*Highlighted lines are the most recently revised restriction/policies

Purdue Outing Club – Standard Operating Procedures

General Operations

Below are the requirements and procedures that must be met to be considered an official/active member of the Purdue Outing Club, check out equipment, and lead trips:

• A Club Sports Waiver must be signed.
• A Purdue Outing Club Agreement Form must be signed.
• Club dues must be paid($25 for a school year/$20 after Fall semester).
• Gear may only be checked out for a single individual’s use. No checking out gear for another member/non-member. Club Sports Consultants are exempt from this rule.

When returning gear, all gear must be returned by the individual who checked out the equipment.

• Gear may only be checked out by a designated gear consultant.
• Gear must be checked for cleanliness, dryness and that all pieces are included when equipment is returned.

The following are extra restrictions placed on sport specific gear:

Kayaking

Gear Checkout

Below are the sport specific restrictions for checking out Kayaking gear:

• No kayaking gear will be checked out without knowledge and consent of at least two club kayaking consultants.
• Club gear will be checked out only for use by POC members.
• Club gear checked out has to be returned clean and in good condition before the following roll session.
• When returned, club gear will be cleaned (*refer to cleaning procedure below) and replaced neatly into its designated spot in the kayaking storage area.
• Club kayaking gear includes: boats, PFD's (personal flotation devices), paddles, spray skirts, helmets, splash jackets, boat outfitting, throw ropes, raft + rafting equipment, and wetsuits.
• Any gear checked out by any member without the approval of at least two kayaking consultants will be considered as stolen. Failure to return the gear in previously inspected conditions by the kayaking consultants in a reasonable time provided by the kayaking consultants will result in the suspension of club membership and be held responsible for the replacement of club gear. Purdue University DRS (Division of Recreational Sports) and ODOS (Office of Dean of Students) may be notified depending of the severity of the matter as judged by the kayaking consultants and the current president of the club.
• Gear checked out shall be used ONLY for kayaking, on water, and must not be used for any other purposes unless if deemed appropriate by two or more kayaking consultants.

Gear Lost

Below are the sport specific restrictions for lost Kayaking gear:

• If gear is lost, broken, or damaged, this information will be quickly communicated to the kayaking consultants.
• Lost gear will be charged towards user unless gear is lost in a dangerous situation (due to safety reasons), e.g. when a paddle is lost due to a swim, getting caught in an underwater sieve in strong current that is not retrievable.
• Lost gear due to negligence will be charged at full cost for replacement towards the user, e.g. forgetting a paddle at the take out, or letting the current flush an improperly secured boat downstream and losing it, or improperly secured gear flying off the vehicle transporting it on the highway.
• Lost/pinned gear on the river will be retrieved with the best effort without jeopardizing the safety of any other paddlers and individuals.

Gear Transportation

Below are the sport specific restrictions for transporting Kayaking gear:

• Kayaks to be transported with roof racks must be strapped down securely.
• An extra safety strap is highly recommended for each tie-down.
• Skirts must NOT be on the kayaks while sandwiching the kayaks together to prevent the skirts from tearing.
• Driver/Owner of the vehicle will be held accountable for the consequences of kayaks/gear falling off roof racks of the respective vehicle, with that being damaged gear and/or traffic accident.

Gear Return and Cleaning Procedure

Below are the sport specific restrictions for returning and cleaning Kayaking gear:

• Fill one trash can with baby shampoo and water, this will be the wash bucket.
• Fill the other trash can(s) with water only, these will be the rinse buckets.
• All neoprene items and Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs) will be washed by soaking in the wash bucket for at least 5 minutes then being thoroughly rinsed in the rinse buckets.  If extra rinsing is needed use the hose until all soap has left the neoprene.
• Helmets can be washed in the above manner or with the hydrogen peroxide.
• The boats and paddles will then be hosed down.
• After the initial rinse, the hydrogen peroxide solution will be applied to the boats and paddles.
• Rinse all boats and paddles again to remove all traces of dirt and hydrogen peroxide.
• Cleaning check: no leaves, twigs, branches, dirt, sand in boats
• All gear will then be hung up nicely in the closet to dry.
• Once the gear has dried put it away nicely in the lockers or its’ respective place.
• DO NOT put wet gear in the lockers or on the ground.

Roll Session

Below are the sport specific restrictions for Kayaking Roll Sessions:

• Participants must have done the swim test required by the BAC (Boilermaker Aquatic Center) to be allowed in a kayak or the dive pool during roll session.
• Participants must shower before entering the pool. (As stated in BAC policy: linked below)
• Kayaks can only be launched into the pool on a protective (blue) mat.
• Roll sessions will be only held with the presence of at least one Leader. A Leader is a kayaking consultant or a specific individual appointed by a kayaking consultant to lead the respective roll session.
• At least two individuals (including the Leader) must be in the vicinity of the location of which roll session is held (dive pool) the entire duration, for which roll session is held, to have participants in the water with kayaks.
• The Leader must be currently first aid, CPR and AED certified. (As specified by DRS Club Sports policy)
• The Leader can only lead roll session without such certifications as stated in the previous statement with the presence of another club officer or senior member that holds such certifications. (As specified by DRS Club Sports policy)
• Whatever has been taken out from the storage closet for the use at roll session must be returned and properly placed at their designated spots by the end of roll session.
• Read the following for more restrictions of the BAC.

• Rec Sports Facility Policies

Trips and River Running

Below are the sport specific restrictions for Trips and River Running:

• Every paddler running a river should have read and fully understood the following text:

• Safety Code of American Whitewater

• Purdue Outing Club, Purdue University, or any other individuals will not be held liable for any lost of personal belongings, injuries, or death that could occur during a trip.
• Every paddler joining a trip must have consulted and have been approved by two or more kayaking consultants.
• Any trips done alone or without any kayaking consultants must have been approved by two or more kayaking consultants to use club gear.
• Participants on trips should be familiar with, and respect the local river ethics and culture.

Trip Leading

Below are the sport specific restrictions for leading a Kayaking trip:

• At least two rescuers will be the trip leaders for each kayaking trip.
• Ratio of rescuer to beginner (or non-rescuer) for a kayaking trip will be at most 1:3; a rescuer is an individual acknowledged by all of the kayaking consultants to have been equipped with the essential swiftwater rescue equipment, knowledge and ability.
• A rescuer is defined as such:

• A rescuer is equipped with but not limited to a rescue PFD with tow tether, throw/rescue rope(s), locking carabiner(s) and first-aid medical kit,
• has the knowledge to read and run whitewater rapids well and have a full understanding of the hazards on the runs on the respective trip,
• has the full confidence to successfully run the whitewater rapids on the respective trip,
• has the ability to perform a T-rescue and/or a hand-of-god on a capsized kayak with or without a responsive or unresponsive kayaker, and/or to rescue a swimmer by towing him/her to safety, and/or to perform a live-bait rescue on a swimmer recirculated in a hydraulic or a swimmer in a pin situation, on any run, all minimizing the risk towards the rescuer himself/herself and other trip members/paddlers on the respective trip and the river,
• has at least a basic first aid and CPR training and certification, and
• is acknowledged/appointed by all of the kayaking consultants to be a rescuer.

• Trip leaders will be aware of the extent of the abilities of all trip members and will keep everyone on the trip informed of the difficulties/dangers on the runs of the trip will present.
• Trip leaders will review available guidebooks/literature about the trip destination so as to be aware of all known hazards before the trip.
• Trip leaders will be responsible for providing a comprehensive safety briefing before every trip.

Drivers and Car Owners

Below are the sport specific guide for Drivers and Car Owners during a Kayaking trip:

• Trip drivers must be certified by Purdue DRS, more info for certification here: http://www.purdue.edu/recsports/programs/club_sports/driver_authorization.php
• The cost of gas for a regular kayaking trip is usually

• split between all passengers and driver in the vehicle if the vehicle carrying all the individuals also carries all the gear used by all the individuals in the respective vehicle, or
• split between all participants of the kayaking trip if one or more vehicles carry gear (especially kayaks)  for the passengers in other vehicles.
• The way of splitting cost of gas required for the trip has to be unanimously agreed upon by all participants of the trip, preferably prior to the beginning of the respective trip.

• Due to the nature of the abuse that is made to the car being used for hauling kayaks during kayaking trips, the owner of the vehicle used for hauling kayaks reserves the right to add an additional charge of up to the double of the cost that is required for vehicle service for the miles driven during a trip.

• For example, if a trip totals to 1000 miles, and the cost of maintenance for the vehicle used for hauling kayaks is $50 every 5000 miles, the car owner/driver reserves the right to add an extra $20 (double the cost of vehicle service, =$50*(1000 mi/5000mi)*2) on top of the cost for gas, as a compensation for vehicle service, cleaning and wear-and-tear.

Revised September 9th, 2015