A matter of decisiveness: Americans want someone who can make a decision
Register-Star - 19 Apr 2008
... USA - On a wintry morning, in a college town not far from Lake Erie, a coup is brewing. “You’re going to take over the country today, brothers and sisters,” Werner Lange, an assistant professor of sociology, tells his Contemporary Social Problems class.

On this day, 20 undergraduates at Edinboro State University will take a crack at being the president of the United States and members of the Cabinet, at the whim of a computer game called Democracy. Its box asks them: “Do YOU have what it takes to run a country?” ...

Students in Amherst Find More Police Patrolling Video
CBS3Springfield - 18 Apr 2008
... AMHERST, MA - As the weather warms up, and colleges wrap up the spring semester... that means outdoor parties will be common. But recently, Amherst police say parties in the college town are becoming more violent rather than fun.

"We are certainly gearing up for the busy spring weekends," said Lt. Jennifer Gundersen, Amherst Police Department. "Historically, once the weather is warm and the snow is gone, (party) activity increases substantially." ...

Savvy farmers open the gate to agritourism
USA Today - 18 Apr 2008
... USA - In North Carolina, a growing number of small-scale, sustainable farmers see tourists as a cash crop — and a way to help diversify away from tobacco, says Martha Glass of the state's agriculture department. The agency lists more than 350 farms, wineries and other agricultural businesses on its website, visitncfarms.com.

The university town and culinary magnet of Chapel Hill boasts more than a dozen restaurants with fare from regional Piedmont farms. Among them is Fickle Creek in nearby Efland, where partners Ben Bergmann and Noah Ranells work 60 acres with the help of biodiesel-fueled vehicles and embrace the eat-local ethic by limiting sales of their Jersey beef, Ossabaw hogs and other products to a 23-mile radius. They invite overnight guests to help gather freshly laid eggs from a bevy of pastured chickens — eggs that, along with just-snipped chives or arugula and a side of savory pork bellies, could wind up on their breakfast plates that morning ...

Parents push for organic school lunches
Register - 18 Apr 2008
... IOWA CITY, IA - Nearly 300 Iowa City parents have signed a petition to get more organic, locally grown food into their youngsters' school lunches.

Food service coordinators for three Iowa school districts say they are trying to buy more local food, but organic fare is nearly impossible without drastically increasing meal costs ...

Which local record store has what you're looking for?
Vinyl lives, the CD's not dead and your local record store misses you
Herald-Record - 18 Apr 2008
... New Paltz, NY - IF YOU'RE INTO ... LIVING, TALKING HEARING COOLNESS

Jack's Rhythms, 54 Main St., New Paltz, 255-1082 — A guy walks into the shop with Dylan and Dinsoaur Jr. posters on the window and spies Captain Beefheart's "Trout Mask Replica" vinyl album on the wall. Seconds after he tells the guy behind the counter about a great Beefheart concert, the album's playing on the store stereo ...

IF YOU'RE INTO ... EXPERIENCING, DISCUSSING, BRAGGING

Rhino Records, 3 Church St., New Paltz, 255-0230 — It tells you something about the state of CDs that this college town store's new digs are about a third the size of the old location. The new shop, with purple floors, orange cases and blue walls, is still packed with lots of cool music. It's "the largest selection of vinyl in the Hudson Valley," ...

More Students Choose to Take an Active Role in City Government
Daily Californian - 17 Apr 2008
... BERKELEY, CA - In 2006, fifth year UC Berkeley student Jason Overman felt the voice of students wasn't being represented on the Berkeley City Council and decided to run against incumbent Gordon Wozniak. Overman ended up losing the election, but he carved a path for greater student involvement to take place.

"A lot of times, there's discrimination by those involved in the political process, they don't see that (students) are qualified or have (their) voices heard," said Overman, who currently holds an elected position on the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board.

In Berkeley and some other college towns, there is a stigma against college students holding higher positions in city government. But in recent years, Berkeley has seen the level of student participation in city government rise, helping to foster a community for students and non-students ...

Because I Said So: In Defense of our ‘Friendly City’
Harrisonburg deserves more credit as a college town
The Breeze - 17 Apr 2008
... HARRISONBURG, VA - When people think of the ultimate college town, Harrisonburg probably isn’t the first image that comes to mind. Many would think of New York City, with its cornucopia of culture, as the perfect place for a college student to get connected to society. Others would picture a town like Blacksburg, where the local university is, quite literally, a city. Despite the fact that our beloved Harrisonburg may not be the quintessential college town, I think a lot of us fail to realize how truly blessed we are to be residents of “The Friendly City.”

For most people, college is about two things: getting an education and having a blast on the social scene. Despite the jokes we make about the size of the town, the smell of the air and the occasional horse and buggy, Harrisonburg fully facilitates those two goals as much as any college town ...

Program to plug into Fort Collins' sunshine
Coloradoan - 17 Apr 2008
... FORT COLLINS, CO - There isn’t a magic solution to rising energy prices and the growing concern over carbon emissions, but that isn’t stopping Gov. Bill Ritter and the city of Fort Collins from trying.

Tapping into renewable energy where possible, including taking advantage of the 300 days of sunshine Colorado boasts, the city utility recently won a grant from the Governor’s Energy Office to bring $50,000 in rebates to a limited number of Fort Collins homeowners who install solar panels on their homes ...

How to properly take trash that is not garbage and find treasure
A few tips on of how to survive Spring Clean Up and come out with some good items.
Collegian - 16 Apr 2008
... BROOKINGS, SD - To the rest of Brookings it is known as the Brookings Regional Landfill Spring Clean Up. To college students in the know, however, it can be Christmas in April. But time is running short as all objects will be picked up by the end of this week ...

Take note that "junk" is the operative word here. This junk can be the most glorious, wonderful and magnificent treasure on earth ...

An example of this can be seen directly by taking a tour of my house. If it weren't for garbage week, my house would lack a desk chair, an entertainment center, a kitchen table, two shelving units, two patio chairs, four kitchen chairs and a magazine rack. Needless to say, I love garbage week. In this column, I will offer some tips as well as some lessons that come straight from a garbage week veteran ...

Classy Digs
Harvard’s housing renovation project is much needed
Harvard Crimson - 16 Apr 2008
... CAMBRIDGE, MA - As it stands now, Harvard housing leaves quite a bit to be desired. From the barren wasteland of Cabot House to the “quaint” walkthrough triples of Dunster, many students currently preparing for their housing lotteries are faced with less than ideal options. In recent years, Harvard has done little to combat this problem, even as our peer institutions have embarked on ambitious housing projects such as Princeton’s construction of the $100 million Whitman College and Yale’s extensive renovation of its 12 residential colleges ...

City council candidates pledge to listen to students
KY Kernel - 16 Apr 2008
... LEXINGTON, KY - Candidates for the 3rd District seat on the city council told students yesterday that if elected, they would consider what local people wanted in their community - not just what would be good for downtown business and development.

"Big interest doesn't overtake the common good of the people," said Jonathan Rodgers, one of the five candidates who spoke last night at a forum in the Student Center's Worsham Theater ...

American Campus Communities to sell 4.5M shares in public offering
Forbes - 16 Apr 2008
... USA - American Campus Communities Inc. said late Wednesday it plans to sell 4.5 million shares of its common stock in an underwritten public offering ...

American Campus plans to use the proceeds to fund a portion of the cash consideration payable in its pending merger with GMH Communities Trust ...

CRS Engineering, Capstone Development complete designs for two dorms
Business Journal - 16 Apr 2008
... CLARION, PA - CRS Engineering and Design Consultants Inc. said it recently completed construction documents for two dormitory projects being built by Birmingham-based Capstone Development.

The two dorms are at Clarion University of Pennsylvania and were designed by CRS to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council ...

Capstone develops student housing all across the country.

Why Property Investors Love Universities And Good Schools
Best Syndication - 16 Apr 2008
... USA - Property investors who are looking to make money from property love investing in areas that have universities and good quality schools. The main reason for this is because properties in these areas can yield excellent profits ...

University Town Buy To Let 'still Worthwhile'
Start Again Finance - 15 Apr 2008
... UK - University Town Buy To Let 'still Worthwhile' Investors considering a buy to let mortgage in a university town should not be affected by the large numbers of houses in multiple occupation HMOs, according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents ...

It has been reported that the number of HMOs has now reached 2.5 million, leading to a government review of their management, led by housing and planning minister ...

No spandex required: Town bikes get rolling
Commuting to meetings just might become fun
News & Observer - 15 Apr 2008
... CHAPEL HILL, NC - The Blue Urban Bikes bicycle loan program (www.recyclery. info/blue_urban_bikes) has been offering community members who pay a $10 annual fee refurbished bicycles they can check out from downtown hubs such as the 3Cups coffee shop and other locations in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. The knobby-tired bikes come with five to eight gears and flat handlebars to accommodate recreational riders not looking to spend an afternoon hunched over in a racer's crouch.

When it comes to color schemes, riders can pick from bikes painted light blue, sky blue or robin's-egg blue, all otherwise known in Chapel Hill as "Carolina blue."

'Just Off Turner' at Morgan Square For College Fest 2008
WSPA - 15 Apr 2008
... SPARTANBURG, SC - The sixth annual College Fest will be held Thursday, April 17, from 9 to 11 p.m. on Morgan Square, featuring rock group Just Off Turner. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

The yearly event is hosted by the College Town of Spartanburg, a consortium of the six colleges (Converse College, Sherman College, Spartanburg Methodist College, Spartanburg Community College, University of South Carolina Upstate and Wofford College) in Spartanburg in partnership with the City of Spartanburg ...

Rental inspection proposal a step forward
Montana Kaimin - 15 Apr 2008
... MISSOULA, MT - Given the fact that more than 10,000 of UM’s students rent in Missoula, there is something going on that we should know about. Renters’ rights are always a big concern, and because of the hard work of a number of locals, we’re about to take a serious step forward.

There has been a push in recent years for an inspection program for local renters and landlords. Most folks agree that it’s very important renters have a safe place to live and are educated about their rights. According to the 2000 census, roughly half of Missoula residents rent, compared with just over 30 percent statewide. This is a serious jump – more than is to be expected from a college town – and is likely due to the high cost of living and buying a home ...

Landlord only made tragedy much worse
Journal Sentinel - 15 Apr 2008
... MADISON, WI - It took a while, but the property manager finally got a clue that it's a crummy thing to hold someone to a lease for an apartment where his fiancée was murdered.

This week, Wisconsin Management Co. located its heart and announced it will release J______ G________ from the lease for the Madison apartment he shared with fellow University of Wisconsin student Brittany Zimmermann. The lease was to have run until August 2009 ...

A collegial style for Glassboro
Inquirer - 14 Apr 2008
... GLASSBORO, NJ -
National experts say having a thriving town near campus is increasingly important to college students.

Rowan University has gotten the message.

Once a sleepy teachers college, Rowan will become part of a nearly $100 million construction project this summer that will significantly change the environment for students ...

Madison’s day in ‘Jeopardy!’
Badger Herald - 14 Apr 2008
... MADISON, WI - Madison has made its mark again — this time through the popular game show “Jeopardy!”

The entire crew of “America’s Favorite Quiz Show” filmed their annual College Championship at the University of Wisconsin’s Kohl Center over the weekend, calling Madison the most hospitable city they have ever visited.

“We love Madison,” executive producer Harry Friedman said. “This is a great college town, and to also be the state capital gives it its own unique flavor.” ...

Driven to shop
Merchant wheels out double-decker lure to haul sorority sisters to boutiques
Gazette-Times - 14 Apr 2008
... CORVALLIS, OR - In addition to using them to promote her business, Walton rents them out for events ranging from weddings to business promotions, and she has also arranged fashion trips like the ones that took place last week in Corvallis. She’s also planning on bringing the bus back up for Mom’s Weekend, to provide shuttle service from campus to downtown.

Walton said she’s enjoying learning more about Corvallis that she likes the city’s revitalized downtown character and the infusion of student energy.

“We’re having fun with that college town vibe,” ...

Mercer students aim to give Macon orange look
Telegram - 14 Apr 2008
... MACON, GA - Both Patrick and North are involved in a project they hope will get Mercer students downtown and exploring more businesses. The project, dubbed "Paint the Town Orange," is the work of associate professor Tammy Crutchfield's marketing class and involves a week full of activities to entice students downtown.

That includes discounts at various restaurants, a bar crawl, raffles, tours of downtown lofts and a concert at Cherry Plaza on Friday. The class focused on the things students like - cheap food, giveaways and free T-shirts - to help lure them downtown ...

Leeds 'ghost town' summer fears
Evening Post - 14 Apr 2008
... UK - MINISTERS are concerned that Leeds is becoming a summer "ghost town" due to the increased number of large student houses in the city.

Leeds is one of five towns and cities where the Government has highlighted reports of growing numbers of properties standing empty during student holidays ...

Campus Acquisitions buys 304 units in Texas, South Carolina
CRE Feed - 14 Apr 2008
... USA - In two deals brokered by Apartment Realty Advisors, Chicago, Ill.-based Campus Acquisitions has acquired 304 multi-family units in South Carolina and Texas ...

Campus Acquisitions is a firm that focuses its acquisitions on student housing projects in specific college and university markets nationwide ...

Communiversity Day an NU “showcase” for Evanston
Multiple Videos
North by Northwestern - 13 Apr 2008
... EVANSTON, IL - Northwestern publicly opened its doors to Evanston residents Saturday with a host of arts and crafts, music and speeches to “showcase all that Northwestern has to share with its Evanston and greater metro area neighbors,” said Lucile Krasnow, NU’s special assistant for community relations.

Krasnow founded and planned the event to bring together “every department you could think of” at Northwestern to plan the activities ...

Students can be big help to Oshawa
News Durham Region - 13 Apr 2008
... OSHAWA, ON - Come on, Oshawa, get with the program. Embracing and encouraging the local college scene can be good for you. While General Motors has been, and continues to be, an invaluable asset to this community, a little diversity can only benefit us.

Young adults, away from home for the first time in their lives, have different needs than the average working class family. Always running on a tight budget and tighter schedule, they demand affordable and efficient transit. After class, they want clean, safe drinking holes, urban-style cafes to hang out in, a local music scene and bookstores. OK, Downtown Oshawa: this is your chance to shine! Many of these students have sufficient allowances from the family purse to make them attractive to local merchants, especially those selling fashion and electronics. And don’t forget that the student population is available to take those lower-wage, part-time jobs -- especially in the restaurant and retail sectors -- that few else want (except out-of-work actors, naturally) ...

Annual daffodil show fills home with sunshine
Advocate - 13 Apr 2008
... GRANVILLE, OH - Visitors who stepped through the threshold of Granville's College Town House on Saturday were greeted not only by a few cheery members of the Granville Garden Club but also the distinctly fresh -- and prominent -- scent of daffodils ...

‘Warmth' of vinyl, foot traffic key here
Journal Gazette - 13 Apr 2008
... FORT WAYNE, IN - Despite a plethora of colleges and universities in the region, Fort Wayne just isn’t a college town in the same sense that Chapel Hill, N.C.; Boulder, Colo.; State College, Pa.; and Iowa City, Iowa, are.

And that’s a good thing for the Summit City’s venerable independent music chain, Wooden Nickel ...

Friends take on pretzel venture
Centre Daily Times - 13 Apr 2008
... STATE COLLEGE, PA - They’re about to be the four musketeers of soft pretzels ...

“We went around and tasted all the pretzels we could find,” he said.

The business also offered flexibility, making it possible to add Maggie’s, and allowed the owners to target college towns as their market. There are plans to open locations in four other East Coast markets ...

A recent transplant to Somerville’s rich artistic milieu
News - 13 Apr 2008
... SOMERVILLE, MA - Poet Heather Madden is in the midst of a love affair. She was in love at her first sight of Somerville. She loves the mix of artists, the generations of families that reside here, the Sherman Café, the eclectic shops of Union Square and the general enthusiasm for the arts the ‘Ville embodies. Madden, who lives in Union Square, told the News that her Somerville neighborhood is: “quiet enough” for her to write and she loves the view of a historic home across the way from her flat ...

Florida Atlantic dorm goes green
Post - 13 Apr2008
... BOCA RATON, FL - Florida Atlantic University is building its first ultra eco-friendly dormitory as part of a national promise school officials made to promote environmental responsibility.

The 600-bed residence hall, which will cater to older students with kitchens and private bedrooms, will also include low-flow showerheads and toilets, waterless urinals, and Energy Star appliances that reduce electrical needs.

The goal is to meet national environmental standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, or LEED ...

'Short-sighted' plan
Press & Sun-Bulletin
... BINGHAMTON, NY - As new Bunn Hill Road residents, my husband and I oppose Campus Crest's proposal to rezone this area for multifamily use.

These developers are not affiliated with Binghamton University or Broome Community College as the name may imply. The university has consistently chosen not to use Bunn Hill Road for student housing. Plans to build housing for 900 students are already under way on the university's campus. There are additional plans for student housing in other parts of the community that are appropriately zoned for it ...

Families Warn That Fire's Lesson Fading Away Video
WBNS - 13 Apr 2008
... COLUMBUS, OH— Family members of the victims who died in house fire near the Ohio State University campus believe more can be done to prevent fatal fires from happening.

Five years ago Sunday, a fire ripped through a home on East 17th Avenue, killing five college students ...

Alliance needed for UGA housing
Future development in area
Banner-Herald - 13 Apr 2008
... ATHENS, GA - As the university moves forward in its housing assessment and its student body continues to grow, we need UGA administrators, Athens-Clarke County officials and even business representatives in the housing industry (including apartments) to talk strategically about how we want to see student housing develop both on and around campus.

The proliferation of student rental homes in our single-family neighborhoods, the oversupply of condominiums and apartments in our community, and a lot of the gentrification in some lower-income areas can be attributed to the university being slow on the uptake in reacting to what students wanted in living quarters ...

Madison.com week in review
Council passes landlord photo ordinance
Capital Times - 13 Apr 2008
... MADISON, WI - The Madison City Council voted Tuesday unanimously in favor of an ordinance requiring landlords to have photographic evidence of damage before deducting from a tenant's security deposit. The ordinance hopes to bring fairness for tenants and protection for landlords. Of the thousands of cases in small claims court each year, half are tenant-landlord disputes and the majority of those are over security deposits. The ordinance was sponsored by Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, a UW-Madison student who got the idea after hearing stories from fellow students about being charged for damages without evidence ...

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