Wilderness Instructor Leadership Development

Application for Fall 2013

W.I.L.D is an instructional program for prospective Outing Club leaders, focused on building wilderness and leadership skills, team building, positive group dynamics, diversity training, and FUN! We are looking for enthusiastic, hardworking applicants dedicated to learning, getting involved in OC leadership and sharing their love of the outdoors with others! Though no wilderness experience is necessary, it will be helpful to have familiarity with basic outdoor living skills. W.I.L.D will not only instruct in necessary technical outdoor and group leadership skills, but will also familiarize “WILDees” with the operations and procedures of the Outing Club, through this we hope to enhance the Outing Club community. The class will meet for two and a half hours each week and consist of three MANDATORY weekend tutorials.

Class will meet Wednesday nights

(Class begins September 18th)

7:30-10:00pm

The Three Weekends are:

1st weekend: Sept. 13-15

2nd weekend: Oct. 18-20

3rd weekend: Nov. 16-17

& An on-campus debrief, date and time TBD

The cost of the class will be $165. This will cover a textbook, binder, transportation, food, and all gear rentals throughout the semester. If accepted, your payment for class will be due by the second class on October 6th. Please do not allow the cost of this course to stop you from applying. Some scholarships are given to students on the basis of need. If the cost of the class causes you to hesitate, please enclose an additional paragraph stating your financial aid situation. Applications are due Friday, September 27th at noon to the OC Desk at SGA in the Davis Center or the Outing Club House. No late applications will be accepted. Thank you for applying for W.I.L.D. and we look forward to meeting you.

Name: _________________________________

Year: _________ Major: __________________

Phone#: ________________________________

Email: _________________________________

Local Address: __________________________

_______________________________________

Hometown: _____________________________

Have you applied to WILD before? YES / NO If so, when?________

Are you applying to SMAC or PFD ? YES / NO If so, which?____________

If yes, and you are selected for both, which will you choose?_______

Have you previously participated in SMAC PFD or BSAAP? YES/NO If so, which?_______

Did you do Trek? YES/NO If so, which?______________

Do you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions (vegan etc.)?_____________

Please rate your experience and skills in the following categories. Circle 5 to indicate heaps of experience and skills, and 0 to indicate that you have no experience in that area. For example: If you have never been backpacking circle 0, if you just finished hiking the Appalachian Trail circle 5. Please Note: Acceptance to the WILD program is not solely based on the level of experience you have and not all of the following skills will be part of the WILD curriculum. They only allow us to be aware of your previous experience.

Leadership 0 1 2 3 4 5

Backpacking 0 1 2 3 4 5

Orienteering 0 1 2 3 4 5

Winter Camping 0 1 2 3 4 5

Cooking 0 1 2 3 4 5

Fitness Level 0 1 2 3 4 5

Snowshoeing 0 1 2 3 4 5

Rock Climbing 0 1 2 3 4 5

Ice Climbing 0 1 2 3 4 5

Canoeing 0 1 2 3 4 5

Kayaking 0 1 2 3 4 5

Skiing/Riding 0 1 2 3 4 5

Other___________ 0 1 2 3 4 5

We will be conducting interviews in groups of 3-6 students. They will be short and painless, we just want a chance to meet you and talk a little bit about your experiences and interest in the program specifically. Please highlight or circle ALL times that you would be available for interviews. We will notify you the night of Jan 28th with your interview time. Note all times are PM.

Sunday Sept. 8th Monday Sept. 9th Tuesday Sept. 10th

6:00-6:20 7:00-7:20 7:00-7:20

6:20-6:40 7:20-7:40 7:20-7:40

6:40- 7:00 7:40-8:00 7:40-8:00

7:00-7:20 8:00-8:20 8:00-8:20

BREAK

7:20-7:40 8:20-8:40 8:20-8:40

7:40-8:00 8:40-9:00 8:40-9:00

9:00-9:20 9:00-9:20

8:20-8:40 9:20-9:40 9:20-9:40

8:40-9:00 9:40-10:00 9:40-10:00

Please type your responses to the following questions on a separate sheet of paper and attach to this application. Your responses are only the first part of the evaluation process. We will be conducting group interviews in conjunction with reviewing your application. Your responses should be relevant and relatively concise, but take the time to thoughtfully consider and answer these questions, as your responses will be the only information we have about you prior to your interview.

Drawing from the list above, please elaborate on what you feel your strongest backcountry and wilderness skills are.
Once again using the list above as a guide, indicate what you feel are your weakest backcountry skills and if and how you wish to improve them.
Why do you want to be an Outing Club Leader, and what do you hope to gain from WILD?
What will you bring to the class and to the leader community upon completion of the course?
Tell us what leadership means to you and please give an example of a time when you exemplified strong leadership skills.
What would a close friend say your best attributes are?
What do you think will be the easiest part of the program for you? The most difficult?
Have you been on any outing club trips and/or TREK? Please specify which trip(s) (location, type of trip, etc.) and what you took away from it/them. If you were on TREK, who were your leaders?
Please list any other clubs and organizations that you are or plan to be involved with on campus as well as any time commitments that could interfere with WILD.
Share your favorite body of water and list three adjectives to describe it.
What is one of your favorite quotes?
What came fist the chicken or the egg?

The process of evaluating applications and interviews is an extremely difficult one. We make a great effort to put together a well-balanced class compiled of people with a variety of backgrounds and attributes in order to create a dynamic learning community. Unfortunately, to maintain a manageable class size of 15 students and with so many well-qualified applicants, we must still turn people away that undoubtedly would be valuable additions to the class. So, please do not be discouraged if you are not accepted into the course. Keep doing what you love; play outside, go on some Outing Club trips, and reapply in the future. If you are accepted, keep in mind your spot is wanted by many others, and if you feel as though you cannot fully commit yourself to this course, please let us know as soon as possible! Thanks for taking the time to fill out this application and for showing interest in our program!

Happy Trails,

The WILD Coordinators,

Jack Markoski, Emma Raeside, Logan McKee, Emma Stein and Izzy Lazarus

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We offer one fully paid Identity-Based scholarship per semester. If you are interested in an Identity-Based scholarship, and are a first generation college student; an African, Latino, Asian & Native American (ALANA) student; or a Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Transgender or Questioning (GLBTQ) student, please attach a brief paragraph explaining what you will add to the group.

Note: If you want to receive confidential financial support, please sign the line below. This authorizes us to check your financial aid package to determine the appropriate amount of support. Please also include a paragraph or two about why you need financial aid.

Name:_____________________________________Date:__________

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NOTE TO APPLICANTS: Don’t complete the following form! As a reference, these are the skills that will be learned throughout the class and that prospective leaders are expected to be familiar with upon completion of the W.I.L.D. program. The coordinators will not use this guideline to “grade” WILDees, but to help each prospective leader work on the skills they have less experience in throughout the semester.