Wright State student leaders took part in the 7th annual Take Flight retreat on Friday, June 28 through Sunday, June 30.
The retreat was coordinated by Debbie Lamp, Associate Director of Student Activities, and was held at Camp Joy in Clarksville Ohio.
The Take Flight program advocated for a better sense of unity between the multiple student organizations on campus, according to Lamp. The theme of the weekend was trust, featuring the book Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey.
Lamp said the retreat was open to the students who held executive positions within in their organizations. A total of 62 students were in attendance.
The total amount of expenses for the three-day and two-night stay was $13,000. The money went towards things such as: transportation, t-shirts, name tags and printing services used while at the retreat.
Sticking with the “Take Flight” theme, students and staff were given aviation code names to assist in the organization of the activities. There were 52 “passengers” (the students), six “flight attendants” (students who helped with team-building exercises) and two “pilots” who oversaw and directed the group.
There was also a group of “ground control” staff who assisted in setting up and tearing down as well as observation.
The itinerary for the retreat consisted of: four presentations, various team-building group activities and a high ropes trust exercise. Lamp said there was also a student initiated group reflection and teaching of the WSU fight song.
“The students who attended were very impressive,” Lamp said. “ The students really put their heart and soul into the comments made in the reflections.”
Graduate Student of Student Affairs and Higher Education Jeff Klemm said he particularly enjoyed observing the care that the students had for their individual organizations. Klemm also said that the students who attended would absolutely apply the information learned at the retreat in dealing with future leadership problems.
Organizational leadership major and senior Vinicius Vargas served as a flight attendant for the weekend retreat. Vargas said that the Take Flight program gives students a chance to meet other people and learn about organizations that they might not know about.
Vargas also said he feels that the Take Flight retreat could improve on reaching out and getting the smaller organizations to come, because not many were in attendance.
Graduate student Nicholas La Torre said that the weekend helped him to get to know is co-workers much better.
“I learned more about the people I work with in a weekend than I did in the month and a half of working here,” said La Torre, a graduate student of Student Affairs and Higher Education. “It was great to see them challenge themselves and also encouraging other groups.”
“The vulnerability of the high ropes course allowed me and my partner to bond more closely.” said President of Rainbow Alliance Khadija Kirksey.
Kirksey said she hopes to see introduction of sessions that deal with differing types of leadership methods. Kirksey felt that the Take Flight Retreat might be manufacturing the same type of leader by not including various leadership methods.
“Some group members need a different type of leader or leadership style,” said Kirksey.
