Students who want to be outside and active need not look any further than NIU’s Outing Centre.

The Centre, created in 1983, offers an array of activities and opportunities for students, including indoor and outdoor rock climbing, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, learning workshops, skiing, ice skating and yoga.

Christine Lagattolla, student manager of the Outing Centre and junior kinesiology major, said the intention of the Centre is “to meet the need for student populations who like to participate in outdoor activities, and to provide leadership development opportunities for the student population.”

This year, the Outing Centre has organized planned trips to Devil’s Lake, Wis., for rock climbing; stargazing; a backpacking trip at Kettle Morraine South, Wis.; and kayaking, canoeing and exploring the Maquoketa Caves. For next winter, the Outing Centre has planned cross country skiing and ice skating at Millennium Park in Chicago.

“We try to add new outings for each semester,” Lagatolla said. “We encourage students to give us their opinion and ideas for trips through surveys and evaluations, as well as during the trip planning process, for extended trips on what the group would like to accomplish.”

Students pay fees for some of these activities, but the listed fees will cover equipment, transportation, meals and instruction, Lagattolla said.
Sign-up for the Outing Centre’s planned trips is limited. The Centre limits the number of participants on each trip from about eight to 11 participants.

“In the field, we like to keep a smaller leader-to-participant ratio for better quality learning opportunities,” Lagatolla said.

Students also have the option of renting equipment from the Centre for their own personal trips. Rental fees are charged at a per day rate or a weekend rate, and can range from $2 for a sleeping bag to $16 for a canoe or kayak. Students can rent out camping equipment, sports equipment, winter equipment and water equipment.

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