Gear Rooms and Other Bits | ODC Newsletter 4/3/23

Hello Beautiful ODC Humans!

wow wow wow my expression of angst in my previous email has been answered and leaves are now gettin on them trees! Big big shout out to everyone who came to our Formal-ish on Saturday, you all looked stunning! This week, go enjoy a nice piece of fruit, you deserve it.

~ mitch

 

 

ANNOUCEMENTS:

FILL OUT OUR CENSUS!

  • If you somehow haven’t heard yet, it’s Census time! Our DEI Committee has worked hard to craft this quick survey to update us on who our members are and what they be doing. Please take a quick second to fill it out, even if you’re not the most active member, we want to hear from you!
  • LINK TO THE CENSUS

Creekathon!!

  • The Bi-Annual Creek of the Thons is upon us! This April 23rd ODC will decamp to Walnut Creek Park, a short 15 minute drive away, for a day of fun, food, and friendship in the sun! Creekathon is basically a big ol’ hangout with a variety of sick adventures (biking, hiking, kayaking, slacklining, tree climbing, jam session, chill vibing, etc.) that go out throughout the day! It’s also a great space to lead your first trip! Stay tuned for the posted adventure with more details…

Officer Meeting Notes

  • Following up on what we started a couple of weeks ago, the officers are now making their bi-weekly meeting notes available to the club in an effort to foster transparency in our governing process. Please see the link below for this week’s notes.
  • LINK TO MEETING NOTES

Bi-Weekly DEI Meetings and Club Town Hall!

  • DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) committee is meeting from 5-6 pm on Sunday the 9th in New Cabell 183. The end of the meeting is a Town Hall open to all club members, so if you have any comments/concerns/questions that you want to share, feel free to show up unannounced around 5:40pm! If you can’t make it to the meetings, please reach out to Melu directly (alt7yjh@virginia.edu).

Wilderness First Aid Courses!

  • Our friends over at MEDIC SOLO are offering some WFA courses in cville soon! 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”. Please email the officers (outdoors-officers@virginia.edu) beforehand if you would like to apply for this reimbursement.
  • See www.solowfa.com for details and to register!

 

 

GEAR RESOURCES AND POLICY

Gear Room Schedule:

Mon: (4/3) 3:30 pm —> Sophia Benmhend (202) 644-0304
Tues: 10:00 am —>  Will Lankford (202) 321-1197
Weds: 1:00 pm —> Phillip Reeves (571) 332-3740
Thurs: 5:00 pm —>  Mitch Lang (804) 955-8990
Fri: 9:15 am —> Ed Aten (434) 326-8868

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.

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 Renee and Aidan’s CAVE PROM!!

 

  • (From Renee & Aidan’s CAVE PROM!) In order to continue the ODC prom *experience,* we decided to embark on a journey to the wonderful & muddy Glade Cave for Cave Prom! We got some goodwill formalwear and headed into the cave after saying hi to the cows and having some mild tie-tying struggles. Once inside, we got filthy while exploring new-to-us passageways, making epic mud sculptures, and looking at a secondary entrance that we’d never noticed before. Saw a couple adorable bats and and a group from JMU who complimented our lovely outfits. Overall a fantastic trip!

(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. Try and submit pictures as .jpeg files if possible! (not .heic live photos!)

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

 

 

Your president Sophia “wrestlemania” Benmhend wanted you to have this capybara

 

 

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!!!!!