It’s time for Sonoma State University to address sexual assault on campus and in the surrounding areas of Rohnert Park. According to SSU’s annual crime report, there have been 29 reported rapes on campus between 2018-2019. Not only is there flawed prevention- but there’s a flaw in response.
STAR // Edgar Zavala
According to The Oak Leaf News, Santa Rosa Junior College stated, “According to the Clery Act, Santa Rosa Junior College reported two sexual assault crimes from 2015 to 2017; Sonoma State University reported 19”. When SRJC experienced incidences of sexual assault on campus, their response was immediate by sending out text message alerts, emails, and sent notifications to all professors. Acknowledgment didn’t stop there, as every professor began class by addressing the incident, and held some sort of conversation about how we as a community can help prevent sexual assault on campus.
An anonymous Sonoma State student said “I think that sexual assault is an issue that hasn’t been addressed correctly from all parts of administration. Sweeping it under the rug does nothing but mask the problem. I’d like to see more changes when campus fully opens up again.” At SRJC events like these are treated as an emergency, as they should be. Thus, prompting for immediate changes such as assembling additional lights around dark lit areas on campus and hiring students to escort others from their night class to their car.
Stevie Coulthard, a former SRJC student recalls “When I was attending SRJC, I took safety in knowing that I would be alerted if any misconduct took place on campus, considering I lived in the Elliott buildings that were basically on school grounds. I remember receiving alerts with enough time to lock all my doors and windows while I was confident that campus police were handling whatever unfortunate event that had happened. I even recall a suspect hiding near our building but luckily I was notified. Otherwise, I would not have locked my door that faces campus”.
Sonoma State on the other hand has kept sexual assault on the hush. Practically none of the professors brought this conversation to the surface- but that might be because they were not alerted themselves. The campus has made an effort to make students feel safer by providing emergency alert buttons across campus, but the problem is that there are 33 across the entirety of the Sonoma State Campus, residential areas included. In addition to these flaws, there are hardly any lights surrounding the campus lake, and areas near the track. To exclude some blame from Sonoma State, Rohnert Park, in general, is not a safe area for most young women relating to assault, rape, kidnapping and sex trafficking.
Sonoma State should take a leap of moral pursuit and inform their students of the dangers that surround them, as a good reputation is far less important than the safety of students. Bohemian newspaper states, “Human trafficking happens every single day in Sonoma County..” and some refer to Rohnert Park as a human trafficking “hotspot”. Students come to SSU from all over the grid, and without local knowledge, they are left completely unaware. Within a three-mile radius of Sonoma State, there are sixteen registered sex offenders according to the Megan’s Law website. With these details accounted for, the administration should include students by warning them and listening to their input for improvement.
