OINK approved as the 'new MOO'

Author: Tim O'Grady

This past January, students discovered that the first-year orientation program known as MiddView would be eliminated beginning next fall as a measure to cut back on the College's costs. In response to this void, the Middlebury Mountain Club (MMC) has initiated an alternative outdoor program for first-years. Starting next fall, Outdoor Introduction for New Kids (OINK) will train students in backpacking, canoeing and climbing.

The Mountain Club will lead 20 such trips during the first two weekends of the upcoming fall semester for first-years.

"There will be 10 trips in total each weekend varying in a range of difficulty," said Holly O'Donnell '11, social co-chair and climbing coordinator of the Mountain Club. "We're shooting for one to two water trips, one to two climbing trips and six to eight backpacking trips."

All OINK trips will be led by MMC guides who will have already gone through a time-intensive process of training of their own. To become a Mountain Club guide, one must successfully complete several requirements such as co-leading a MMC trip, completing a MMC guide seminar, becoming certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR and obtaining final written approval from the MMC head guide. On the trips, there were be a volunteer medical group comprised of students certified in EMT, Wilderness First Responder or Wilderness EMT techniques.

One of the main problems regarding the now defunct MiddView orientation program was its cost. According to figures presented in President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz's open sessions regarding the College's finances in February, the elimination of MiddView will save the College approximately $100,000. Although the College plans to create an alternative orientation program that will utilize resources available on Middlebury's campus, this program would not offer the types of outdoor trips that were previously run by MiddView and Middlebury Outdoor Orientation (MOO).

"The main cost drivers for the MiddView program are student employment salaries for the coordinator and logistical support team, transportation, food and equipment and leader training," said Outdoor Programs Director Derek Doucet.

The MiddView program required all trip leaders to stay on campus a week before first-years arrived to partake in an orientation on campus. There were significant expenses associated with the early arrival of leaders and participating first-years, which made MiddView an expensive program to organize and run. OINK is more economical because trips will be offered after first-years have already arrived and the weeklong orientation for trip leaders will be eliminated because all guides will have already gone through all of the necessary training in the spring.

"There was a whole week of orientation for the [MiddView] leaders - they had to be eating in the dining halls, they had to open the dorms up early, then the new students got here," said O'Donnell. "It adds up!"

The MMC proposed their program to the Student Government Association Finance Committee and was allotted enough money to implement their plan.

"We petitioned the [Student Government Association] Finance Committee for funding and were awarded $6,000, which ensured that we would be able to run the program," said Paul Hildebrand '11, communications chair for MMC.

Although there will be a small participant fee to partake in the program, the MMC has factored a financial aid program into the budget so that those who qualify for aid can pay a reduced fee.

OINK will focus solely on outdoor excursions and will not offer the various cultural and volunteer trip options that first-years participated in this past fall through the MiddView program. Such trips included "Architecture and the Environment," "The History and Ecology of Lake Champlain" and "Local Politics," as well as several volunteer trips.

"It's a shame. I would love to see volunteer service trips going on," said Hildebrand.

Middlebury has offered outdoor trips for first-years for over 20 years and several MMC members were dedicated to keeping the tradition alive and well. The MMC hopes that OINK will provide students with unforgettable introductions to the rural environment of greater Middlebury and everlasting memories.

"[We] just got really passionate about working to give new students the [first-year]experience," said O'Donnell.