Brad Leneis '03 did not always have a passion for the outdoors. Growing up in the suburban town of Lower Merion, Pa., Leneis never guessed that his path in life would lead him to become president of the Dartmouth Outing Club, the oldest collegiate outing club in the nation.
Even after his arrival at Dartmouth, Leneis was not immediately drawn into the activities that would become such an important part of life at the College.
"If you had asked me coming off my freshman trip if I was going to be president of the Outing Club, I would definitely have said no," Leneis said.
After a first year spent rowing with freshman lightweight crew, Leneis was attracted to the DOC as "something that was very non-competitive."
"It was something I figured I'd enjoy doing, though I saw myself as a person who started out at Dartmouth with relatively little outdoor experience," he said.
Since that time, however, Leneis has involved himself in a wide range of outdoor activities, from snowboarding to road biking and local hiking trips, all of which he began during his time at Dartmouth.
Leneis, an Earth Science major who traveled on the department's off-campus study program last Fall term, is also a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity and a participant in several other campus activities.
Despite his busy schedule, which will now include his duties as DOC president, Leneis feels he has no problem accommodating both academic and extracurricular responsibilities.
"I'm one of the fortunate few for whom every day is my free time," he said. "I don't separate things into categories of 'duties and responsibilities' and free time."
Leneis' friends speak of him as someone who naturally gets along with others, and who defies stereotypical notions of what fraternity members are like.
"It's impossible to be uncomfortable around Brad," said Lauren Foley '03, a friend of Leneis. "Getting to know him is having stereotypes broken left and right," she said, mentioning Leneis' extensive knowledge of feminist issues and gender dynamics.
In keeping with these interests, Leneis also serves as a sexual abuse peer advisor, or SAPA, as part of a program that trains students to help those who have been victims of sexual abuse.
Leneis' understanding and good-natured personality have also served him well in situations that would test the patience of others.
While traveling with Leneis on a recent drive to the College Grant, roughly two and a half hours from campus, Foley fell ill to the flu and later lost control of the car on the icy roads and skidded into a snowbank.
"It killed his entire weekend," Foley said, "but he had just the sweetest, most understanding attitude about everything."
Staff members at the Dartmouth Outing Club describe a person similarly devoted to the needs of others.
"He worked very hard to get involved with the cycling club, and has worked since in the spirit of bringing people together," said Michael Silverman, who runs the DOC's rental program.
Leneis' goals as president are a reflection of both his love for the outdoors and of his desire to bring together a wide range of people to share in the outdoor experience.
He described a hiking trip he had taken with a friend during sophomore summer, which he had planned and executed himself without the aid of the outing club, as an example of what the DOC should strive to accomplish.
"For me, the ultimate goal is to get you to a point where you learn something about yourself that makes you want to go outdoors on your own," Leneis said.
As president, Leneis says he will try to encourage people from all backgrounds to take advantage of what Dartmouth's natural environment has to offer.
"I want people who have never been outside to come and give outdoor stuff a try," he said, "and for people who've spent their whole life outdoors, I want to encourage them to take up some activities they've never tried before."
As for plans after Dartmouth, Leneis says he wants "to go into teaching of some sort," eventually travel to Italy, and become involved with environmental protection.
But for now, Leneis will continue to enjoy the natural beauty that sits at the College's doorstep.
"All it takes to get out there is a 15-minute walk down the trail that runs through town," he said. "There's more to this school than just the campus, and I want to help people take advantage of that."
