N.S. university towns want on-campus student housing to reduce conflicts with community

Small Nova Scotia towns that are home to universities say they're looking at every option to improve services for students and ease pressures on the rest of their community.

Officials in Wolfville and Antigonish, home to Acadia University and St. Francis Xavier University, say they plan to lobby the province to give more support to smaller post-secondary schools like theirs so they can invest in much-needed residences and on-campus programs.

"Our university would like to build student housing," said Wolfville Mayor Wendy Donovan. "They have the land, but they don't have the resources."

The lack of on-campus housing has created a burden on the town's housing market, she says. Neighbours in some residential areas in the town have also complained about out-of-control parties hosted by students living off-campus.

Donovan and town staff met with their counterparts from Antigonish last week to discuss issues they share as small towns with populations that nearly double during the school year. 

"The university puts a strain on our housing stock," said Antigonish Mayor Laurie Boucher.

"So, how can we lobby the province and advocate for the town and at the same time the university?"

Donovan says student housing could also reduce disturbances in residential areas, reduce calls to RCMP and prevent students from living in illegal dwellings. 

She says the two towns even discussed asking the province to lower the drinking age below 19, to prevent underage drinking and allow students to drink on campus and at local bars, Donovan says.

"Some of our business owners have approached us about getting the province to change the drinking age," Donovan said.

Collaborative initiatives

Both mayors agree having a university in their backyards presents a lot of opportunities for their towns, but more funding would help establish community initiatives.

Wolfville has drawn inspiration from universities south of the border on how good relationships between students, schools and the community can benefit everyone.

Donovan and town staff attended the annual International Town and Gown Association conference in Denver in June.

She says several sessions at the conference showed how collaboration between a municipality and a university can lead to great things in a community.

"It is about going out and meeting a lot of people," said Gloria Aparicio Blackwell, director of community engagement at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. She hosted a session about generating community participation in large scale initiatives.

The University of Maryland and College Park are so intertwined they share the new 100,000-square-foot city hall building that opened in 2021.

"Any institution cannot survive if they are not taking into consideration who is around them," she said.

Aparicio Blackwell says it's important for a university to play a major role in bettering its community. 

The University of Maryland has programs such as Good Neighbour Day, she says. It's a collaboration between different government agencies to beautify shared spaces in the community.

The initiative received 60 requests from the public last year, Aparicio Blackwell says. They were able to complete 40 of them.

Students can be perceived as causing problems, she says, but most really want to help out.

"You have an amazing group of students," Aparicio Blackwell said. "They want to make a difference, but they don't know where and they don't know how."

Deal with province expiring

A memorandum of understanding between the Nova Scotia government and the 10 universities in the province expires in March. In a statement, the provincial government says it's currently discussing a new deal with all post-secondary schools.

"The province has made significant investments in St. Francis Xavier University and Acadia University on health-care solutions that will help train and recruit students in those communities," the statement says.