The Outdoor Pursuits (OP) program at Fort Lewis College (FLC) provides students with an accessible and inexpensive way to access outdoor gear and guided field experiences.This study examined the effects of an OP trip on participants' interpersonal communication skills and their sense of fear. The study utilized a pretest-posttest design. Consenting participants completed a Likert scale survey before and after an OP trip during the winter of 2013. The subjects consisted of FLC students who are active OP members and students who were not part of the OP program. Results suggest that students who participate in an OP trip have significantly (p=.001) more interpersonal communication skills afterwards. The results also concluded that with repeated measures, the program does not show statistical significance (p=.06) in interpersonal communication skills. The results also concluded that there was no relationship between OP and its participants sense of fear (p=.016). The results also indicate that, after repeated measures, that there is no relationship between pre and post trips (p=.14) and the reduction of participants sense of fears. The conclusion from this study allows for OP to recognize how to best suit their participants needs.
