<u’ve come to any CANOE open meetings this term you will have seen that the couchboat room has been stuffed full of Carls excited to sign up for trips. Or maybe you’ve come to open dinners on Tuesdays at 6.30 and had good food and good conversation. Needless to say, CANOE House provides meaningful experiences and opportunities for many students on campus, especially those who don’t have the weekend time to go on trips. As good as Chaney House has been for CANOE in recent years, more Carls should have the opportunity to hang out and get to know the deep and diverse CANOE community in a larger and more centrally located CANOE House.
The CANOE House community has touched many lives since its inception as Outhouse in the late 80s. One of those people forever changed by CANOE House was 2007 alum Wade Johnson, who worked for the climbing film company Sender Films after he graduated Carleton. He loved the work and went on an international expedition to China. Tragically, he and two other expert alpinists on the assignment died in an avalanche on Mount Gongga in May 2009.
Ever since, Wade’s parents have been brainstorming ways to celebrate his life. One of the ways they have decided to memorialize him is to support CANOE because of the immense good it did for Wade. Now, the Johnsons are willing to donate a new CANOE House in Wade’s honor so that more Carls can experience the outdoors and share those sorts of meaningful experiences that mattered so much to Wade. The CANOE community is exceptionally grateful for this donation and we believe that it will benefit the whole Carleton community in so many ways both seen and unseen.
In discussions with the College about a new CANOE House, the administration has proposed renovating Hill House to become CANOE House. I understand that removing Hill from the draw-in pool poses challenges for students who want to live in a nice big old house that is not an interest house. I think that draw-in spaces like this need to exist on campus especially with the changes to Northfield Option, Huntington, Crack and Love Houses in recent years. A student-only CANOE working group will assess whether the administration’s siting, Hill House, is a good choice or not. The tentative plan is to begin this remodel this summer, which could eliminate a house for spring room draw. If you have any thoughts about how these larger campus housing concerns could be addressed and where CANOE fits in, I would love to hear them.