Campus Safety Magazine, by Robin Hattersley Gray

Campus law enforcement departments have come under a lot of scrutiny lately, and nowhere is that more apparent than at urban institutions of higher education. Community-oriented policing can do much to address the security and community relations challenges often experienced by colleges, and John Venuti, VCU's police chief, has worked tirelessly to not only expand on this approach, but also adopt other processes that further enhance community partnerships. He helped develop VCU's Neighborhood Team, which is com-prised of many different university offices, including the police department. The team works to solve problems that often arise from student renters who live in the surrounding neighborhoods. In 2014, the liaison officer worked with dozens of landlords to rewrite lease agreements that contain strict behavior clauses. Additionally, a service called PrtySmrt was launched that gives students the opportunity to register off-campus events online. 

Keystone Crossroads by Eleanor Klibanoff

In the modern knowledge economy, communities near research universities are capitalizing on their value. In Pennsylvania, that means State College is thinking about how to appeal to people outside of the 18-22 age bubble. And Pittsburgh is hoping to broaden the college culture around the University of Pittsburgh. "The Uni-versity of Pittsburgh has as many students when the city was twice the size that it is now," says David Miller for the Center for Metropolitan Studies. "More of those students and those younger individuals are selecting to stay in Pittsburgh," says Miller. "And much of that retention is because there are available jobs, many of which are generated by the ed and med sector." Scott Shapiro, an aide in the mayor's office in Kentucky, was researching cities that resembled Lexington, when he discovered a trend: college towns that have expanded to the size of cities, thanks to private industry investment. He calls them "University Cities."

NextCity by Rachel Dovey

Davis, California, isn't the place to be on national Bike to Work Day. Translation: Cycling isn't a once-a-year novelty in the small city, which boasts the country's highest percentage of bike commuters. According to the League of American Bicyclists, 23.2 percent of Davis' population bikes to work. That's roughly three times the percentage of commuters in Portland, Oregon. Many factors, including a mild climate and flat topography, contribute to that high percentage, but one has particular relevance right now. Several weeks ago, Philadelphia and Paris each closed part of their downtowns to cars. Soon afterward, a Change.org petition called for more "open streets" weekends in Philadelphia launched and a Slate article urged more cities to try going car free. And Davis did just that in 1967. For 48 years, 800 acres of the Univer-sity of California, Davis central campus has been closed to cars. As other cities play around with car-free pilots, Davis is at least worth looking into.

The Quinnipiac Chronicle, by Julia Perkins 

Now that the university has called off its plans to build housing on York Hill, Hamden Mayor Curt Leng said he has other ideas to curb the conflicts between students who live off campus and their neighbors. These ideas include the university requiring students to apply to live off campus in non-university owned housing. However, Associate Vice President for Public Relations John Morgan said in a statement that the university has no plans to do this. Residents became particularly frustrated in 2013 after the police broke up 14 different off-campus parties attended by hundreds of students. Several students were arrested that weekend. But Leng said he doesn't want students arrested. He would rather have the university dis-cipline students who consistently cause problems for police and residents. Although the town and university conflict on off-campus housing issues, this does not mean they cannot work together in other ways, Leng says. 

WNEM.com, by Clayton Cummins

A university is making a $6 million investment in ex-panding its Mid-Michigan campus. University of Michigan announced it's moving forward with plans to purchase the First Merit North building, right across the street from its downtown campus. "I think it's another step toward Flint becoming a college town," said U of M Flint Chancellor Sue Borrego. It will be used for both academic and administrative purposes. Michael Behm from U of M's board of regents said the building's proximity was a plus. "I thought it was a fantastic idea because so many times when campus can be contagious and close, it's such a huge bonus," Behm said. The university said this purchase and its partnership with First Merit Cooperation was a perfect opportunity. "If we were going to build this building it would be several years and at least $60 million. WE don't have that kind of resource or time."  

BBC News, by Anisa Kadri

The National Union of Students says criminals are taking advantage of students coming from overseas with limited experience of the UK housing market. National cybercrime analysts Action Fraud say in the year to September, more than 3,000 cases of rental fraud were reported to them, up by half on the previous year. Police say a large number of cases involve inter-national students. Deputy Chief Inspector Andy Fife, from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, said: "It's much harder to be sure of who you are dealing with when you are coming from overseas. "With property prices being so high, a lot of people are renting and scammers are taking advantage of that." NUS international students' officer Mostafa Rajaai said, "With the vast majority of private providers requiring a UK-based guarantor or six months' rent up front, it is the responsibility of universities or col-leges to act as guarantors for international students. 

A growing and impressive group of professionals from campus communities across the globe continue to net-work and share strategies for improving town-gown relations. Join us on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

The ITGA strengthens Town-Gown partnerships by providing a network of professionals and resources, identifying and sharing leading practices, innovative solutions and professional development opportunities for municipality and university communities.