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Campus-Community Connections
The official newsletter of the International Town & Gown Association™ October 19, 2020
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New Pilot Project "Water Cooler" Conversation |
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Wednesday, October 21, Noon-1:00pm (EDT)
New Pilot Project "Water Cooler" Conversation for Community Relations Professionals
Join Courtney Kienow, Director of Community Relations, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, and ITGA Board member; Walter W. Woods, M.A., Coordinator for Outreach and Strategic Initiatives, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, MD; and Maria Barry, Director of Community Relations, American University, Washington, DC, for this pilot "Water Cooler" conversation.
We’re launching a pilot project; 60 minutes of facilitated conversation specifically for people in the position of Community Relations. The goal will be to create a space to deep dive into shared challenges, successes, triumphs and lessons learned as directed by members of the group. Through candid conversation and dialogue, the goal of this “water cooler” conversation is to offer a sense of connection with others in the “field.” To register, email Beth@itga.org. Registration closes eob Tuesday, October 20.
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ITGA Data Digest: COVID-19 Focus Group Report |
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Wednesday, October 28, noon-1:00pm (EDT)
Join Janet Lillie, Ph.D., Assistant Vice President for Community Relations, Michigan State University and ITGA Board member, top left; and Joelle Brown, Assistant Director, Global Community Engagement, University of Iowa, Wednesday, October 28, noon-1:00pm (EDT) for this upcoming webinar.
This webinar will explore data and key learnings from the September 2020 focus groups with topics including pandemic-related policy enforcement, economic development, and spring semester planning. Additionally, this webinar will also be a time for discussion and idea sharing as ITGA reflects together on some of the toughest challenges COVID-19 has brought to town-gown communities. To register, click here.
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Meet Ron Jackson, ITGA Past-President |
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Ron Jackson, MSSW, Arizona State University (previous)
As immediate past-president of ITGA, Ron helped lead the organization’s first virtual conference in June 2020; to close the conference, he moderated a culturally sensitive and sensitively frank “Courageous Conversation” about nationwide racial tensions in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, by four Minneapolis police officers a week earlier. Ron served for more than six years as associate dean of students at Arizona State University, responsible for off-campus student relations and student and cultural engagement. “I believe in how town-gown efforts bring people together to develop innovative solutions that support the economic vitality, health and safety of communities. I also think that when communities work together, they understand one another better,” he says, “and this saves lives.” Ron brings his leadership, facilitation and bridge-building skills to ITGA at a time when the organization’s biggest challenge, he believes, “is our economic climate caused by the coronavirus pandemic.” He has been involved with ITGA since 2015 and currently is seeking his next role in the Lexington, Kentucky area. To contact Ron: RonJ1906@att.net
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Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Town & Gown |
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Hispanic Heritage Month 2020 recognizes the histories, cultures and contributions of communities that share a common language, originating from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The New Brunswick Community Farmers’ Market, administered through Rutgers Cooperative Extension, has worked with the Mexican community in New Brunswick to grow the iconic flower for one of their treasured celebrations. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1 and 2, that honors friends and family who have passed away. To welcome spirits back to visit the living, it is viewed as a day of celebration rather than one of sadness, with colorful altars erected in homes, cemeteries and public spaces with favorite foods, drinks and personal mementos of the deceased. The altar decorations usually include hand-cut paper marigolds or fresh marigolds. Rutgers
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'Friendsgiving': N.S. Students Create New Traditions |
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Haneesha Relwani, third-year marketing student at Acadia University, would normally be preparing at this time of year to travel home to see family. Instead, she and many other students across Atlantic Canada will be celebrating the holidays away from loved ones this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students who do leave the Atlantic region for Thanksgiving weekend will need to quarantine for 14 days upon their return, Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health, said this week. He urged students to “stay within the Atlantic bubble for Thanksgiving.” The bubble is composed of the four Atlantic provinces — Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador — in which residents are free to travel without having to self-isolate when they cross borders. Global News
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Getting Sick to Sell Plasma? |
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Brigham Young University Idaho released a campus update Monday saying that the university is "troubled" by accounts that students have deliberately exposed themselves to COVID-19 in the hopes of selling plasma that contains antibodies for the disease. "The university condemns this behavior and is actively seeking evidence of any such conduct among our student body. Students who are determined to have intentionally exposed themselves or others to the virus will be immediately suspended from the university and may be permanently dismissed," the university said in the update. Idaho plasma centers are offering greater compensation for donations containing COVID-19 antibodies, EastIdahoNews.com has reported. Inside Higher Ed
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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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