Political Science Department Takes to the Water at Annual Kayaking Trip

On August 28, students and faculty from Illinois Wesleyan University’s Political Science Department traded the classroom for the water during the department’s annual kayaking trip at Moraine View State Park. The yearly event brought faculty and students of the department together for an afternoon of kayaking, conversation, and time spent enjoying the outdoors.

Organized by faculty in the Political Science Department, the kayaking trip has become a tradition that gives students and professors an opportunity to connect outside of their usual academic environment. While kayaking was at the center of the afternoon, the event also provided a chance for newer students and members of the department to meet one another and strengthen connections across the department.

Dr. Shaw, one of the faculty members who helps organize the event and an avid kayaking enthusiast, said the trip was created with community in mind. He shared that “the kayak trip started with the assumption that we all do better when we know the people we’re working with.”

Shaw said that spending time on the water allows participants to step outside their comfort zones, discover new skills, enjoy the surrounding wildlife, and see different sides of their classmates and professors than they typically encounter in the classroom. For newer members of the Political Science Department in particular, the event offers an opportunity to become part of the department’s community. As Shaw put it, “Besides, it’s just a fun thing to do.”

For senior Political Science major Emma Kudelka, the event has become a memorable part of her IWU experience. Having attended the kayaking trip every year since her freshman year, Kudelka said she even met some of her closest friends through the event.

“The best part was being surrounded by nature, because we are often busy and on screens as students,” Kudelka said. She also appreciated the department’s commitment to creating a welcoming and supportive academic community through events like the annual kayaking trip.

As another successful year of kayaking came to a close, the event continued a tradition that brings the Political Science Department together, not just as students and faculty, but as a community.

By Brady Poisal ‘27