The safety, rights and privacy of Cornell University-area students living off campus will be the major topic of discussion Sept. 8 at the Collegetown Neighborhood Council (CNC) meeting, which is open to the public.

Issues of safety and privacy took center stage in 2004, after some high-profile cases in the Collegetown area of Ithaca. Students discussed issues surrounding these incidents with Cornell administrators and with Ithaca city officials. In October 2004, Cornell and the city formed the Off-Campus Housing Task Force in response to the students' concerns. Cornell Vice President for Student and Academic Services Susan Murphy named students and staff to this group to represent Cornell community interests, and Ithaca Mayor Carolyn Peterson appointed representatives from the city. City and university officials then charged the group with several tasks, including:

• Solicit input about off-campus housing from campus, municipal offices and local landlords.
• Review services offered by Cornell's Off-Campus Housing Office and determine if they meet student needs.
• Create an inventory of off-campus housing practices at other colleges and universities and identify "best practices" that could be adopted by Cornell.
• Frame realistic recommendations.

During the Sept. 8 CNC meeting, Cornell Assistant Vice President for Student and Academic Services LeNorman Strong will review the task force's report and provide details about the next steps the task force and the university will take. The meeting will take place from 4 to 5 p.m. at St. Luke's Lutheran Church, 109 Oak Ave., in Collegetown.

CNC meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month and are open to the public. For more information about CNC or to get on its list-serv, contact Cornell Assistant Director for Community Relations Gary Stewart at (607) 255-4666 or e-mail gjs28@cornell.edu.