The Outing Club is one of three student-run clubs that have been disbanded by Penn State. The president of the club meets with the university Wednesday to negotiate.
Outing Club president Richard Waltz found the club his first year at Penn State. He says it was a pivotal moment for him.
“Freshman year that first trip to Shenandoah just absolutely changed the course of my college career,” Waltz said. “It was a defining moment for me.”
Penn State says it disbanded the Outing Club along with caving and SCUBA clubs due to “high-risk activities,” including alcohol use. The university says the clubs will be reorganized under its Outdoor Adventures program.
Waltz says this is problematic because trips with the university-run program cost much more, often over one-hundred dollars. Waltz hopes to come to a compromise with Penn State to stay recognized.
“Mostly what I want to see with the university, I want them to work with us,” Waltz said. “[To] see what we can do.”
Without being associated with the university, clubs can’t access resources like reserving rooms on campus or recruiting at the involvement fair. Waltz says the Outing Club will continue with or without Penn State recognition, but worries it will be harder to attract new members without recognition.
