Candidates pitch to college voters
Gazette - 12 Apr 2008
... WILLIAMSBURG, VA — The registration of more than 1,000 students at the College of William & Mary has influenced four of the six City Council candidates.

When a 165-bed student apartment building on the old Southern Inn site was proposed in 2003, the neighbors went ballistic and the politicians ran for cover.

But at Thursday’s evening debate at the Wren Building, in front of nearly 100 students, both incumbents embraced the general idea of a large off-campus student apartment building ...

Cooking, Cleaning and Cooperative Living
Eclipse investigates the real deal behind Cornell co-ops
Cornell Eclipse - 11 Apr 2008
... Though most students opt to live in their Greek houses, residential dorms or off-campus housing after their freshmen year, for some students, co-ops present an opportunity for more independent living but also the reassurance that the University will help them in a problem arises in their living situation.

Living in a co-op is also considerably less expensive then living in some parts of Collegetown and Ithaca. A two bedroom apartment costs on average $893 per month, according to an article in The Ithaca Journal. Comparatively, to live in Von Cramm, where a double costs $3,840 according to the Cornell Housing’s website, it is only $426 per month ...

Housing company examines Murray
News - 11 Apr 2008
... MURRAY, KY - Even with the coming arrival of Campus Suites apartments, some in the University housing industry still see the city of Murray as an underserved market ...

City asked to enforce bylaws at student housing
Noisy parties, drunkenness cited by annoyed neighbours
Guardian - 12 Apr 2008
... ETOBICOKE, ON - Etobicoke senior Wanda Wloch tried everything - calling bylaw enforcement, police, the fire department, her local councillor - to deal with the rowdy Humber College students occupying a house on her street. At one point, she even resorted to the old standby: a broom.

"The fourth time it happened, I went and I took my broom," said Wloch, outside Friday, April 11 meeting of Toronto's licensing committee, where she was petitioning for tougher bylaw enforcement on off-campus student housing.

"And this one fellow was there, and I started to talk to him. I don't know what I said, but I just whacked him across the behind - right there," she said, indicating a reporter's buttock. "Now I know that you can't hit in the head, because that's very dangerous. But on the bum is OK. He grabbed the broom and threw it over there. About five minutes later he went and got it for me. But I should have whacked him harder." ...

Tenants make their home at Windmill Place
Journal 10 Apr 2008
... RIVER FALLS, WI - Russ Ellison grew up in Minneapolis, lives in Eau Claire and seeks a move that brings him closer to his children in the Twin Cities. He has four kids and proudly remarks that they’re all doctors.

“I like a small community,” he said about why he’s considering River Falls.

Ellison said last week he’s in the process of checking into Windmill Place. He learned about the affordable housing from a friend in Arizona who was visiting someone here ...

He said having young people all around seems to give a town more verve. Ellison’s been looking for a senior community and considers it a plus that River Falls has a university.

BYU Grads Create New Social Networking Site
NewsNet - 9 Apr 2008
... PROVO, UT - Although similar to the social networking sites Facebook and MySpace, Lymabean.com was created for a more specialized niche of people - specifically for college students and the communities they live in. It offers users the chance to create profiles just like Facebook and MySpace, but Lymabean uses Adobe Flex that allows for even more customizable pages and interaction with other users through drag-and-drop capabilities ...

What makes a good college town?
Atlanta Journal-Constitution - 9 Apr 2008
... USA - George Chidi wrote a fun story looking at how Lawrenceville could become a quintessential college town ...

Students aren’t the only ones who benefit from living in college towns. The entire community can get something out of the art and culture many college towns offer.

What do you expect from a college town? How would you transform your community into one? ...

Collegetown Vision Implementation Committee Reviews Draft of Master Plan Ideas
Cornell Daily Sun - 9 Apr 2008
... Ithaca, NY - The Collegetown Vision Implementation Committee has gotten used to thinking about the future ...

One suggestion that spurred much discussion among those in attendance was the idea to turn the area near the corner of Dryden Ave. and Linden Ave. into primarily graduate student housing.

“It’s hard to get graduate students to live on Linden,” said Josh Lower, a Collegetown landlord, adding that graduate students aren’t willing to pay as high rents as undergraduates because their parents aren’t footing the bill anymore.

Student Trustee Kate Duch ’09, who has been working on these issues, added that a few hundred undergraduates live in that section of Collegetown right now. In order to accommodate moving them to a different part of the neighborhood, developers would need to build bigger high-rises. This brought the participants to question what Cornell would do to house these students, but Svante Myrick ’09 (D-4th Ward) said that on-campus housing could not replace the Collegetown experience for undergrads.

He also added that taking students out of the neighborhood could be, “a threat to commercial activity in Collegetown.” ...

Town group tries to work with students
Spectator - 9 Apr 2008
... HAMILTON, ON - The AWWCA works hard to foster good relations between town and gown. We helped form the Town and Gown Association of Ontario and the Campus Town Association -- a collaboration of the Westdale BIA, McMaster administration and the AWWCA -- to make this one of the best campus communities in North America.

Many AWWCA members are graduates of McMaster, are employed by the university or have children who attend it, or all of the above. We not only want to retain McMaster graduates, we are fully engaged ...

Planning law review to halt spread of student ghost towns
Guardian - 9 Apr 2008
... UK - A review of planning laws to prevent areas of university towns becoming student ghost towns in summer was announced yesterday by the housing minister.

Caroline Flint will also look at ways to further protect students from landlords.

Cities such as Loughborough and Bristol have reported more empty properties in summer prompting shops, businesses and pubs to close, creating "ghost towns". Her intervention is likely to change planning guidance to address the concentration of houses under multiple occupation ...

UGA reticent on housing plans
Developers get few answers on competition
Banner-Herald - 9 Apr 2008
... ATHENS, GA - Today's students, accustomed to having their own room and TV set at home, want private bathrooms, nearby shops, good security, wireless Internet access, study rooms, even swimming pools, according to builder Charles Perry, president of Ambling University Development Group.

What they want looks a lot like the University of Georgia's East Campus Village - a 1,220 bed student housing complex that was UGA's first new on-campus housing in more than 30 years when Ambling finished the project in 2004.

More than 100 builders, landlords and others Tuesday hoped to find out whether UGA plans to build more dorms like East Campus Village.

But, at a chamber of commerce-sponsored meeting on the future of student housing, they didn't get an answer to that question - information that might most influence their future business plans ...

Rental squeeze leaves uni students struggling
NineMSN - 9 Apr 2008
... AUSTRALIA - University towns have become the latest casualty of the nation's rental squeeze, with many cash-poor students having to compete harder than ever to snatch a piece of the action.

Student hubs Wollongong and Newcastle are among the hardest hit with vacancy rates below 1 percent, according to figures released today by the Real Estate Institute of NSW ...

Don’t let freebies fool you
Badger herals- 9 Apr 2008
... MADISON, WI - My first days as a college student brought with them a crippling weakness for free pizza. I have since learned to keep my cravings in check, but for a time my addiction drove me, in desperation, to deeds I will never commit again. In particular, I still look back with horror on the day I whored my personal information to that most cancerous of evils, the credit card company ...

Out-of-Towners Exploit Sexy Campus Rep
Daily Nexus - 9 Apr 2008
... SANTA BARBARA, CA - As the hosts, it is our job to introduce the out-of-towners and the forever-single housemates and subtly encourage their liaison. Well, maybe not so subtly. They’ve both done this before - they know why you suggested they partner up in beer pong. Of course, it’s not always so simple. Just as there are unwritten rules to govern hooking up in our slutty little college town, there are certain standards we expect out-of-town hookups to adhere to. And if they don’t, well, they won’t be welcome in any of our twin beds anymore ...

Morristown NJ Schools Attract Buyers
American Chronicle - 9 Apr 2008
... MORRISTOWN, NJ - Morristown New Jersey is home to some of the best public and private high schools in New Jersey. It is also home to the Rabbinical College of America and the College of Saint Elizabeth. With all the fine educational possibilities available in Morristown, this charming suburb is a great place to call home ...

The College of Saint Elizabeth is the oldest women's college in New Jersey. It was one of the nation's first Catholic colleges to award degrees to women. The campus offers theater and cultural events to area residents on a regular basis. One of the most popular campus destinations for locals is the college's greenhouse, which was built in 1911. New York City is only an hour by train from the front gate of The College of Saint Elizabeth, making this quaint college town a perfect place to live for commuters ...

Betting Heavily on Housing
The Chronicle - 8 Apr 2008
... INDIANA, PA - Indiana University of Pennsylvania is making a bold gamble. It’s spending $270-million to replace all of its old student housing with LEED-certified residence halls featuring amenities intended to attract students—six styles of suites with wired and wireless Internet access, self-controlled heat and air-conditioning, and carpeting ...

West Chester University to add six new dorms
Inquirer - 8 Apr 2008
... WEST CHESTER, PA - Six new dormitories will replace the school's aging complex of residence halls. The $300 million project will add 160 beds and be completed by August 2012 ...

"The new dorms reflect two things: the advent of air conditioning and wireless internet access," said Rich Pryzwara, executive director of the West Chester University Foundation and University Student Housing.

The 13,000-student school currently has living space, most of it nearly 40 years old, for 4,323 students ...

Local neighborhoods struggle to survive amidst student housing
Daily Argus - 8 Apr 2008
... MIDDLETOWN, CT - Pine Street residents returned from Spring Break to find a hole where a house had been. By the Fall semester, a new senior prototype house, 231 Pine St., will fill the spot.

While this new senior housing pick is sure to be sought-after, it serves as a reminder to many long-time area residents that streets like Home, Brainard and Lawn are now and will continue to be predominantly filled with students, unlike in the past.

When Joan Hedrick first moved to Home Avenue 36 years ago, the street was a mix of Sicilian families, University professors, and long-time New Englanders. Today, Hedrick is one of the block’s only non-student residents ...

Eugene ranks well for entrepreneurs
Register-Guard - 8 Apr 2008
... EUGENE, OR - Eugene has made Fortune Small Business magazine’s 2008 list of 100 best places to live and launch a small business in the United States — but just barely.

The magazine’s April issue ranked Eugene 96th, trailing other Oregon cities on the list: Portland (sixth), Corvallis (48th) and Bend (87th).

The write-up described the roost of the University of Oregon Ducks as “an edgy college city, emblematic of alternative and ecological ideas and ideals.” Eugene’s biggest attribute is that it’s a “lively college town,” the magazine said, adding the caveat that it might be “too countercultural for some.” ...

J.K. Sweet owners accommodate student needs
The owners of the restaurant, a South Korean immigrant couple, wanted to work in a college town
Daily Northwestern - 8 Apr 2008
... EVANSTON, IL - Jay Shim and Hera Lee understand Northwestern students' schedules. Without official hours, the owners of Evanston's J.K. Sweet keep their restaurant open until 2 or 3 a.m. to accommodate late night study breaks and post-party snacks.

The restaurant, a pan-Asian restaurant that also serves American desserts, is one of the few restaurants in Evanston that is open past midnight. Unlike many of their student customers, however, Shim, 45, and Lee, 43, don't sleep through lunch. The couple rises at 7:30 a.m. each morning to open the restaurant by 9:30 a.m. ...

Students question Evanston's ranking as best suburb in nation
Daily Northwestern - 8 Apr 2008
... EVNSTON, IL - Though Forbes.com named Evanston one of the nation's best suburbs, some Northwestern students question how livable the city really is.

In a March 26 article, the Web site compiled a list of the suburbs with the highest standard of living for the country's 15 largest cities. Criteria included school quality, crime rates, income, education levels and home ownership rates.

Forbes.com cited Evanston, Kenilworth and Winnetka as top Chicago suburbs. It focused on Evanston's college town appeal with a wide range of restaurants, parks and entertainment.

But NU students who live off campus said Evanston is only livablefor those who can afford high property taxes and other expenses ...

AirTran Targets College Crowd
BrandWeek - 8 Apr 2008
... USA - The ads carry the tagline, "Everyone will want to be college age," and feature senior citizens posing as college kids—from a trash-talking grandpa playing a video game to a grandma who uses a fake ID at the movies to get the student discount. Viewers are directed to www.airtranu.com for a chance to win two round trips per calendar quarter, until the winner turns 23. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 22 can enter by registering for A+ Rewards, AirTran's frequent flyer program. The promotion ends on June 9 ...

Learning from other college towns
Atlanta Journal-Constitution - 7 Apr 2008
... LAWRENCEVILLE, GA - As Georgia Gwinnett College grows along the northern edge of Lawrenceville, college officials and town fathers hope the campus will quickly transform Gwinnett's county seat into a cultural center and economic hub.

But to become the sort of quintessential college environment — one that fosters art and culture as well as economic and academic development — a few things are going to have to happen. It takes a critical mass of students, the right social environment, and more to turn a city into a college town, said Bob Karrow, editor of collegetownlife.com.

"They've got their work cut out for them," he said. "The university has to have an impact on the community to be a college town. It has to have influence." ...

Kent begins plans for redevelopment Design, planning and negotiations on demolition to start in next few months
Record - 7 Apr 2008
... KENT, OH - Smith said Kent's identity as a college town will help give it an edge over the nearly 10,000 other municipalities that will attend the conference.

"University towns really seem to be in fashion right now, so it's our job to turn that interest into investment," Smith said. "We're certainly going to go in there and work hard to promote the city of Kent."
Ruller and other city leaders must consider land assemblage as they prepare to redevelop the block ...

Vision for a uni campus in city
Mercury - 7 Apr 2008
... MAITLAND, AU - Maitland could become a destination for further education with an idea floated for a university for the city ...

He said a university, when added to the city’s Catholic education system, public education system and the TAFE campus at Metford, would make Maitland an academic centre ...

“It’s all the benefits that come with a university: housing, accommodation, the expertise,” Cr Blackmore said.

“It’s another draw for people who are looking at moving to the area.” ...

Crowd turns out for town-gown event
Journal - 7 Apr 2008
... MACOMB, IL - Chandler Park was hopping early Saturday evening at the first Taste of Macomb, hosted by the Western Illinois University Student Government Association - a new event designed to appeal to both the student and resident population of Macomb.

With a "Battle of the Bands" dominating the portable stage on North Randolph Street and most of the food and activity tables sponsored by student organizations, students were the majority of those attending.

But there were also plenty of local year-round residents in the crowd, walking dogs, pushing strollers and sampling the food and fun available at tables scattered throughout the park ...

Ole Miss English professor does the 'Unmentionables'
Latest book of poetry brings whispers and smiles from readers
Clarion-Ledger - 6 Apr 2008
... OXFORD, MS - Unmentionables, indeed.

"I thought I was admitting to something shameful," says Fennelly, whose signing-reading date in Jackson hasn't been set, "but I've had women come up to me when I do a reading of that poem (First Warm Day In A College Town) and they whisper to me, 'Oh, I do that, too.' And I think that's one of the real rewards of doing a reading is connecting with people like that." ...

New on-campus housing prototype offers 'community'
Daily Mississipian - 7 Apr 2008
... OXFORD, MS - When Stephen Wallace signed up for his fourth year to live in Martel Residential College at Rice University, he said he wouldn't have it any other way.

"I love (living in a residential college)," he said. "It's definitely unique."

Rice, whose residential colleges are being used as a model for the University of Mississippi's, has nine residential colleges on campus, housing about 220 students and faculty per college ...

Choosing the right school for you
Which schools are right for you? Then, can you afford your top pick?
NY Daily News - 7 Apr 2008
... USA - It's Decision Day.

You've applied for financial aid, and now your chosen colleges have responded, hopefully with acceptances and letters detailing how much aid - in grants, scholarships and loans - they're offering.

Where will you hit the books and boot up your laptop in the fall? There are two main considerations: Which schools are right for you? Then, can you afford your top pick? ...

Where College Students Live Can Impact Their Weight, Eating And Exercise Habits
ScienceDaily - 7 Apr 2008
... USA — The first year of college is often associated with the “freshman 15,” a reference to the 15 pounds that female college freshman are alleged to gain during the first year of higher education. The causes of the freshman 15 range from stress-related over-eating to excessive consumption of alcohol. A new study of female freshman dorm residents adds a new perspective to this phenomenon, finding that those who avail themselves of school housing consume significantly higher numbers of calories and more sugar and — unlike their off-campus counterparts — engage in higher levels of calorie- curbing physical activity ...

College Town
Telegram & Gazette - 6 Apr 2008
... WORCESTER, MA - Mark Bilotta, CEO, Colleges of the Worcester Consortium, looks out on City Hall Common from his window on the fifth floor of the Denholms Building and envisions a downtown that’s a social “campus away from campus.”

“City Square can be the Cambridge Square of Worcester,” Mr. Bilotta said. “A physical destination with a critical mass of establishments, all within walking distance.” ...

New WSC president wins kudos on campus
Republican - 6 Apr 2007
... WESTFIELD, MA - I am very excited about the opportunity to engage the city of Westfield. I think we can help making Westfield into a destination community by establishing our presence downtown, by making it a college town in many ways ...

Neighbors applaud your achievements
Post-Crescent - 6 Apr 2008
... APPLETON, WI - For the third straight year, members of Lawrence University's organization Students' War Against Hunger and Poverty will be participating in the annual Feinstein Challenge throughout the month of April, collecting canned goods and donations for the St. Joseph's Food Program. In addition to sponsoring a Storm the Dorms collection and an on-campus challenge between Lawrence academic buildings, SWAHP members will visit three Appleton elementary schools to make presentations to the students on poverty and organize school food drives ...

Brittany's natural beauty and culture beckon
Herald - 6 Apr 2008
... BRITTANY, FR - Rennes, which has been Brittany's capital since the region became part of France in 1532.

The city is a good spot to begin exploring: a lively university town filled with outdoor cafes, pubs and restaurants serving everything from the region's ubiquitous crepes to Moroccan and Afghan fare. Rennes boasts an excellent metro and several centuries' worth of historical and cultural sights ...

Universities find ways to work with parents who want active roles in kids' lives
Tribune - 6 Apr 2008
... LA CROSSE, WI - Gen Y members also are characterized as team-oriented and confident, yet may struggle with free time and time management when on their own because they were tightly scheduled as children, according to Howe and Strauss.

Not everyone agrees the habits of this group, or their parents, differ all that much from past years. UW-L instructor Betsy Morgan said while she’s dealt with a few “helicopter parents” in her 15 years of teaching, she hasn’t seen any significant shift in overall parental involvement.

Morgan added, “I think students are staying more connected with families because of cell phones.” ...

Apartment managers hope to lure renters with perks
Coloradoan - 6 Apr 2008
... FORT COLLINS, CO - "The generation of customers we're working for are very much in a position where they have more influence on how money is spent," ...

He's been in the student housing industry since 1999 and has seen a dramatic increase in college students' demands and expectations. They're value-driven and want to get the most bang for their - or their parents' - buck. "It doesn't necessarily include just a roof over their head." ...

An Oasis of Her Own
Do-it-yourself enthusiast Kate Bowers realized this was one big job she couldn't do alone.
Globe - 6 Apr 2008
... BOSTON, MA - KATE BOWERS LOVES DO-IT-YOURSELF HOME RENOVATIONS. She's refinished floors, repaired window casings, painted walls. After moving into her Belmont condo 2 1/2 years ago, Bowers and her upstairs neighbors jointly renovated the exterior of the three-family home that they share. For months, they employed her exclusive-use yard as a staging area. When the backyard was finally emptied of tools, Bowers, a 45-year-old Harvard University archivist, decided it was time for one last makeover ...

Boston Threatens Property Rights
American Thinker 6 Apr 2008
... BOSTON, MA - In a move that may prove shortsighted and misguided, the Boston Zoning Commission, with support from City Councilor Michael Ross and Mayor Menino, recently enacted an ordinance ostensibly designed to curb the anti-social behavior of college students who, living as groups in rental units, are accused of having a negative effect on neighborhoods with overcrowding, noise, and raucous parties. Additionally, say families of renters in student-dense neighborhoods, when property owners rent to groups of students, they are able to charge higher rents, thus pricing out families who cannot pool their rent resources in ways students can ...

[ED. NOTE: The author, Richard L. Cravatts, Ph.D., advertising and publications manager at law firm Nixon Peabody LLP, goes on at some length explaining why limiting the number of unrelated occpants allowed to live in a single dwelling unit is not the American way. Sorry, Dr. Cravatts, your argument is flawed. See College Town Life's Occupancy Limit Ordinaces, the Table of Occupancy Limits, Downzoning, and taking a look at Gross Income also wouldn't hurt. TownGownWorld.com also might be of interest to you for a broader perspective than just the United States.]

Charlottesville Festival is for Lovers...of Books
Virgina Law Weekly - 6 Apr 2008
... CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - Last weekend Charlottesville hosted the 14th annual Virginia Festival of the Book. Sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities to promote reading and literacy, the festival offered nearly 200 free book events spread across the city.

The weather cooperated on Wednesday (the first of the festival’s five days) by providing a warm, sunny evening perfect for the Downtown Mall. My first stop was “Trying to Get it Right: Fiction About Marriage” at the New Dominion Bookshop.

 

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