Hello all,
As many of you have already heard, UT has recently decided that they are no
longer interested in supporting the Canoe & Hiking Club, and we have been,
in short, completely prevented from officially carrying out our normal
activities. We have started a fundraiser and I have included the details
below, please forward this message to anyone you think may be interested,
and with any club alumni you know.
Thanks!
- Kyle
The Canoe and Hiking club is a fantastic student resource that allows many
students to experience outdoor recreation for an incredibly affordable
price. Students could pay $50 dues for the entire year and can go on as
many trips as the club hosts with free access to gear from the University
of Tennessee Outdoor Program (UTOP). As of this month, the University has
decided “they do not recognize [past] agreements with clubs.” This means
the club no longer gets free gear rentals from UTOP as we have for so many
years. The club has also been prohibited any access to the whitewater rafts
UTOP owns as it had in the past. Since free gear rental is no longer an
option, the club is attempting to raise money to buy as much gear as
possible to avoid raising dues to pay for gear rental. The club is in great
need of donations specifically for tents, sleeping bags, paddles, helmets,
and climbing gear. Below is a link to our GoFundMe with even more
information. Any donations are greatly appreciated. If you are unable to
donate please share this letter to help us spread the word! Thank you!
History: The UT Canoe and Hiking Club is one of the oldest sport clubs at
the University of Tennessee. For many years was the only source of outdoor
recreation for students. The club started in 1968, and, over the decades,
students collected a vast amount of outdoor equipment. As a club, we have
made many contributions to the university outdoor community, including the
funding and construction of an on campus climbing wall (VOLwall) in the
1990’s. In 2003, the University created UTOP and partnered with The Canoe
and Hiking Club to provide the initial gear investment. The club would
allow UTOP to use all of its gear for UTOP trips and also handed over
control of the climbing wall. In exchange, UTOP would maintain the gear and
allow the Club to use it and any gear acquired in the future for free. The
Canoe and Hiking Club and UTOP worked well together until recently.
Recent Changes: At the beginning of this semester, the university decided
“they do not recognize agreements with clubs.” They have used this as
justification to deny the club free access to the gear it had previously
agreed to let us use. They have also removed the club’s access to some gear
entirely, including whitewater rafts and canoes. The university has
returned some of the gear that was part of the original agreement donation.
However, in the weeks leading up to informing us of these decisions, they
destroyed or surplused a majority of the remaining agreement gear,
including several canoes and whitewater kayaks as well as the club’s canoe
trailer. Additionally, the university has decided The Canoe and Hiking Club
would no longer be allowed to store our canoes on campus, forcing us to
remove them and find storage elsewhere. Currently, there is no permanent
storage solution and they are being stored at a member’s apartment. The
university has imposed massive regulations on the club’s ability to take
trips, and our club exclusively. In order for the club to take any trips we
must pay thousands of dollars in order to obtain Wilderness First Aid and
Swiftwater Rescue certificates for both our student members as well as our
non-student volunteers. Obviously, the club cannot afford this change,
which effectively prohibits the club from taking any trips. So how can you
help?
Write letters: The club is currently escalating this issue outside of
RecSports, and is working with Director of Student Engagement (and
hopefully soon with the Dean of Students). We would love to encourage these
people to support the club with a huge stack of letters from our alumni,
detailing their personal experiences with the club and how important it is
for it to remain a part of life on campus.
-
Director of Student Engagement Address
Jordan Smith
915 Volunteer BLVD
2227 Dunford Hall
Knoxville, TN 37996-4020
Phone: (865) 974-5455
-
Dean of Students Address
Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor & Dean of Students
413 Student Services Building
Knoxville, TN 37996
Donate: As a result of these changes, the club must raise significant funds
to continue to function. To bring the club back to full operation, we are
looking to purchase the following:
-
20 sets of Paddling Gear (PFDs, Paddles, Wetsuits, Helmets)
-
2 Canoes
-
2 White Water Rafts
-
Canoe Trailer (for 8 canoes)
-
Storage Shed (at least 10’ x 16’)
-
Camping Gear
-
15 Tents
-
25 Sleeping Bags
-
25 Sleeping Pads
-
10 Backpacks
-
Cooking Equipment
Here is a link to our GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/Canoe-Hiking-Club).
Any donations are greatly appreciated. You may also send the club a
donation through our Venmo (@UT-Canoe-Hiking) or with a check to:
Canoe & Hiking Club
960 Riverside Forest Way
APT 8
Knoxville, TN
37915
Spread the word: Please help us spread the word to other alumni and friends
of The Canoe and Hiking Club. The club does not have detailed lists of
alumni so you are our best resource in getting in touch with as many as
possible. Please forward this email to club alumni you know and share our
Facebook post here. (
https://www.facebook.com/goodrickk/posts/10207764905984533?pnref=story)
Storage: If you have an idea for a permanent or temporary solution for our
storage problem, please let us know. We currently have a couple rafts in
one member’s apartment, six canoes in another, and whitewater / camping
gear scattered around several others. We are currently working with Ijams
nature center to try and work out a storage solution, but if you are able
to help in any way please let us know.
Stay in touch: We want to stay in touch with you all to share the progress
of the club moving forward. If you want to keep up with the club, please
fill out this Google form, and we will be sure you stay up to date with the
club. (https://goo.gl/forms/pLEvkxrAAzOneApI3)
If there’s anything else you can help the club with, please get in touch
with us through the Google form.
Thank you for all of your support!
________________________________________________________________________
UTCHC Mailing List Archive: http://listserv.utk.edu/archives/utch-l.html
UTCHC Web Site: http://web.utk.edu/~canoehik
