Bringing the great outdoors to everyone: Students work to diversify Dartmouth Outing Club

HANOVER, N.H. (WCAX) - Some students at Dartmouth College are working to make the outdoors more accessible to marginalized groups.

The DIJE division of the Dartmouth Outing Club started up in 2020, as the pandemic gave students time to think about making it more inclusive.

The students we spoke to say Dartmouth recruits from diverse backgrounds, which means different levels of experience with the outdoors for different people. That can stem from stereotypes or socioeconomic factors.

The DIJE division works to diversify recruitment efforts, ensure a sense of place and teach about the indigenous history of the places people recreate.

Overall, they say they just want everyone to feel included.

“I think it’s something where we always need to be working at it and always coming back to it, so there’s definitely a need there,” club member Abigail Johnson said.

“It’s definitely an ongoing process and I think we don’t necessarily think about the ultimate end, just the work we’re putting in at the moment to get to a better place,” club member Melody Tsutsumi Cruz said.

The DIJE division held a conference on campus last year, called the “All Outside” conference. They say they plan to hold another one this spring.

Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.