PULLMAN, Wash. — It’s called the “Cougar Adventurer,” the newest service of the Outdoor Recreation Center, which brings the world of the outdoors to students computers via a twice-monthly newsletter.
The electronic newsletter is produced and edited by student staff at the ORC, a service of the Associated Students of WSU. The Adventurer includes updated information on trips, classes and programs organized by the ORC as well as information on exciting places to go and things to do in the region, said Chris Tapfer, ORC manager.
The newsletter also runs important announcements of road, campground or trail closures; weather alerts; and other information that outdoor enthusiasts need, he said.
One of the well-read parts of the Adventurer is a section of follow-up reports filed by students. In the reports, they list “what went on during an activity, and how well everything worked out. This helps others in planning and organizing their activities and determining what they would like to do,” Tapfer said.
Subscribers to the newsletter are encouraged to send in their trip and activity reports, stories or other useful information to be edited and included in an upcoming issue. Drawings for gift certificates and outdoor gear items encourage contribution of articles to the newsletter.
The Cougar Adventurer was the brainchild of WSU 2000 graduate Brent Brewder, former ORC Rental Shop student manager. “Brent felt the ORC should reach out and make it even easier for students to get involved. As the first editor, he laid the groundwork that is continued today by the students editing and writing for the newsletter,” said Tapfer.
To date, more than 40 issues of the newsletter have been published and more than 20 students have written articles or contributed information to it.
Tapfer said the newsletter has more than 400 subscribers and is “growing every day because it is a way to keep in touch with what’s going on in outdoor recreation in the area.”
Subscribe to the Adventurer by sending e-mail to orc@wsunix.wsu.edu and specify “subscribe” in the text area. Or call the ORC at 509/335-2651 and provide an e-mail address. New students may also subscribe by returning a mailer-card from ORC brochures available in residence halls.
For more information on the Cougar Adventurer newsletter or the ORC, see the unit’s Web site at http://cub.wsu.edu/orc, call 509/335-2651, or visit the ORC, Room B-22 in the ground floor of the Compton Union Building.
