Summer 2011 - University of Massachusetts Lowell

Studentscene
C A M P U S N E W S
Peter Murray rides a
wave in Rye, N.H.
their victories. I've left each trip with
new friends and better understanding
of how I handle challenges.”
For Murray, the best part of the
program is the feedback he gets from
students.
“There is nothing like the look on a
student’s face when they do something
they never thought they could or would
have a chance to do,” he says. “Most
people don’t get to go rock climbing
outdoors on a real cliff or be one of
the first people in the United States
to watch the sun rise from the top of
Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National
Park in Maine. We often hear that
these trips create lasting memories
and confidence that changes students’
lives.”
STUDENTS SURF,
SKI AND SKYDIVE
Surfing. Ice climbing. White-water rafting. Skiing. Kayaking.
Rock climbing. Skydiving. Watching the sun rise
from the peak of a mountain.
Sounds more like scenes from a Patagonia catalog than
from a UMass Lowell student’s day-to-day life. But thanks
to the University’s Outdoor Adventure Program, all of
those activities are available to students at little cost.
This year, the University also began offering trips to
national parks. Over Columbus Day weekend, guides
took 10 students to Acadia National Park in Maine for a
three-day camping trip. During Spring Break, a group of
11 tackled the Grand Canyon.
More than 500 UMass Lowell students take part
in the program, which is the most extensive in the
five-campus system, says Peter Murray, director of Campus
Recreation.
The cost to students ranges from $5 to $500, the latter
covering larger trips like the one to the Grand Canyon.
In most cases, however, students don’t have to travel far
to take adventure of amazing natural wonders.
“Lowell is centrally located in New England, which
allows easy access to some of the best natural resources,”
Murray says, adding that his team runs trips in all six
New England States.
Patrick O’Connell, a senior majoring in business administration,
has participated in an overnight backpacking
trip, two white-water rafting trips and one winter hike.
“When pushed to your limits, exposed to stressful situations
and accomplishing great feats, you get to see
people in their truest form,” O’Connell says. “You learn
how they overcome hardship and how they appreciate
Student Brett Workman
scales the cliffs of Craw’s Hill
in Leominster State Forest.
Students crest the Maytag Rapids of the
Kennebec River in Maine.
INTO AFRICA: NURSING
STUDENTS DELIVER
CARE TO GHANA
While many students enjoyed winter
break relaxing with friends and
family, members of UMass Lowell’s
Nursing Students Without Borders
program spent long hours in impoverished
conditions 5,000 miles away.
The 10 senior nursing students, led
by Asst. Prof. Valerie King, delivered
care, supplies and compassion
to Ghana, West Africa. They were:
Kelly Britton, Lorna Bratt, Alexandra
Lamont, Melissa Bernier, Lauren
Horgan, Jason Hebert, Laila Charmchi,
Kimberly Cook, Erica Lavoie
and Amanda Cincotta.
Nursing student Amanda Cincotta
takes the blood pressure of a Ghanan
citizen while classmate Jason Hebert
looks on.
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