Newswise — As the start of a new school year approaches, anxiety levels can hit an all-time high for many incoming and returning college students. From leaving home for the first time, to visions of the "Freshman 15," or impending research papers and midterms, it's easy to see how new freshmen, as well as returning students, can have increased stress levels during this time of year.
One often overlooked way to deal with the pressures of a stressful environment is to head outdoors. As one of the outdoor adventure capitals of the country, Utah has both public and private colleges and universities that provide a plethora of opportunities for outdoor stress relief. With most schools located within hours (often minutes) of world-class ski resorts and water bodies, as well as national parks like Moab, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Utah is positioned to offer far more stress-busting outdoor recreation activities than most U.S. schools.
At Westminster College in Salt Lake City, a brand new outdoor recreation program was created in 2007 to capitalize on all of the outside activities. This fall, the college will host backpacking trips to the Uintas, peak ascents in the Wasatch, fly fishing in the Provo River, and mountain biking and kayaking trips, to name a few. In the winter season, the college will also host their fifth annual "Winter at Westminster" program, a study-abroad alternative where students from all over the U.S. will spend a semester there to ski and snowboard, study full-time, and take advantage of the proximity to world-class ski resorts, visit Olympic training centers, learn avalanche training, and have opportunities to meet with outdoor recreation industry leaders.
"I believe it's very important for colleges to offer outdoor recreation activities as an outlet for students to relieve stress and to make friends," said Marvin Seale, M.A. in Kinesiology and Westminster's Director of Fitness, Wellness and Recreation. "Westminster and other Utah schools are in an exceptional position to take advantage of all the natural resources the state has to offer."
University of Utah's outdoor recreation program originally began in 1950 as the student-run "Ute Alpine Club." In 1976, it became professionally managed under campus recreation services, although all of their trips are run by student volunteers. Over the past year, the program hosted climbing trips to Moab, rafting trips on the Snake River, and for the fall of 2008, they are proposing a kayaking trip to Lake Powell and climbing in the City of Rocks.
The Utes also have a very robust outdoor rental program that brings in quite a bit of revenue to the school.
"Our outdoor rental program is a lot of hard work, but it [the revenue] allows us to focus on the more important things like student leadership and development," said Rob Jones, co-manager of the university's outdoor recreation program. "You can get a great degree here as well as climb, mountain bike or ski within a half hour of campus."
Jones also agrees that outdoor activities can relieve stress, but feels it's the support systems that students establish are really the key.
"It's the friends you make, the community you build and the development of lifelong habits that really help relieve stress," he said. "Students who make those connections often tend to do better."
Along with the connections, the outdoors also gives adventurers a healthy and different perspective.
"I climbed King's Peak last fall with the outdoor recreation program," said Ben Rackham, Westminster student. "As I signed up for the event, I was wondering if I was biting off more than I could chew with midterms coming up. However, I soon realized that spending a weekend in the Uintas was the best way I could prepare for midterms. The perspective I gained from that experience made midterms a breeze. With so much beauty in the world, how could I spend my life worrying?"
Several other Utah schools have significant outdoor recreation programs, including Utah State University in Logan and Weber State University in Ogden. With the number of outdoor recreation programs throughout the state, there should be no lack of stress-relieving activities for students to participate in.
RSS