By ABIGAIL RENAUD ’28
Updated 11:50 a.m. EDT, 10 April 2026
EPIC Adventures adopts a new name under new leadership. Josh Bailey, Resident Director (RD) of the Townhouses, is taking on the additional role of Director of Outdoor Activities and Recreation (OAR). The rebrand and name change aims to hone in on the purpose of the program for students and the community.
Previously, OAR strived to be involved on campus, however the momentum from previous leadership ground to a halt as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdown. Bailey hopes to get the ball rolling again and to build off the foundation that EPIC laid.
One facet of the outdoor activities is the Highlander Wilderness Adventure Program (HWA), meant to embrace the outdoors and challenge students to grow. Jackson Collins ‘27, who has been both a participant and a two-time leader, particularly appreciates the opportunity for spiritual growth that the program provides. He hopes that the strong spiritual emphasis will be maintained under new leadership. The community bonding experience and “life lived in community” is something that Collins values. An area of OAR that Collins thinks could use improvement is “explicit clarity,” and he thinks that “[Bailey] is going to do a good job because he’s prepared and knows what’s up.”
OAR is not in unfamiliar hands; Bailey himself was involved with HWA as a student at Houghton University (HU), as a participant, leader and as logistics personnel: “It was an extremely important and powerful part of my life, and I wanted to be able to help provide that experience for incoming students.” He grew up spending a lot of time “generally being outside more than in,” so outdoor recreation has always been an area of interest for him.
Beyond HWA, OAR helped organize events with zip lines, ropes courses, rock climbing, and more. Hannah Willistein ‘28, who was involved with OAR last year, loved her time with the organization. “We renovated the ski hut and had a fun sledding day up on the ski hill with hot chocolate.”
Bailey wants OAR to continue doing activities of the same variety, but also wishes to make them more accessible and available to more students. In recent years, OAR maintained a somewhat elusive presence on campus, which has been a barrier to student participation. Bailey hopes that by bringing some of OAR more to the main campus, both in activities and presence, more students will get involved. While involving current and new students in OAR programming is certainly a focus, “introducing outside groups to HU is a big part of it” as well in hopes to provide more opportunities for involvement. ★
