Opinion | Students care about Orange, too
Olivia Harden
Opinions Editor
Chapman students get a bad rap in Orange, and maybe we deserve it. This might be an unpopular opinion, but the resentment some Orange residents feel toward Chapman students is valid, especially if we’re peeing on lawns and stealing turkeys.
This conflict isn’t new, but it came to a major head in 2016 when residents pushed the city to pass a stricter noise ordinance that specifically targets Chapman parties, even though it was clearly unconstitutional. The ordinance infringes on our First Amendment rights, which The Panther has written about in a previous editorial.
We’ve been accused for so long of not caring about the community where we live. So why did students show up Oct. 24 to rally to support the rights of homeless people and advocate for them at the Orange City Council meeting?
Thirty students showed up to protest and walk to the meeting. They waited two hours before they were allowed to speak for three minutes during public comment. These students were committed to making their voices heard to better their community.
Seniors political science major Brad West and peace studies and political science major Atty McClellan have been organizing efforts for the homeless in the Santa Ana and Orange areas since February, when an Orange County Public Works project to help with flood control required homeless people to leave their encampments at the Santa Ana riverbed.
“We are taught at Chapman to be global citizens, and if we’re not somewhere else, that really starts with our own community,” West told The Panther Oct. 24.
Students have donated money to buy homeless people on the riverbed supplies like food, bottled water and tampons, despite the fact that many live on a college budget. They’ve protested, rallied and advocated for people who society often forgets about or deems unworthy of basic human rights.
The rally wasn’t even originally scheduled for Oct. 24. The city council had scheduled a meeting on Oct. 10. But when the Anaheim Hills fire broke out on Oct. 9, the meeting had to be rescheduled. Students could have easily chosen to cancel the rally, but even with the rescheduled date, 30 students went the extra mile to take care of our community.
Most Chapman students are not turkey-stealers. Most don’t pee on their neighbors’ lawns. Most want a good relationship with Orange residents. Student government even hosted Chapman Dog Day last November to help improve how we interact with our neighbors, and around 250 students and residents showed up willingly.
I know the Orange community still has reservations about us, and I get that. But Chapman students are more than the leftover beer bottles on your front lawn six months ago. Many are interested in being decent human beings, but we’re young and learning. That doesn’t mean we aren’t capable of being a part of this community. We are willing to put in the work to make this city a better place to live in for all of residents. Are you?