Following the recent decision by Fergus Falls’ City Council to not allow the filming of a movie on a piece of city property, the RTC, I offer the following comments and observations.
As an elected official, I wanted to allow the movie to be filmed at our RTC because I feel it could have successfully co-existed with the ongoing negotiations of Mr. Rick Anderson and the Campus Development Group (CDG) to make the cross cultural college campus a reality. The movie should have served as a tool in our city’s economic development toolbox rather than the “either/or” wedge it became.
I feel Mr. Anderson is correct in his observation that the decision should be about parents and students who will be considering this community and the cross cultural college campus in their futures.
Prospective parents and students will ask, “What is the crime rate (assaults, violence, underage binge drinking, incidence of theft/robbery, etc.) in the city or on campus?” They want to know, “Is the community/college safe?” It is the investment we’ve made as a city in public safety that will make this an appealing community and college campus for any parent or student looking to choose a post-secondary option.
Prospective parents and students will also research the quality of instruction within areas of study and look for the best professors to provide the best education. Certainly, the nature of the proposed college campus, with its focus on cross cultural immersion and business, could attract some of the best professors in higher education.
Will the prospective parent or student, knowing first the community and college campus are safe and that the college campus has some of the best educators–with a unique offering of courses that will open up doors to international business and cross cultural experiences unlike anywhere else—then state, “I really want to go to school there, because it is the best for me—but there was a movie shot there called… And it had a scene about….” It is on that premise that I feel we miscalculated, underestimating the importance of real, factual issues and concerns of prospective parents and students and choosing in favor of the fictional nature of a piece of film.
As a community, we’ve had our “15 minutes of fame”, but now must work together toward a healing that will enable us to move forward. We must work harder to build on the strengths of our community.
I applaud the vision and effort of Mr. Anderson and the CDG to develop the cross cultural college campus. It is clear that what started as a personal vision and business venture for Mr. Anderson and the investors has turned into a community project—and that is positive, because it allows us all to be a part of offering and promoting our community to the nation and the world. With this partnership, I believe the cross cultural college campus can become a reality on our RTC grounds.
Written by Greg Stumbo for the Fergus Forum.
