Sonoma State University has had difficulty filling up all its dorms recently. The vacancies have led many to speculate what the cause might be. You could ask ten people and get ten different answers.

Director of Residential Education and Campus Housing (REACH) Erin Hunter explained that SSU has seen fewer students so more vacancies are simply a byproduct of that. Hunter attributes much of the dorm vacancies to declining enrollment rates, covid, and other variables. 

Hunter said, “Our current vacancies continue to be on the forefront of our minds. However, our priority right now is serving our current residential students. Beyond that, we continue to think about and plan for innovative and creative ways to better serve the Sonoma State community.”

Despite the focus from REACH, high prices, slow maintenance request responses and less-than-ideal parking situations have led some students to live off-campus. 

Cristian De Palm, a junior at SSU, is one of the students that moved off campus after experiencing dorm life. “For someone who is brand new there, the price isn’t that big of a deal as they are just being introduced to the university, but after that, it’s much more economical to find a place off-campus,” De Palm said. He also shared that parking was often difficult in Tuscany and added that maintenance request turnarounds could have been faster. According to De Palm, the apartment he currently lives in is quicker at responding to requests than REACH. 

Shane Collins, a sophomore at SSU, also lives off campus for reasons similar to De Palm. Collins shared that he was not a big fan of the Residential Advisor system, and, like De Palm, he had an issue with the cost, describing it as “Way too expensive.” 

The least expensive option for living on campus still comes in at $10,178 for the academic year. For someone who doesn’t want to share a room, the least costly option would be a Sauvignon Single averaging $12,731 for the academic year.

Currently, individual rooms in Rohnert Park are rented for an average of $900-$1200 a month, which would even out to about $9,000-$12,000 per academic year. 

Logan Knowlton, a senior majoring in psychology, has opted to live off campus every year because he didn’t see the value in the dorms. “It sucks not having as much of a social circle, living off campus, but at least I’m able to do whatever I want without worrying about an RA getting mad at me,” Knowlton said. “The question of living on or off campus is an easy one to answer. I have a yard, a garden, a dog, a kitchen, and more for cheaper rent than I’d be paying in the dorms.” 

Sean Boren, a senior communications major, still lives on campus for a variety of reasons, on being they like living around other students. “I think the dorms are a solid alternative to living off campus as they offer apartment-style living with the benefit of living amongst other students,” Boren said. 

Boren also saw more reason to stay, believing that the amenities such as heated floors and private bathrooms are significant upsides to the dorms. “There’s not much to dislike besides general maintenance things going out such as wall outlets, lamps, certain lights, etc., which is still just a quick fix once a maintenance order is put in,” Boren said.