A US college outdoors club is being disbanded because its activities, which include hiking, running and backpacking, are deemed too risky.
Pennsylvania State University officials said the group will be reconstituted to focus more on safety.
The 98-year-old Outing Club is one of three that will be disbanded from next semester: the caving and scuba clubs have also been deemed unsafe.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by qzm on Friday April 27 2018, @04:04AM (1 child)
I really REALLY hope they dont find out what the students get up to in some of the other 'clubs'
This smells a lot like someone has stuffed paperwork claiming the university must be responsible for any/all risk and they have panicked and pulled the club..
Easy solution reform outside the university, and give the university the correct amount of bad publicity, which they deserve.
The correct response, as carried out in many 'could be dangerous' activities, is signed waivers of risk by members.
The university bureaucrats should be publicly lambasted over this, and the club should turn its back and walk away.
(Score: 3, Informative) by RS3 on Friday April 27 2018, @04:42AM
You're on the right track. This is just more fallout from the Jerry Sandusky problem. Penn State was hit with record fines and incalculable damage to its public image. More recently they've had negative publicity because of a hazing death in an on-campus frat. I wouldn't be surprised if they shut down more and more similar clubs and activities, just not all at once because that would look bad too.