Small gems: a dozen of America's tiny towns worth visiting
Register - 10 May 2008
... LAWRENCE, KS - Lawrence, Kan.: With more than 80,000 residents, Lawrence is the biggest place on my list of small towns. But when you drive into downtown in the late afternoon, with the sunlight making the old brick buildings glow, it feels cozy and small. I found myself thinking "I could live here." A college town with good bookstores and a microbrewery, Lawrence is also steeped in the history of "Bloody Kansas," the battles that raged over slavery just before the Civil War. www.visitlawrence.com ...

AGAINST THE CURRENT: Developing the Civic Agency of Students
RedOrbit - 10 May 2008
... USA - Leaders in higher education's civic-engagement efforts recently have argued that those efforts need reinvigoration. "While the movement [to date] has created some change, it has also plateaued and requires a more comprehensive effort to ensure lasting institutional commitment and capacity," says John Saltmarsh, director of the New England Resource Center for Higher Education and formerly a scholar in residence at Campus Compact, the organization of college and university presidents committed to civic engagement. Saltmarsh argues that our next task is to "empower students and other citizens in the work of democracy."

A focus on civic agency has far-ranging implications. Mustafa Emirbayer and Ann Mishe have defined such agency as the ability to negotiate and transform a world that is understood to be fluid and open. But, they observe, this ability "has been overshadowed by an emphasis upon clear and explicit rules of conduct, concepts that permit relatively little scope for the exercise of situationally based judgment." ...

Colleges are allowing co-ed dorm rooms
Many U.S. universities, colleges saying goodbye to old rules
Times & Transcript - 10 May 2008
... USA - Roommates Erik Youngdahl, left, and Michelle Garcia surf the internet in their room in a house for students with an interest in Russian studies at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.

They have set up their beds side-by-side like Lucy and Ricky in "I Love Lucy," and avert their eyes when one of them is changing clothes.

"People are shocked to hear that it's happening and even that it's possible," said Youngdahl, a 20-year-old sophomore. But "once you actually live in it, it doesn't actually turn into a big deal." ...

Brubaker's to reopen in Akron
Pub will relocate as part of housing, retail project
Beacon Journal - 10 May 2008
... Brubaker's Pub on South Main Street in downtown Akron has closed, but it is expected to reopen just north of its present location in the city's new $25-million student housing and retail project.

''It will look substantially bigger because it will all be on one floor,'' pub owner Scott Brewer said Friday. ''It will have cafe seating on Main Street and open-air windows.

''It might be the crown jewel [of the project], it's going to be that nice. We're excited about it,'' he said ...

East Hill Notes: Presentation to address Collegetown urban plan
Journal - 10 May 2008
... ITHACA, NY - Work continues on development of an urban plan and design guidelines for Collegetown, as outlined at this week's meeting of the Collegetown Neighborhood Council. Boston-based consultants Goody Clancy, compensated jointly by the City of Ithaca and Cornell, will update the public on its work later this month, including a presentation and question-and-answer session from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, May 20 at St. Luke's Church, 109 Oak Ave. For the full meeting list, visit Cornell's Government Relations site. Also addressed at the council this week: a recap of Slope Day, a look ahead to Cornell's Senior Week and continual challenges tied to neighborhood litter and garbage ...

Locavore pastoral
A summit looks at green eating in the countryside
TheDailyPage - 9 May 2008
... MADISON, WI - If news about the local foods movement seems to be everywhere these days, that's partly because so much of it is unfolding right before your eyes. Madison has the reputation as an epicenter of sustainable eating, a place where there's broad access to, and escalating support for, family farms and local fare.

But what about outside the capital city? Shouldn't the pleasures and benefits of local foods be available in Wisconsin's small towns, too? Absolutely, say participants of the Southwest Wisconsin Local Food Summit, held April 22, Earth Day, in tiny Belmont.

The event brought together farmers, rural residents, local leaders, nonprofit groups and others to work on expanding the sale of local products in the area. It was sponsored by Local Fare, a project of the UW-Platteville Office of Continuing Education that promotes a regional vision for increasing access to local foods ...

Rollins shows city its value in dollars
The college presents a $45,000 study that outlines its monetary worth to Winter Park.
Sentinel - 9 May 2008
... WINTER PARK, FL - People tend to associate college towns with all-night keg parties, traffic and a property owner who doesn't pay taxes.

So Rollins College has paid $45,000 for a study to remind the community about the benefits of having a college in its backyard.

"When one looks deeply, one finds that colleges such as Rollins are significant economic generators, plus the quality of life -- the education, the cultural amenities, and all that come with an institution of higher learning," said George Herbst, Rollins vice president for business and finance.

Winter Park and Rollins have good town-gown relations ...

Bexley condos getting new life as Capital apartments
Business First - 9 May 2008
... BEXLEY, OH - A Bexley development that went bust as a retirement community is filling with tenants from the other end of the age spectrum.

Capital University has purchased the former Woodsview at Bexley LLC condominiums for $4 million and will use the rechristened Capital University Apartments as independent housing for juniors and seniors.

Only 11 of the 30 condos sold since the three-story building went up in 2004 a block from Capital's campus ...

UM invites neighbors to see 'green'
School eager to tell community about future eco-friendly building
Sun - 9 May 2008
... ELLICOT CITY, MD - The University of Maryland has invited 900 of its closest neighbors for light refreshments tomorrow to talk about the environmentally friendly building it plans to erect at its research farm in western Ellicott City.

Postcard invitations to the informational session were recently mailed to residents of communities surrounding the school's 922-acre property, where the Central Maryland Research and Education Center has been since 1988 ...

Senator’s Ties to Real Estate Draw Criticism
NYT - 9 May 2008
... TUSCALOOSA, AL— He has made millions as a title insurance executive, landlord and real estate developer in this college town, where the economy, despite trouble nationwide, is still growing nicely. Now, as a United States senator, with the mortgage mess fueling a national economic slowdown, Richard C. Shelby has more say over the revamping of housing finance laws than almost anyone else in Congress ...

Fund drive to save Davis school jobs tops $1 million
Bee - 9 May 2008
... DAVIS, CA - A campaign to raise money for Davis schools has blown past the million-dollar mark.

Janet Berry, president of the nonprofit Davis Schools Foundation, said the group has raised nearly $1.2 million since it kicked off its fundraising drive in March.

That's far short of Davis Joint Unified School District's projected $4 million budget deficit for the next school year – a result of proposed cuts in state education funding and declining enrollment in the university town ...

Culver signs bill to help students with textbook costs
Globe Gazette - 9 May 2008
... DES MOINES, IA – Gov. Chet Culver has signed a bill intended to make it easier for students to save money on textbooks.

The bill asks public and private colleges to publicize bar code information for textbooks. Students can use the information to shop around for the best prices.

Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, is an Iowa State University economics professor and he was a co-author of the bill. He said the bill gives students valuable information without interfering with colleges' ability to decide which books are used ...

Queens College signs dorm deal
Courier - 8 May 2008
... QUEENS, NY - Queens College (QC) will become the third member of the City University of New York (CUNY) to offer on-campus dormitory housing under a deal signed with Capstone Development Corporation recently.

The building will be “green,” according to plan, and qualify for a coveted Silver rating under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system overseen by the United States Green Building Council, which awards certification ...

Since 1994, the Alabama-based Capstone Development Corporation has specialized in student housing for more than 55 colleges and universities, including City College. Currently it manages over 15,000 beds on 19 campuses, nationwide ...

Tenant landownder group to discuss proposed ordinances with city council
Northern Star - 8 May 2008
... DE KALB, IL - DeKalb is one of the two college towns in the state that do not regularly inspect rental properties.

“In fact, of all the college towns of Illinois, [...] Charlestown and DeKalb are the only towns that do not regularly inspect rental properties,” Biernacki said. “With over one-half of our population residents in rental properties, we feel that it is important that these properties are well-maintenanced and up to code. Currently we don’t have the ability to do that.”

Biernacki said this was not about rights or money but rather better neighborhoods ...

CSU students to meet with City Council to discuss issues
Zone - 8 May 2008
... FORT COLLINS, CO - One issue in particular will be brought up - the city's infamous three-unrelated law.

The law, which restricts more than three unrelated people from living together in the same residence and was put into effect in January 2007, has hit students hard.

Students have attended City Council meetings in recent weeks in order to speak to members asking they amend current zoning restrictions that don't allow for homes to gain "boarding home" status, which would allow for more unrelated people to live together.

ASCSU passed a resolution last month asking council members to re-examine the three-unrelated law next January.

Some council members have previously said they are not against re-examining the law but want to let it play out for a time before making any major changes ...

Oxford, Mississippi To Become "Boomerville" USA? Could Be
CNBC - 7 May 2008
... OXFORD, MS - I'm sitting on a bench in a town which aims to be Boomerville, USA. It's not in Florida. Not in Arizona. It's Oxford, Mississippi. I know, I thought the same thing.

But let me tell you, coming here has been one of the most pleasant surprises of my life. Oxford rocks! This small college town has been described as a "cosmopolitan Mayberry," and I'm here to do a story on efforts by civic leaders to capture the attention of valuable boomer retirees (it'll air May 16th). Their pitch: quality of life plus generous tax incentives. Those over 65 pay no income taxes on retirement income ...

The Green Team...Green-collar workers are a fast-growing force in the brave new world of sustainability
Times - 7 May 2008
... ITHACA, NY - College towns like Ithaca are frequently in the forefront when it comes to progressive ideas, and local sustainability initiatives have been under development here for more than 30 years, gradually picking up speed. Nicholson attributes Ithaca's edge to the new way in which many of the local supporters of this movement, like Sustainable Tompkins and its subsidiary the Green Resource Hub, are approaching the problems at hand ...

Dan Heath gives area business leaders tips for success
Coloradoan - 7 May 2008
... FORT COLLINS, CO - Heath included the audience in his presentation and brought home the concept, encouraging audience members to brainstorm ways to market Fort Collins that go against the traditional thoughts of it being just a college town.

"There is an art of idea construction, if you will," Heath said during his presentation. "Day to day, do you need to make an idea stick every time you open your mouth? I hope not, that would be a lot of work...but every now and then, a situation comes along when you have an idea that is special." ...

Bringing the gown to town
Courier - 7 May 2008
... BALLARAT, AU -
IT WAS a sweet end for about 260 University of Ballarat students, who triumphantly marched up Sturt St yesterday.

They were the university's newest graduates who participated in the now annual parade around Ballarat's city streets.

Adorned in their gowns and proudly holding their degrees, they marched as family members jostled for position to take photographs ...

Munchies After Midnight
Dylan Fiesel turns late-night snack attacks into a growing business venture.
East Bay Express - 7 May 2008
... BERKELEY, CA - Fiesel got the idea for Mrs. Munchies during his last semester of college. He was living in Bloomington, which he describes as a typical college town, about the same size as Berkeley. The big difference was Berkeley's surprising dearth of after-hours snack joints. "Bloomington was notorious for having all these different food restaurants and these late-night delivery things going on," Fiesel said. "My friends in Berkeley would call me drunk; it would be like 1:30 here and they'd be walking down to 7-11 because they couldn't get anything else." ...

6 fraternities suspended in drug probe at San Diego State U.
96 people arrested
AP - 7 May 2008
... SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego State University has suspended six fraternities after a sweeping drug investigation that landed dozens of students in jail on suspicion of openly dealing drugs on campus.

The probe — prompted by the cocaine overdose death last year of a freshman sorority member — led to the arrests of 96 people, 75 of them San Diego State students. A second drug death occurred during the investigation ...

Clemson parks upgrades as more young families move to college town
News - 6 May 2008
... CLEMSON, SC - Renovation work will modernize and improve facilities at three Clemson city parks this summer as a growing number of young families move to the college town ...

As young families have moved in, Figueroa has seen growth in the city’s youth recreation program, particularly in young children under the age of nine ...

If It Tastes Good, It's in Charlottesville
Thanks to inventive chefs, a commitment to quality and a local focus, this is one college town with all the makings of a food lover's destination
Washington Post - 6 May 2008
... CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - food here is far better than it should be in a place with about 40,000 year-round residents and 20,000 broke college kids. True, college towns tend to have a disproportionate number of educated, affluent residents, but even by that standard Charlottesville's food scene stands out. In a city best known for Thomas Jefferson's architecture, there's sushi worthy of Nobu in New York (the chef, Bryan Emperor, trained there), rustic but transcendent tapas, plus all the other things a great food town requires: standout bread, real espresso, artisan chocolate and locally brewed beer. The vibrant city farmers market supplies ambitious local chefs and the community, which, thanks to restaurateurs like Richey, is used to food that's a cut above ...

LOOSE ENDS: Reflections on town and gown
Dr. Robert Goheen, 16th president of Princeton University, 'used his position to bring people on both sides of FitzRandolph Gate together in a common pursuit of a vibrant community.’
Packet - 6 May 2008
... PRINCETON, NJ - At Small World, a location that brings town and gown together every day of the year, I took in the sights, sounds and smells of Communiversity. The blues to bluegrass music, the sight of people of all ages (bald babies to bald grandpas), the presence of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds, the aroma of fried dough, French fries and onions mixing with freshly ground coffee — all were mesmerizing. I waved to the dozens of acquaintances from town and gown. Both groups seemed equally represented, at least within my circle of friends ...

Rite of spring: Trout fishing lures anglers nationwide
WRAL - 6 May 2008
... MIDDLEBURY, VT - In Vermont, the season begins on the second Saturday of April. Duncan's special spot was on the New Haven River near the college town of Middlebury.

The chilly water was murky from melting snow - "like chocolate milk," he said - and the trout were slow coming to the bait ...

"It's a means of self-exploration and a way of dealing with crisis and pain," said Matt Dickerson, a Middlebury professor who has taught a course on fishing in literature. "It's a way of wondering what the meaning of the universe is, of being aware of something other than yourself and this world of technology." ...

Gettysburg OKs new zoning, for now
Evening Sun 6 May 2008
... GETTYSBURG, PA - The 13th draft reflects changes that council members and residents wanted to see from the ordinance's 12th draft, particularly the elimination of an overlay district that would have allowed student housing in residential neighborhoods near Gettysburg College and Lutheran Theological Seminary ...

Student housing will be permitted in four districts by special exception, meaning a particular use of the property could be allowed, but the land owner would need to prove to the zoning hearing board that plans for the property meet the established criteria ...

Building boom will boost IU’s Bloomington campus
The Herald-Times (subscription), IN - 6 May 2008
... BLOOMINGTON, IN - This is the first step in McRobbie’s announced plan to overhaul student housing on campus, which will help IU stay competitive for the best students ...

Building toward the future: What will Weld County look like in 20 years? 30 years?
Tribune - 5 May 2008
... GREELEY, CO -In Greeley, Starbucks meets "Green Acres." That's how Becky Safarik, as she looks into her crystal ball, describes the Greeley of 2028 ...

"Greeley will always be a hybrid," she said. That hybrid -- according to many planners, government officials and business leaders -- will include agriculture and urban environments. Often thought of as being at odds with one another, people in northern Colorado are laying their claim that the northern Front Range can be both a place to raise cattle in the morning and get dinner at the hippest restaurant before seeing the latest touring theater show at night ...

Downtown merchants reach out to area college students
Public Opinion - 5 May 2008
... CHAMBERSBURG, PA - Downtown Chambersburg merchants are trying to reach a new demographic of shoppers.

Downtown shops and restaurants are increasingly reaching out to college students.

"In a lot of college towns you get a lot of positive effects from students. They buy food, go to coffeehouses, and add to the community downtown," said Mark Miller, owner of Gypsie in downtown Chambersburg ...

The bittersweet end of a beloved bakery
Inquirer - 5 May 2008
... GLASSBORO, NJ - Glassboro Mayor Leo McCabe said he hoped the bakery could find another site in the municipality, which is set to undergo a $100 million redevelopment, including a wide pedestrian-friendly boulevard and new businesses.

"A bakery fits in well with what we want in the future," said McCabe, who has been a longtime Liscio's customer. "Their rolls are very good. Everything they have is good."

Glassboro's Rowan Boulevard Project calls for the town to be restyled into "a quintessential college town," the developers say. Groundbreaking is planned for next month and will include off-campus student housing for Rowan University students near downtown ...

Co-op evolves from far-out to mainstream
Register - 4 May 2008
... DECORAH, IA - food cooperatives have mainstreamed.

Today, in the newly expanded co-op in this small college town, one finds mothers, retirees, Republicans, people who don't wear sandals.
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"At one time only certain people would shop here," said Ed Hover, one of those retirees in this town with a heavily Norwegian heritage. "People who were 'far-out' - not your normal Scandinavians."

Oneota now has 2,900 members, or roughly one in seven residents of Winneshiek County. In April, the store's grand opening celebrated its fourth move to a bigger store since its origin in the 1970s. The retail space has tripled to 5,600 square feet from its last location, a block away on Decorah's business district ...

College towns rank high on 'recession-proof' list
Tribune - 4 May 2008
... USA - Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Hovind, president of JobBait.com, compared job expansion in a number of key industries and workforce growth in various metropolitan areas. He came up with a list of about two dozen areas where jobs outpaced the workforce during the recessions of 1990 and 2001, and in the past year, and figured they'd likely fare well in another downturn.

Among the metropolitan areas making his list were Prescott, Ariz.; Fayetteville, Ark.; Bakersfield, Calif.; Grand Junction, Colo.; Bend, Ore.; Valdosta, Ga.; and Morgantown, W.Va.

Each has an economy built around some industry or mix of industries that "don't follow the business-cycle pattern," said Matt Martin, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank's Charlotte office. They're regional health-care centers, state capitals or university towns ...

College Town
Smart and sensitive
Telegram & Gazette - 4 May 2008
... WORCESTER, MA - College Town congratulates everyone involved for giving students the opportunity to participate in the Worcester County Poetry Association’s College Poetry Competition April 29 at the Worcester Public Library. David Corliss, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, received the Poetry Manuscript Prize for his collection of three poems, and Lynsey Sicksch, Assumption College, received the Poetry Performance Prize for an oral presentation of poems. Gregory Minogue, College of the Holy Cross, and Miss Sicksch were awarded honorable mention for their collections.

Elizabeth Heath, Mount Wachusett Community College, and Sandy Wade, Quinsigamond Community College, were awarded honorable mentions for performance. Other finalists included Allan-Michael Brown, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Laura Crawford, Fitchburg State College, and Melanie Wilcox, Worcester State College ...

The school house
For four years, a college kid has to live somewhere -- some prefer to pay a mortgage instead of rent
Sun - 4 May 2008
... BALTIMORE, MD - "It's not unusual for parents to want to purchase a property for their sons or daughters while they are attending college or medical school," says ... Re/Max Sails in Canton. "Most parents' criteria is that the house must be within walking distance to the campus and that it must have two or more bedrooms that can be rented to other students."

Willner says that, generally, parents purchase houses in the $300,000 to $400,000 range, expecting a monthly mortgage payment of about $1,800 to $2,500. They also expect to draw rental income of about $400 to $500 a month for spare bedrooms leased to other students ...

Preservationists question NYU plans to raze historic New York theater
Morning Call - 4 May 2008
... GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY -Preservationists are protesting a plan by New York University to tear down a theater where playwrights from Eugene O'Neill to David Mamet saw their works produced.

But NYU officials say the five-story building that houses the Provincetown Playhouse is not architecturally significant and can't be retrofitted into the office space they need ...

Development would be an 'abomination'
PressConnect - 4 May 2008
... VESTAL / BINGHAMTON, NY - It's not about student housing; the current plans of the developers are not connected with the university at all. There is no shortage of student housing.

There are several areas already zoned for multi-family dwellings that would accommodate the big "out-of-state" developers.

There is no sound reason for developments to destroy our rural, single-family areas -- they are an abomination!

The only ones to benefit from the plans are the owners of the land and the developers. The protests against the re-zoning falls on deaf ears of some members of the Planning Council. Residents who come to the meetings are in such large numbers they cannot be accommodated. The room holds 63 -- and that many also were standing outside. There are no chairs for the elderly, no microphones so everyone can hear ...

Purdue students move out, give back
Journal & Courier - 3 May 2008
... WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - Couches, a mini refrigerator, Christmas lights, a copy of the New Testament and more were among items Purdue University students donated Friday to charity as part of Project Move Out.

As students leave West Lafayette for the summer, the Boiler Volunteer Network hosts Project Move Out to collect useable items that might otherwise be thrown in the trash. After the donations are collected, low-income families can come from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Purdue Armory to take their pick.

Emily Love, a graduate administrative professional for Boiler Volunteer Network, said this was the eighth annual Project Move Out.

Evolving downtown: New merchants excited about opportunities in busy district
Missoula.com - May 2008
... MISSOULA, MT - Drawing inspiration from retail trends in larger cities, there are changes afoot in downtown Missoula, with several new or relocated stores along Higgins Avenue.

The stores' owners have a common element: They're poised for new challenges. As Missoula grows, they said, their stores offer wares typically found in Seattle, Portland and other cities.

Downtown, which is known for its trendy boutiques, continues evolving. In fact, downtown Missoula was one of five “unsung shopping locales” featured in Lucky magazine last August.
“It is still a rural place, but I think Missoula is becoming more and more cosmopolitan,” said Linda McCarthy, executive director of the Missoula Downtown Association ...

Goodbye, Victorian holdouts
Besieged by redevelopment on all sides, these crumbling historic homes can't escape the wrecking ball any longer
Globe and Mail - 3 May 2008
... TORONTO, CA - students succeeded in stalling that development until it was cancelled, and the houses were spared. But today, the three boarded-up buildings have lost the battle against time. Almost the last remnants of a stately, tree-lined university street west of Bay Street, they're about to be demolished to make way for a 23-storey luxury condominium, the St. Thomas, and an attached apartment block.

Proponents of the old houses say it's "demolition by neglect." The university says students are best served by the redevelopment. And everyone seems to be drawing their own lessons from the saga ...

Mayor to join students in livability discussion
Pipe Dream - 2 May 2008
... BINGHAMTON, NY - Officials from the City of Binghamton are teaming up with students and faculty of Binghamton University for a forum on the livability of the City in hopes of closing the gap between the two communities ...

“The forum theme is the livability in the City of Binghamton,” said Andrew Block, director of community relations for the City. “It concerns opportunity for everything from jobs to housing to community service to concerns people have about quality of life to opportunities of art, entertainment and athletics.” ...

A Whole New Ballgame
The North Carolina outlook.
National Review - 2 May 2008
... RALEIGH, NC — Two of the things North Carolina is known for nationally are rough-and-tumble political campaigns and hard-fought basketball rivalries. Because I’m a native, I think I can get away with a somewhat-forced metaphor to describe the Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton contest here: it’s the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill against North Carolina State University ...

Council approves rental inspection program
Missoulian - 2 May 2008
... MISSOULA, MT - A renter and residential safety program goes into effect July 1 in the city of Missoula.

The Missoula City Council voted unanimously Monday at its regular meeting to adopt the “voluntary residential inspection program.” With one abstention from Ward 5 Councilwoman Renee Mitchell, the group also unanimously supported related fees and an inspection checklist.

The program came about because too many people have lived in or seen others live in unsafe homes, especially rental units, in Missoula ...

Unite gets green light in Oxford and Edinburgh
Property Week News - 2 May 2008
... UK - The London listed student housing operator has won planning consent for 604 beds in its schemes at Slade Park in Oxford and at Chalmers Street in Edinburgh. Unite is planning to spend £57m to develop both schemes ...

Even Charlottesville's scene can hit a sour note
Times - 2 May 2008
... ROANOKE, VA - Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Isn't Asheville the eternal object of Roanoke's longing and envy. Boy, you are so stuck in 2007. Don't you read the papers? We're ill for the Ville!

But let me offer a word of caution before you pop another geltab with your Chardonnay-flavored Kool-Aid. Charlottesville's music scene is facing the same struggles and is susceptible to the same market-driven forces that Roanoke's own plucky little scene has fought for years.

When I was in Charlottesville last week, the big story was the closing of Plan 9 Music near the Downtown Mall and its accompanying music hall, the Satellite Ballroom. According to the local papers, a CVS is going in. Word is that the closing will not have any effect on Roanoke's Plan 9 store on Grandin Road.

The Satellite Ballroom is at least the third Charlottesville music club to fold in the past two years ...

All set for Town & Gown
Mail- 1 May 2008
... OXFORD, UK - There are are just three weeks to go until Oxford's Town and Gown fun run and hundreds of runners are putting the finishing touches to their training.

More than 2,700 people have already signed up for the popular 10km event, which is due to weave its way through the city's streets on Sunday, May 18.

Organisers are urging those wishing to take part to sign up soon so they don't miss out ...

At 145 years old, UMass was almost 'at Northampton'
Bulletin - 1 May 2008
... AMHERST, MA - During the mid-1800s, Amherst held eight Town Meetings on whether to bring the University of Massachusetts to Amherst. Only five of the meetings were legal.

Obviously rising above its shaky beginnings, UMass celebrated the founding of the flagship campus, the state's first institution of public higher education, with music, dance and a visit Tuesday from Gov. Deval L. Patrick in Amherst ...

Williamsburg vote
W & M students voting in city election should change the agenda
Daily Press - 1 May 2008
... WILLIAMSBURG, VA -Sometimes it takes fresh competition to mobilize the establishment. So, as new voting eligibility for college students in Williamsburg has resulted in upward of 1,000 undergraduates signing up to vote in next Tuesday's City Council elections, full-time residents are on notice. If their voices are to be heard above the swell, they'll need to get out and exercise their own voting rights.

Still more disruptive to the status quo — and that's not necessarily a bad thing — is the candidacy of one of the students' own, 21-year-old Matt Beato, a junior, who is on the ballot for one of the three open seats. Though his election platform extends to city-wide issues, he has the expressed support of the student newspaper and a natural constituency in his fellow students ...

Brown: Despite national title, Lawrence still lacks
Lawrence needs to rise to the occasion and become the best college town in the nation.
Daily Kansan - 1 May 2008
... LAWRENCE, KS - Lawrence seems to be at the pinnacle of its awesomeness.

It has the best college in the nation, the University of Kansas, which was the Men’s Basketball 2008 National Champions and the Orange Bowl Champions. It is one of the smartest towns in the nation, and has an excellent music scene. All of these achievements bring pride to the town of Lawrence. It makes me proud that I live here in Lawrence now more than ever.

But with all the pride I have for this town, there are a few things that stick out like an ugly sore thumb like its poor excuse of a movie theater and its pot-hole ridden streets ...

SF State digs idea of eco-friendly housing
Golden Gate [X] Press - 1 May 2008
... SAN FRANCISCO, CA - About 15 students living in campus housing this fall will get the chance to grow their own food, reduce their energy consumption and make healthy social connections in a new green cooperative.

Four adjacent town houses in University Park South—601 Font Blvd., 100 Tapia Drive, 2 Pinto Ave. and 4 Pinto Ave.—will become a joint living project called ECO-Digs, designed for student residents passionate about environmental and social change ...

Dorm to offer 'green' living
New house will serve 20 students Fall Quarter
Daily Northwestern - 1 May 2008
... EVANSTON, IL - Universities all over the country have established special housing for students interested in 'green' living. Starting this fall, Northwestern will join them with a new environmentally sustainable residential college for 20 students.

The Group Residence for Environmental Engagement at Northwestern, or GREEN, House might include features such as eco-friendly cleaning supplies, low-flow shower heads, independent composting and halogen lighting fixtures, said Weinberg junior Jesse Sleamaker, a co-chairman of Students for Ecological and Environmental Development.

The GREEN House will be located in an existing North Campus dormitory, said Mark D'Arienzo, associate director for university housing. D'Arienzo said he will announce the name of the dorm after speaking with the building's residents Monday night.

"At first I thought jumping into this in April for September might be cutting things really close, but SEED wanted to strike while the iron was hot," D'Arienzo said.

The community will center on "three pillars" - examined lifestyle, education and service, said Sleamaker, a Daily columnist ...

Neighborhood liason to city to leave post
Wicked Local - 1 May 2008
... ALLSTON, MA - After nearly six years working as Allston-Brighton’s liaison to the Mayor’s office of Neighborhood Services, Paul Holloway is stepping down.

The Oak Square resident has been the A-B liaison since August 2002, and will relinquish his position on Friday, May 9, when he will become regional planner in the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness. Jennifer Mehigan, city spokeswoman, said that a replacement has not yet been selected ...

JMU junior builds a business
Virginia Business - 1 May 2008
... Most business majors wait until after graduation to start their businesses, but not James Madison University junior

Scott Davidson. He thought fellow students needed something besides a pepperoni pick-me-up during late-night study sessions. So, he created Craving Cookies, an evening snack service.
Started last September, the business has exceeded expectations. Davidson and his crew of three students are now baking and delivering 500 cookies on week nights and 900 cookies on Saturday nights to fellow students, as well as to Rockingham County Memorial Hospital employees and Harrisonburg residents.

Most of the orders are taken online through a sophisticated e-commerce site (http://www.cravingcookies.org) that Davidson built (he’s minoring in computer science) ...

College vibe absent on E. Market Street
A&T Register - 1 May 2008
... GREENSBORO, NC - Greensboro is a really great college town, but you wouldn't be able to see that from looking at the Eastside.

While A&T boasts one of the most vibrant campuses around, our campus surroundings are a far cry from those at UNC Greensboro, Guilford College and Greensboro College.

The Eastside has all the familiars. Fast food chains, churches, convenience stores, barber shops and salons but missing are the things that make college towns their own living, breathing communities.

Independent businesses are few and far between on the E. Market corridor and the ones that are present aren't exactly popular. Let's just compare. In a recent conversation I had with a UNCG student who was envious of our campus life but the reason our campus life is so active is because the second you take a step outside the friendly confines of A&T, your options for activity are hardly diverse ...

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