It is a marriage that cannot end in divorce. That is the unique situation of a community that is home to a college or university that must welcome, house and provide a wide range of services to hundreds or thousands of students in a community for four or more years. Town and Gown: From Conflict to Cooperation (Fox 2014) focuses on the shared housing and near-campus neighborhood dynamic as the root solution in addressing town-gown issues, yet there are related community liaison initiatives and best practices that need to be highlighted. Having an active and engaged town-and-gown committee is the very minimum step communities that house a college or university need to engage in the dialogue to address opportunities and challenges. Kansas Government Journal

The Ohio Town & Gown Summit planning committee is happy to announce that the Session Topics have been posted on the their Town-Gown website . The sessions are centered on four main tracks: Sustainability, Public Health and Safety, Economic Development, and Neighborhood and Quality of Life. To see the full schedule, click here. Register now to get the early bird registration rate and remember to book your hotel, if necessary. Come early on Wednesday for the downtown Farmer's Market, BG/BGSU About Town Tour and the President's Reception to kick things off! On Thursday we will showcase the Best of BG at the Simpson Garden Park and shuttle you downtown for shipping and dining. Learn more.

The Culinary Arts production kitchen at Camosun Interurban has been buzzing lately as college and community volunteers cook together to provide fresh and healthy meals for the Mustard Seed and Food Share Network members with the aim of reducing food waste, notes Culinary Arts Chair Steve Walker-Duncan. Each year, at The Mustard Seed's Food Security Distribution Center, nearly 85,000 lbs of perishable food goes into the waste streams. When a new kitchen opens this summer, they expect to be able to process 40,000 lbs per year. In the meantime, Camosun has stepped in to help. Camosun.CA

Alcohol and drug abuse pose serious health risks. But even nurses and doctors don't find it easy to talk to patients about their drinking or drug use. Thanks to a federal grant, 1,200 Spokane-area students destined to become health care providers or social workers are better equipped to have that discussion. The three-year, $78,000 grant taught students how to screen for drug and alcohol misuse, and how to have difficult conversations about it. "It's most important not to be judgmental," said Kaylee Pearson, a recent WSU College of Nursing graduate who went through the training. The training also brought students from seven programs in three universities together in an interprofessional exercise. WSU Insider

The Great Move Out started Monday at Oregon State University, and organizers will accept donations of food, furniture, clothing and other items from residents living on and off campus. This year, OSU has partnered with the Office of Student life and a local church to host an on-campus and an off-campus donation drive. The Great Move Out allows students

living on and off-campus to donate items they no longer need or cannot take with them while also diverting material that would otherwise go to the landfill. These discarded items will instead benefit local nonprofits and other charity organizations. Gazette Times