Burlington Free Press, by Cory Dawson

The city and the University of Vermont have started to calm some student neighborhoods, and they have data to back it up. At the Burlington City Council meeting Monday night, officials from UVM and Burlington's code enforcement office, along with a Burlington Police officer presented hopeful findings to the councilors. Their data, collected by the city, shows a general decrease in what they call "quality of life" issues, mainly used to describe noise, party and alcohol problems. Much of the police work is done in the student neighbor-hoods north of Main Street and east of South Union Street. General calls to police in these neighborhoods have gone down, from 995 in 2012-13 to 783 this past year. Joe Spidel, the director of local government community relations for UVM said the school now sends someone to any student house that's been visited by police three times a year. Previously, the university sent someone only if the students have been ticketed. 

CNBC, by Elaine Pofeldt

States that are home to cities with a strong university network, and a lifestyle that makes college graduates want to stay, have an edge in attracting businesses that need talent, said Bob LaBombard, CEO of GradStaff. California fares well in this regard, he said. "Los Angeles and San Francisco are go-to-cities for college grads," he added, pointing to Texas as another example: Austin and Dallas are very vibrant." Some states have created formal initiatives to connect local universities to employers. In Georgia, the High Demand Career Initiative, launched under Gov. Nathan Deal, connects Georgia's public university system and the Technical College System of Georgia so educators can hear from the private sector about what skill and degrees are needed. That way, they can create relevant programs, said Chris Carr, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.   

Iowa City Press-Citizen, by Jeff Charis-Carlson

Three Iowa cities are among the Top 25 best college towns in the nation, according to a ranking by an online company. Niche, a company that complies information on cities, lists Ames as the No. 3 college town on its list. The home of Iowa State University earned a C+ for cost of living and an A+ for nightlife. ISU's campus was praised for its beauty and its easy prolixity to both rural and urban areas. Decorah was listed as No. 10, with a B for cost of living and A for nightlife. Iowa City, home to the University of Iowa, was further down the list at No. 17, with a C for cost of living and an A+ for nightlife. The city was praised as "a huge literary hub" and for its abundance of festivals. For the purpose of the ranking, Niche defined a "college town" as a city in which the undergraduates from the top-250 college make up at least 10 percent of the town's overall population. 

Chronicle of Higher Education, by Gabriel Sandoval

The University of Wisconsin at Madison got a call on Saturday saying a group of bicyclists on the campus had their heads buried in their smartphones, and were weaving in and out of traffic. The theory offered by the caller: They are playing Pokémon Go. Since late last week, officials at colleges across the country have noticed the swift adoption of the game. Students who might appear to be aimlessly wandering have actually been exploring their campuses, desperately looking for Pokémon and congregating around " Poké Stops," where they reload on supplies such as  Poké balls," an essential tool for catching " Pokémon." Colleges are eager to embrace the trend. They are also taking steps to make sure their campus communities remain safe. The University of Central Florida's police department went so far as to advertise via twitter that its shuttle services were available to students who were playing Pokémon Go on campus late at night. 

Academia Group, by Staff Writers

Canadian higher ed institutions face many challenges in channeling the enthusiasm that students bring to orien-tation week activities, especially if that enthusiasm is fueled in part by alcohol. The way a school handles alcohol during a student's first days on campus can have ramifications long after orientation itself. Yet every year, a number of institutions still find themselves dealing with the consequences of alcohol-related incidents that occur both on and off-campus. Many Canadian institutions and governments have undertaken initiatives designed to help channel the energy of orientation in safer ways. British Columbia, to name one, has invested nearly half a million dollars into Changing Cultures of Substance Abuse Use, a project intended to facilitate a dialogue with students about the effects of excessive drinking. Nova Scotia offers another example in its 2012 report, Reducing Alcohol Harms Among University Students: A summary of Best Practices.   

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