A new financial aid program set to launch this spring break will ease the cost of outdoor activities like spending a night at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge, renting a Dartmouth Outing Club cabin and hiking through the Grand Canyon.
Based on student need, funding from the president’s office will subsidize 30, 55 or 70 percent of programs that cost over $10. Students can apply for funding if they receive financial aid from the College and are a DOC member.
“The more you choose to be involved, the more you can take advantage of it,” director of outdoor programs Dan Nelson said.
The president’s office has designated an annual total of $50,000 to the three-year pilot program, Nelson said.
Nelson proposed the idea of financial aid for outdoor trips to College President Phil Hanlon last fall.
The financial aid office will evaluate students’ eligibility for the pilot program, and students’ financial information will remain confidential from the DOC.
Nelson said he believes Dartmouth has a unique tradition and history related to outdoor activities. Every student at Dartmouth, he said, should be able to take advantage of the College’s outdoor resources and access to the environment. He said that working in the undergraduate dean’s office for over 20 years showed him that students are limited by their financial resources.
Participating in outdoor activities gives students new skills, fosters connections with the community, leads to new friendships, provides leadership experience and offers adventure, he said.
Graham Findlay ’14, who has been involved in the DOC since his freshman fall, said he believes that financial aid for outdoor programs is necessary because all students should be able to participate.
“I think it’s psychologically satisfying to have a sense of context about where you are,” Findlay said.
Although the DOC has awarded financial aid over the last two years from its own budget, funds are limited, DOC president Mac Murphy ’15 said. The cost of trips has made it difficult for club members to participate in past activities, Murphy said.
In the past, Cabin and Trail has offered financial aid with money from the DOC’s reserve fund, Findlay said. When he was co-chair of Cabin and Trail last fall, the group awarded $4,000 in financial aid to students participating in winter break DOC trips, he said.
Findlay said he expects the new program to bring new members and increase involvement by active participants in the DOC. Historically, students who participate in large-scale trips, which are the most expensive, tend to remain involved in the DOC, Findlay said.
Gear and passes can be expensive and could deter students from participating in DOC programs, said Jonathan King ’15, who will be DOC vice president next year.
For a student planning an overnight hike, renting a two-person tent, first aid kit, trangia stove, frame pack, sleeping bag and sleeping pad from the DOC would cost over $40. Renting the same gear for a weeklong trip would cost over $100.
King said the DOC’s programs are valuable and should be accessible to all.
“I think outdoor programs are very relaxing, very healthy,” King said. “They provide a helpful social mindset and a good physical one too.”
