Since 1972, the Johns Hopkins Outdoors Club has been taking students off campus and out of their comfort zone on wilderness trips. Joined by Outdoor Pursuits in the early 2000s, the combined outdoors programs at Hopkins at their pre-Covid peak ran 70+ trips, reaching hundreds of students, every semester. In perhaps the most meaningful product of Experiential Education, thousands have started their time at Hopkins with outdoor Pre-Orientation- developing community through exploration and shared experience- over the past 26 years. At the same time, generations of student leaders have grown as leaders, mentors, and people through their participation in the program.

This year, the outdoors program at Johns Hopkins faces an existential threat. The university has canceled outdoor Pre-Orientation without providing a timeline for a return to normal operations for Experiential Education. With the program’s dependence on constant training, and continued recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, even a short gap in operations poses a major threat to the long term sustainability of the organization.

Our requests from the administration at JHU, therefore, are three-fold. First, engage with students and alumni in the hiring process for the two professional staff members needed to run these programs. Second, take measures to reduce turnover in these roles- provide institutional support and pay them equitably. And third, commit to working with students, alumni, and university staff to develop a framework for running trips, including outdoor Pre-O, while these positions remain unfilled.

We sign this letter with sincere thanks to all the students, alumni, and JHU staff that have created the program that exists today and will exist in the future.