Nittany Divers SCUBA still exists

Published 24 August 2018

Contrary to recent reports, the Nittany Divers SCUBA Club continues to remain a recognized student organization by Penn State University. Following a recent risk assessment by Campus Recreation and Risk Management, Nittany Divers has transitioned to a special interest organization focused on promoting a community around students interested in SCUBA diving and snorkeling.

Nittany Divers will remain open to all Penn State students interested in SCUBA diving, and will continue to run regular meetings and events for the 2018-2019 academic year and beyond. The Nittany Divers primary focus is continuing to foster and to build the SCUBA community for students at Penn State. Being a certified SCUBA diver is not a requirement for membership in Nittany Divers.

The Nittany Divers will no longer organize any underwater activities. Instead, the Club will encourage all members to participate in the numerous trip opportunities Penn State's Outdoor Adventures program will be offering beginning in Fall 2018. Outdoor Adventures and Nittany Divers look forward to building a symbiotic relationship that will enable numerous, safe diving opportunities to be enjoyed by the Penn State diving community.

Outdoor Adventures is a University organization that offers indoor and outdoor recreation opportunities to students. Outdoor Adventures is committed to offering a variety of affordable SCUBA diving opportunities at Penn State including 'Try SCUBA' events for non-divers, pool sessions for certified divers to practice their skills, beginner and continuing education SCUBA courses, and SCUBA trips to local dive destinations. Nittany Divers members will be assisting Outdoor Adventures in devising their local dive offerings.

Nittany Divers was founded in 1967 by Penn State students, and has enjoyed a storied history over the years. Our members are happy that the Club's student leadership and University officials were able to work together to create a new arrangement that is beneficial for everyone involved.

Nittany Divers' staff advisor, Jon Leslie, has provided the following statement: "Following the University's risk assessment, Penn State Student Affairs met with the club's leadership to inform them that Nittany Divers would no longer be a recognized student organization. During that meeting, our student leaders expressed how they felt that community was essential to the sport, and that SCUBA at Penn State couldn't thrive without it. Student Affairs was very receptive to the students' ideas on how to continue to serve the diving community while addressing the safety concerns raised by the risk assessment."

Other Statements by current members:

"Contrary to what was implied in the misquoted follow-up article posted by reason.com, we believe that this move is great for us. Outdoor Adventures has agreed to work with us to continue offering great local diving opportunities for students. Now our club can focus solely on continuing to build a community of students who are passionate about SCUBA" -Alex Pulice, Nittany Divers President- (democratically elected President, not "group leader," as reported by reason.com)

"We're really happy we were able to work with Penn State to keep the Nittany Divers tradition alive." -Jason Reiter, Nittany Divers VP-

"This year was our 50th anniversary. We're looking forward to 50 more!" -Whitney Marshall, Nittany Divers Secretary-


	Nittany Divers SCUBA still exists Published 24 August 2018 Contrary to recent reports, the Nittany Divers SCUBA Club continues to remain a recognized student organization by Penn State University. Following a recent risk assessment by Campus Recreation and Risk Management, Nittany Divers has transitioned to a special interest organization focused on promoting a community around students interested in SCUBA diving and snorkeling. Nittany Divers will remain open to all Penn State students interested in SCUBA diving, and will continue to run regular meetings and events for the 2018-2019 academic year and beyond. The Nittany Divers primary focus is continuing to foster and to build the SCUBA community for students at Penn State. Being a certified SCUBA diver is not a requirement for membership in Nittany Divers. The Nittany Divers will no longer organize any underwater activities. Instead, the Club will encourage all members to participate in the numerous trip opportunities Penn State's Outdoor Adventures program will be offering beginning in Fall 2018. Outdoor Adventures and Nittany Divers look forward to building a symbiotic relationship that will enable numerous, safe diving opportunities to be enjoyed by the Penn State diving community. Outdoor Adventures is a University organization that offers indoor and outdoor recreation opportunities to students. Outdoor Adventures is committed to offering a variety of affordable SCUBA diving opportunities at Penn State including 'Try SCUBA' events for non-divers, pool sessions for certified divers to practice their skills, beginner and continuing education SCUBA courses, and SCUBA trips to local dive destinations. Nittany Divers members will be assisting Outdoor Adventures in devising their local dive offerings. Nittany Divers was founded in 1967 by Penn State students, and has enjoyed a storied history over the years. Our members are happy that the Club's student leadership and University officials were able to work together to create a new arrangement that is beneficial for everyone involved. Nittany Divers' staff advisor, Jon Leslie, has provided the following statement: "Following the University's risk assessment, Penn State Student Affairs met with the club's leadership to inform them that Nittany Divers would no longer be a recognized student organization. During that meeting, our student leaders expressed how they felt that community was essential to the sport, and that SCUBA at Penn State couldn't thrive without it. Student Affairs was very receptive to the students' ideas on how to continue to serve the diving community while addressing the safety concerns raised by the risk assessment." Other Statements by current members: "Contrary to what was implied in the misquoted follow-up article posted by reason.com, we believe that this move is great for us. Outdoor Adventures has agreed to work with us to continue offering great local diving opportunities for students. Now our club can focus solely on continuing to build a community of students who are passionate about SCUBA" -Alex Pulice, Nittany Divers President- (democratically elected President, not "group leader," as reported by reason.com) "We're really happy we were able to work with Penn State to keep the Nittany Divers tradition alive." -Jason Reiter, Nittany Divers VP- "This year was our 50th anniversary. We're looking forward to 50 more!" -Whitney Marshall, Nittany Divers Secretary-