Adventures to enrich your college experience

By Toria Bodden: Features Editor

Media Credit: Office of Campus Recreation

In last week’s issue, we reviewed some adventures to raise your happiness level without plundering your wallet. But what about exciting activities right here in our own proverbial backyard?

That’s where the ASI Excursions program comes in. Run by the Office of Campus Recreation, the program offers several outings during the course of the semester, all designed to introduce you to new activities or give you a chance to cheaply participate in some you already love.

I suspected when I walked into Clarke Field House to talk to the people in charge of the program, I was going to end up stuck in a room with a couple of fitness fanatics, the air smelling slightly of sweat, Gatorade and condescension. I was dead wrong. I ended up with two nice guys who just want to give CSUSM students some cheap thrills of the legal and decent variety. Hugo Lecomte, the head of Campus Recreation, greeted me with a smile and a firm handshake. His passion for the ASI Excursions program quickly became evident, his words gathering speed as he told me about the 20-pounder they caught on last year’s deep-sea fishing excursion. Steven Greene, the student in charge of the program itself, seems like every other laid back surfer, but he joined in and soon became animated telling me about the change in people after the excursions. “People come out and get to do these activities, and it’s just great to see their reactions. We did indoor skydiving last semester, and it was amazing to see people afterwards… they could have fun and get their mind of school for a bit,” he said with a shy smile.

This semester’s excursions start with a kayaking and snorkeling trip to La Jolla Shores that’s so popular it sold out in less than two days.  Future activities include rock climbing, surfing, deep-sea fishing, paintball, and even a Lakers game down in San Diego. So why join the merry band from ASI instead of striking out on your own? “I guess the first thing would be the prices for the students, because it’s so cheap. We’re giving 40 to 50 percent off regular group rates, so that’s usually around 75 percent off [the price for] individuals. You’re going along with people your own age with your same interests,” Lecomte explains. “And we’ve been doing this for a while… we’ve tried a few different outfitters, and if we can find better services, we do that. And we take care of the entire logistics. If you tried to do it [yourself], you’d have to reserve, book, get in a group. But we take care of that, and transportation, and usually food. It’s like… an all-inclusive cruise.” And he’s right on the money. The prices are amazing. They range from five dollars for rock climbing to 30 dollars for Premier Lodge seats at the Lakers game. In fact, when I checked San Diego Bike and Kayak Tours for their Kayak and Snorkel Tour of La Jolla Shores, their lowest possible rate was 60 dollars for nearby date. ASI Excursions is taking students for 20 dollars, which includes lunch and transportation from campus.

I was also curious about how the adventures were chosen. Greene jumped in and explained, “Well, we initially plan some that we’ve been doing for a while. At the beginning of our training here at Campus Rec, we all put out ideas, and see what people agree on… We each go on one or two excursions, to host them. I’m doing surfing.” Campus Recreation also puts out a survey each year that asks students and staff what they would like to see for exercise classes, excursions, and even intramural sports.

The benefits of the program seem obvious to me, but I wanted to hear what it means to the people in charge of it. You can tell Lecomte has given this a lot of thought. “It’s really established as a norm now, not just academic classes offered as part of the college experience, but also these opportunities to interact through recreational/sports settings. It has been researched and established that there is a direct correlation between recreation or sports participation and excellent in academics.” He pauses for a moment. “Campus Recreation has taken your mind out of your book, and not just to get away but to experience something that is an internal development. We provide learning outcomes from our experiences.”

Lecomte and Greene may not have been the fanatics I was expecting, but it’s obvious that they care a great deal about enriching students’ lives outside of the classroom, and ASI Excursions seems a perfect way to do that.

For more information, log on to http://www.csusm.edu/rec/excursions.html, or stop by Clarke Field House. To sign up for an excursion, bring the excursion fee to Campus Recreation, in Clarke Field House, Room 119, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Online sign-ups are not currently available, but will be in the future.