The Associated Press

BEREA, Ohio - Baldwin-Wallace College, a fixture in this Cleveland suburb since 1845, is trying to spruce up the campus neighborhood and prevent a run-down "student slum" look.

Beginning in January, the Methodist Church-affiliated college will begin a program to buy homes on the market and resell them to professors and staff members as single-family residences.

The goal is to discourage expansion of rental units specializing in student housing and sometimes prone to poor upkeep. City streets crisscross the campus.

"We just want people who live in those houses to be good neighbors. A lot of it is just poor manners," said Robin Blumenthal, who has owned a home near the campus since 1983. Her street has four rental properties.

College trustees agreed to set aside up to $500,000 from the school's endowment. Money from the resale of houses will go back into the program.