2023 Spring BOC Newsletter to Alumni
Bates Outing Club Centennial Fund
On behalf of the Bates Outing Club, we want to thank you for supporting our programming and development during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years. One of our main objectives is to embrace and celebrate all ways of connecting with the outdoors and to increase access and inclusivity in BOC programs to ensure that all students feel welcome.
This past year, the Bates Outing Club Centennial Fund supported this objective by helping us to broaden access to our programming, train student leaders, and buy new gear for the E-Room. Below, you can learn more about some of the trips and initiatives that the Fund helped us undertake.
Thank you again for helping us to fulfill our mission!
Mitchel Soederberg ’25, Outdoor Programs Manager
BOC Trip Leader Training
March 2022
After fielding a number of applicants from the student body, a group of 20 students were selected for trip leader training. This is part of an initiative to provide more formal guidance and structure around outing club trips. Students participated in a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion workshop and fieldwork in either a day trip or an overnight context. Overnight instructors went shoulder-season camping in Grafton notch! WFA was also a part of trip leader training.
Dog Sledding
March 11, 2022
Members of the BOC got to go to Oxford, ME, to join Ultimate Dog Sledding for a day they would not forget. This was a high-cost trip, and the funds from the Centennial Fund made it all possible.
Indoor Climbing
Twice a month, students have been going down to Salt Pump Climbing to try their luck on the walls. Some students have experience and use this time to practice skills, but for many, it is their first time trying rock climbing. We hope to have outdoor climbing trips this spring!
Clambake!
September 25th, 2022
After the dormancy created by COVID, Clambake made a comeback! Student leaders loaded up trucks and vans, gave the lobster pans a good scrub, and headed to Popham. We had great weather, a great turnout, and a lot of first-time lobster eaters. I think everyone is looking forward to next year!
Acadia Camping Trip
October 20-22, 2022
The BOC took its first overnight trip in quite a while! Some students slept in tents for the first time, while others were taught how to cook over camp stoves. Students took a dip in the chilly water at Sand Beach, watched the sunrise from the top of Cadillac Mountain, and climbed Beehive. There are already plans for an Acadia trip in the spring!
Looking forward
The BOC has a lot of trips and events planned for this semester ranging from Environmental Science Trivia, a collab event with SPARQ to show Who’s On Top (a film that captures stories of members of the LGBTQ community who challenge stereotypes about gender and sexuality, and demonstrate their diverse journeys in overcoming physical and figurative mountains), another round of Trip Leader Training, Winter Carnival fun, and so much more.
BOC members pose for a picture on top of Cadillac Mountain.
BOC members move the lobster pans off the coals- get ready to eat!
BOC students meet at the Ronj