Students Consider Recreation Needs at Longview

Longview has been the site of two major projects by students and faculty in the Department of Therapeutic Recreation and Leisure Services. One involves the design of recreational areas; the other is a study of recreation needs of residents of the independent living apartments.

Each semester students in the Design and Operation of Recreation Areas and Facilities class design a park or recreation area. The class is taught by associate professor Ron Simpson, and whenever possible it engages in a real life design project. Several years ago a student in the class won a $500 scholarship in an open competition for a design related to the redevelopment of Cayuga Inlet Island. This past fall another opportunity arose when Simpson was asked if the class might be interested in creating a site plan for the undeveloped parcel of land adjacent to Longview.

The class responded enthusiastically and began by conducting a site analysis, touring the facility to observe other indoor recreation areas, and interviewing the recreation director, Amy Carrier ’99, about residents’ needs and interests. With this information and some in-class brainstorming, the students worked in teams to develop preliminary site plans. Several of them were shown to the residents in an open meeting, which was followed by discussion of the merits of each plan. The students then conducted a survey of the residents to determine their degree of interest in each of the 13 proposed activities.

The results of this survey indicated the highest preference for a fitness trail, followed in rank order by a promenade, croquet/lawn games field, gazebo, picnic area, and shuffleboard court. With the new recommendations in mind, each student developed a refined site plan. The most distinctive of the plans were shared with Longview staff, who will continue with the process of developing an area that all residents will enjoy.

"The purpose of the course," explains Simpson, "is not to train students in the technical aspects of design, but to further their understanding and appreciation of the unique role that recreation professionals play in a design project and to prepare them to work effectively in a team approach. They learn to work in a situation in which diverse parties and interests come together in the design of a recreation area." The project certainly went a long way toward meeting those objectives, and the students seemed very satisfied with the role they played in the process.

Researching Independents' Preferences

During the fall semester, 11 students in the Research Methods in Recreation course, taught by Professor Judith Kennison, completed a study involving residents of the independent-living apartments at Longview. The purpose of the study was to provide Carrier with information on the recreation needs and preferences of the residents. A TR alumna herself, Carrier was already familiar with the semester-long projects that are part of the research methods course requirements.

The students investigated the needs of older adults by reviewing the current literature. Using this information and information specific to Longview, the class worked with Carrier and Christine Pogorzala, Ithaca College’s Longview coordinator, to develop an extensive questionnaire, which included questions regarding current program interest and participation as well as programs and activities the residents would like to see implemented.

The students hand-delivered and explained the questionnaires to the 100 residents of the independent-living apartments. Fifty-two of them were completed and returned, and students used the statistical program SPSS to analyze the information in them (after learning SPSS basics from assistant professor of exercise and sport sciences Janet Wigglesworth).

Results indicated residents’ satisfaction with some programs, disinterest in others, and desire for new ones. Students presented the results of the study in class and in a written report, which they gave to Carrier and Pogorzala for use in their work with residents. They also made recommendations for new programs and suggested the best times and spaces in which to offer programs.