC home and not your parent’s house. See an upcoming announcement for our winter break gear room policy and how you can return gear if you can’t make it this week.
  • Another reminder that reimbursement policies also change over Break. Gas is reimbursed up to $100 with no tip, there is no reimbursement for lodging or food. See the trip leader manual for more information.

Sustainably Get Swag Save $$$ – Out&Back X ODC

  • ODC is stoked to announce our partnership with Out&Back Outdoor! These guys have some seriously good discounts on quality gear. Here’s the blurb…
    • BUY: Out&Back Outdoor is a Denver-based marketplace that curates new & used outdoor gear from multiple shopping platforms into one-single shopping experience. Find everything from tents to backpacks and outerwear to loungewear, from the top outdoor brands. Plus, they offer free returns – even on used gear! Outdoors at UVA members receive an exclusive 20% off ($50 order minimum) their purchases with offer code: UVAOUTDOORS
    • SELL: Out&Back Outdoor makes it easy and fast to sell unwanted gear. Within minutes, receive a cash or gift card offer and choose to drop it in the mail with free shipping or in-person at Public Lands in Cville. Out&Back accepts over 100 outdoor brands, including everything from tents to backpacks and outerwear and skis/snowboards. Outdoors at UVA members receive a 10% bonus on their sellback offer with offer code: UVAOUTDOORS. PLUS, ODC gets 10% of the gear’s value, paid to us!

Reusable Bag Drive

  • Bring reusable bags to the gear room to help out low-income community members who may be affected by Charlottesville’s new plastic bag tax! There’s a collection box in the gear room courtesy of UVA Sustainability. 

Wilderness First Aid Courses!

  • Our friends over at MEDIC SOLO are offering some WFA courses in cville soon! October 22-23, 2022(only two spots left); January 21-22, 2023; April 15-16, 2023 and June 10-11, 2023. ODC will reimburse the cost of WFA/WFR if you lead six trips outside the “golden hour”.
  • See www.solowfa.com for details and to register!

 

 

 

GEAR RESOURCES AND POLICY

Gear Room Schedule:

Mon: (12/5) 4:15 pm —> Ed Aten (434) 326-8868
Tues: 11:00 am —> Phillip Reeves (571) 332-3740
Weds: 11:30 am —> Mitch Lang (804) 955-8990
Thurs: 1:00 pm —> Will Lankford (202) 321-1197
Thurs: 7:00 pm —> Ed Aten (434) 326-8868
Fri: 12:00 pm —> Sophia Benmhend (202) 644-0304

If none of these times work for you, please email the officers outdoors-officers@virginia.edu at least 24 hours in advance to schedule a separate time to be let into the gear room. Please only do this if you really can’t make the gear room times, not just because you don’t feel like it or didn’t plan ahead.

This schedule will ideally be consistent throughout the semester, however, changes may occur. You may stop by the gear room to check out or return gear and be reimbursed at any of the times listed above.  Please text the officer leading the gear room if you will be late. Officers remain at the gear room only for as long as people are checking in/out gear (usually about 20-25 minutes). You may also purchase ODC t-shirts, hoo rags, patches, stickers, and more at the gear room!

BEFORE RETURNING GEAR REFER TO THE GEAR CLEANING DOC BELOW

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bUsjBA8Hy_MyyoLGIpkYciH3lTVKB-9fjO2ZfhXowdY/edit

If you return damaged, dirty, or incomplete gear, you will jeopardize your ability to check out gear in the future. It is your responsibility, not the officers, to return your gear in the condition you received it.

Please refer to our reimbursement policy here.

You can check our gear inventory here.

If you want to check out any water sports gear or a mountain bike, please email the officers at outdoors-officers@virginia.edu. They are stored at separate locations. We ask that you give at least 24 hours notice.

Gear is due one week from when it is checked out unless renewed by an officer at a gear room. Keeping gear past its due date is a UVA Honor Offense. Club trips have priority access to gear.

Directions: Map to Gear Room

Start at Echols Dorm

Go right on McCormick

Turn right on Alderman Rd

Take a left on Leake Drive

Walk to the end of the road. There are several buildings and parking on either side.

Pass a picnic table on the right. Keep going!

Walk straight to the first big maintenance building directly ahead. Walk behind the building on the left side. Walk up the stairs

End: Knock on the door.

 

 

TRIP RESOURCES AND REMINDERS

Leading Trips:

To become a trip leader, thoroughly read the Trip Leader Manual (resources page of the website) and send the officers an email (outdoors-officers@virginia.edu) letting them you know you have done so. They will then activate you on the website! Alternatively, come to a Trip Leader Workshop, lead by the officers several times each semester and posted on the website.

As a reminder, climbing, caving, mountain biking, and whitewater trips have special rules to lead! To learn more about types of trips and to become an approved trip leader for the sports listed above, feel free to contact the club’s Sport Advisors.

    • Climbing:
      • Eliza (Ejs4zb@virginia.edu)
      • Joseph (jca5cu@virginia.edu)
    • Caving
      • Renee (rle6juc@virginia.edu)
    • Biking
      • Phillip (pfr3yq@virginia.edu)
    • Hiking/Backpacking
      • Grace (gag4jaz@virginia.edu)
      • Ed (eba4ksx@virginia.edu)
    • Whitewater Sports
      • Mitch (mcl2hxw@virginia.edu)

If you have questions about how to lead trips, take some time to read through the Leaders Manual and Leading Trips pages under Resources on the club website.

Want to lead a trip for an under-represented group in the outdoors? Lead an Affinity Trip! See the link for details and guidelines.

Absences:

Please be aware that if you are joined on a trip, and you do not show up, or you drop out at the last minute, you are depriving another member of a spot on that trip.

No-shows and last-minute absences not only hurt trip attendance, but they also make logistics more complicated.

If a member is reported for two absences, trip leaders are permitted to take this into account when moving people off wait lists.

Sexual Harassment and Equity Reporting:

Outdoors at UVA is committed to providing a safe and welcoming space for everyone to enjoy the outdoors. If you feel you or another have experienced sexual or gender-based violence or misconduct at the hands of another club member, you can report the misconduct here.

If you feel you or another have experienced harassment based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, etc. at the hands of another club member, you can report the misconduct here.

Outdoors at UVA’s Sexual Misconduct policy can be found on our Resources webpage and is linked here. Our policy for harassment and discrimination is here.

 

 

ADVENTURE OF THE WEEEEEEK!!!

Thanks to everyone who submitted for Adventure of the Week!! We received many, but there can be only one. This weeks AOTW comes from Grace’s plant ID trip this past Wednesday!

  • (from Grace): Elli, Kathleen, Stevie, and myself had a BOOMIN time exploring and identifying our local plants this past Wednesday. Between corn speedwell to wall lettuce, mysterious dandelion tribes, and a wild Motts gummy, who knew so much natural magic exists between Slaughter and Ohill dining hall?!?

(Instructions)

Each week we’ll feature a different adventure that happened within the previous 7 days. To be featured, send us (outdoors-officers@virginia.edu) a couple of pictures of you and your pals adventurin’ and a little blurb about what you did!

We’re reallllllllly stoked to see what y’all get up to – but please. Do not take pictures of people without their consent. And don’t submit them to us without their consent. Don’t be a creep and a weirdo.

Who will be the next ADVENTURE OF THE WEEK?!?! we await your submissions!

 

 

OTHER JAWN.

Social Media:

FB: (https://www.facebook.com/groups/OutdoorsAtUVA/)

Insta: (https://www.instagram.com/uvaoutdoors/)

GroupMe: (https://groupme.com/join_group/68250538/0HmzE2tL)

Email Social Chair Shay Utzinger (smu5dv@virginia.edu) with any trip pictures to be featured on the club Instagram!!!!!