Too Far: PSU bungling management of Outing Club

So for 98 years, the Penn State Outing Club was an excellent an exciting club that offered remote trips to students who enjoyed the outdoors.

Well, Penn State, in its typical tone deaf way, is deciding that it is the club is too dangerous to continue to operate and is being disbanded.

Now, when I say disbanded, I mean they can continue to “exist”, but they have lost all their ability to run the club themselves which they have apparently been running amok.

Not only is it being disbanded, but also the Nittany Grotto Caving Club and the Nittany Divers Scuba Club.

All in the name of telling outdoor lovers at PSU that the wilderness is too risky unless it is running the show.

Being “eliminated” as a club I was told was not what happened. They can still exist and have meetings, but they can’t schedule trips. The Alpine Ski Club can exist - not these groups.

It’s all semantics. It’s kind of like the difference between an investigation and a matter. Those trying to defend PSU are oddly defending this move as a positive event for student exploration of earth, wind and fire.

Really?

I completely understand mitigating risk, but not every potential dangerous situation that might happen camping in a remote area needs to have some sort of institutional intervention.

And what would/will they control? The bears?

To compensate, PSU will offer a university-operated outdoors program and decide what locales/trips are appropriate.

Isn’t that special? Yaaaaaay!

PSU knows best.

Woods and lakes are scary; campus is safe.

In recent sex abuse cases, were the people tigers and bears, or were they assistant coaches, trainers and administrators?

So as PSU takes over the new outdoor activities, watch how much more affordable they’ll all become since, you know, the school is so in tune with keeping down costs for tuition, football games, access to facilities, etc. I’m being facetious.

And to act as if the PSU is actually saving lives is even more of a joke based on the number of people who get hurt on and around campus at frat parties every weekend.

The ones who are doing outdoor, caving and scuba clubs aren’t the fat slobs sitting around playing video games. The likelihood is they are in pretty good shape, do their research and understand healthy options. These kids aren’t the ones for which you need an institutional intervention.

Life is meant to be lived, not navigated through a series of hand-holding, warning signs and group think.

While PSU will surely point to the fact that the students will still have the opportunity for outdoor trips through the university, that’s not really the point is it? Don’t tell us how smart these kids are verbally and then take away their ability to run a club.

What teaches more in life? Doing it yourself or having the institution do it for you?

The point of having any club is to get people who enjoy the same types of things to have a private forum to congregate and organize within reason separate from Big Brother’s control. You have to understand people of all ilk, alternative politics and budgeting.

Anyone can say that PSU is just protecting itself, but you can’t argue here that empowerment fell on the side of the students.

Unless there is some type of proof that these groups have been a rogue, unfit flock of hair brains, the sudden “disbanding” is quite disappointing on so many levels.

But, hey after 98 years for the Outing Club, everyone’s safe now.

Just ask the Student Affairs Office.

Things have gone too far for too long.

Graham Messner has been a writer for many years and has also been involved in real estate, fundraising and coaching. He can be reached at toofar@gmx.com.