What is the Madison Orientation Adventure Trip (MOAT)?
Registration for all 2024 MOAT Sessions is NOW LIVE!
MOAT is a three-night, four-day adventure program designed for new JMU students. Students will meet up with welcoming and knowledgeable student trip leaders to tent camp, rock climb, hike, and canoe in the Shenandoah Valley. No experience is necessary! It is a great way to make connections with other students before classes start. There are multiple MOAT trips throughout the summer, as well as an August trip that takes place just before classes start and allows you to move into your residence hall early!
Cost: $325, includes equipment, meals, instruction and transportation (financial support available!)
MOAT brings New Dukes together before Weeks of Welcome to:
- Camp, Hike, and explore the Shenandoah Valley
- Experience the JMU TEAM High Ropes Course
- Learn about the Outdoor Adventure opportunities around Harrisonburg
- Get to know other new students and connect with current students (your Trip Leaders) to start your college experience off on the right foot
Jump start your JMU journey with MOAT!
Register for SUMMER MOAT
MOAT FAQs
All new JMU students are welcome. This includes both First-year and Transfer students.
Around 100 New Dukes attend our August 14-17 MOAT Session that takes place right before classes start.
Our Summer Session Moats are slightly smaller with a maximum of 30 students in attendance at each of these sessions.
All trips involve tent camping, team building and additional activities such as rock climbing, hiking, canoeing or standup paddle boarding. MOAT trips do not require any previous experience.
There are multiple SUMMER MOAT trips as well as an EARLY MOVE IN MOAT trip that takes place just before classes start:
SUMMER MOAT Trip #1 - July 24 - 27 (30 student max)
SUMMER MOAT Trip #2 - July 31 - August 3 (30 student max)
SUMMER MOAT Trip #3 - August 7 - 10 (30 student max)
For the Pre-Weeks of Welcome MOAT trip that takes place right before classes start, the date is as follows:
EARLY MOVE IN MOAT Trip - August 14 - 17 (100 student max)
All SUMMER MOAT trip participants will be given a parking pass to leave a parked car on campus for the days of their MOAT program. We suggest that participants aim to get to Harrisonburg around noon, grab lunch, and then meet us at UREC between 3 and 3:30 p.m. to meet your Trip Leaders before heading out to the campground together. The trip returns back to UREC on Saturday at 11 am to allow ample time for participants to be able to get back home.
All EARLY MOVE IN MOAT trip participants (August 14-17 only) will be able to move in to their residence halls early on Wednesday before leaving for MOAT. Once you have moved into your residence hall, you will walk or drive to UREC between 3 and 3:30 p.m. to meet your Trip Leaders before heading out to the campground together. The trip returns back to UREC on Saturday at 11 a.m. to allow ample time for participants to shower and settle in before official Orientation programing starts that night.
MOAT trips are based out of Stokesville Campground in Stokesville, VA. It is a 30-minute drive from JMU and just minutes away from the George Washington National Forest.
The cost of MOAT is $325. This includes equipment, meals, instruction and transportation for the three-night, four-day trip. Full and partial scholarships are also available, please see the financial assistance section below for more details.
Registration goes live Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 9 a.m. for all MOAT sessions. Registration will remain open until July 24 at 5pm for all sessions unless filled. Withdrawal dates differ by program and are listed below.
SUMMER MOAT Trip #1 - July 24 – 27 (30 student max)
- Withdrawal Deadline of July 10, 2024 at 5 p.m.
SUMMER MOAT Trip #2 – July 31 - August 3 (30 student max)
- Withdrawal Deadline of July 17, 2024 at 5 p.m.
SUMMER MOAT Trip #3 – August 7 - 10 (30 student max)
- Withdrawal Deadline of July 24, 2024 at 5 p.m.
EARLY MOVE IN MOAT Trip #4 – August 14 - 17 (100 student max)
- Withdrawal Deadline of July 24, 2024 at 5 p.m.
A waitlist feature has been enabled should slots fill up. Once the initial slots are filled for your desired trip, please either find an alternative trip date with available slots, or submit your interest via the waitlist. We will inform those on the waitlist if a slot becomes available in the order in which the waitlist submissions were received. We strongly suggest choosing an alternative activity over the waitlist as spots rarely open up once filled.
Students will need to create a guest account here in the student’s name (with a non-JMU email address) in order to register. Please follow these instructions:
- Go to urecregister.jmu.edu and select the gold "SIGN IN" in the top right corner
- Create a guest account by selecting "SIGN UP" in the bottom right corner, enter your name, email and select a password
- Once your account is created, register and pay for MOAT here.
- You will receive a confirmation email for MOAT once you have registered, please allow a few minutes for it to come through.
REGISTRATION OPENS MAY 1.
The trips are led by JMU undergraduate student employees who are trained as trip leaders in the UREC Adventure Program. At a minimum, they hold a certification in Wilderness First Aid. They are supervised by a professional staff member with years of experience in adventure trip and travel programming.
Yes! We are capable of handling most dietary restrictions. Please communicate with us in the registration process what you may be dealing with. If you have multiple and severe allergies you may be asked to supplement with a few products that you know and trust.
We strive to make MOAT accessible and invite you to discuss your needs and potential accommodations with our office as soon as possible so that we can take the information into account when finalizing our plans for activities, camping, meals, transportation, and other activities.
We are committed to diversity and belonging and strives to be accessible to and inclusive of students of all abilities. If you have a documented disability (or think you may have a disability) and as a result may need reasonable accommodations to participate in MOAT , please contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) as soon as possible. To receive accommodations, you must be appropriately registered with ODS. The ODS works confidentially in partnership with students, faculty, and other University departments to ensure equal access through Universal Design and reasonable accommodations. The office is located in the Student Success Center, Suite 1202. You may contact them by phone at 540-568-6705 or through email at disability-svcs@jmu.edu.
You are going camping and hanging out outside for a few days so we put a list together for you: Here's a MOAT packing list!
Cell phones are not permitted on MOAT trips, they will be stored securely at UREC. If a family member needs to contact a participant and in the event of an emergency, you may contact UREC Adventure staff and we will put you in contact with your family.
August MOAT participants will be able to pick up the keys to their residence halls and begin to move in any time between 9 a.m. - noon on Wednesday, August 14. Students will have from then until 3 p.m. to get lunch and settle in their dorms before heading to UREC for the start of the MOAT program.
For all Summer MOAT Programs (Session 1-3) participants will be given a parking pass to leave a parked car on campus for the days of their MOAT program.
MOAT Program Cancellation Policies
Occasionally, we have to cancel MOAT trips due to low enrollment or other factors. In the event this happens, participants may choose to transfer to another MOAT trip or receive a full refund. Decisions regarding cancellations will be made seven days prior to the trip. It is suggested that participants who will be flying to Harrisonburg purchase travel insurance in the event of a trip cancellation.
Participant Cancellation Policies
Participant requests to cancel a MOAT trip registration must be made at or before the Withdrawal Deadline to allow time for participants on the waitlist to be contacted. Refund requests made after this deadline will be handled on a case-by-case basis and will depend on alternates from the waitlist being available to take your spot.
SUMMER MOAT Trip #1 - July 24 – 27 (30 student max)
- Withdrawal Deadline of July 10, 2024 at 5 p.m.
SUMMER MOAT Trip #2 – July 31 - August 3 (30 student max)
- Withdrawal Deadline of July 17, 2024 at 5 p.m.
SUMMER MOAT Trip #3 – August 7 - 1 (30 student max)
- Withdrawal Deadline of July 24, 2024 at 5 p.m.
EARLY MOVE IN MOAT Trip #4 – August 14 - 17 (100 student max)
- Withdrawal Deadline of July 24, 2024 at 5 p.m.
UREC has a MOAT Financial Assistance Application process that allows students with financial need to participate in the MOAT program. Our hope is that this support permits students from diverse backgrounds to have a shared MOAT experience.
To apply for financial support, please complete the MOAT Financial Assistance Application. UREC will process these requests on a rolling basis up until the registration deadline for the specific trip you are interested in or until the grant has been fully dispersed. Please note that due to limitations in our registration software, you will need to pay in full to reserve your slot and then wait for confirmation of financial support.
Questions? Contact the Interim Assistant Director for Adventure.
