As classes returned to in-person instruction, many students were excited to come back to Rohnert Park; Excited to see the campus come to life and to see Bismark walking around. They looked forward to the late night debate on whether to get Chick-Fil-A or In-N-Out. 

Driving around, there’s not much to signify any change in the environment. The shops are all the same, the street signs are exactly as everyone remembers, the only difference is students have been gone for a year. The sign that bears “Rohnert Park: The Friendly City” warmly welcomes long-time residents and students alike.

SSU students are part of the Rohnert Park community, even if they come from the central valley or southern California. They shop at the local shops and stores, eat at the restaurants, enjoy the entertainment, and even deal with power outages during fire season. 

To some, Rohnert Park is a small city where not much goes on. But it is also a place where college students make some of the most iconic memories. It is a student’s first time away from home or even the first time buying their own groceries. It is all an exciting experience as they begin the new chapter of their adult lives.  

But some of the residents of the friendly city don’t view the college population with the same excitement. Some complain of loud parties, excessive drinking, and feeling disrespected.

“I can honestly say there has been a noticeable change in the mentality of our residents—these last five years especially. I can tell someone that the parking lot is for permit parking only, and I’ll get a shrug and a ‘So what?’ as they walk away. I can ask someone to turn down the music because it is disruptive to the neighbors, and I will get a door slammed in my face and cussed at. The level of respect and common sense has declined to an almost immeasurable point.” said Julia, an apartment manager.

Julia and her family have owned apartments for over 30 years in Rohnert Park. She expressed how sometimes interactions with her tenants that attend SSU are not the greatest. Some haven’t respected her or the property. 

“With the property damage, gatherings, and overall entitled feeling younger individuals have today, it is difficult to see the positive benefits these young men and women bring to Rohnert Park. Years ago…yes. But not now,” stated Julia.

However, she also did express how those negative interactions do not define the whole college population: “Whereas that is the general overall view…there are exceptions to all generalities. Thankfully I have several amazing students here as well. I have a couple basketball players that always have a smile on their face and a ‘Hello’ to match. On the other hand, I have grown adults (non-students) that won’t mention a water leak until it floods the unit under them….I will say I am thankful for the wonderful SSU students I do have and just try to weed through the rest.”

Hope Nichols is a local barber who grew up in Rohnert Park and has provided her services to many SSU students.

“My personal experience with the college population has been positive. Being a barber in Sonoma County, I benefit from the college students coming during the school season; It brings me more business. Growing up in the suburbs of Rohnert Park, I had a couple houses along my street that had multiple Sonoma state students living together and for the most part everyone seemed respectful,” said Nichols.

She also voices what she believes that SSU students bring to the table: “I think the college population is a huge part of the local community. It adds diversity to the city that is very crucial in creating a progressive environment for people of all cultural backgrounds to thrive…I think Rohnert park benefits from the Sonoma State students in many ways, one of which is building our workforce.”

The relationship between Sonoma State students and the Rohnert Park community is bittersweet depending on the individual’s experiences with another. It’d be unfair to say that all students are saints and that the students all get along with the local community. 

However, negative does not represent the school population as a whole. Sometimes college students are placed at a disadvantage because of the stereotypes that revolve around this demographic, such as the Greek life being out of hand, the sense of entitlement, the lack of respect because they are temporary residents in the communities, or that they are too young to make the right decisions. 

Charles Bordy is the director for the Legal Assistance Office with Associated Students at SSU. When asked if he felt that the relationship between Rohnert Park population and the SSU population, he stated, “I don’t believe the relationship needs to be mended as much as I believe that, as students, we can always do more to improve our relationship with our neighbors. It’s a working relationship that needs to go both ways. Neither our students, nor the community at large, stands to gain anything from a tense relationship between our two communities.”

Seawolves are students first but they are also neighbors, employees, and part of the Rohnert Park community. As Bordy mentions, respect and effort is something that goes both ways. Nothing fruitful will come from tension or ongoing passive aggression.

Sonoma State is represented in the way the students act off campus. SSU students should lead by example and demonstrate that they are capable of being great members and assets to the community. Likewise, local residents should be willing to have an open mind and not let the few negative experiences, if any, affect their whole perception of the SSU community. The students are grateful to have a place to call their second home.