Assistant News Editor
CSU Bakersfield’s Outdoor Adventures program continues to build and expand while offering CSUB students the opportunity to develop their leadership skills as they receive an adventurous outdoor experience.
The program is designed to enhance the college experience for CSUB students by providing adventurous outdoor activities where students can develop new skills while visiting different parts of California.
Marshall McArthur, outdoor adventures and experiential education coordinator, was hired August 2015 to work under the Student Recreation Center, since then McArthur has been focusing on the growth of the Outdoor Adventures program.
Currently, the program takes trips to areas within California, but McArthur is hopeful that as the program expands so will the trips boundaries.
One of the programs slated to launch this spring is the Instructor Development program.
“We want to expand, currently we are trying to build up the trip leader program for students who are interested to come learn to be trip leaders and to develop the skills to take people out on trips,” said McArthur.
McArthur states that the Instructor Development program aims at helping students develop their leadership ability throughout the trips so that the more experienced students can help the less experienced students that are new to the program.
The trips are based on interest of the programs staff and students, whether it’s rock climbing, surfing, horseback riding, or skiing. The cost of the trip does vary depending on transportation, location, and activity.
“All of the trips are subsidized by the SRC, so we create a total cost per person and we take 40 percent off because it (Outdoor Adventures) is ran by student funds, so they are already paying for that,” said McArthur.
Although the trips price varies, the 40 percent stays constant. The trips transportation also varies, most of the time they use vans but sometimes they take a bus depending on student interest and location.
As for now, McArthur is not only trying to build up the program, but also aims at gaining student interest. “We are still trying to build awareness that we do have these trips…, I think that a lot of the students on campus don’t know what we have,” said McArthur.
McArthur is excited for upcoming trips for the winter quarter and so are returning CSUB students.
CSUB mechanical engineering major Michael Davalos, 19, has attended previous trips and enjoyed his mountain climbing experience.
“Being outdoors and being with an environment of people that keep pushing you forward…it was a good experience,” said Davalos.
Even though Outdoor Adventures aims at providing adventurous outdoor activities, some students attend mainly because they enjoy getting out of town and visiting different locations.
CSUB criminal justice major Josh Coy, 19, has also gone on past trips with Outdoor Adventures and thinks that other students would enjoy a similar experience.
“It helps them get out of Bakersfield…I think a lot of people here a kind of stuck and don’t get out much,” said Coy. “So it definitely helps you get out and travel and see different parts of California.”
The trips are tailored to each individual and don’t require experience to attend.
“All of these trips are designed for beginners to advance, so…we can relate to different skill levels,” said McArthur. “On a rock climbing trip we can teach you how to rock climb…for the advanced we can send them on harder climbs and give them that opportunity as well.”
Trips scheduled this quarter include snowboarding, skiing, hiking, horseback riding, and an overnight camping trip.
To register for upcoming trips, students can visit the front desk at the SRC before the Wednesday prior to the trip.
