The exotic waterfall is a special charm in this village located in Langkat Regency. In recent years, the waterfall known as local tourists have visited Pelaruga. The scenery is still beautiful, and the steep waterfall and clear river flow attract tourists who want to explore the hidden beauty of Pelaruga.

The beauty of Pelaruga waterfall has become an economic magnet for the surrounding community, especially Rumah Galuh Village. To maintain and ensure the sustainability of the green ecosystem in the area, research lecturers from the Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) took the initiative to provide assistance and make it a Social Laboratory.

Rumah Galuh Village was transformed into a tourism education laboratory through the USU Assisted Village Program. The community was educated about the importance of maintaining natural and social balance and creating a conducive, safe, and friendly climate, so tourists continued to increase. The surrounding community realized that their economic sustainability is supported by the natural habitat that they must protect and care for.

For USU, Rumah Galuh Village is a long-term learning tool. Students who take the concentration Diploma 3 in Travel and Tourism, for example, can see the real problems affecting tourist village residents. From this social laboratory, USU students learn directly about the dynamics of natural tourism development in North Sumatra and how to maintain and develop it.

The Head of the Langkat 2021 Assisted Village Program Team, Samerdanta Sinulingga, S.ST.Par., M.Par said Rumah Galuh Village had been initiated by lecturers and students of Diploma 3 in Travel and Tourism since 2014, or approximately 8 years, as the exclusive partner of the Diploma 3 in Travel and Tourism Study Program in organizing student practices and KKN activities.

During these 8 years, the process of learning activities has never been broken between the USU Diploma 3 in Travel and Galuh House Village partners. With the USU Assisted Village Program, activities are further enhanced, and this year, we focus on improving facilities and infrastructure to support Rumah Galuh Village, which has Pelaruga Waterfall, to become a new tourism icon in North Sumatra, said Samerdanta in his statement to USU Public Relations.

Samerdanta explained that the function of the social laboratory in Rumah Galuh Village is to strengthen the service industry, such as community service and organizational administration. This aligns with the USU motto, “Toward Excellence as University for Industry.”

We know that to achieve a World-Class University, USU must meet several conditions, namely the quality of learning in lectures, excellence in research, and diversity in the scientific field.

The sciences and humanities will not achieve these three things if there is no social laboratory designated as the USU Assisted Village. This is expected not only for the project per year but must also consider the sustainability of the assisted village, which is the concentration of the implementation of the three pillars of higher education.

The USU Assisted Village team consisting of Amalia Meutia, M.Psi., Andi Pratama Lubis, S.S., M.Hum., Dhani Syahputra Bukit, S.K.M., M.Kes., Solahuddin Nasution, S.E., M.S.P., Dr. Alemina Br. Perangin-angin, S.S., M.Hum., Dr. Miswar Budi Mulya, M.Si., Ronald Leonardo Siregar, S.T., M.T., Dr. Agus Purwoko, S.Hut., M.Si., Prof. Dra. Pujiati, M.Soc.Sc, Ph.D, Dra. Peninna Simanjutak, M.S., Riko Andika Rahmat Pohan, S.S., M.Hum., Niza Ayuningtias, S.S., MTCSOL, Wahyu Sugeng Imam Soeparno, S.E., M.Si., and Rahmadsyah Rangkuti, M.A., Ph.D have implemented several programs.

These programs are the creation of facilities and infrastructure for the safety of tourists in Rumah Galuh Village, fostering environmental care and making environmental cleanliness facilities and infrastructure, empowering the community and providing facilities to improve supporting facilities, fostering excellent service for tourism managers to prioritize 5S (senyum, salam, sapa, sopan, dan santun), as well as fostering and developing SMEs in improving the community's economy by making a Mini Café.

Samerdanta emphasized that Rumah Galuh Village has complete tourism potential, namely nature, culture, and man-made, and is still developing. However, in this village, many environmental, social, and cultural conflicts often occur during the development of the tourism industry.

The problems that occur in the village indicate that the community is not ready for the industrialization of tourism. The problems are in the form of land struggles and disputes that become tourist routes, low concern for the environment, the absence of a grand design, cultural friction between urban culture and the main culture, and services that are not based on cultural uniqueness but only limited to economic transactions, he said.

Significant economic benefits in the field of tourism make the village government system a broker and legal administration mafia in the village, weak language skills of the host in serving international tourists, the early marriage index is still relatively high, and the benefits generated from tourism activities are often not appropriately managed by tourism actors and village officials.

These problems are still a tiny part of the problems that occur in Rumah Galuh Village. USU has various professional fields that provide solutions in the community, namely in terms of law, environment, engineering, culture, psychology, politics, language, health, and economics. This is why Rumah Galuh Village is the village of choice as a USU-assisted village not only for the next year or two but for the next 20 to 25 years. Rumah Galuh Village will continue to be a Social Laboratory for USU, said Samerdanta, Lecturer of Diploma 3 in Tourism, USU Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB).