The Road Ahead 2022: Building Community Vitality through Town and Gown Relationships

Town and Gown relationships between communities and post-secondary institutions have changed substantially over the past few years. There is a renewed interest in what institutions and communities can contribute to each other through shared ideas, experiences, methods, and practices.

Members of Western University, Fanshawe College, the Western Undergraduate Student Council, the Society of Graduate Students at Western University, and the City of London invite post-secondary officials, local community groups, students, first responders, economic development agencies, and representatives of the various levels of government to participate in a hybrid conference that will:

• Bring together stakeholders in the town and gown space from universities, colleges, and communities across Canada, providing a forum for the open discussion of campus-community relations
• Facilitate the sharing of experiences and ideas among these partners, with each bringing perspectives unique in their circumstances and history to the common table
• Initiate and encourage ongoing communication and connection among stakeholders regarding town and gown issues

Registration & In-person Attendance

Given the hybrid format of the conference, there is an in-person (extremely limited!) and virtual option for registration. The ever-evolving situation of the COVID-19 pandemic means the conference will be as flexible as possible in format, changes, and refunds to attendees. Should the pandemic situation limit in-person contact by May 15, 2022,  the conference will be transitioned to a completely virtual format.

Early bird registration ends Monday, May 16, 2022. After that date, fees will increase by $20 across all registration options. All registrations must be made by Friday, June 3, 2022.

As members of institutions that are responsible for science, public health, and community safety, we will require all in-person conference attendees to provide documentation of a Health Canada approved series of vaccines. Paper and/or digital documentation issued by a Canadian province/territory or equivalent international government will be accepted as proof.

CASM Level 3 masks will be provided for all conference attendees, however, you are welcome to wear your own masks that exceed that standard (ex. KN95, N95, etc). Conference facilities have been confirmed to far exceed guidelines for indoor air circulation levels that limit spread. Physical distancing and other measures in conference facilities will be based upon local public health guidance.

Detailed Conference Schedule

Scroll down to see short version of conference schedule. Zoom connection details for virtual attendees will be sent by email to the address used for the registration. Please note all details are subject to change given the hybrid format of the conference, and any changes will be communicated immediately to attendees.

DAY 1 - JUNE 9, 2022

REGISTRATION (9:20-9:50 am) [Social Science Centre Atrium]

OPENING REMARKS (9:50 am) [SSC 1004]

SESSION 1A: BUILDING INCLUSIVE TOWN AND GOWN COMMUNITIES (10:00-10:50 am) [SSC 1004]

• "Using Digital Tools to Connect Campus, Community, and the Globe" - Marisa De Leo & Matthew Keefe, University of Guelph
• "An overview of graduate student services at Western University" - Yousuf Hasan, Society of Graduate Students
• "University Students Council services for diversity & inclusion" - Jessica Look, University Students' Council

BREAK (10:45-11:00 am)

SESSION 1B: AN UPDATE ON STUDENT HOUSING TRENDS (11:00-11:50 am) [SSC 1004]

• "Land-use planning approaches to near-campus neighbourhoods and student housing development patterns in Ontario, Canada" - Alexander Wray, Western University & Nick Revington, INRS Quebec
• "Student housing market trends" - Fatima Baqir, Scion Advisory
• "Habitats: Students & their Communities" - Shemar Hackett, Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance
• "Northdale at the Midpoint" - Tanja Curic, City of Waterloo

LUNCH (12:00-1:30 pm) [The Wave, University Community Centre 2nd Floor]

SESSION 1C: INNOVATIONS IN CAMPUS-COMMUNITY SAFETY (1:30-2:10 pm) [SSC 1004]

• "Community Safety Neighbourhood Patrols" - Bradley Clarke, Brock University
• "Residence Health & Safety Advisor Peer Supervision Program" - Chris Lengyell, Western University
• "Core Area Ambassadors Program" - Ryan Craven, City of London

BREAK (2:15-2:30 pm)

THE ROAD AHEAD 2022 KEYNOTE LECTURE ON THE UNSPOKEN IMPACTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION ON COMMUNITIES (2:30-4:00 pm) [UCC 56]

Dr. Davarian Baldwin is the Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of American Studies at Trinity College (Hartford, CT), and most recently the author of In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower: How Universities are Plundering Our Cities (Bold Type Books, 2021) which forms the basis of his keynote lecture at this year's conference.

SOCIAL BREAK (4:00-6:00 pm)

CONFERENCE DINNER (6:00pm doors open) [Toboggan Brewing Company]
    585 Richmond Street, London ON  N6A 3G2

DAY 2 - JUNE 10, 2022

BREAKFAST DROP IN (9:00-11:00 am) [Grad Club, Middlesex College lower level]

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (9:45-11:00 am) [SSC 1004]
    Members-only meeting to transact business related to the corporation. See the TidyHQ Meeting invite to RSVP and examine the agenda package.

SESSION 2A: UNSANCTIONED STREET GATHERINGS: 2019 TO 2022, WHAT'S CHANGED? (11:00am-12:30pm) [SSC 1004]

• Bradley Clarke, Brock University (Moderator)
• Mark Dykstra, City of Waterloo
• Stephanie Ye-Mowe, Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance
• Jeff Armour, Undergraduate Students' Council
• Chris Alleyne, Western University

LUNCH (12:15-1:30 pm) [Grad Club]

FIELD TOUR OF NEAR CAMPUS PLANNING AREA OF OLD NORTH (1:30-3:00 pm) [Meet at Grad Club]

John Fleming, former Chief Planner of the City of London, and now Principal at City Planning Solutions, will provide a tour of the near-campus neighbourhood planning area surrounding Western University. Weather dependent.

Travel and Accommodations

To keep costs as low as possible, and provide the most flexibility this year, we have not reserved any hotel blocks or secured travel discounts for attendees.

For more information about how to get to Western University, visit: https://iesc.uwo.ca/new_students/plan_your_trip/how_to_get_here.html

Once in London, we encourage you to make use of public transit or walking to travel around. There is no easy access to parking on campus and in the core area. All conference venues are easily accessible from major hotels via transit, or a pleasant 30-45 minute walk along the Thames Valley Parkway in the summer.

For more information about accommodations in London, visit: https://www.londontourism.ca/stay-a-little-longer

If you book a two-night stay at a participating hotel, you will receive a $100 prepaid VISA card for use within London. Our recommendations for the best participating hotels with easy access to the conference venues and nightlife are:

• The Park Hotel London
• Delta Hotels by Marriott London Armories
• DoubleTree by Hilton London
• Hotel Metro
• Residence Inn by Marriott London Downtown
• Guest House on The Mount (great access to Western only)
• Ivey Spencer Leadership Centre (great access to Western only)

For more budget-conscious travellers, we recommend staying with Western Summer Accommodations: https://conference.has.uwo.ca/Register/default.aspx?code=C001174

Format

This year's conference will be delivered in hybrid format. Live synchronous sessions on the two conference days will be hosted from London, with a small audience. Attendees may also participate remotely in these synchronous sessions. In addition, we expect to have all attendees contribute pre-recorded content that will complement the synchronous program and act as a legacy resource from the conference for members.

Session Proposals (Closed)

In keeping with the conference theme on building community vitality, we are interested in session proposals that focus on local economic development, graduate retention, campus-community interactions, international student inclusion, and the effects of post-secondary campus expansions. Sessions focusing on these topics will be prioritized for inclusion in the synchronous live portion of the program.

We do of couse invite a wide-range of proposals on all town and gown matters, including but not limited to, unsanctioned street gatherings, off-campus codes of conduct, town and gown committee structures, off-campus student networks, housing, transportation, campus safety and security, infrastructure, zoning bylaws, licensing programs, and communication.

We are seeking session proposals of the following formats, however, are also open to creative proposal ideas not found below:

• Big-little ideas - short presentations (5mins) to share ideas, experiences, and initiatives that are big or small
• Talks - standard presentations (10mins) about a well-defined topic in the town and gown space
• Discussions - gather 3-5 bright minds to discuss questions and perspectives on town and gown relationships for a full hour
• Workshops - deliver a hands-on practical learning experience for attendees within an hour-long session
• Tours - give a guided tour of your own community with a focus on town and gown intersects locally
• Photo Essays - showcase your ideas through pictures rather than words
• Briefing Notes - share written materials (we recommend around 1500 words) that communicate a town and gown policy, practice, or issue of interest
• Posters - put together a mix of text and graphics to deliver your ideas

We are open to sessions that include people in-person, remote, or even a mix of both! Abstracts should be submitted by Friday, April 15, 2022 via this form: https://forms.gle/E9xwi21Ngz4VKkYj8

The conference program will be released Monday, April 26.