Outdoor recreation club helps bring students outside their comfort zone
By Salimah McCullough | Published by April 13, 2018
Cougar Link OAR Club Flyer. Photos by Salimah McCullough.
Kean student Eyad Khalife knew from the very moment he heard about the Kean University Outdoor and Adventure Recreation Club that he wanted to be a part of it.
Now he’s president of the club.
“A student asked me if I loved to hike, rock climb, etcetera, and I’m very interested in the outdoors,” Khalife said of the group, known as OAR.
The club brings students together with shared interests and curiosities about the outdoors and outdoor activities. The OAR club plans and attends many outdoor events that helps students venture outside of their comfort zones. The club also helps students to become more comfortable participating in outdoor activities. Some of those activities include: hiking, kayaking, and rock climbing.
Trips include hiking on the South Mountain Fairy Trail in Millburn, kayaking, and a day trip to the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange. During each OAR trip, each member provides their own food and the members of the Eboard drives everyone in their own cars.
Members of the OAR club. Photos by Salimah McCullough.
Aazeen Nasir, vice president of OAR, said she found out about the club at an event held at the Miron Student Center where all different organizations had tables and invited students to join.
“I saw the table for this club and read the flyer,” said Nasir. “I thought it was really cool and I wanted to do something out of my comfort zone.”
Nasir said that being in the OAR club “has definitely bought me outside of my comfort zone.”
Khalifeh noticed that when Nasir first joined, “she didn’t even like any of this stuff but she’s doing it, she’s a trooper.”
The members of the OAR club are enthused about everything the club offers them, and everything the club stands for.
“We want to take your free time and turn it into an experience” says Michael Gonzalez, treasurer of the OAR club.
Khalifeh’s message to those who are thinking about joining is “expand your horizons, make new friends, and discover something new about yourself.”
For more information on the OAR club, you can email them at oar@kean.edu or check out their organization on Cougarlink.com.
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