The only words of caution from professor Brito Mutunayagam:
"Now I have to warn you. You are going to miss the entire football game."
He spoke to his University of Nebraska-Lincoln community and regional planning class before their Saturday trip to Loup City, Neb, 45 miles north of Kearney.
"But this group of Huskers," Mutunayagam continued, "these 51 students of mine, are going to make this state very proud."
The students were headed to the city with the population fewer than 900 to help develop a better living environment for its elderly citizens.
"I'm not only a professor, I am an extension specialist. This means that I provide a public service to communities in Nebraska which only the university can provide through land grants," said Mutunayagam, who has been conducting planning projects with his classes for small communities in Nebraska for the past 15 years.
Small towns are unable to afford the high costs of professional planning, which makes services from the university so valuable. Mutunayagam said this also provides a unique opportunity for his class to learn in a completely hands-on environment.
"You cannot learn community planning through a textbook. You have to get out and do it in the real world."
The class left at 6 a.m. Saturday to begin their project to devise a plan for Loup City to ensure it is a livable community for its aging population.
To do this, the students separated into several focus groups and interviewed residents to find out what problems the city faces.
Are fitness centers and gyms readily available to the public? If so, are there adequate means of transportation for residents? Are there enough sidewalks to accommodate the disabled? Do they need to be resurfaced? Is there affordable housing? Are ambulances available in ample time in case of an emergency?
"These are things we don't have to think about" said Jacob Tyler, a third-year architecture major, in regard to finding problems specific to small towns as opposed to larger ones.
After two-and-a-half hours of questioning, the focus groups broke for lunch and several problems were evident among the consensus of the residents. They reported problems in housing for the elderly as well as the limited hours of the gym and convenience stores.
In regards to transportation, many residents said they choose to walk in the street rather than on the sidewalk. Though they claimed this was not a problem because of low car traffic, the students thought differently.
"As far as safety goes," said Stephanie Longwell, a senior accounting and finance major who also works at a community planning firm, "they should get it updated."
??Toczek?? said she is excited to have students from so many different backgrounds working to help improve the city.
When the students figure out how to solve some of these problems, she said, "the city council and I will review their plans to determine what we can do."
They would not be able to fix every problem the students pointed out, she said, but they would be able to fix the most important ones.
The mayor will meet with the class later in the semester to review their plans.
Mutunayagam said the Saturday trip was only the pilot study, which means the students were only out to gather information about the city and its residents.
The class toured the town in several groups and visited different areas highlighted as possible problem areas during the focus groups. Unfortunately, to the displeasure of Mutunayagam, the rain put an early stop to the students' investigation.
"Visually, the students got a feel for the place," Mutunayagam said. He said it is important to use all senses when finding ways to help a town.
"What you see and what you hear, every one of those you have to soak in. That's when you can say 'I experienced this place.'
"(The rain) was our only shortcoming this week, but it was something that we could not over come."
Mutunayagam said the students will be meeting with him personally to talk about their ideas.
They will also need to meet with each other over the next few weeks to brainstorm and decide on the best and most practical solutions "not just for the aging population, but the entire population," Longwell said.
"This is a good class for everyone to take," she said, "so they can help make their community a better place."
natepetro@dailynebraskan.com
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