Wesleyan's Austin Manor
On the Record - 24 May 2008
... DALAWARE, OH - College-affiliated retirement communities flourish in more than 50 towns across the country, but on-campus Austin Manor truly combines town and gown.

At that time the 150-room dormitory, which opened for women in 1923, faced demolition. But Warren asked college trustees if the university could turn Austin into one- and two-bedroom apartments.

He wanted it to mirror an apartment building in New Haven, Conn., that he had visited while a graduate student at Yale University. Residents included the elderly, young professionals and students ...

For 20 years, students, retirees, professors and professionals have thrived in the former dormitory...now the Austin Manor ...

Preserving porches so character comes through
Journal - 24 May 2008
... SOMERVILLE, MA - “I love porches,” said Susan Kelley, standing on the one she and her husband, Paul, had rebuilt on the front of 58 Central St. They “bring the public and private lives of people in the neighborhood together.” The shingle-style Victorian, circa 1892, is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is the house in which Susan grew up.

The goal with this porch project was the same as for the whole home, which has been completely refurbished inside and out. It was to re-establish it as it once was or, as Susan puts it, “bring the house back to its full functional equivalent.”

For their successful efforts, the Kelleys will receive a director’s award this month from the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission ...

The Queen Anne/shingle/colonial revival house was built in 1899. It had served as off-campus student housing when the McDonalds bought it in 2003. Pieces of the interior were salvageable before they began restoration, such as a wonderful 1930s-era toilet and sink on the third story and a parquet floor and paneling on the second. Other parts of the house, however, like the rotted wooden steps and porch, were completely rebuilt ...

Litter patrols target tippers in Aberystwyth
Daily Post - 23 May 2008
... ABERYSTWYTH, UK - The university town of Aberystwyth is a popular tourist destination.

Mr Williams said parts of Aberystwyth were an eyesore because refuse sacks had been left out sometimes days in advance of collection ...

Rules preserve neighborhoods
Coloradoan - 23 May 2008
... FORT COLLINS, CO - The Occupancy Ordinance is working as part of a solution to address a major housing issue in Fort Collins, namely housing students while preserving family neighborhoods. However, it's time to take a more comprehensive view in addressing this issue.
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In enacting the occupancy ordinance, the previous City Council committed the city to preserving and enhancing the quality of life in family neighborhoods and eliminating the black market in rental housing. That council also reinforced the city's commitment to honor the Land Use Code (which includes the occupancy ordinance). In our neighborhood, residents have experienced a positive turnaround due to the ordinance and its enforcement. Problems associated with behavior, property management and appearance have diminished ...

Driven To The Brink
metromode - 22 May 2008
... USA - With the price of gasoline hovering anywhere between an arm and a leg these days, making the commute from the far-flung 'burbs to an office tower downtown is getting awfully expensive ...

"I just love living downtown. My husband and I can walk everywhere: To the Power Center to the theater to football games to dinner. It's delightful." says Jane Kaufer, who with her husband, bought a building in downtown Ann Arbor in 2000.

Though far from a 24 hour downtown, the university town's urban core is constantly growing its amenities and residential options. "We use the car for groceries, trips and twice a week for work --my husband's a physician at Ann Arbor's VA hospital-- but otherwise we walk everywhere because we can. If someone would put in a medium size grocery store and a pharmacy [downtown] we'd walk there too. "

While suburban commuters suffer four dollar gas prices, Kaufer doesn't worry about rising fuel costs. Since she and her husband bought their car eight years ago they've put less than 38, 000 miles on it ...

Student Housing: Software to ‘ensure good fit for students’
The Post - 22 May 2008
... ATHENS, OH - The new software system, produced by Adirondack Solutions Inc., is called The Housing Director. It will cost Housing about $30,000, though the cost of the entire program will total about $51,000 because parts of it, including a Web application, are shared with Judiciaries, Wyatt said.

The housing contracts themselves will also get a makeover. A group of Student Senate members have been working with Wyatt this year to change the contracts in order to improve roommate selection and compatibility. The group submitted 10 questions they would like to see on the contract, including whether students are early risers or late sleepers, and if the student likes to listen to music while they study. These questions will appear on the contracts for the incoming freshmen of 2009 ...

UO dorms out of room for freshmen
Space crunch - The school sends students to apartments and puts 800 on a wait list due to higher enrollment
The Oregonian - 22 May 2008
... EUGENE, OR - The University of Oregon is steering hundreds of freshmen to off-campus apartments next fall because its dorms lack sufficient room to handle an unexpected surge in enrollment.

The university expects 3,800 freshmen next fall, a 400-student increase, which will exceed dorm space and force it to provide more classes and services. Some parents are anxious, angry and disappointed, and some students have chosen to go elsewhere because of the lack of dormitory space

Crime watch: How secure is your university city?
The league table of crime in big cities outside London reveals Nottingham to be the least safe. Lucy Hodges looks at how students can improve security
Independent - 22 MAy 2008
... UK - Why are students more vulnerable to crime than the population at large?

The answer may lie in their lifestyle. Students live in multi-occupied housing, often in run-down areas, where they are more exposed to crime than if they lived in more salubrious districts. Their properties are not always very secure either, because their landlords may not have bothered with locks and alarms or because the students themselves have not acted responsibly by closing windows and locking doors ...

UW-Madison's newest residential community focuses on entrepreneurial living
Capital Times - 21 May 2008
... MADISON, WI - Being entrepreneurial is not all about making money or knowing how to develop a business plan, added Miner, who also is the director of the cross-campus Initiative for Studies in Technology Entrepreneurship. It's also about looking for creativity and innovation in one's personal life and across a wide range of disciplines, she said.

And that is the underlying philosophy behind UW-Madison's newest residential learning community. Debuting this fall, the Entrepreneurial Residential Learning Community, based in Sellery Hall, aims to make entrepreneurship more accessible to newly admitted students who have wide-ranging academic interests -- not simply those who are interested in business ...

Catchment If You Can
A new elementary school in University City has created a real estate frenzy.
Weekly - 21 May 2008
... PHILADELPHIA, PA - University City has long been a destination for young families, many of whom are associated with Penn and the other neighborhood universities, and the past few years in particular have produced a bounty of breeders. But for these broods, not all of West Philly is equal.

Seven years ago Penn/Sadie Alexander, a public K-8 school at 43rd and Locust—the product of a partnership between the University of Pennsylvania and the School District of Philadelphia—opened its doors. Though the school isn’t independent from the district, its funds and strategies are backed by one of the world’s leading institutions of higher learning. Penn/Sadie Alexander promised a marked improvement from most of the city’s public schools, and as a result it’s become one of the most sought-after places to enroll your kid ...

Getting USM set for its close-up
Campus design a meeting topic
SunHerald - 21 May 2008
... LONG BEACH, MS - The University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Park campus has the potential to draw students, filmmakers and tourists from all over the world, a benefit not just to the city, but the entire region.

For that to happen, the university will have to work with political leaders and developers to design the campus in the right way and form partnerships with private businesses ...

"What has always intrigued me is the opportunity here to create an interconnected college town and to become a destination," he said. "It's a great opportunity to bring a lot of people together in one place and rebuild at the same time you're rebuilding the city." ...

Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Launches Summer Advertising Campaign
NewsWire - 21 May 2008
... CHAPEL HILL, NC - The Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau has launched a new advertising campaign designed to entice travelers from the Atlantic coast region to visit Orange County this summer and throughout the year ...

Throughout 2008 and 2009, the tourism campaign will call attention to the area¹s historic college town appeal; arts and heritage offerings in the three towns; and also getting Tar Heel athletic visitors to come early and stay late ...

SPECIAL REPORT: Princeton's Town-Gown Equation, Part 2: Towns look to university for more contributions
Packet - 20 May 2008
... PRINCETON, NJ - Princeton University, Brown University and Yale University are three of the most prestigious and well-endowed universities in the nation. In addition to ensuring that they provide an excellent learning environment, and attract top quality faculty and staff through advanced research and other facilities, the three Ivy League institutions each try to be good community citizens, making significant tax and voluntary payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) contributions to Princeton Borough and Princeton Township, Providence, R.I., and New Haven, Conn. respectively.

Their tax and PILOT contributions are meant to lessen their impact on their host communities, paying for municipal services their large university communities may use, like public schools, police and fire departments, as well as making up for some of sizeable tax revenues their host municipalities forgo due to their nonprofit status.

Providence and New Haven are making out far better than Princeton Borough and Township when it comes to reimbursement, however. This is because both Connecticut and Rhode Island have statewide programs whereby communities hosting nonprofit academic and other institutions receive direct budgetary reimbursement from the state in addition to what they are able to negotiate with the individual institutions. They are the only two such state programs in the nation ...

Talking 'bout my generation -- How recent Madison exports are doing us proud
Isthmus - 20 May 2008
... MADISON, WI - Berkeley, Ann Arbor, Northampton, Gainesville, Austin, Eugene, Boulder, Madison -- lots of American college towns have radical reputations dating back at least a generation. Visit them these days, however, and you get a sense that most have been resting on their patchouli-scented laurels.

Not so Madison. Our reputation is still deserved. The hippie days I remember growing up, when the Mifflin Street Block Party still reeked of cannabis, not stale beer, and long hair was still the thing for young rebs (been there, done that), those are long gone. But the commitment to social change is not only still here, it’s amped-up from the 1980s ...

The 10 Brainiest Places to Retire
US News - 20 May 2008
... USA - Just because you hit your 60s, it doesn't mean your brain starts to power down. Just the opposite. Your noodle needs more stimulation than ever, and, finally, you have the time to supply the required intellectual input. And picking a place to retire can be key to that process. For retirees who have no desire to stop learning—and that's, like, pretty much everyone—there are plenty of American communities that boast thriving intellectual centers where cultural activities keep residents (and their brains) as busy and interested as they want to be.

What makes the difference? A city with a large local university might offer a colorful slate of arts or educational events nearly every evening ...

* Ann Arbor, MI
* Berkeley, CA
* Boulder, CO
* Brookline, MA
* Chapel Hill, NC
* Hoboken, NJ
* Lake Oswego, OR
* Reston, VA
* Upper St. Clair, PA
* West Lafayette, IN

Best Places to Live
Men's Journal - May 2008
... USA - For years we've been hearing that location no longer matters: As long as you're logged on you could be anywhere. But the reality is, that only gets you so far. Physical community still matters, and so does being able to log off and get lost. Truly, you are where you live. Use our 2008 guide to help you choose wisely ...

Best College Town: Bloomington, IN

The beauty of college towns is that they often have well-educated residents, a vibrant arts scene, affordable housing, and a cool commercial district. In winning its spot on MJ's Best Places to Live list, Bloomington shows off some of the finest examples of each, plus plenty of surrounding green space.

Four more College Towns: Durham, NC; Moscow, ID; Madison, WI; Missoula, MT ...

USC Upstate's business school to add to downtown's luster
GoUpstate - 20 May 2008
... SPARTANBURG, SC - The University of South Carolina Upstate on Monday unveiled an architectural rendering of the George Dean Johnson Jr. College of Business and Economics, a venture with an estimated cost exceeding $30 million and a potential value deemed priceless. The USC Upstate business school currently enrolls nearly 850 majors, and that number is expected to rise once the new facility becomes operational ...

"I think bringing a thousand students to downtown Spartanburg is going to dramatically change the look and feel of downtown for the better," said Johnson, a Spartanburg native and chairman of Johnson Development Associates, Inc. "We've made much progress under the city council and (Spartanburg) Mayor (Bill) Barnet's leadership, and I'm optimistic about the future." ...

Saturation point
When will we have enough of this water-supply debate?
C-Ville - 20 May 2008
... CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - In many ways, the latest flap over the community’s long-term water-supply plan is quintessential Charlottesville. It involves most of the basic elements of your typical local story—excruciating planning, expenditures of public money, and questions of human desires vs. ecological needs ...

Come on and take a free ride
Post - 20 May 2008
... FORT COLLINS, CO - When I waltzed into the Fort Collins Bike Library, I hoped to do my part to reduce my carbon footprint, save myself a little green, and pay my own personal tribute to Bike Month.

In truth, I was decidedly clueless about what a carless week would entail ...

Town celebrates Jimmy Stewart’s wonderful life
A western Pennsylvania community marks the centennial of the actor’s birth with bands, a cake and screenings of his films.
Post-Gazette - 20 May 2008
... INDIANA, PA - Here in this college town, stories about Jimmy Stewart, its beloved native son, the affable actor, Boy Scout and World War II bomber pilot, are so vivid that you feel as if he is still alive.

And, in a way, he is because this week his hometown celebrates the centennial of his birth with bands, a cake, a flyover by the Air Force, screenings of his films and the presentation of the Harvey Award, which honors people who worked with Stewart and shared his high standards for citizenship, service to his country and love of family ...

Fire escape fix needed before Oakland units can reopen
Tribune-Review - 20 May 2008
... PITTSBURGH, PA - Pittsburgh building inspectors closed two Oakland apartment buildings as planned Monday because of numerous fire and building code violations.

The buildings on McKee Place have unsafe fire escapes, said Dan Cipriani, the city's acting director of the Bureau of Building Inspection. The owner, Jason Cohen of Mt. Lebanon, is required to fix them if he wants the city to declare the 12-unit buildings fit for habitation.

The tenants, primarily University of Pittsburgh students, were told to find temporary lodging with help from Pitt's student housing service ...

Clemson possible home of new nationwide college-municipal organization
Independent Mail 20 May 2008
... CLEMSON, SC — Clemson could soon become the home of a nationwide organization aimed at fostering city-university relationships.

City Administrator Rick Cotton informed the City Council on Monday that the Joint City-University Advisory Board had recommended the city move ahead in assuming the leadership of a new National Town Gown Association.

The association would be headquartered in Clemson and be a nationwide resource for matters related to universities and the towns where they are located ...

Logan stands to benefit from new college
Messenger - 19 May 2008
... LOGAN, OH - Hocking College's expansion in Logan should be welcomed by all of Southeast Ohio.

The alternative energy institute will bring an economic boost to Hocking County and will provide training in a cutting-edge field that will be important for future employability of our area's youth ...

Logan must prepare for their new neighbor and their new partner in economic development. They must learn from the mistakes made by sister cities in Athens and Nelsonville. If you don't plan for the future, you end up managing undirected growth. The community needs to have a clear vision of what they want and a clear idea of where things like off-campus housing will be permitted without sacrificing family neighborhoods. Adequate campus housing can lessen the impact on the city's residential areas, but there will always be a need for off-campus accommodations ...

Landlords bring frustrations to City Hall Video
What was supposed to be a news conference inside Binghamton City Hall, escalates into a parking lot shouting match.
WEAN - 19 May 2008
... BINGHAMTON, NY - "I'm a real estate broker. You're going to ruin the real estate business in town. We had all these new investors coming in, they don't want to come in," said Bill Bernstein, a Landlord Association member.

Tempers boiled throughout the City Hall parking lot. Members of the Landlord Association of Broome County are taking on city officials on two issues. The first, city council's inquiry into possibly altering homestead status for non-owner occupied rental properties.

NEW PLANS FOR ANNECY’S MOST ENVIABLE ADDRESS COULD SEE AN INFLUX OF BRITISH RESIDENTS IN ‘THE PERFECT PLACE TO LIVE’
News-Eco - 19 May 2008
... ANNECY, FR - In France, the picturesque ‘olde worlde’ town of Annecy – with its ‘Little Venice’ canal network, restaurants, cafes and weekly markets – is widely regarded as ‘the perfect place to live,’ she says.

The university town, a centre for sailing and watersports in summer and less than half an hour by road from ski resorts like Le Grand Bornand and La Clusaz, will be just 30 minutes from Geneva Airport when a new motorway link opens later this year ...

Better than Happy Valley?
Centre Daily Times - 19 May 2008
... STATE COLLEGE, PA - Another day, another study, and another high finish for State College/Centre County.

Well, not this time.

Men's Journal this month picks its best places to live, and college towns are one of the categories.

Here's what the magazine says about them: "The beauty of college towns is that they often have well-educated residents, a vibrant arts scene, affordable housing, and a cool commercial district. In winning its spot on MJ's Best Places to Live list, Bloomington shows off some of the finest examples of each, plus plenty of surrounding green space."

Yes, Bloomington, IN, rated first. The other finalists are: Durham, NC; Moscow, ID; Madison, WI, and Missoula, MT.

Here's the entire list, including the overall top spot Portland, OR ...

A sweet time to be on College Hill
Journal - 19 May 2008
... PROVIDENCE, RI - COLLEGE HILL is quiet on weekends this time of year. Many of its denizens have places to escape nearby, on the Cape, Rhode Island’s mainland shore and to the south and east from Block to Nantucket Island. Others may migrate further “downeast” to Maine, but they do not go until Memorial Day or so, even though it’s only a matter of hours on the turnpikes and interstates these days, even if the gasoline fare is getting pretty steep, and cutting the cord with the mainland via the ferry still renders it a ritual, a rite of passage into summer ...

City lets residents weigh in on plans
Project proposed near university
Union-Tribune - 19 May 2008
... SAN MARCOS, CA – San Marcos has a university but few places near it show the typical signs of college life – crowds of students hanging out, eating or chatting.

That could all change in a matter of years.

The city of San Marcos is drafting plans aimed at infusing energy, identity and culture into 203 acres north of California State University San Marcos.

The area, called University Village, is partially vacant and belongs to about 30 property owners. The acreage is part of a 20-year-old development plan for what is called the Heart of the City that includes the university and City Hall ...

Clark University area outreach lauded
Telegram - 19 May 2008
... WORCESTER, MA — Vartan Gregorian, commencement speaker at Clark University yesterday, commended Clark for being Clark.

In his thick Persian accent, Mr. Gregorian, president of the philanthropic Carnegie Corporation of New York and a former president of Brown University, lauded the 121-year-old university for its efforts in recent years to rebuild its inner-city neighborhood and improve the surrounding community.

Clark has renovated housing in gritty Main South; encouraged staff and faculty to live in the area; provided scholarships for local youths; sent its students into city schools, and helped form and finance an active community development corporation ...

Town and Gown a big success video
Mail - 19 May 2008
... OXFORD, UK - Around 3,500 runners raced through the streets of Oxford to raise an estimated £100,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

Race goers taking part in the 10k Town and Gown Fun Run were bathed in sunshine - unlike those who got drenched in a torrential downpour two years ago.

The run, which is backed by the Oxford Mail, is now in its 27th year and has raised more than £600,000 for the charity since 1981 ...

Price still unsettled in University Park's land deal with SMU
Morning News - 19 May 2008
... UNIVERSITY PARK, TX - A year after University Park voters were promised a prompt windfall if they approved selling SMU a strip of city land being eyed for the Bush presidential library, there's been no deal and the school may end up challenging the city over the final price.

Southern Methodist University initially agreed to a reappraisal of two grassy parcels it wants behind Park Cities Plaza. But it balked at paying the $2.45 million a city examiner said they were worth, deciding instead to hire another appraiser for a second opinion ...

PopShots: Zen and the Art of Cramming
You will highlight and underline, memorize and prioritize. And you will not blink.
PopMatters - 19 May 2008
... USA - For much of the planet, at least for those of us plugged into the academic calendar, the flowering of spring heralds another grim reality—final exam time. This harsh and brutal season of accountability stands in stark contrast to the returning sunshine and blooming flora. Such is academia’s extremely annual, extremely cruel joke. When it’s finally nice enough to go outside, you’re obliged to stay in—buried in books, syllabi and despair ...

Housing price drop likely won't affect MSU students
State News - 19 May 2008
... EAST LANSING, MI - The Lansing area had the third largest drop in housing prices in the country during the first quarter.

So what does this mean for MSU students?

Nothing, apparently.

Even though housing prices in the Lansing and East Lansing area have fallen 26.9 percent from a year ago, according to a report released by the National Association of Realtors on May 13, student housing prices are expected to stay the same.

“The university is in and of itself its own universe,” said Kim Dean, a member of the Greater Lansing Association of Realtors. “So regardless of what is happening in Michigan, I think if anything, student housing will remain what it is, and then gradually increase, as always.” ...

HOUSE PRICES UP £3,000
Daily Express - 19 May 2008
... UK - HOUSE prices shrugged off a slowing market to increase by nearly £3,000 in a month, figures reveal today.

Average asking prices of sellers marketing their properties in May reached a new high of £242,500.

This is up almost £2,879 on the previous month and £858 higher than the record of £241,642 last October ...

“There is no housing crisis. We do not have a credit crisis. If anything, we have only a crisis of confidence. Property in Scotland is selling, as are homes across the UK’s university towns, for example ...

Landlord creating new green space
Messenger - 18 May 2008
... ATHENS, OH - Athens rental owner Sean Jones says his decision to go green with one of his properties wasn't based on greenbacks but on principle.

His energy-efficient house will cost him roughly $170,000, and it may take Jones years to see a return on his investment.

"It really is an experiment - I wanted to prove it can be done," Jones, owner of Rockside Rentals, said. "I'm trying to make it transparent, it's like living in any other house - as long as tenants are not deliberately being wasteful."

The house is located in the hub of student housing on North Lancaster Street in Athens. Jones bought the property, razed the existing structure and built a new house with insulated walls made from concrete, foam and recycled plastic ...

'College-town' development
Herald - 18 May 2008
... ROCK HILL, SC - Developing the strip of Cherry Road near Winthrop University to appeal more to students will be a challenge. Nonetheless, we think city and Winthrop officials and prospective developers will miss a unique opportunity if they don't focus on the whole block rather than just individual businesses ...

Winthrop President Anthony DiGiorgio has long championed the "college-town" concept, in which more of the area around Winthrop would be developed to serve the needs and desires of students. DiGiorgio has toured other college towns across the nation and has worked closely with city officials to coordinate campus developments with efforts to increase the college-town atmosphere in areas around the campus ...

Keeping the best and brightest at home
Vindicator - 18 May 2008
... ALLENTOWN, PA - College graduates in Allentown, Pa. don’t have to look far to find employment opportunities.

Even though Allentown suffered a fate similar to Youngstown following the collapse of the steel industry, the city is working to retain students from its local colleges by giving them a reason to stick around.

The Ben Franklin Technology Partners has helped revive the Allentown area by taking advantage of its six full-time private colleges and moving the city away from its former dependence on steel. The Ben Franklin Technology Partners have been trying to “professionalize” the area with a strong reliance on technology ...

Students donate left-behind items to the community during Operation Move Out
Advocate - 18 May 2008
... GRANVILLE, OH - The many rooms in King Hall on the campus of Denison University were crammed full of items left behind by students moving off campus.
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Books were piled high on the floor. One room held bedspreads, sheets and countless futons, while a mountain of shoes practically covered half the floor of another room.

Five years ago, all of these items would have ended up in a Dumpster, but because of the efforts of the Alford Center for Service Learning, the items will go to those in the community with the most needs.

Operation Move Out was started three years ago, but this year, the event was better publicized and organized, said Laurel Kennedy, director of the Alford Center for Service Learning.

"The volume we receive this year is up quite a lot," Kennedy said. "I was staggered by the number of belongings they collected. There is a huge amount of stuff they are donating to the community." ...

Firefighters train in dorm before it gets demolished
Tribune - 18 May 2008
... GREELEY, CO - It was as close to the real thing as they could get: smoke pouring from the windows of a college dormitory, a man lying on the floor inside, each firefighter carrying 100 pounds of gear up four floors to fight the fire.

For dozens of firefighters from Greeley, Evans and Eaton, this weekend at McCowen Hall on the University of Northern Colorado campus was an invaluable training session.

On Monday, contractors will begin demolishing the dormitory, to make room for new student housing. So, for the last two days before destruction, firefighters were able to practice in an almost-real situation ...

Overcrowded student housing 'degrades' three suburbs
Times - 18 May 2008
... BRISBANE, AU - COMPLAINTS about overcrowded student accommodation have prompted Brisbane City Council to tighten town planning laws - but not soon enough for angry southside residents.

The Neighbourhood Action Group of Macgregor, Robertson and Sunnybank has lobbied the council and State Government for more than three years on overcrowding.

Group spokesman David Hughes said the use of family homes as student boarding houses had degraded the suburbs. Complaints included illegal altering of homes, unkempt buildings, noise, unhygienic conditions and parking on footpaths.

One student house The Sun-Herald saw yesterday at Portulaca Street, Macgregor, reportedly has had a portable toilet under its veranda for more than a year. A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she had no problem with the students but the toilet was an eyesore ...

With housing down, rentals are up
Inquirer - 18 May 2008
... PHILADELPHIA, PA - Among those being shut out by higher rents are college students. Although a recent survey by Apartments.com and CareerBuilder's CBCampus. com recently called Philadelphia the most affordable city for young college graduates, the same cannot be said for those still in school.

Berry, the student, started looking with other people, but over time it dwindled to just her, which made security and proximity to campus just as important as price.

"It's been a long and difficult process," Berry said. "You have to balance rent with art supplies and other expenses, and that's a stretch." She said Friday that she settled on a Center City apartment about a week ago - after a three-month search.

Barbara Elliott, dean of enrollment, said the university was finding that students who seek off-campus housing were going farther and farther out of Center City ...

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