Participation of the college age population in higher education is moving toward 50 percent in the UK where, as with the US and Canada, most students must find accomodations in off-campus housing. The rapid influx of young people is changing the makeup and flavor university cities around the UK.
"Institutions have been slow to acknowledge the issue, arguing that their students were not their responsibility off campus. 'The evidence suggests that if [universities] do not act, it can cause and entrench resentment in the community, which may be more difficult to address later,' warns the report. Its main message is that universities need to work with local authorities, residents' groups and private landlords, as well as their own students' unions to tackle potential friction before conflicts become entrenched."
The study, by Darren Smith for Universities UK, examines the elements of studentification (a term he coined at the start of his research into the subject), and provides overviews of best practice in a number of UK university cities.
The study, Studentification: a guide to opportunities, challenges and practice, can be downloaded in PDF from the link below.
Thanks to CollegeTownLife.com
