Bert's letter to Cantor and Co.

Ms. Cantor,

I am an alumnus from 2004 and an ex-President of SUOC.

I wish to express may grave concern in regard to the Syracuse University Outing Club being reclassified as a club sport. I regard SUOC as being an incredibly successful leadership development program that attests to Syracuse University as being in the forefront of leader development for 70 years. Originating from a service fraternity, this social club can be best served under OLGEL and their leadership initiatives. A move to club sports is a strong mark against this history and a push toward their activities as merely hobbies.

SUOC has created leaders that have just this past year have reached the summit of Everest and been on survey/exploration teams some of the deepest caves in the world. Many of their current student members are highly regarded professional guides during their summers. An enormous percentage of their ranks are leaders, not simply patrons.

Although SUOC uses some technical skills, their focus has always been on training leaders, not athletes. They create a diverse group of leaders, who constantly are working to enhance each others skills, with relationships that truly transcend gender, race, creed and religion. Recreation Services does not have the expertise to advise them on their technical, leadership or social objectives.

SUOC should be celebrated as one of the greatest triumphs of OLGEL and their leadership fostering initiatives.


Brett Kelly

Remote Sensing Engineer

U.S. Forest Service