Azul Carrasco

On my Orientation Trip to Merritt Island, we were given a huge block of Cabot cheese. Though we didn’t finish it, that block of cheese became a key topic of discussion during those treacherous first couple of weeks. Desperate for connection, I remember sharing pointers for how to incorporate it into meals, laughing at how sweaty it got and expressing shock when someone told us that they were able to actually finish it.

But here’s the thing: Not every O-trip had that block of cheese. Though often viewed as a pinnacle of the first-year experience, this oversight is indicative of the prioritization of Bowdoin Outing Club (BOC) trips over McKeen Center for the Common Good trips. There’s a chasm between McKeen and BOC O-trips, a chasm that doesn’t need to be there.

This fall, I was a McKeen O-trip leader. For the first time ever, McKeen leaders had a training week in May where we learned about leadership skills, emotional regulation and how to interact with community partners. While our training started with the BOC at the Schiller Coastal Studies Center, we said goodbye to them after the first night. Those couple days of training were incredibly gratifying, as I learned invaluable skills and became close with people whom I now call some of my closest friends.

But there were also challenging and uncomfortable moments, especially in the interactions between BOC and McKeen O-trip leaders. As much as I was friendly with BOC leaders, when we finally reunited with them at Schiller, it felt awkward. McKeen leaders were outnumbered five to one, and while no one meant to ostracize us, the separate bonding that we had done in those couple of days ensured that there was a sense of a divide between the two groups.

This divide was exacerbated during the August training after we returned from summer break. Once again, we were together but also separate. We had all-group sessions, in which facilitators mentioned things from Wilderness First Aid, a training that only new BOC leaders attend, that flew right over my McKeen head. Even the ‘welcome back’ potluck was held at the Schwartz Outdoor Leadership Center, a space where many BOC leaders feel comfortable but McKeen leaders may have less familiarity with. There, I once again found myself gravitating toward other McKeen leaders, feeling separate and honestly somewhat intimidated by the BOC O-trip leaders.

But this separation is not necessary. And in fact, it used to be a lot worse. There have been key steps taken to work to bridge this divide, such as giving leaders the same t-shirts and combining more training sessions.

Yet, I want to make sure these efforts don’t stagnate. Instead, I think more active and decisive steps need to be taken to combine these two organizations. Though perhaps superficial, O-trips should not be marketed as a “BOC” or “McKeen” trip. Instead, all trips should be under the header of “Orientation Trips” for incoming students. Look at Dartmouth College, for instance: they have different levels of trips, ranging from farm work days, cabin camping and less-strenuous hikes to intense backpacking and climbing. This range mirrors Bowdoin, as both the BOC and McKeen Center provide trips with different levels of challenge.

I’m not saying that we should get rid of the specifics of McKeen trips or BOC trips altogether. There is much value in offering trips to students that don’t require sleeping in tents. Yet, there needs to be more intention to ensure those types of trips aren’t pushed to the sidelines or made to seem ‘less-than’ BOC trips. Currently, BOC trips will explore a trail or hang out at the beach, and sometimes, they happen upon a McKeen O-trip doing trailwork or partaking in a beach cleanup.

With that being said, here’s my vision: McKeen trips need to incorporate more wilderness activities into their schedules. Students should still volunteer, as that is an incredibly valuable and impactful experience, but they should also have the opportunity to do a chill hike or have a nice day at the beach. In order to prepare McKeen O-trip leaders for these types of activities, the McKeen and BOC trainings need to be more aligned. Instead of just a couple of hours together at the beginning and the end, both sets of leaders should spend at least a full day together, hiking and learning to feel comfortable in the outdoors. After that, they can separate so McKeen leaders can gain the volunteering experience while BOC leaders will need to canoe, kayak and do all the outdoor activities they love. Both groups should then come together once again at the end of May training.

During August training, there should continue to be very little separation between both groups so everyone works together to create posters, sets up Farley Field House and organizes gear. My dream is for this to feel like the ultimate collaboration between the two organizations.

Finally, sometimes the superficial things matter. Both groups should have the same food. Purchasing all that food is a huge expense and undertaking, and it makes much more logistical sense for both groups to work together, while also helping students feel like these groups are much more aligned. And finally, O-trip shirts should not differentiate between “BOC” or “McKeen.” Instead, they should all simply say “Orientation Trips,” to solidify the collaboration.

Dinah Yorkin is a member of the Class of 2029.