The ITGA is launching a new survey Monday, March 5, to better understand the unique issues and opportunities ITGA members face. The outcome of this work will advance knowledge in the field of town-gown relations and provide insight for engagement between municipalities and institutions of higher education. Our desire is to see town-gown relationships strengthen where there are areas of common interest and benefit. All results are confidential. The survey will be open for two weeks. Look for the invitation in your inbox next week. Complete the survey and enter a contest for a free conference registration. Survey results will be shared at the 2018 ITGA City & University Relations Conference. www.itga.org

Cornell University's Office of Community Relations hosts a regional "drive-in" town-gown conference in Ithaca every spring. This year, the drive-in will convene Monday, April 2, 9:00am-2:00pm, in downtown Ithaca. Per custom, there is no charge and food will be provided. This year's theme is sustainability, featuring town-gown collaborations on shared interests, including land use, energy projects, state initiatives, community-based decision making and other topics. If you (and others) are interested in attending, please contact Penny Givin by March 13. These conferences have a capped attendance and our goal each year is to have a room that is balanced with local government and campus leaders. Cornell University

Penn State and State College Borough officials are seeking the cooperation of students and local businesses to address the dangerous drinking activities associated with State Patty's Day, a social media-generated drinking holiday. As part of ongoing town-and-gown efforts to curtail the high-risk drinking and damage, Damon Sims, vice president for Student Affairs, and Borough Manager Tom Fountaine sent a message to downtown restaurants, taverns, bars and bottle shops asking that State Patty's Day be treated like any other Saturday, with no drink specials, extended hours, State Patty's Day themed-promotions or other activities that amplify the problems the event brings. Penn State News

Registration is open for the 2018 ITGA City & University Relations Conference, hosted by The Ohio State University and City of Columbus, May 29-June 1. Some of the session titles include: Student Engagement in Smart Cities; Town Gown Diversity and Inclusion: Two Doable Resources; Downtown Engagement: Seven Years of Survey Data, Best Practices, Lessons Learned and Next Steps. The full conference program will be on the website soon. Join the worlds largest network of campus community professionals in Columbus and learn strategies and programs that can be implemented in your college town. www.itga.com

Efforts made by the SLO Police Department and Cal Poly to improve relations between the student community and City residents are paying off: the City experienced the lowest number of noise complaints on record in 2017 (less than 1,500) an overall reduction of more than 40 percent since 1998. Over the past 25 years, the City has implemented several initiatives to manage neighborhood noise, including adopting noise and unruly gathering ordinances, establishing Safety Enhancement Zones for holidays, and forming both a Neighborhood Wellness/Community Civility Working Group and Neighborhood Officer Program. In 2017, the SLO Police Department unveiled a party registration pilot program. San Luis Obispo.

A report from Educause and Deloitte's Center for Higher Education Excellence has urged university leaders to pay closer attention to cybersecurity issues. The report, published Tuesday, said that better communication is needed between IT staff and institutional leaders to prevent and react to cyberattacks. Frequently, university leaders don't pay attention to cybersecurity issues unless there is a major breach. To avoid this, the report suggested that presidents ensure senior IT staff are part of their cabinet. The report also suggested that institutions consider simulating attacks to help create a better institutional awareness and how to deal with them. Inside Higher Ed