By
Andy Brown
Assistant Director, College Communications
At the end of a late summer rainstorm, a group of first-year UChicago undergraduates trampled through the wet underbrush of a suburban forest as part of their first College preparatory experience. Swarms of mosquitoes buzzed in the thick humidity, but the students were undeterred as they gathered under a tree to listen to their camping guide, Jack Riley.
“Appreciation for nature is not in that which the eye looks upon, but in the eye itself,” Riley had said to the group before they left camp for their walk, citing a Ralph Waldo Emerson metaphor that encourages immersion with nature. “It is developed in the beholder, not in the beholden.”
Riley, a third-year biochemistry major, was serving as a camp leader in the Phoenix Outdoor Program (POP). The five-day pre-orientation excursion, offered by the College’s Programming and Orientation office, provides incoming first-year students with team-building activities that help them foster strong relationships with their new peers, and serves as an early welcome to the UChicago community.
This past September, 125 College students participated in POP at a forest preserve in the Chicago suburbs and at Manistee National Forest in Michigan. In both locations, students also participated in outdoor skill development training and various forms of recreation as preparation for their time at UChicago and beyond.
Dean of Students in the College Jay Ellison, who created the outdoor pre-orientation program in 2018, visited students at the Northbrook Base Camp on POP’s final full day. He said it serves an important purpose in introducing students to the distinctive academic and social culture of the College.
“Being outside for five days with their peers helps these students create special bonds that they will carry with them throughout their time in the College, and gives them a great preview to the high quality conversations that take place daily on our campus,” Ellison said. “After a challenging year due to COVID-19, it is also an opportunity for students to take a breath and reset before the constant activity of O-Week.”
Katie Igielski Welch, assistant director for student transition programs in the College Programming and Orientation office, facilitated the first POP sponsored by the College in 2019. Passionate about camping, hiking and the outdoors in general, Igielski Welch established a mission statement centered on staying present: keep it wholesome.” The program’s activities are intentionally simple to help participants focus on promoting health in body, mind and spirit.
In each location, groups of eight to 10 first-year students were paired with upperclass student leaders, called Rangers, who led their groups through daily activities designed to help them develop an appreciation for the outdoors.
At POP Base Camp, these activities include morning yoga, reflection exercises, hikes, and other outdoor skills classes that encourage healthy habits and the adoption of new skills. Four additional upperclass students at POP Base Camp served as camp leaders, teaching subjects ranging from crafts and local native plants to compass navigation and environmental justice.
POP: Expedition hiked the Manistee River Trail to North Country Trail loop, which is about 21 miles. Along the way, students swam in the river, played games designed for trails, learned to choose and set up campsites and discussed pre-planned topics around the campfire to prepare them to enter their first year as college students.
According to Igielski Welch, many participants from the first year of the program returned as leaders to share the skills they learned as incoming first-year students with the 2021 group. Several students from the 2019 program still gather regularly on campus, a pattern Igielski Welch said she expects to continue every year. There was no formal POP in 2020 due to COVID-19.
In one activity designed to cultivate that level of communication, students considered and discussed what core values were most crucial to them as they headed into college. Aidan Aronoff, a camp leader at Base Camp and a third-year student majoring in political science and Near Eastern languages and civilizations, described the process as “nurturing.”
“You get to know people really fast, really well,” Aronoff said. “On the first day, people are talking about where they’re from, and on the last day they’re giving their deepest secrets. Being in nature kind of helps break down people's barriers.”
Elizabeth Zazycki, another camp leader and third-year student studying history, politics and geography, said her most memorable moments at Base Camp were the conversations that took place around the campfire every night.
“I’ve had a lot of great talks with my campers about where they come from and identifying the strengths they bring to college,” Zazycki said. “I’m looking forward to getting dinner with everyone for the rest of the year and seeing how this program has created a home for them before they even started the school year.”
Igielski Welch said that beyond preparing students to enter college, POP aims to instill in them the value of living sustainably. Taking care of waste, purifying water and spending all day outside helps give students a greater awareness of opportunities to make an impact in the larger global ecosystem, she said.
“Removing daily distractions or regular responsibilities allows people to not only recharge but also reassess and reflect on where they are, where they’ve been, and where they’d like to go – all of which are incredibly important ideas to reflect on as students enter college,” Igielski Welch said. “We hope students come out of the program with new ideas of not only how to keep themselves healthy and fulfilled, but also of how to look for ways to contribute to the community at UChicago and beyond.”