SC Spotlight: Peaks and Professors
by Ayman Siraj ‘18
Peaks and Professors is an organization on campus geared towards connecting students with professors through outdoor trips. Trojans 360 sat down with the co-presidents of Peaks and Professors, Thomas Donovan and Peter Bergmann to get some deeper insights into Peaks and Professors!
Cottonwood Lakes. Photo Credit: Darice Wong.
What was the reasoning behind the founding of Peaks and Professors?
USC is a large private school and often it’s hard for students to get an intimate experience with the great professors we have on campus. Freshmen especially are afraid to go up to professors and do not have ready access to professors in some of the larger lecture based classes. Furthermore, office hours are in a formal academic environment. Club founders Allegra Bishop, Adrienne Visani and Jack Koppa thought putting students and teachers in the outdoors would help connect them on a personal level. It is a whole different level when students and professors are sweating their way together hiking!
If you had to describe Peaks and Professors in three words, what would they be?
Well we can do better with just two words! “Think outside.” That’s our motto and I think it gets to the core of our message and what are about. We want to stimulate thought by thinking outside the box of the classroom.
Do you guys have weekly meetings, and what’s the best way to join your club or stay updated?
Not really. We do all our communication through email. We sometimes have movie screenings and will send information out on our emails, usually two or three times a semester. Just sign up for our email list and go from there. As for joining the club, you can just come on a hike and it’s as easy as that! We also just released our Trip Lead applications so if you want to be involved on a much more personal level, we would love for you to join!
What’s the coolest event you two have had so far?
This semester we went on a 3D/2N backpacking trip to the Cottonwood Lakes with Jason Kutch, professor of Kinesiology. We hiked the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range and got in some breath taking views at 11,000 ft. Jason brought his family with him and the group camped out and then backpacked towards the lake.
Joshua Tree Stargazing Trip on March 5th. Photo Credit: Ben Banet
Another cool trip was in the Fall of 2014. The trip was with Professor Philip Ethington who is a Professor of History, Political Science, and Spatial Sciences. We travelled to a camp site in the San Gabriel mountains through the Gabrielino Trail. Professor Ethington is an expert on Native Americans. He brought a book of Native American fables and legends. Our campsite was the same place the Native American would go up, to take refuge during the summer when the weather got hot in the low lands. It was awesome to hear those stories and reimagining them as he told us the stories. We also took shots at trees using bows and arrow!
What advice would you give to students who are considering joining Peaks and Professors?
Get outside of your comfort zone. Discover yourself. I was busy in high school. Wanted to try something new in college and for me camping was going out of my comfort zone.
How does one become a trip leader?
We currently have fifteen trip leaders. We just released our Trip Lead application on Sunday, October 16th. We only recruit in the fall semester so this is your chance! There is a written application for the first round and an interview with current trip leads as the second, final round. As our trips all sell out in a few minutes, the demand is much higher than the supply right now so we’re looking to add a large trip lead class – apply apply apply!
http://peaksandprofessors.org/join-our-team/
How long have you been with the organization?
Thomas Donovan (Business Major, Senior | from Walnut Creek, California):
I joined in Fall 2013 as a freshman with three folks who have graduated now. I joined because I met them at an involvement fair. It was an intuitive concept for me. I enjoy learning, going to class and have a decent amount of intellectual curiosity. This was a great way to experience professors outside of class.
My first hike was Devil’s Punch Bowl. It was my first time in the real outdoors. I’m from Northern California and grew up across the street from a State Park. It was weird for me being somewhere surrounded by a concrete suddenly. Peaks gave me a way to connect with professors while experiencing the outdoors.
Group shot from the 9/23-9/25 trip to Cottonwood Lakes with Jason Kutch. Photo Credit: Christopher Deng.
Peter Bergmann (Economics and Mathematics Major, Junior | from Portland, Oregon):
I joined during the Fall of 2014. My first hike was Portuguese Bend. I met two members and they convince me to join. The day of the trip I almost slept in but then had a realization, “Hey we paid for it so might as well go!” I always loved playing sports and I was trying to find something different that was active and this unique concept of an outdoors club really appealed to me. I also loved the trip leads I had met and could see it becoming an integral part of my college experience.
How much does a trip with Peaks and Professors cost?
We price our trips at marginal cost so we are not making a profit. We charge $7 for standard trip goers and then $5 for anyone who can drive a group. Costs usually go towards gas reimbursement and parking fees as well as food and such on overnight trips.
How does one sign up for a trip?
All they need to do is sign up for email list. All the information is there. We have no MEMBERSHIP FEE so there is no reason anyone should not be on the mailing list! Sign up on our website at peaksandprofessors.org.
We send out an email blast twice a semester – “Trip Waves.” All a student has to do is sign up and pay the deposit. We cap our events at 15 people so students can truly engage with the professors. Usually a trip will consist of twelve students, two trip leads and the professor.
How fast do spots fill up?
We currently have about 2300 people on our emailing list. Trips sell out as fast as Coachella tickets! Our fastest sellout was fifteen seconds.
Trojans 360 also managed to grab a word with the Peaks and Professors faculty advisor Brett Sheehan, a professor in the Department of History, Faculty Master at Parkside Arts and Humanities Residential College and Director of the East Asian Studies Center.
What made you decide to become a faculty advisor for Peaks and what would you say to students looking to join Peaks?
I loved the concept. USC is always looking for new ways for faculty to engage with students and this was a brilliant student-led initiative. Walking and hiking make conversation more natural than is often the case in an office or classroom setting. In addition, over the years, the enthusiasm and commitment of the Peaks and Professors student leadership has been inspiring.
Joshua Tree Stargazing Trip on March 5th. Photo Credits: Ben Banet
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