To be classified as a college town requires more than just a college located in the area.

A college town is when a town and a university are identified as one.

Even though DeKalb is the home of Northern Illinois University, some say it is not a college town.

Paul Rasmussen, DeKalb’s community development director, said he believes DeKalb is not quite a college town yet.

“A true college town has an area that is clearly the entertainment, cultural and fun area,” he said. “Our centers of entertainment, like the bars and restaurants, are scattered. They need to be concentrated in one place.”

Mayor Greg Sparrow agrees DeKalb is not a college town.

“DeKalb has the best of both worlds, but it is not a college town. We are a university community, but we are not only a university community,” he said. “At least half of the community is not affiliated with the university.”

Sparrow said NIU is a big part of the community and it is kept in mind when planning DeKalb’s economic development.

“Retail opportunities are aimed toward the college, but not just the students. The faculty and staff and those that come to visit are also kept in mind,” he said.

Sparrow said he would like to try to make the downtown area of DeKalb more of a college town atmosphere, but not the whole community.

Not everyone feels the same as Sparrow and Rasmussen.

Rena Cotsones, executive director of NIU’s Office of Community Relations, said she believes DeKalb is a college town.

“I think we have been a college town for a long time, and now it’s just a matter of saying it to the outside world as a way of marketing ourselves,” she said.

Although the community has not always appreciated the college town title, she said she feels the people of DeKalb are coming around.

“There is an intellectual environment that the university brings that you don’t find in other cities,” she said. “I think that the people in the community are starting to understand that this is a brand that they can embrace.”

A problem the city is facing as far as connecting with the university is with students leaving on the weekends.

DeKalb has recognized the need for development to keep students here, Cotsones said. She said it already is occurring in “activities at the Convocation Center and new shopping opportunities.”

If DeKalb supported NIU by showing more school spirit, Rasmussen said he believes DeKalb and NIU would connect more.

“I think next year for football games, DeKalb should have parades going right through the center of downtown and banners on every pole,” he said.