Outdoor Pursuits

The Outdoor Pursuits LLC, in partnership with Gonzaga Outdoors, offers students the opportunity to live with others who love the great outdoors! Popular trips include climbing, hiking, kayaking, rafting, and skiing. Students in the LLC are invited to participate in LLC-specific excursions led by trained Gonzaga Outdoors Trip Leaders called Outdoor Pursuits Programmers (OPPs) who also live in the LLC. With access to a private outdoor courtyard and a nearby public park with picnic tables and a walking path, as well as easy access to the famous Centennial Trail, the Outdoor Pursuits LLC is the ideal LLC for students who want to challenge and develop themselves in the outdoors.

	The Outdoor Pursuits 1st Year LLC is located in Marian Hall.		The Outdoor Pursuits LLC is located on both first and second floor.
	1st Year Outdoor Pursuits LLC residents can only be roommates with residents in the Outdoor Pursuits LLC.		Linked Course Required for LLC Residents: First-year Seminar: ENGL 193 Civilization Reconsidered Faculty: Dave Tagnani

Great for students who...

• Are excited by the opportunity to take several outdoor excursions.
• Wish to grow in their ability to plan and navigate outdoor adventures.
• Are open to cultivating a holistic perspective of human or other impacts on the health of the eco system. 

Outdoor Pursuits LLC Campus Partners and Faculty Fellow: 

Outdoor Pursuits is fully supported by the Gonzaga Outdoors department. This partnership includes the support of trained trip leaders to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all participants.

Faculty Fellow: Dave Tagnani 

Meet Outdoor Pursuits Faculty Fellow: 

David Tagnani: My name is Dr. David Tagnani, and I'm the Faculty Fellow for the Outdoor Pursuits LLC. I teach writing and literature in the English Department, and many of my classes as well as my research interests concern the relationship between humans and the natural world. I teach a First-Year Seminar for the LLC called "Civilization Reconsidered." This course asks us to wrestle with the costs and benefits of living a civilized, industrialized, urbanized life alienated from the non-human and divorced from the natural rhythms and cycles of the Earth. I am an avid hiker and backpacker as well as a poor but enthusiastic skier. 

About the Linked Course: 

ENGL 193, FYS: Civilization Reconsidered. (Sec. 01 LLC) Is civilization worth it? It is likely a question few of us have considered since we’ve never known anything else. But this seminar will ask whether living in a civilization is conducive to human flourishing. We will look back at the long sweep of history since humans have established sedentary, hierarchical societies; we will chart the differences and changes that have ensued; and we will establish a value system by which we might evaluate such changes. To facilitate this inquiry, this course will investigate diverse perspectives from a variety of disciplines such as psychology, anthropology, literature, and human ecology, among others. Instructor: Tagnani. 

"Outdoor Pursuits provides a rare opportunity for residents to interact with and learn from the outdoors through specialized programming, free gear rentals, and a close-knit, energetic community." - Caitlin R., 2021-22 RA 

Community Learning Outcomes:

1. Inclusive Community Building: Build inclusive communities and professional networks that promote equity, diversity, and belonging by fostering meaningful relationships with peers, faculty, and industry professionals.
2. Purposeful Pathways: Explore personal, academic, and career pathways by identifying goals, reflecting on values, and developing action plans that support lifelong learning and purposeful engagement.
3. Cultivating Capacity: Cultivate leadership, creativity, and critical thinking skills to contribute meaningfully to the Gonzaga and greater Spokane communities.
4. Outdoor Recreation Skills & Knowledge: Develop practical knowledge and leadership skills related to outdoor recreation through regular engagement and participation in outdoor recreation trips, workshops, and informal gatherings.
5. Environmental Justice & Awareness: Describe current trends in environmental justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, including the impact outdoor recreation has on the environment and surrounding local communities.
6. Outdoor Stewardship: Explore your role as a good caretaker and steward of the earth, its natural resources, and all creation through the examination of the Jesuit ecological mission.