The Penn State University Outing Club is no longer allowed to go out!
The university did a "risk assessment" of the club and decided that hiking, running, and backpacking are too risky. The club told its members the university deemed them above its "threshold of acceptable risk for recognized student organizations."
This is absurd. I am a Penn State alumna, and I hiked in the woods countless times when I lived there. Studies show that preventing young people from taking risks stunts their emotional growth, prevents them from developing identities and independence, and hurts their ability to develop resilience and handle real danger.
Please sign this petition to demand Penn State reverse its decision to prevent the Outing Club from going out!
The club has 169 members and was founded in 1920. How is it that in the year 2018, when society is literally the safest it's ever been, going outdoors is suddenly deemed too risky? Making matters worse, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the Nittany Grotto Caving Club and the Nittany Divers SCUBA Club will also be disbanded as a result of university risk reviews!
Please sign this petition to demand Penn State reverse its decision to prevent the Outing Club from going out, and to allow the Caving and SCUBA clubs to come back into operation.
