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College Town Life | Featured College Towns | College Town Issues | |
11-17 UNC
board seeks funding for sprinklers To that end, the UNC Board of Governors voted Friday to ask the State General Assembly for $48 million to help install the sprinklers. Pricey
lots cater to upscale Georgia fans In a new 250-spot, 18-acre lot due to open next year, well-heeled alums can pay $30,000 to get a guaranteed parking spot for their recreational vehicles. BullDog Park, four miles from Sanford Stadium, is being built by the same developers behind Tailgate Station, a 200-space parking lot for cars ... Homeowners
concerned over apartments Several residents of the trailer park said last week that they were making plans to move, and that some of their neighbors had already left. “In 2005, we identified Tuscaloosa as a market we wanted to pursue as the university has high enrollment growth plans, and we don’t feel that the housing choices in the area are consistent with what college students today really want," he said ... 2d
fatal blaze in 3 weeks near BU Campus Firewatch, which tracks published reports of fatal fires in student housing, said more than 80 percent occur off campus . This academic year has been a particularly deadly one for students, with 19 campus-related fires to date, the most since he began tracking the data in 2000 ... Proposed
Student Housing Project Focus of Meeting United Group of Companies, helped quell some of the concerns by reminding the audience that the complex will be smoke-free and equipped with a full sprinkler system ... Magazine:
Austin one of best places to live "It's easier to understand downtown Austin after you realize there are always two versions of the city jostling for position," the magazine says. "The older version is the friendly, funky college town that's long been a counter-cultural capital (think Matthew McConaughey). Then there's the newer, glossier version full of high-energy overachievers (Lance Armstrong). The good news is that this cultural clash has created a vibrant setting alongside the banks of Town Lake." ... New
owners to bring menu, new look to Biltmore Square theaters “There’s a tremendous amount of buzz that reminded us what was happening in Austin about eight years ago. We want to be in on the ground floor of that,” Braly said ...
More than 500 films were submitted, some feature-length and some shorts, 77 of which will be shown during the festival. The films have been sent in from 40 countries all over the world, including Iceland, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, South Korea, Malaysia, Iran, Israel, Hong Kong as well as most of the 50 states ... Keeping
students on Grounds Student
reporters partner with CNN Although the Web site has general interest pieces like "Eat Ice Cream, Fit in Jeans" and fashion pieces like "SnUGGly Boots," the Web site's journalistic freedom culls young, proactive reporters from around the country who then create and pursue stories with a candid, local perspective ... University
plans campus transformation "The most important projects for us are student housing and things that would engage students on campus, things that will enhance the quality of campus life," ... Student influx means more
people, not fewer I have to wonder what is being measured that would make such a statement true. There has been an increase in student housing in this area since the last census. However, when a house changes from owner occupied, with two to four people per house, to student housing, with six to eight people per house, the population density in fact goes up, not down. That's the opposite of what the story suggests. What's going on? ... More
kids in college boozing it up Some college counselors say they're trying to battle a problem that's ingrained in many students long before they come on campus ...
State
College feels chill of spring break Legions of academics have taken their families and vanished, too. Local schools are closed. And what's left of town has slipped into its annual, weeklong coma. Look close enough, though, and a few vital signs suggest that the Penn State spring break hasn't totally euthanized State College just yet ... City
partners with developer on Heart of the City Under the arrangement approved unanimously Tuesday night by the City Council, the developer will have an option to buy back the land at 6 percent interest ... Next
door, a world apart Witherspoon Street serves as Princeton's barometer of changing social fortunes, revealing the pressures of immigration and renewal in this bustling university town ... Peoria
Council votes for BU campus expansion Second District Councilwoman Barbara Van Auken, who represents this area, praised both the school and its surrounding neighborhoods for trying to work together. "The city, at best, acts as a referee," Van Auken said. "At the end of the day, none of us on the council can make this work. Only the players can make it work. . . . Make no mistake, these neighborhoods and their stability are as key to Bradley's future as the new buildings they will be building." ... Housing
issues raise local concern Some neighbors are fed up with College Area housing. Many residents say developer and College Area real estate mogul Michael Haaland, who along with his partner, Ian Sells, have had a hand in more than 100 mini dorms in the area, is going to add another four bedrooms and two bathrooms to the existing two-bedroom, one-bathroom home. "He's already poured the concrete slab," an Adams Avenue resident said. "He told me he could build a seven-bedroom house here and paint it pink if he wants to." ... Community
snapshots Residents say they are unhappy with their once quaint old neighbourhood and many are looking to move out. McMaster University students have taken over and their lifestyles and noisy parties have changed the place ... "Everybody is selling. They want to get out," says Elizabeth Juszel, a 29-year resident. She's not surprised the population is declining. "If a house goes up for sale, the people who buy it turn it into an income property and rent it out to students." ... Homeless
in College Park Last week, the Maryland General Assembly heard a bill that would largely eliminate a current fee waiver-zone for areas that lie more than 1.5 miles away from the campus. The one-time fee runs at $7,700 for each apartment in a planned development. For the long-planned and long-delayed Mazza complex aimed at graduate students, the fee would be more than $1.8 million, hardly an insignificant figure. This bill, at best, is a legislated increase in rents at newly constructed properties, and at worst, terminates developer interest in constructing student housing in College Park ... New
$37 M student housing facility and dining facility planned for UTD According to university officials, students will be involved in all aspects of the project, from design concept to construction ... Kent
official proposes tax on university Kent State, a state-owned university, doesn't pay property taxes and the 28,000 or so students who attend the main campus don't pay income taxes unless they work in Kent. City officials have long complained that police and fire services can be strained by the students, especially during May Day and Halloween celebrations. An admissions tax -- as little as $20 to $40 on tuition per semester -- could raise much-needed revenue for the safety services and other projects, Bargerstock said. Last year, the Ohio Board of Regents gave the city $33,170 to help pay for public safety. Perhaps that figure needs to be raised ... Out
of Touch With Off Campus Details
of Retail Certainly, the retail store selection near campus is partly why students choose the schools that they do, agrees Midge McCauley, principal of ERA (Economics Research Associates), a retail strategic implementation corporation. "The problem is, most college students spend money at home, not in their college town." ... Closer
to home for Winthrop professors? Some faculty members have said for years they'd like to live closer to campus but can't find houses they can afford. "The prices really aren't that cheap for the decent stuff in Rock Hill," said Guy Reel, a journalism professor who lives in Charlotte. "That poses a problem for some of the faculty. The houses by Winthrop are either way too expensive or they're student housing. I'm sure you can find exceptions, but that's my impression." In addition to 420 age-restricted homes, plans at the Bleachery call for 30 brownstones facing White Street and 120 loft-style condos on the upper floors of the Bleachery's main building. Another 42 live-work flats are planned elsewhere on the site ... Crashing
couches: The new way to travel the world As proposed in Couch Surfing founder da Silveira's profile:
"I welcome you and challenge you, to help us spread peace around
the world, one couch at a time." A
break in business It’s what happens to business in college towns like Tuscaloosa when a third of the population vanishes for seven days. “I’d say about 20 to 25 percent of our business is university-related, so whenever students are gone for spring break or summer, it’s tough," said Rod Walker, owner of the Downtown Trading Co. ... Public
intoxication law futile However well-intentioned the legislation might be, the act fails to live up to its billing and will be a nuisance for students to tolerate and deal with, rather than the cultural change the city desires to see ... Zoning
Commission approves 20-year Campus Plan The plan replaces the current agreement between the city and GW on development restrictions and calls for the vertical growth of GW buildings as well as the expansion of Gelman Library, several residence halls and the Marvin Center. The proposal also includes construction of a new science facility and a cancer center ... University
of Oregon students award $10,000 to Eugene nonprofit agencies The students, instructor Paul Elstone and senior executives from Weyerhaeuser and Wells Fargo presented the grants to the agencies. Students in the Freshman Seminar in American Philanthropy learned about the process of fund raising and giving away money by screening applicants for the grants and then making the hard decisions about which of several non-profit agencies to fund, according to Elstone ...
This year, thanks to low-cost housing charity Habitat for Humanity, Ching, his wife, Tracy, and their special needs son Desmond will stay warm inside their own new home with double glazing, underfloor and ceiling insulation, extra thickwalls and solar water heating ... The families had to contribute a minimum of 500 "sweat equity hours" helping build the house. Most of the rest of the work was done by volunteers, in this case Canterbury University students ... DePauw
Cuts Ties With Troubled Sorority School President Robert G. Bottoms said the values of the sorority did not fit with the 2,200-student private college in western Indiana ... GRM
eyes up more houses Grant Fund Management, which already owns 100 houses on Tyneside through its existing investment funds, anticipates future strong house price growth in Newcastle on the back of a boom in the number of students at the city's two universities. The company, founded by former Daily Record executive Peter Grant and his wife Colette, has bought 1,300 houses for investors since setting up 10 years ago including 700 in Edinburgh and 200 in Glasgow ... Student
rents rise seven per cent The average cost of living in student accommodation will now reach £60 each week, the survey found ... According to statistics from the National Union of Students, 45 per cent of students are in rented accommodation organised through a landlord. But while 23 per cent of students live in university halls of residence or designated student housing, almost as many, 22 per cent, live with their parents to save money ... San
Diego State-area landlords, tenants to be fined for parties Complaints about mini-dorms around campus have increased recently. Residents say investors are snapping up homes, adding bedrooms and renting them out to students who destroy their quality of life with noise and partying. Fueling the trend is a shortage of student housing. The university serves 33,000 students on its main campus, but provides housing to accommodate 3,800. An additional 600 live in fraternity and sorority houses ... Change
is on the way for The Middlebury Inn Michael Dopp, who lives in Bethesda, Md., said the inn appealed to them because of its location in a quaint New England college town. The Dopps have fond memories of learning to ski in Vermont, and Michael Dopp's son is in his first year at the University of Vermont. The inn has lots of potential and they saw an opportunity to improve occupancy numbers through marketing and by offering event space ... Athens,
Ga. Always Part of Band R.E.M. R.E.M. almost single-handedly made Athens famous as a hotbed for independent rock in the 1980s ... Campus
Pointe; Important to the region's future Spend
time in a college town, but cut the classes This year, East Lansing turns 100. And far more than textbooks and dorm food awaits in the town that houses the state's largest university campus and one of its most educated populaces. Best of all is your clear advantage over those enrolled: you're on vacation while most everyone else heads to class ... Some
thriving, others struggling Neighborhood groups have different degrees
of involvement College Heights East Tucked in next to Eastern Michigan University, the College Heights East neighborhood includes many faculty members who bought homes in the area because of its proximity to the campus and because "it's a great walking neighborhood,'' said Judy Williston, co-chair of the College Heights Neighborhood Association ... Income
gap seen in tests for college “It comes from the culture of the community,” he said. “There is a high priority of not just getting to college, but getting to the college of your choice. Doing well on the SAT, they all know that’s a big part of it.” ... The case is different at Eastside in Butler, where just 7 percent of the class of 2006 took the SAT, but usually 30 percent or more take the ACT. Guidance Counselor Cheryl Wolfe said Eastside, where nearly a quarter of the students qualify for free lunch, just seems to do better on the ACT ... How
to develop city is key in races Moving
an old home isn't for novices Each building has its own story. For example, one 1888 house once belonged to Woodford Haywood Mabry, the adjutant general of Texas in the 1890s. It had been on the corner of 17th and Rio Grande streets, but when the Nalles found it, it was being used as student housing and had been poorly maintained. To retrofit the homes so they could be used as office space, the Nalles electrified gaseliers — chandeliers that used to run on gas — and covered longleaf pine floors with hardwood that would hold up better to foot traffic. To make sure tenants preserve the structures, the leases prohibit them from making any alterations, and that includes changing a lightbulb. With the 12-foot ceilings, "we don't need someone standing on a chair or a desk to try to do that," says George ... Condo
conundrum All of these groups want to be close to the university. “Those that are strategically located will likely fare better than those located away from campus," Zumpano said ...
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