Two hundred and twenty first-year students packed their packs, checked their gear and loaded into vans on Friday, Sept. 14 to embark on a series of outdoor, student-led adventures lasting the entirety of the first weekend of the fall semester.
An extension of first-year orientation, Outdoor Introduction for New Kids (OINK) is a Middlebury Mountain Club program designed to introduce first-years to college life from an outdoor perspective.
The tradition of outdoor orientation programs at Middlebury, OINK included, facilitates the orientation process through exposure to the natural surroundings in Vermont.
Students participated in a range of three-day trips – from backpacking to rock-climbing – in small groups led by upperclassman volunteers.
2012 OINK co-coordinator and Middlebury Mountain Club Member Maya VonWodtke '13.5 believes that OINK helps introduce new students to some of the amazing features surrounding campus.
"One of the components that's so exciting for me is sharing our amazing backyard with incoming first years," said VonWodtke. "I feel like Middlebury is so special in part because its nestled between the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks, and so many people don't discover that until they put a little more time into it. And to start that off your first weekend to me is the coolest."
This year, OINK had 29 available trips for first-years. The program saw a 50 percent participation increase from last year with 220 students attending, while last year only 140 students attended 20 trips.
Over 280 students applied for the available spots on this year's OINK trips. Students were chosen in a random draw and then were placed into specific trips based on their applications.
Aiding the program's growth was the inclusion of new and inspired trips, such as contemplation practices, capoeira and an organic farming trip, which were inspired by students outside of the Mountain Club. Multiple students approached the OINK coordinators to make these programs happen.
"There's been a lot of creativity and a lot of students wanting to share a new experience with incoming freshmen," said VonWodtke.
VonWodtke hopes that the inclusion of the new trips will inspire students to join the clubs associated with their OINK trip and will encourage more clubs to do the same in the future.
Despite the success of the 2012 OINK trip, the program has come a long way from its inception.
Originally titled Middlebury Outdoor Orientation, or MOO, the highly popular program suffered problems of extended waitlists. MiddView emerged in 2008 with $150,000 worth of funding from the College, but was quickly canceled after the economic crash in the same year.
OINK was developed in 2009 as a response to the cancelled MiddView. That year, the program recieved no funding from the College and was solely run by Mountain Club guides. Due to the lack of funding and short training period, the 2009 program was very small.
This year, the Student Government Association (SGA) was able to provide $20,000 of funding towards OINK. Students paid a fee of $125 to participate. Additionally, financial aid was available for qualifying students subtracting $100 dollars from the original fee.
This year marks the last year of OINK. Next year, outdoor orientation will transition back to MiddView, which will be mandatory – and more importantly – free for all incoming first-years.
Director of Outdoor Programs and Club Sports Derek Doucet is impressed with the growth of outdoor orientation programs and the student leaders who organize the event each year.
"OINK has grown in size each year the MMC has run it, which is an exciting trajectory to see with the return of MiddView on the horizon," wrote Doucet in an email. "The MMC has done an outstanding job keeping the tradition of orientation trips at Middlebury alive since the recession."
Doucet is anxious about next year's changes, but believes the transition will run smoothly.
"It will be the largest trips program we've ever run, and we'll need over a hundred student leaders to step up. It simply can't happen without student energy and commitment.
"The prospect of the trips program intentionally and thoughtfully embedded within our overall orientation offering is incredibly exciting to me," continued Doucet. "We have a tremendous opportunity to introduce the 2014 first year class to the Middlebury community in all senses of the word."
In spite of the growth of this year's OINK orientation and the optimistic future for next year's program, OINK coordinators still encountered a problem with students dropping out days before the Friday trip.
Co-coordinator and recent graduate Janet Gehrmann '12 believes that many students feel the pressure to drop OINK due to their class work load and weekend social events that may prompt them to feel as though they are missing out. Leaders attempted to curb this problem by making a personal connection with their "OINK"ers. She believes the leaders are really what make the program happen each year.
"They're the level of connection, they're the people that get the program off the ground," said Gehrmann.
Nevertheless, the first-years remain the most important aspect of any outdoor orientation trip. Co-coordinator Tess Sneeringer '14.5 stresses that OINK provides a truly irreplaceable Middlebury experience that first-years can look back on over their four years at the College.
"It's an orientation trip. Its not just about your outdoor experience; its about your Middlebury experience," said Sneeringer.
OINK: Orientation. Outdoors.
Comments
