Summer Camps on Campus

By James Bonner

Staff Writer

The campus will be buzzing this summer with children decidedly younger than college students. This summer will begin 21st season of summer camps on the LIU Post campus. The campus provides programs like the Oasis day camp the opportunity to use the campus facilities. As many as 30 different camps and programs come to Post over the summer. Interested parents can learn about the summer’s programs at information sessions on campus this weekend, June 7, 8 and 9. In addition to the Oasis camp, Post offers housing, food, and space for activities for the Au Pair training program and Camp Helen Keller, among others.

Theresa Duggan, Director of Conference Services, facilitates the use of campus resources for the camps. Since the campus hosts 30 camp programs over the summer, the amount of resources for just one camp and the security for the campers are challenges, according to Duggan.

The Oasis day camp will run from June 23 to August 19. “For almost twenty years, Oasis Day Camp has provided children from across Long Island with unforgettable summers. Now we’re bringing all of our families together on 300  stunning acres at our LIU Post Camp- just a short ride from Port Washington, New Hyde Park, Floral Park, Franklin Square, Valley Stream and the surrounding areas,” according to the Oasis Day Camp website.

In addition to the Oasis day camp, several specialized sports camps will utilize the campus facilities this summer, according to Duggan. “We have a volleyball group called Garden Empire Volleyball, we have football camp coming, Offense-Defense, we have a tennis camp that’s run through our tennis coach here [Walter Giacometti, head women’s tennis coach,” Duggan said.  “So, there’s various athletic camps and then there’s Oasis.” Duggan said that the campus will host about 300 to 400 kids. The campers at Oasis will range from 5 or 6 to teenagers entering 11th grade.

The summer camps provide lots of activity on the campus. The first week of summer camp is slow because the public school students are just out of school. “The peak weeks are really the weeks right after 4th of July,” Duggan said. “The challenges are really to try to make sure everybody’s program has what they need when they need it.”

LIU provides security through extra guards for the campers and staff and resources including use of the fields, gym and dorms. The camps hire their own counselors.

The Oasis camp has large signs posted at both campus entrances on Northern Boulevard. There is also information about the camps on the conference services department website and in the Long Island Parent Guide. Although there are summer caps on the Hofstra and Adelphi campuses as well, the Oasis camp is different because it is “a well-rounded type of a camp program,” Duggan said, not a “sports related” camp.