Conference Presentations

Leap Day. Cherry Stock. Around The World. These are some of the large-scale, off-campus parties organized by students in our community. Illinois State University and the Town of Normal have developed a proactive strategy to address and educate student organizers before the event about the inherent risks of these events.

The JCUAB engaged College Town Assessmwnt (CTA) to administer the OCTA tool to gather this data. Results from 2,783 respondents indicated a strong relationship between the campus amd community with deep concerns over growth related to off-campus student housing, parking, and loss of affordable housing for faculty and staff and strain on the general infrastructure of the community.

Universities bring vibrancy to a community through the intellectual and creative capital of the student body. Conversely the city where the university is located provides a 4-year home to respective undergrads. The city’s image plays a significant role in the attractiveness of a university to prospective students as they evaluate off-campus quality of life. Making a dedicated effort to market the city as a great place to attend college can boost recruitment efforts. Presenter: Pete McGinty, Principal of Align2Market

About 20 years ago, a contract officer position was created, currently funded in part by the City of Eugene, the University of Oregon, and the University District Business Association. Presenters from each stakeholder will review their role, lessons learned over the years, and current improvements in utilizing limited public safety sources efficiently.

Learn how civic engagement events and programs in higher education are meeting community needs while also developing the leadership and civic skills of the students that participate.

The effective and innovative collaboration between law enforcement and campus officials in the office of Student Conduct & Community Standards is outlined in this presentation.

Learn how, in partnership with key community and university stakeholders, Corvallis Community Relationships developed a good neighbor education curriculum and incentivized its Preferred Renters program with $50 rental deposit credits. Workshops topics include local laws and city ordinances, tips on hosting responsible parties, safety and security, tenant rights and responsibilities, and financial literacy.

Colorado State University (CSU) recently made a bold move partnering with a local nonprofit to provide critical housing services for staff. Contracting with Neighbor to Neighbor, a primary housing resource for County residents, CSU now has a staff member on campus connecting university employees to an array of services for navigating a difficult local housing market. Learn how this innovative partnership materialized, what services are provided, and how CSU is creating an opportunity where staff can live, work, and play. Presenters: Jeannie Ortega, director of Off-Campus Life, Colorado State University; Melissa Frasure, Program Director, Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N), a housing organization in Larimer County, CO

Moving students from volunteers in a community requires creativity and active engagement. In San Marcos, we call it a Dream Team. Dream Team students are asked where they see their place in the world and empowered to act. Through team-building and visioning, students are given the opportunity to manifest visions into reality. This experience allows them to be effective contributors in the community where they live. Hear how 4000 dreamer hours have shaped San Marcos. Presenters: Samantha Armbruster, City of San Marcos Main Street Program Manager; Amanda Mouchette,  Dream Team member; Kelly Stone, Main Street Advisory Board member

This presentation reviews the University of Vermont’s off-campus living workshop model.

Every year students transition from on-campus to off-campus housing situations. However, many students may not have a familiarity or understanding of elements such as city ordinances, how to utilize local resources and services, and more. Framed from the perspective of an online tenant orientation developed to help scale efforts to educate first-time student renters, this session will provide a basic understanding of these considerations and potential challenges that may hinder a resident/student's success in an off-campus housing environment. Presenter: Jeremy Moore, Assistant Director for Marketing, Communications & Student Transitions in Off-Campus Housing & Community Relations, University of Colorado Boulder 

Discover new housing trends in other university communities and take home samples of model ordinances related to student housing.

This presentation highlights how the university staff, students, city staff, and local business community teamed up to turn various iterations of semester-ending stereotypical ragers into a community-building opportunity.

In Hays, Kansas, we’ve made it a priority to work together to better our community and the way our students interact with it. Each year a “welcome home” party is thrown specifically for faculty, staff, and students. A parade led by the mayor marches the group from campus to the Downtown district for free food, music, prizes, and fun. Join us to hear how we are impacting social lives, creating commerce, and building stronger partnerships. Presenters: Sara Bloom, Executive Director, Downtown Hays Development Corporation; Melissa Dixon, Executive Director, Hays Convention and Visitor’s Bureau  

Learn about the AACT community campus coalition and Move-In Orientation between the University of Boulder and Boulder, Colorado.

A guide provided to students by the University of Colorado's Off-Campus Housing & Neighborhood Relations office to help them understand their responsibilities off-campus and make their move-in as smooth as possible.

This session will show how the Neighborhood Wellness/Community Civility Effort is using collaborative engagement and shared responsibility to refocus efforts to address new and old challenges in San Luis Obispo neighborhoods that are adjacent to or near Cal Poly University.

Learn about the West Chester Community Campus Coalition and their new program initiatives.

How does a large, urban campus enhance an area’s quality of life in the 21st century? This presentation will share the process, development, and evolution of Northeastern Crossing’s mission and vision since it opened.

In March 2015, UNC provided a $3 million ten-year, no-interest loan to Self-Help, a community development organization, to do land-banking in Northside which was at a tipping point between being a neighborhood of mostly long-term residents and becoming a primarily student neighborhood.

This session focuses on the unique needs of students living off campus versus traditional commuter students.

A presentation highlighting the process and challenges of a partnership to meet transportation needs in Greensboro.

Learn steps for improving relations and student safety through off-campus housing improvements.

Students on our campuses are among the millions who have food insecurity. What should be our role in providing access to affordable, nutritious food? The purpose of this program is to talk about how departments at Rutgers and in the community have partnered together to provide resources to students with food insecurity. We will discuss programs put in place, resources used, and lessons learned. We will also share data regarding food insecurity from a campus survey on food insecurity and the implications of that data on our practice. Presenter: Kerri Wilson, Director, Off-Campus Living and Community Partnerships, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

In this interactive session, a municipal police Chief (Oxford, Ohio), a university police Chief (Miami University), and a university dean of students (Miami University) discuss the evolution of their personal and staff working relationship/partnership and how it has been shaped by local environmental factors and student issues.

When parking troubles put a squeeze on downtown Columbus progress, Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District (SID), Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) and the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) looked for innovative solutions. The idea was simple. How many employees would ditch the keys if given a free unlimited bus pass? Inspired by a successful, long-running Ohio State University partnership with COTA unlimited transit benefits for students, a university model turned into a community-oriented pilot program. The presentation will cover the coordination and partnerships that lead to development of the program, the technical aspect, and the integration of active transportation, a component to a quality transit system. Presenters: Joanna M. Pinkerton, PE, President & CEO, Central Ohio Transit Authority; Thea Walsh, Director, Transportation Systems & Funding, MORPC

In this session we review the process by which the Miami-Oxford community has developed a sustainable effort to address college student alcohol abuse and its impact on the broader community.

Learn about the University Community Collaborative (UCC) economic development initiatives between Northwest Missouri State University and the City of Maryville.

Learn from a participatory panel discussion about an efficient and effective ways to prepare in advance for potential community division, hate incidents, and unrest. The speakers participate in a collaborative planning initiative among Columbus public officials, community leaders, and the Ohio State University dispute resolution faculty. Participate in a simulation, try out an online tool that measures community resiliency, and review reports that you can access without cost to help your own community. Presenters: Elon Simms, M.S.W., Director of Community Affairs, City of Columbus; Nancy Rogers, Professor Emeritus; former Dean, OSU Moritz College of Law; former Ohio Attorney General; William Froehlich, Associate Director, Divided Community Project (The project will receive the American Bar Association’s 2018 Lawyer as Problem Solver Award); Langdon Fellow in Dispute Resolution, OSU Moritz College of Law; Carl Smallwood, Chair, Columbus Community Trust; partner, Vorys Sater & Pease, LLP; former president, National Conference of Bar Presidents

A flyer from the University of Colorado's Off-Campus Housing & Neighborhood Relations to aid students in hosting parties without creating issues for themselves or the community.

This session describes several initiatives that create an opportunity for peer education on community impact of certain behaviors; students’ role as community members, and increased active bystander intervention in large crowds. Noise and nuisance house arrests decreased by over 50% in just 2 years.

Using recent acts of bias as an impetus, this presentation addresses the ways various community and university stakeholders have responded to hate literature on the Kutztown University campus. The session will highlight how the university and community responded to events as they occurred and developed proactive strategies to create a climate that is conducive to acts of hate and bias including a grassroots community initiative which has become a unifying force in these efforts. Presenters: Jerry Schearer, Associate Dean for Inclusion and Outreach, Kutztown University; Sandy Green, Community Liaison, Kutztown Community Partnership

Addressing multiple town-gown issues with practical solutions.

This session explores how your town and school can work together to cultivate support for the arts and create the centers that house them.

Saint Joseph's University recently implemented pro-active strategies to educate students about off-campus living and to respond to neighbor complaints about noise, trash and vandalism.

The session will outline key strategies for developing effective planning tools and incentive programs to revitalize Town-Gown neighborhoods.

Chicago State University plays a unique role in delivering higher education to students with diverse backgrounds and educational needs on the South Side of Chicago. CSU's goal is to help solve this problem by establishing a satellite campus that would further assist in community outreach efforts.

We present the results of a study of studentification processes in the North American context and our development of a framework for planning and policy approaches, highlighting what many colleges, students’ unions, municipal governments, and neighborhood associations are doing to develop and implement practices that create more balance in their local communities.

Learn how the Town of Normal has embraced the town and gown as an opportunity to include the university in planning and solicit feedback, strengthening a mutually beneficial relationship between Town and ISU.

The City of Fort Collins and Colorado State University (CSU) partner to provide education to CSU students and landlords/property managers. These proactive efforts allow police and the City/CSU community liaison to interact with key players in the community that have a large impact on neighborhood livability.

This session will present how re-framing an issue through effective town and gown collaborations has set the scene for a positive late night experience in Guelph.

This session explores several community and government relations initiatives undertaken by The University of Scranton to promote social justice in the areas of proverty and migration.

Saltmarsh and Hartley identify the college/university emphasis on community engagement as reflective of a shift in higher education towards what they term, the “public engagement regime.” The definition suggests the university is a part of “an ecosystem of knowledge production,” as opposed to the more insular “ivory tower.” Attendees will consider strategic approaches to engagement around place-based topics, to advance knowledge production, and elevate system-wide well-being. Presenter: Dr. Dan Bergen, Executive Director, Office of Community Engagement, Marquette University

The Maplewood Mansion Learning Laboratory (MMLL) is one of a few corporate housing facilities operated by academic departments.  Its workforce includes Ball State University students, with most of them majoring in Hospitality and Food Management or Residential Property Management. MMLL houses medical students/residents on a six-week clerkship rotation. Each of these individuals represents an opportunity to either return to the community as a practicing physician or to be an ambassador for the city. Presenter: Sotiris Hji-Avgoustis, PhD, Professor and Chairperson, Department of Management, Miller College of Business, Ball State University

College athletes have a unique potential to serve as powerful role models in the lives of community youth. Through collaboration and shared goals, Miami University and Talawanda School District have created opportunities for athletes and students to interact in very intentional and meaningful ways. This session will highlight the specific programs that have been institutionalized and the mutual benefits that can arise from these relationships. Presenter: Amy Macechko, Health & Wellness Coordinator for the Talawanda School District, Project Coordinator for the Coalition for a Healthy Community - Oxford Area

This program will consider several innovative solutions to addressing and maintaining high standards related to off-campus student housing.

Increased understanding of the complex nature of gender identity, gender expression, and the language used to classify or even lift classifications of “gender” have led to an increased awareness of exclusive practices of assigning bathrooms by binary gender or sex labels. This presentation includes an overview of a university-community initiative to work with businesses to convert bathrooms from single- to no-gender assigned spaces, lessons learned, and opportunities to discuss other strategies to improve our communities. Presenters: Alex Lewin, Student Conduct Graduate Intern, Office of the Dean of Students; Dr. Christina Lunceford, Assistant to the President for Diversity and Inclusion and Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs, Co-Chair of Not in Our Town, Bowling Green, Bowling Green State University

Learn about the partnerships and initiatives used to improve town-gown relations between Arizona State University and the City of Tempe.

Learn how four communities and their campuses have embarked on a 9 month pilot project to develop strategic plans related to reducing alcohol and related problems utilizing a Hub and Spoke Model.