In the summer of 2022, students on the Rhodes Outdoor Organization’s (ROO) mailing list received a disheartening email: unless new students stepped up to fill leadership positions, the organization, which had been inactive since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, would be officially disbanded. Less than a year later, ROO had been completely revamped under a new executive board and named the 2023 Student Organization of the Year at the annual Campus Life Awards.
“We had to restart from the ground up,” says ROO President Skylar Rutledge ’25. “And we had no one who had been in ROO before the pandemic, much less anyone who had been on the executive board. We had to fly by the seat of our pants.”
Planning, budgeting, and traveling were challenges from the outset. “We had no clue what kind of events people would want to attend, or how to pull them off,” says Rutledge. Even after deciding on a mix of activities such as campfires, movie nights, hikes, camping, and overnight trips, decisions had to be made about how much food to buy or what gear to bring.
Recounting the organization’s first hike, ROO Treasurer Joshua Morris ’26 says, “It should have been a disaster. Sixty people signed up to go on a hike and then came the pouring rain. Everyone ended up with mud caking their boots or streaks of dirt on their pants. Yet, I never heard anyone say they had a bad experience. That’s when I knew this was the start of something great.”
Slowly but surely, word got around that ROO was back. Public Relations Chair Riley Damiano ’24 says, “At first, we were very unsure how successful our events would be.” However, it quickly became clear: their first on-campus campfire had nearly 200 attendees, and the events have only grown since.
Part of ROO’s success stems from their focus on inclusivity. While on the surface the organization’s main draw is getting students into the wilderness, they also seek to foster connections between students of all levels of “outdoorsy-ness.” The on-campus campfires—complete with s’mores and grilled cheese—are low-pressure events meant to welcome students and ease their adjustment to college life. “Especially at campfires, I often find myself chatting with younger students,” says Damiano. “It makes me really happy when I hear that ROO has helped them connect with more of their peers.”
Although the on-campus campfires have become a ROO staple, the trips are still the main attraction, taking students on one-day hikes in local spots such as Meeman-Shelby Forest, T.O. Fuller State Park, and Shelby Farms and overnight stays in Alabama’s Sipsey Wilderness and Arkansas’ Buffalo National River.
“There is just something special about hiking into the wilderness and sleeping under the stars,” says Rutledge. “Enjoying the outdoors with others offers an opportunity for connection that I’ve never found elsewhere. I’ve found it really valuable to connect via disconnecting.”
Now that ROO has found its groove, the organization is planning even bigger and better events for the upcoming year. This fall, a backpacking trip to the Ozarks in Missouri is scheduled, as well as more day hikes and joint events with other organizations. Interested students can find ROO on Presence or on Instagram @rhodesoutdoororg, where event plans are updated regularly.
By Hannah-Elsie Meit ’25
