Gear Rooms and Other Bits | ODC Newsletter 4/21/25

HELLLLOOOOOO GREMLINSS! Finals is coming and I am sweating and I am up too late doing these darned assignments instead of getting my beauty sleep so that I can go outside and do silly things and have fun and frolic like I was born to. Shoot I’ve been awake too long and I forgot that run-on sentences aren’t cute at my age. Silly me. Get used to it.  

Anywayyyysss democracy happened and votes were heard and after hours of deliberation your new exec and officer positions are decided! Get hype 🙂 

Here is the rundown: 

President 

  • Candidates: Parker Sims, Sarah Dowling 
  • Officer vote: Parker 
  • Popular vote: Parker 
  • Winner: Parker 

VP 

  • Candidates: Afton Hessian, Skylar Foley 
  • Officer vote: Afton 
  • Popular vote: Skylar 
  • Winner: Afton 

Treasurer 

  • Candidates: Allie Shellhammer 
  • Officer vote: 
  • Popular vote:  
  • Winner: Allie!!! 

Gearmasters 

  • Candidates: Chris Blonkvist, Lizzie/Katie, Max Ellis  
  • Winners: Chris, Max 

PBR 

  • Candidates: Charlotte Maxwell 
  • Winner: Charlotte!!! 

Webmaster  

  • Candidates: Lizzie Frysinger 
  • Winner: Lizzie!!! 

Secretary 

  • Candidates: Pietro Ciliberto 
  • Winner: Pietro!!! 

New Member Chair  

  • Candidates: Evelyn Lepsch, Haley Bortner 
  • Winner: Evelyn!!

 

Moving on though summer is coming and that means that we will all depart to our epic adventures. I can’t say I’m gonna miss my 8ams but I will miss this beautiful club. But do not despair quite yet because we have bonfires and parties galore. And on a similar vein I implore – no ORDER – you all to go on some last trips and shred shred shred.  

Pietro “writing these emails are my new form of procrastination” Ciliberto 

 

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS: 

SUBMIT TO THE SCRAWL!!!! 

All art is appreciated. Did you make it outdoors? Is it of the outdoors? Are you proud of it? SUBMIT SUBMIT SUBMIT. I (Pietro) will be submitting some journal entries and another thing that you’ll have to read the scrawl to see. You should submit! 

Expect a new form for scrawl submissions to come out soon!! 

SUBMIT TO THE ODC PHOTO CONTEST! 

Have you taken some epic photos on your trips? Please say yes. Because my phone is perennially dead so I’m counting on you. Anyways submit them photos here. 

What’s that noise? Oh is that a crackling fire? Warmth? Smores? Fun? Choo choos? Sounds like a bonfiyaaaaaaaaaa 

Bonfire Thursday (04/24) at 7:30! This will be our LAST normal BONFIRE of the year. I (Susannah) have loved every single one of them and am so excited to celebrate the closing of our year with a super awesome bonfire !!! Be there or be square (don’t be square) 

CREEKATHON: REVISIT THE ORIGINS OF THIS FABLED TRADITION THAT WAS BORN ALONGSIDE THE DAWN OF HUMANITY EXACTLY 420 YEARS AGO 

What’s creekathon you ask? Oh. Why I can’t tell you. You’ll have to find out. (It’s a super epic lowkey megatrip about 20 minutes away that is just one day so don’t give me some silly “I have to do my homework” excuse).  

Anyways come. And LEAD TRIPS! 

4/20 Officer Meeting Notes 

Here are the notes from the last meeting.  

OLD (BUT STILL IMPORTANT) ANNOUNCEMENTS: 

Are YOU on the Trip Leader Listserv? 

WOOOAAAHHH ODC Member DISCOUNTS?! 

  • You read it right! Anyone who is a member of this lovely club can now get 10% off at High Tor Gear Exchange & Endeavor Cycles here in Charlottesville! 
  • We now have a 40% off code to use on as many purchases as you want from Nature Buff! Use code UVA40 on your next purchase. 
  • Super cool mountain-wear brand HIMALI has reached out to us with a sick discount code for 40% off all their stuff!! Check them out and use code UVASendIt40. 
  • We also have an epic one-use per person promo code with Bedrock Sandals for 20% off online purchases. Use the code “UVAOUTDOOR”! 
  • ODC Members can also now get 10% off any regular priced purchase in the Hardgoods/Camp Equipment Dept. at Great Outdoors Provision Co! Just show them your member page on the ODC website at checkout to verify that you’re an active member. 

Evan Denison Memorial Fund 

  • The Evan Denison Memorial Fund is up and running! Please read the form linked here for more details, especially if you’re a beginner backpacker. And check out the backpack in the gear room—a blue embroidered ULA Circuit! 

G-G-Gear Requests *Airhorn* 

  • We love buying new equipment for you, but we need you to tell us what you want! Do that here. 

#Anonymous Feedback Form 

  • This form is anonymous and can only be viewed by the DEI Chair. 

Donations 

  • Did you know that you or your parents who want to know what you’ve been up to at UVA or your grandparents who were around when backpacking was invented can DONATE to ODC at any time ?? Donate here! 

  

GEAR RESOURCES AND POLICY 

This Semester’s Gear Room Schedule: 

Monday @ 3:30pm — John (804-944-1929)
Tuesday @ 5:30pm — Anusha (571-455-0721)
Wednesday @ 10am — Max T (703-862-7391)
Thursday @ 2:30pm — Max S (617-780-1129)
Friday @ 11:30am — Parker (540-840-8024) 

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. 

You can stop by the gear room to check out or return gear and be reimbursed at any of the times listed above! 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! 

MISC. GEAR INFO: 

  • If you return damaged, dirty, or incomplete gear, you will jeopardize your ability to check out gear in the future. It is your responsibility to return your gear in the condition you received it. 
  • Please refer to our reimbursement policy here. 
  • You can check our gear inventory here. 
  • Want to check out 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 to the 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 (if it feels like you maybe shouldn’t be there, you’re in the right place) → walk up the stairs → End: knock on the door! 

    

ADVENTURE OF THE WEEK!!! 

None. Losers. (lovingly) 

  • How to be featured: 
  • 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 stoked to see what y’all get up to, but PLEASE (please!) do not take pictures of people without their consent (and don’t submit them to us without their consent). 
  • Try and submit pictures as .jpeg files if possible! (not .heic live photos!) 

Who will be the next ADVENTURE OF THE WEEK??? 

   

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: 

Caving 

Biking 

Hiking/Backpacking 

Water Sports 

If you have questions about how to lead trips, refer to the 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. 

Incident Reporting: 

  • Anything wild or crazy happened on your trips recently, but not in a good way? Fill out this form to let the officers know about incidents or near misses on your ODC trips. Incidents can include but are not limited to: major injuries, extreme/ dangerous weather, or getting lost. We’ll keep it for our records/learning and follow-up if necessary! Here’s the template. 
  • Check out this swanky guide, aptly entitled “Incident Reporting Form Cheatsheet,” for a how-to on handling common incidents in the woods, and make sure you’re prepared for your next trip! 

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 misconduct at the hands of another club member, please report it here. This is including but not limited to misconduct regarding sexuality (including sexual harassment), gender, race, ethnicity, ability, etc. 
  • Outdoors at UVA’s Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct policy can be found here. Our club Code of Conduct can be found here. 

  

  

ET CETERA. 

Social Media: 

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

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

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

  

  

Peace, Love, & Dirt, 

Pietro and the Officers