Outdoor Adventure Club gains momentum on campus

By CSU Media | November 19, 2019

Students seeking opportunities to connect with others in the context of outdoor activities will find a fantastic community in CSU’s Outdoor Adventure Club, or OAC.

The OAC boasts over 60 members and has grown rapidly since its foundation in 2017. The club holds a strong emphasis on forming community with other students. “The main purpose is just to get people together and go out and enjoy nature together,” said Wylie Jackson, president of the OAC.

The club also provides an opportunity for students to meet others who are in their major, forming friendships, study groups and finding leaders who can help guide them along their college journey. National Center for Education Statistics show that students who are involved in activities at school are more engaged and often perform better in the classroom.

Jackson acknowledges this and emphasizes how the OAC serves as a great place to form connections. “If we can provide somebody the opportunity to make one good friend, then I am excited about it,” he said.

Charleston Southern emphasizes integrating faith in learning, leading and serving. The OAC serves as a catalyst that allows members to come closer to God, while presenting them with opportunities to lead and to serve. The club participates in several service projects each year, with a beach clean up planned in the coming weeks.

The club is also a place for believers to come together and share their faith with one another. Jackson emphasized the importance of Christian community within the OAC, discussing how being together in nature allows the members to come closer to God.

“Unplugging a lot of people, and then plugging them into each other, and allowing them to really pick apart each other’s brains and enjoy the presence of one another — we get to really enjoy each other and then we get to take that and we get to enjoy God when we’re alone. Even though there’s other people there, we get to enjoy him while we’re alone in these places,” he said.

Jackson was eager to encourage others to join, speaking about his passion for reaching out to commuters and his hope that more students will become involved in the club so that they can develop deeper connections.

“I’d say, do it, cause you don’t know if you’re ever going to get to do it again; you never know when you’re going to have another opportunity to make friends, to go enjoy nature, to go appreciate God and what He’s created for us, just go ahead and do it.”

To get involved with the Outdoor Adventure Club, contact Jackson at kwjackson@csustudent.net.

Wesley Myers is a student contributor for Marketing & Communication and is a senior majoring in communication studies.