RSCO FEATURE GREAT OUTDOORS CLUB Gavin Griffin runs for Titusville City Council

By Samantha Weber Editor in chief

Mercyhurst freshman

Gavin Griffin is running for City Council in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Griffin is a political science major and is passionate about local politics and public service. At just 18 years old, Griffin would be the youngest council officer in the history of his native Crawford County.

This is an impressive challenge for anyone to take on, let alone a college student.

Are you someone who enjoys the great outdoors?

If so, there is a new RSCO that is just right for you to join on campus.

The Great Outdoors Club is a new RSCO that was just approved last week. Since they are so new, there has not been an actual meeting yet, but the club has a lot of ideas for the future.

The club hopes to host several outdoor activities which include hiking, backpacking, camping, fishing, kayaking, canoing, skiing/snowboarding/sledding, biking, exploring, cookouts, outdoor games and more.

This club strives to share their passion for nature and the outdoors while giving students the opportunity to make new friends and find a community of people who share an interest in the outdoors. As indicated by the name, all of the activities and events that the club puts on will be outdoors as long as there are no dangerous or hazardous weather patterns.

This is a great opportunity if you love being outdoors, but feel contained on campus a lot of the time. As a member, you will get to explore the wonders that nature has to offer in Erie.

This club was started by Aden Ricketts, a sophomore Geology and Physics major. When asked why they started this club, Ricketts said, “We recognized that, though our campus is beautiful, there are many amazing places beyond the gates that are unknown to most students. This club will offer members a chance to step away from the oftenstressful life of college on campus and experience the outdoors, all whilst meeting new people and spending time with friends.”

The faculty advisor for the club is Bryan Prindle. Prindle was first introduced to the club through Sue Sweeney who was helping the club become a recognized student club.

“I met with the students who put the club together and we all thought I would be a good fit,” Prindle said. “I hope that the students get a greater appreciation of what mother nature offers us in the local area.”

Ricketts said, “I like to think of the Great Outdoors Club as more of a community than an organization, a stress-free place for members to relax and enjoy nature, and I hope others view it in a similar way. I believe this club offers a fantastic opportunity for those passionate about the outdoors to connect.”

If you are interested in joining, please reach out to Ricketts or Prindle about when the club will be meeting next.

Griffin joined the Junior Councilman Program when it was first established in 2022 and he did everything including attending meetings to research and the decision-making process even though he was unpaid and did not technically have a vote.

With this experience along with his current internship with Senator Bob Casey, Griffin has had plenty of political experience at such a young age.

Griffin’s political agenda is helping the poor by having more collaborative local social services, increasing the availability of Narcan to save lives, ensuring first responders have adequate staffing and equipment and advocating for more CPR training and the installation of AEDs in the community.

In order to run, one has to have 100 signatures, Griffin went door-to-door to obtain these signatures and he stopped after receiving 150. He continues to go door-to-door to get to know his potential constituents and what they want to see in their city.

Griffin included an essay piece outlining why it is important for young people and college students to seek out change in their own communities through public service. He wanted to include it in this article:

“The youth of our country today have been born and raised in what is perhaps the most turbulent time of any such generation in recorded human history.

Born in the 21st century, most have never known America in a time of peace. They have witnessed the death and destruction caused by international terrorist attacks. They have lived through the ill-fated forever wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now see our government’s failure to serve the veterans we sent to fight them.

They have seen a financial crisis, caused by deregulation and the risky greed of banks deemed “too big to fail.”

They have experienced an economic recession, watching prices go up and American jobs disappear.

They have been the test group for a brand new worldwide social experiment called the internet, and the effects have led to increased suicide rates and decreased feelings of true connection with others.

They have watched as their fellow students across the country are murdered in their classrooms, and have continuously been told to offer ‘thoughts and prayers’ for the victims and their families.

They have seen a rise in hate, an erosion of justice, and the breaking of our social fabric, one piece at a time.

In spite of all this, however, the youth of the United States continue to hold on to hope. They continue to work in the pursuit of good, even when their more cynical elders tell them not to bother. They foster relationships with those who think differently from themselves, even when those in Washington are incapable of doing so.

In short, America’s young people have faced a world dominated by hate, unyielding to change, and still they persist in attempting to be a force for good.

As the youth of this country begin to come of age, it seems ever more evident that the only true agents for positive change in their lifetime must be the youth themselves.

We, as a nation, need a new generation of leaders to fix our country from the bottom up, and expand a new and uniquely American vision of hope, justice, and prosperity that is so desperately needed today.”