NEWPORT, R.I. – Salve Regina will host the day-long, fall 2012 meeting of the Rhode Island Town/Gown Partnership on Thursday, Oct. 4 at Ochre Court. The statewide partnership brings together college administrators, substance abuse task force directors, state agencies, law enforcement and neighborhood associations.
Created more than a decade ago by Gerald Willis, associate dean and director of campus life, the task force works proactively to solve critical student issues and support positive student-university-neighborhood relations. The statewide organization is modeled after the highy successful Salve Regina Community Partnership that Willis developed in 1998.
The main purpose of RITGP is to assist college administrators in developing initiatives that address student behavior off campus, such as neighborhood disruptions, party houses, and misrepresentation of age to gain access to alcohol. However, RITGP has also been active in a number of statewide initiatives.
RITGP was active working with legislators to lower blood alcohol limits for drivers under age 21 statewide, assisting in the creation of bar-coded drivers licenses for the state, implementing keg registration statewide, and most recently, assisted state officials in the legislative passage of revisions to the state procurement law (commonly called the Social Host law). RITGP meets regularly and works in developing joint efforts and new programs/initiatives for college administrators and other agencies.