Outdoor House Appendix

House Activity Descriptions

House Retreats

An off-campus, once-quarterly, overnight trip organized by the RA team. All residents are strongly encouraged to attend. The goal of these retreats is to build community through the exploration and acquisition of outdoor skills and to engage in a relevant academic discussion or theme. 

House Events

Any themed presentation, discussion, meal-time conversation, workshop, film screening, or colloquium. These events can be centered around topics, such as the climate crisis, amplifying BIPOC and minority voices and participation in the outdoors, indigenous land stewardship and fire mitigation in the West, the relationship between diet and climate change, or the history and cultural significance of Sherpas and mountaineering in Nepal. 

These events could also take the shape of excursions off-campus to put into practice the values and academic theories. We intend to have multiple common adventure trips occurring each week. Organizing and attending House events are excellent opportunities for residents to make and build new connections, learn new skills, explore the local natural spaces, and empower experienced residents to share their passions and knowledge.

Academic Field Trips and Faculty Events

Academic field trips are hands-on experiential events and practicums focused on a relevant academic theme or subject. Faculty events are similar in format to a house event and/or academic field trip but centered or amplified by the expertise and facilitation of faculty. 

Examples include writing a grant proposal in conjunction with faculty, advocating for local policy changes through phone banking and other outreach, connecting with the Rumsey Map Center to explore environmental history, partnering with Stanford Outdoor Outreach Program to lead outdoor trips for underserved student populations in the Bay Area, and supporting the cleanup of and research on the health of local ecosystems such as Jasper Ridge.