While large groups of people filtered into The Linc early Saturday morning, a group of young adults were busy picking up candy wrappers and water bottles nearby.
To better the environment and inspire others to be mindful of their trash, almost a dozen Lincoln University students cleaned up the large concrete ditch Saturday that runs through Lincoln's campus.
Hosted by the Lincoln University Agriculture Club, the cleanup effort allows students to help the environment, build friendships and earn volunteering hours, club advisor Adrian Andrei said.
"On one hand, it's a learning experience for them because they learn how streams should not look like - they shouldn't be lined in concrete," he said, adding the city most likely lined the stream with concrete for water management.
"They learn about trash and people's waste, and on the other hand, it's about team building," he noted. "They're all students in the same department and pursuing similar degrees, so I want to encourage them to make friendships, spending some time together and doing a little bit of volunteer work."
Walking inside the concrete ditch, senior William Doggett pointed out the minnows and the candy wrappers in the water.
"Ultimately, all water, all streams can lead to a potential water source for people, and if you throw your trash and disregard your items carelessly, you could ultimately be leading to water pollution, which we know is a bad thing," he said, picking up a shiny green streamer from the water and putting it in his trash bag.
Sophomore Petra Andrei said she walks by the ditch daily and is disgusted by how much trash is sometimes in it. She added litter is scattered throughout Lincoln University's campus.
"I think it's really sad that Lincoln University, which is a historic college with so much history and pride put into it, has so much trash on its grounds constantly," she said. "I hope that by looking at our example, people will start cleaning up their campus."
The students cleaned up Wears Creek last spring and initially planned to do something similar this time, Lincoln University junior Kimberly Wilbers said. However, the streams are too high, she added.
The agriculture club also plans to participate in the Oct. 26 Jefferson City Missouri River cleanup event, hosted by Missouri River Relief.