Adventure Club challenges students

According to club president Peter Treagan, the Adventure Club is not just about Saint Rose students participating in weekend getaways.

"We're not just about having adventures. We're about making a positive impact in this environment," said Treagan, a senior at The College of Saint Rose. "We are offering anyone on this campus the opportunity to have an experience that can change their life and change how they look at the world."

While not a new club, the Adventure Club has revamped this year with more members, officers, and activities planned than ever before.

According to Treagan, it is the enthusiasm of the new officers and members that "gives us a lot of force and momentum to spearhead a lot of things that Adventure Club was designed to do."

Treagan was particularly impressed with the growth of the Environmental Club last year, which planned many events on campus and was named Club of the Year.

"That's us," Treagan said. "That's what Adventure Club is going to be this year."

"Peter and his core leadership team have been working very hard to make Adventure Club a known entity," said Michael Stratton, Director of Computer and Media Services and co-advisor for the Adventure Club. "I have been very impressed with their dedication." Stratton advises the club along with Sarah Coons and Michael Geroux.

The first meeting of the semester took place at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, October 7 with all seven officers and over 30 interested members packed into a room in the basement of Lima Hall.

The Adventure Club is made up of several committees that handle different functions of the club. These committees include Advertising, Fundraising, Ski and Snowboard, Community Service, On Campus, Core, and Frosting.

The Core committee is responsible for activities that are staples of the Adventure Club.

"Core is like cake," Treagan said. "We will always have cake." These activities include horseback riding, rock climbing, and white water rafting. The Frosting committee is responsible for organizing activities that may not be consistent over the years, such as the apple picking, corn maze and hay ride planned for this fall.

Treagan heads up the Core committee while co-secretary Erica Wardell is in charge of frosting. The Advertising committee led by Holly Drawe is responsible for poster design. Co-treasurers Melissa Reynolds and Leslie Searles run the Fundraising committee, which is currently working on a community service project to send soccer balls to communities in Senegal, South Africa, and possibly Latin America with the help of DeGiovine.

"It's amazing how much of a difference even some soccer balls can make for kids who don't have anything but tin cans to play with," Treagan said.

The Community Service and On Campus committees are led by co-secretary Lizzie Edwards. The On Campus committee is responsible for events such as the acoustic show held on the campus green featuring One Over Chaplin and Theresa Kabat. The club worked with MEISA to host the event.

"It was awesome," said vice-president Tyler Hassenpflug of the show.

In addition to the acoustic show, the Adventure Club has also participated in an overnight hiking and camping trip to Pharaoh Mountain in the Adirondacks and a horseback riding trip near Lake George. Upcoming events include a haunted hayride on October 25, 2008 for $20.

Students interested in participating in the Adventure Club can contact the club at [email protected].

Ultimately, the Adventure Club is about cultivating life experiences, not only for students, but for all members of the global community.

"It's not about me. It's all about Saint Rose. It's about Albany. It's about New York. I'ts about the world," Treagan said. "We're a product of the accumulation of experiences we've had. Four years of college can go by and you've never done anything interesting or worthwhile."

© Copyright 2009 The Saint Rose Chronicle

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