The Outdoor Education Program is committed to promoting a positive learning environment for its students in outdoor adventure activities. Outdoor education, by its very nature, involves students in confronting and managing multiple risks in a variety of environments. Learning to recognize and assess risk is one of the central missions of the program while recognizing that managing all risks is ultimately not possible.

Personal Responsibility & Preparedness

Students are expected to manage their own clothing
and equipment, carry weight of approximately 40+
pounds over uneven terrain, prepare meals suitable for the environment, sleep in co-ed groups, and care for themselves in a variety of weather conditions, including extreme weather. They need to be able comprehend directions in challenging situations and respond appropriately to changing conditions and very real dangers. We often ask students to work collaboratively in small teams, and each student’s attitude and personal preparedness is important to the success of the educational experience. We conduct our training activities with sequential instruction and practice to deepen the knowledge, skills, and judgment of our students.

Environment

We use a variety of programming sites that include mountains, inland lakes and rivers, and the seacoast area, including the Atlantic Ocean. Even the most experienced traveler is subject to environmental hazards like rock fall, fluctuating rivers, and plummeting temperatures. In some remote programming areas in the Northeast, evacuation is a complex process that may take more than a day. OE faculty, staff, and students may need to manage situations for extended periods until medical help can be obtained. The program has emergency response protocols and evacuation procedures for its programming sites. Students must recognize that even more accessible locations may require several hours to obtain assistance.

Communication

We carry cell phones to our practice sites and on trips for life-threatening emergencies, but this does not guarantee reliable communication between the field sites and our program contacts at UNH. Phone communication is subject to terrain, atmospheric conditions, and battery life. Increasingly our culture has an expectation of communication, yet the river valleys and mountainous terrain in which we program can interfere with phone transmissions. We do not allow personal phone calls to students on trips in an effort to preserve the battery life of our phones, nor does the UNH base expect status reports from our faculty and staff in the field on a regular basis.

Medical Considerations

Upon admission to the university students are required to complete a physical assessment and immunization record with a health care provider and to submit the information to Health Services. We recommend that OE students obtain an annual physical exam and obtain medical care as needed to be physically and emotionally prepared for our courses. We may ask students with a medical problem to obtain a medical provider’s clearance to participate in a field course or defer the course to a later date. Together we try to make sure that a student is able to handle the rigors of an experience so that we can prevent an evacuation.

Faculty and staff are trained Emergency Medical Technicians and Wilderness First Responders who can manage medical incidents, are trained to evacuate students with more serious injuries, and can obtain additional rescue assistance if needed. In addition, our students are expected to pass the certification requirements for Wilderness First Responder as a program requirement.

We carry a limited number of medications in our first aid kits.  Students are asked to bring an adequate supply of over-the-counter and prescription medications. We recommend that students with medical conditions carry their own medications in an easily accessible location and know how to administer them. Students with known allergies are advised to carry two courses of epinephrine and Benadryl. Those students with corrective lens such as contacts or eyeglasses should carry a back-up set.