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Campus-Community Connections
The official newsletter of the International Town & Gown Association™ December 14, 2020
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU FROM ITGA!
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Happy holidays from ITGA! While this has been an unprecedented year, we are so appreciative of the tremendous work you accomplished and the resilience you demonstrated in 2020. We are thankful for the essential network that we share and the many ways that we learn and encourage each other. On behalf of the ITGA Board and staff, we hope that you enjoy the holidays with family and friends. We look forward to accomplishing great things in the new year together. Stay safe. Happy holidays!
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Replacing Spring Break with Wellness days
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As colleges announce their spring-semester plans, a pattern has emerged: Spring break is out, and “wellness days” are in. From a public-health standpoint, canceling spring break makes sense. The prospect that millions of young people will leave college towns and fan out across the globe — some of them meeting elsewhere to party in large groups — is clearly at odds with efforts to contain Covid-19. But asking students — and their instructors — to slog through another pandemic semester with no break at all could be detrimental to mental health, not to mention learning. While wellness days have been presented as a replacement for spring break, no one seems to be suggesting that they’re its equivalent. Wellness days are a concession, a nod to the fact that students haven’t been getting their usual midsemester breaks, and that they’re suffering for it. The Chronicle of Higher Education
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NEW Board Member Highlight: Meet Kathryn Hofer
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Kathryn Hofer, MSW, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
As a Canadian representative on the board, Kathryn Hofer helps put the “international” in ITGA. As a first-time board member, she aims to reach out to Canadian organizations and develop content that “crosses borders” — utilizing her passion for community development, collaborative partnerships and creatively strengthening communities. Kathryn is director of student experience at the University of Guelph, a small city of about 135,000 renowned as the safest city in Canada. It is located an hour west of Toronto on the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit. Kathryn sees one primary challenge for ITGA during COVID: “maintaining membership through values during a time when town-and-gown communities need support the most.” The University of Guelph’s motto, Improve Life, surely will enhance that work. To contact Kathryn, click here.
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COVID and the Evolution of Student Housing
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The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold globally, shifting the way we conduct business and go about our day-to-day lives. Across all sectors of commercial real estate, we’ve seen a lot of change, from sanitation measures to limited in-person interactions and occupancy. The most important lesson from 2020 is the need to be resilient and adapt as the landscape evolves. That’s exactly what we’re seeing in student housing, especially in the Midwest, as owners prepare for next year. Here are four trends we can expect to see in the Midwest student housing sector in 2021 as a result of COVID-19. Rebusiness online
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Join the Measurable Equity One Year Challenge
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Clear Impact calls on government, non-profit and foundation leaders to join in the Measurable Equity One Year Challenge. Each month, they will send out a prompt for consideration and action with your team. Educational resources and video tutorials to support your completion will be sent on the first day of the month. All tasks can be completed at no cost to you or your organization. To get started, all you will need is a copy of Trying Hard is Not Good Enough by Mark Friedman and to have downloaded your Community Racial Equity Scorecard from Clear Impact. We also invite you to think about which community partners you would like to invite to join you on the journey. To learn more about the one- year challenge, click here.
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Columbia Threatens to Withhold Tuition Fees
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Almost 1,800 students at Columbia University in New York are threatening to withhold tuition fees next year, in the latest signal to United States academia of widespread preparedness to act on demands to reduce costs and address social justice issues relating to labour, investments and surrounding communities, writes Edward Helmore for The Guardian. In a letter to trustees and administrators of Columbia, Barnard College and Teachers College, the students said: “The university is acutely failing its students and the local community.” They accused the university of “inaction” since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, when students began demonstrating against what they say are exorbitant tuition rates “which constitute a significant source of financial hardship during this economic depression.” University World News
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Upcoming Events & Announcements
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Call for Proposals: Interested in presenting at the ITGA City & University Relations Conference, May 24-26, 2021? Visit our Call for Proposals page and view the conference tracks and details. Submissions are due on or before Friday, February 19, 2021. Questions? Contact Beth@itga.org.
Conference Registration is open! Register now for the Early Bird discounted rates. ITGA is offering a cost savings of a 50% reduction for those who register 3 or more from their institution or organization at the early rate. Questions? Contact Susan@itga.org.
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Welcome New & Renewing Members
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Arkansas Tech University & City of Russellville; DLR Group; Hobart and William Smith Colleges; Iowa State University; Mount Allison University; Morehead State University; Pittsburg State University; Rochester Institute of Technology; University of California Davis & City of Davis; University of North Carolina Wilmington & City of Wilmington; University of Oregon & City of Eugene; University of Scranton; University of Wisconsin-Whitewater & City of Whitewater; Villanova University; Washington State University & City of Pullman; Western University. To inquire about membership opportunities, contact Susan@itga.org.
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A growing and impressive group of professionals from campus communities continue to network and share strategies for improving town-gown relations. Join us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
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