OCTOBER 12 2018

VOL. 19, NO. 3

OBERLIN’S STUDENT CULTURE MAGAZINE

Editors-in-Chief Sophie Jones Ian Feather Treasurer Charlie Rinehart-Jones Content Editor Ruby Anderson PJ McCormick Devin McMahon Kiana Mickles Cover Art Erin Wolf Back Page Grace McCallister

Production Editor Natalie Hawthorne Grace Kirk Leora Swerdlow Nico Vickers

Copy Editor Nell Beck Eleanor Cunningham Olivia Hacker-Keating Indrani Kharbanda

Staff Writers Jason Hewitt Zoe Jasper Sam Schuman

Photo Editor Emery Webster Web Editor Leah Yassky

EST. 1999 OCTOBER 12, 2018

Contributing Writers Octavia Burgel Raphael Dreyfuss Julia Halm Kai Joy Marisa Kim Abby Lee Liza Mackeen-Shapiro Julia McCormick Anna Polacek Charlie Rinehart-Jones Grace Smith Anya Spector Clara Zucker

WANT TO SEE YOUR NAME IN PRINT? COME TO OUR NEXT MEETING! SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, AT 4 PM IN WILDER 115

Letter from the editor More money, less problems

BY SOPHIE JONES AND IAN FEATHER | EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

We were both pretty surprised after finding out that every member of the Board of Trustees was given a copy of both The Oberlin Review AND The Grape upon their arrival on campus for their quarterly rendevous. We had assumed the administration had #cancelled us for good; that if our words had ever reached the upper echelons of the Oberlin power structure, then they certainly wouldn’t again in our lifetimes.

Assuming that each and every Board member will now be an avid reader of The Grape (just like everyone else who has ever opened a copy), we figure we should use this opportunity to make an appeal to our Oberlords.

Here’s the problem: working for The Grape can be fun and fulfilling, but at the end of the day, work is work. While seeing the full issue in print every other Friday is rewarding in and of itself (and pushing it on our unenthusiastic friends at TGIF is one of the great joys of our short lives) living in this capitalist society means there can be nothing

more rewarding than a fat paycheck.

Unfortunately, working for The Grape means accepting that you’ll never get the big bucks that come with working for our counterpart (not rival!) The Review.

Let’s be real: The Grape may not be quite up to The Review’s snuff in certain areas, i.e number of typos per issue, and we certainly haven’t been around for the 100+ years that The Review has. Still, the 20 years that we have been around is not insignificant--that’s longer than any of the first-years have been alive! Furthermore, we like to believe we work just as hard as The Review staff to deliver quality content to the College and community. Or, at least, we certainly talk about it just as much.

Working for 10 hours on a given issue but only getting paid for 4 hours can really suck! Currently, that’s the situation that most of our staff face. Even worse, however, is not getting paid at all! We have three staff writers who, as far as we know, will not be paid by the school and who are instead trusting us to fundraise

from students and alums for their rightful pay. We sometimes have to ask ourselves: is the (grape) juice worth the squeeze?

So, Oberlords: if you enjoyed our last issue, and are looking forward to future issues, consider throwing us a bone! Giving us just a tiny fraction of your net worth (we’re looking at you, Ed Helms) would go very far in assuring that The Grape team feels properly appreciated for their work. If you give us money, we can’t promise to not be critical of y’all when you make bad decisions regarding the future of the College. However, at least you can rest assured that such criticism was produced by a properly-compensated staff, the product of your very own generosity!

Oberlin and Gibson’s Bakery, Part II Student Perspectives Two Years On

BY SAM SCHUMAN I STAFF WRITER

In our last issue, the Grape reported on the lawsuit filed against Oberlin College and Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo by Gibson’s Bakery, which alleges that Oberlin has promoted a boycott against Gibson’s in order to appear more supportive of Black students and because Oberlin has an interest in acquiring land owned by the Gibson family.

This issue, the Grape brings you student views on the almost two-year-old conflict. But first, some background: Oberlin and Gibson’s: An Abridged History Many new and returning Obies took note in the past month of the “Support Gibson’s” signs on Oberlin front lawns. These signs are the latest in a nearly two-year-old conflict between the College and the longstanding bakery that has resulted in the criminal prosecution of three Oberlin students and a lawsuit against the College, and aggravated racial and towngown tensions.

The day after the 2016 presidential election, Oberlin students Elijah Aladin, Endia Lawrence and Cecilia Whettstone were arrested across the street from Gibson’s Bakery on West College Street after being seen in a physical altercation with Allyn Gibson, who alleged that Aladin had been attempting to shoplift a bottle of wine and buy alcohol with a fake ID. All three students are Black.

According to the Oberlin Police Department’s incident report, Gibson said he had caught Aladin attempting to steal a bottle of wine and that he had taken out his phone to take a picture of Aladin after he tried to leave the store when Aladin slapped the phone, which hit Gibson in the face, starting a physical fight that involved all three students in Tappan Square.

Then-junior Andy Goelzer, who was in Gibson’s at the time of the alteration, told the Oberlin Review that Gibson, unprompted, accused Aladin of shoplifting and attacked him immediately, and that two bottles of wine that Aladin was later accused of attempting to steal wound up on the floor in the fight.

Oberlin students were quick to protest the arrests, congregating across the street from Gibson’s and accusing Allyn Gibson of racial profiling. Flyers were handed out at protests accusing Gibson’s of having profiled Black customers in the past and urging people to shop at other Oberlin stores instead of Gibson’s. The boycott has continued since, and many students feel that there is a social stigma against patronizing the store.

Then-president Marvin Krislov and Vice President and Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo released a statement

several days after the arrests saying they were “deeply troubled” by the incident, and that they would “commit every resource to determining the full and true narrative” of what happened. For several months, Oberlin College and Bon Appétit Management Company stopped purchasing Gibson’s products, and OSCA cut all business ties with the bakery last February.

The controversy has been covered by a variety of news outlets both regional and national, including CBS News, National Review, the Associated Press and the Elyria Chronicle, often from an angle that is sympathetic to Gibson’s, and that paints Oberlin College as bullying the small, familyowned business.

Last November, Gibson’s filed a lawsuit against Oberlin College as a result of business lost since the student boycott began.

Two years later: Student Perspectives Juan Contreras was a second-year when Aladin, Lawrence and Whettstone were arrested outside of Gibson’s. All three students were close friends of his, and one of them was in his pre-college Posse Scholars group in Chicago. Contreras found out about their arrests via text late that night, while all three were in police custody. “Finding that out was very hard,” said Contreras.

Based on student accounts of what happened, Contreras thinks that David Gibson instigated the fight. He said, “the story that I believe is that David Gibson was being a racist and beat the shit out of Elijah for no reason, and then [that] got the other two students involved.”

The day after the arrests, Contreras skipped his classes to protest against Gibsons. He said that there were Oberlin students protesting, “from the bookstore to the nail salon… filling that space up,” adding, “towards the end of the night… the opposite side of the street was full too.” He was included in an email chain with many Black student leaders that was used to plan the protests, however students quickly moved from Oberlin email accounts to private text and social media messages. Contreras said that emails sent by oberlin.edu email addresses have been used as evidence in the current lawsuit against the College.

At the protests, Contreras, now a fourth-year Biology and Environmental Studies double-major, connected with Black Oberlin High School students who told him that they had been racially profiled at Gibson’s, singled out from groups of students and asked to empty their pockets or leave their backpacks at the store’s entrance. “I believe people when

Part of a flyer circulated by anti-Gibson’s protestors in November 2016. they say stuff like that, just from my own experiences,” said Contreras, adding that he knew one Oberlin High School student who wrote her college admissions essay about being racially profiled at the bakery.

Contreras said that he wants students to continue the boycott against Gibson’s after the students who were here in fall 2016 have graduated. “This lawsuit and everything that happened has changed their [Aladin, Lawrence and Whettstone] lives forever…it’s our job to keep that memory alive because they’re gonna face the repercussions for the rest of their lives, and I think it’s too easy for Oberlin to forget about that and cycle through [new students] and put on a new face and carry on.”

Of the lawsuit, Contreras said that he doesn’t foresee a positive outcome for either party. “Whatever hope they have for a relationship with the College is forfeit, unless the College does a thing where four or five years pass and things are just

forgotten.”

He is most upset with the town’s reaction to Oberlin students’ protests. He recounted pictures of student protestors being posted by Oberlin residents on social media. “Students became targets [of] the people supporting Gibsons,” he said.

College second-year James Weil was a senior in high school during the arrests and protests. He learned of the student boycott soon after arriving on campus. “A couple people told me I shouldn’t go to Gibson’s, because, in the simplest of senses, they were racist,” he said.

First-years Gabby Spielberg and Fiona Warnick have been at Oberlin for less than two months. Both said that they are unfamiliar with the details of the boycott, but were told by

upperclassmen that they should not shop at Gibson’s.

“A girl in my house came in with a container of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, and was like, ‘oh, I stopped at Gibson’s and I believe someone who was older than me said, ‘“we don’t go to Gibson’s because they were racist”,,” said Spielberg, who lives in Keep Cottage.

Warnick had a similar story: “somebody in my PAL group said, ‘oh, I went to Gibson’s,’ and somebody else said, ‘I heard we’re supposed to be boycotting that,’ and our PAL said, ‘oh, yeah, people are boycotting that.’”

Neither Spielberg nor Warnick were familiar with the details of the College-Gibson’s conflict. “I think a lot of firstyears don’t know about it,” said Spielberg, although she said

that she thought most first-years were aware of the boycott in some capacity.

Contreras is a PAL and an RA. He doesn’t tell students not to shop at Gibson’s, but said that if asked by residents or first-year PAL-ies he will tell them about what happened between Oberlin and Gibson’s, and the resulting boycott. He encouraged students who patronize Gibson’s to pay attention to the experiences of their peers. “If you’re gonna [shop at Gibson’s] and people come up to you and try to talk to you about it, listen.”

Oberlin and Palestine

The Movement for Solidarity on Campus and Beyond

BY RAPHAEL DREYFUSS I JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE

On Saturday, October sixth, progressive activist Garik Ruiz visited Oberlin to speak about his experience in the movement for justice in Palestine and lead a strategy workshop with student organizations Students for a Free Palestine, and Jewish Voice for Peace. Based in Los Angeles, Ruiz has been deeply involved in local and international struggles for racial justice and migrant rights. Recently, Ruiz served as the North American Liaison for the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) National Committee (BNC) through August 2018. The Palestinian BNC is a broad coalition of Palestinian civil society groups which aim to lead and coordinate the BDS movement. Modelled on boycott campaigns that occurred during the U.S. civil-rights movement as well as the South African anti-apartheid divestment movement, the call for BDS was initiated in 2005 and aims to hold Israeli corporations and institutions accountable for the ongoing Israeli colonization and dispossession of Palestinian land. While Palestinians have lived under the racially discriminatory Israeli regime for over seventy years and outright military occupation in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem for over fifty, the call for BDS has galvanized a new generation of international solidarity activists to take direct action to curb Israel’s violation of human rights. I sat down with Ruiz after his lecture to discuss the state of the movement for justice in Palestine, its significance to progressive struggles in the United States, and the role of student activism at Oberlin and beyond.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Raphael: What first drove you to first become involved in the Palestine solidarity movement?

Garik Ruiz: What really cemented my

commitment to doing work for justice in Palestine long-term was going to Palestine myself. The first time I went in 2002 and spent two weeks there, I had already learned about the situation, learned about all the violations of human rights, military occupation, everything that was going on in an intellectual setting. But it was really going there myself and seeing first-hand what things looked like that that really cemented it as a place of activism that I was going to dedicate – at this point almost two decades – and I feel like the rest of my life, working on. Part of that definitely was my own family experience: I’m half Chicano and half white, and my dad’s side of the family is from northern Arizona. We’ve been in northern Arizona since before the 1840s, so we had the experience in the Mexican-American War of the border crossing us. And when I first went to Palestine and saw Palestinians where the border had crossed them – many of them not just once, but twice in less than a century – that common experience really resonated with me.

RD: You’ve been involved in the movement for justice in Palestine for a long time – a lot longer than most Oberlin students. How have you seen the movement develop, particularly following the 2005 BDS call? What changed with the introduction of the call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions?

GR: I mean, that moment to me was the single biggest turning point that I’ve seen in terms of work for justice in Palestine in the time that I’ve been involved. The BDS call – and I should say not immediately, of course – was put out and it took a while for solidarity groups around the world to understand and join in with this larger movement and larger set of tactics and strategy. As that process happened, more than anything, it allowed us to focus. To have a very clear, common

language, a common set of targets – even though there are many, many, many different BDS targets – the fact that there are priority campaigns over the years such as G4S [the largest security company in the world, which assists in operating a number of oppressive Israeli apparatuses including prisons, military checkpoints, illegal settlements, and police training centers], such as Veolia, such as HP [who provides and operates a number of Israeli technological systems used to maintain control over Palestinians, including the ID card system which establishes the inferior legal status of non-Jewish residents in Israel and the occupied territories]. These common targets have allowed people across

this corporation. And because it’s a global corporation that’s involved in municipalities around the world, we were able to cause them significant financial damage--I think the largest being losing the contract for the public transportation system in Stockholm, Sweden, which cost them I believe it was four billion? I’m not quite remembering… But it was a huge amount of money that they lost in Stockholm. They lost contracts in Iran, they lost contracts in Australia, they lost contracts across the U.K. In the U.S. we weren’t maybe as successful, but they faced campaigns all across the U.S. targeting them and costing them at least time and energy in fighting back as we attempted to cancel contracts in

IN TWENTY YEARS... ALL THE STUDENTS THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THESE DIVESTMENT STRUGGLES ARE GOING TO BE IN VARIOUS PLACES IN SOCIETY WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE, WITH THIS UNDERSTANDING, WITH THIS COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE. cities, across countries, across continents, to engage in common work together. I really think of the French corporation, Veolia, as one of the prime examples of that, as one of the major victories of the BDS movement, certainly one of the biggest corporate victories. This French transportation company was involved with the Jerusalem light rail connecting West Jerusalem to illegal Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem through a public transportation network on occupied, colonized land, and folks around the world were able to use that to target this corporation, to hone in on

the U.S. So that is just one example of how we were able to focus and get victories that were kind of unimaginable before the BDS call, at least to me. Certainly at least for the twenty years prior, which obviously goes way back before I was involved. But it did feel like the 90s into the 2000s was a pretty dark time for Palestine solidarity work. It was very hard to get traction.

RD: An issue sometimes raised by progressive activists in the United States is that because of Palestine’s geographic distance, the struggle

there is divorced from and irrelevant to progressive movements here. You have often argued, however, that there are a number of critical intersections between progressive causes in the U.S. and in Palestine – particularly regarding border militarization. Can you elaborate on that a little?

GR: Yeah, I mean, in terms of one of the ways I think that this struggle matters beyond just Palestine itself, the state of Israel as a settler-colonial power, as an economic powerhouse in the global economy, is economically way stronger than its size, [has] a way higher class [of economic power] than its size would lead you to think. And particularly the way that economy looks means that Israel is and has been affecting different struggles around the world, even

Garik Ruiz giving a talk at Oberlin. if you take their own explicit colonialism in Palestine out of the equation. One of the things that I always think about [in regards to] why it matters to curtail Israeli colonial ambition and power is the 1970s and 1980s in Central America. At that time, brutal military dictatorships were supported by the U.S. government in multiple countries: in places like Nicaragua, where a socialist government came to power, they supported the extreme right-wing opposition fighting against that government, which was at least not wholesale murdering its population in the way that U.S.-backed regimes in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras did at different times during that period. And one of the things that happened over and over again, is when the violence – the wholesale genocide in some cases – that was going on became too horrific for even the U.S. Congress to continue to support, when the U.S. would cut off weapons at different times to these regimes, every time Israel would step in and sell them the weapons that they needed to maintain power. Brutal regimes

in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras. The support of the U.S. and Israel at the time for these regimes was a part of the ongoing crisis of migration that we’ve seen, and why people are migrating, because of these legacies of violence. And even if things aren’t as bad at the moment in the number of places, the legacy of economic and cultural destruction has led to ongoing migration which is a part of what’s going on at the border.

But then more recently, and more clearly today, one of the sectors of the Israeli economy that they have really pushed has been weapons manufacturing. And even within that, specifically surveillance technology.

And that advanced surveillance technology is part of what I have pointed to, part of what we look at as the direct connection to what’s going on with border militarization right now. The big example being the Israeli

PHOTO BY RAPHAEL DREYFUSS

corporation, Elbit, one of the largest weapons manufacturers in Israel, one that explicitly focuses on surveillance technology, drones, and monitoring equipment, etc. They have a contract for over $145,000,000 with the [U.S.] Department of Homeland Security, where they are building – some are already built, and they are continuing to build more – a series of surveillance towers along the southern Arizona border. The majority of those towers [are] being placed on Tohono O’odham land, on the reservation. The Tohono O’odham are one of the indigenous nations whose traditional lands are bisected by the U.S.-Mexico border – so they’re on both sides – and Elbit is literally building these towers on the reservation, on behalf of, as a contractor of, the U.S. federal government. They also just last year received another contract to do similar work in Texas.

We’re delving into figuring out exactly what that looks like in Texas, the where and how.

And there are other Israeli corporations that focus on border technology, on surveillance technology that are definitely waiting in

the wings to see if there is going to be a new windfall of contracts from the federal government in terms of Trump’s threatened wall expansion, to see if they would be able to get in there and make money off of expanding border militarization, reducing freedom of movements of migrants, and harming people trying to move for a better life.

RD: Despite successful passage of student government resolutions in support of BDS, Oberlin and many similar institutions have so far failed to take institutional action in support of the Palestinian cause. Oberlin’s Student Senate, for instance, passed a resolution in 2013 calling for divestment of Oberlin’s endowment portfolio from six corporations which profit directly from Israel’s, “ongoing violations of international law and human rights, and have an economic stake in the continuation of these violations.” The Board of Trustees has since rejected the official divestment proposal submitted by Students for a Free Palestine and thirty other supporting student organizations, arguing that such a divestment would, “not be acceptable to the larger Oberlin community, based on the Board’s best understanding of the community’s opinion.” What role do you see institutions like Oberlin playing in the future in this movement, and what steps can students, faculty, and community members take to push their institution to uphold a commitment to opposing human rights violations?

GR: Part of how I think about the role of universities in the struggle certainly comes from one of the prior struggles that the BDS movement is – at least partially – modelled on, which is the anti-apartheid struggle targeting the regime in South Africa, particularly in the 70s and 80s as that movement really gained steam internationally. Universities played such a key role in the divestment movement in particular in that struggle, and, through pulling their investments out of South Africa, really contributed to the overall denormalization of the apartheid regime there. This is really the same as ending normalization of the apartheid regime in Israel, which is a primary goal of the BDS movement. So I really look at that history through that frame. One thing is that as these resolutions have been passed on campus after campus – dozens of campuses across the U.S. have passed resolutions calling on their administrations to divest their portfolios of Israeli corporations that are profiting from apartheid and colonialism in Palestine – what that has done, I think, is a number of things. One is just the amount of media around it creating controversy around students standing up for justice, and going against what for decades has been just the overwhelming, like, “common-sense” understanding that you must support Israel or you’re anti-Semitic. The fact that that is changing in such massive ways is partially

due to what students have done on campuses.

It also, I think very similarly to the antiapartheid struggle in South Africa, has created on campuses a – I don’t know if generation is the right word – but at least in this time, this broad understanding among huge numbers of students, of young people, who are getting ready to go out into all different places of our society, this broad understanding around Palestine and what the Israeli state is doing in Palestine. And that, I think, maybe honestly even more than the actual threat of divestment, which we have not seen much of – only one campus [Hampshire College] has actually divested – but the fact that students are calling for this from campus to campus to campus is what I think is what is making the Zionist establishment so afraid. And why, with the tens and hundreds of millions of dollars that are being invested in fighting the BDS movement, the main target of all of that has been students. In the U.S., in Europe, in other places students are – not the only targets – but from what I’ve seen, the biggest targets. And I think a lot of that is because it means that in twenty years, you know, all the students that have been involved in these divestment struggles are going to be in various places in society with this knowledge, with this understanding, with this commitment to justice, so I think that is extremely important. And the one thing I would say, I know people get very frustrated by the lack of actual divestment on campuses.

One of the things I’ve seen in talking to veterans of the South African anti-apartheid struggle is that what was definitely the case back then was that there was a huge gap between the will of the students and actual divestment. Often they said [there was about] an average of seven or eight years between when students were clear that they wanted to divest from the apartheid regime and when that actually happened, and in some cases it didn’t even happen. So just remember, we’re kind of right up at [the end of that period]; the waves of divestment started in a big way roughly that long ago. And the other feedback I’ve gotten is that actually it’s also that it’s much harder now. That the universities have been corporatized to a much, much greater degree than they were in the 80s, when there was much more of a sense of democracy on university campuses than there is now, and so that’s one of the obstacles that folks are facing that wasn’t as hard back then. So yeah, I always like to say how important it is, even if it’s not official divestment, and certainly Palestinians claim every one of these victories as a major, major victory.

If you’re interested in learning more about the BDS movement or getting involved with the campus struggle, please reach out to Students for a Free Palestine or Jewish Voice for Peace. facebook.com/OberlinJVP facebook.com/oberlinSFP

Lift While We Climb

Mary Church Terrell and Her Namesake in Oberlin

BY JULIA MCCORMICK I CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“Again, Oberlin makes history, serving as a progenitor by placing ourselves at the center of an important national conversation, regarding who is deserving of the honor of a named space on college campuses,” said Azariah Smith Root Director of Libraries Alexia Hudson-Ward, addressing the audience of the Mary Church Terrell Main Library Naming Ceremony, early on the morning of October sixth.

The information provided by Ms. Hudson-Ward and her fellow colleagues during this official Naming Ceremony,

statue of Robert E. Lee, as well as the fights led by students at Georgetown University and Yale University over their institution’s named buildings, Dr. Pamela Brooks, one of Oberlin’s Associate Professors of Africana Studies at Oberlin stated, “we recognize that certain worn-out tropes and monuments to white supremacy must come down and that celebrations of this sort must take their place.” And what better person to dedicate a space to than a woman who dedicated her life to social justice, a woman who was

WE RECOGNIZE THAT CERTAIN WORN-OUT TROPES AND MONUMENTS TO WHITE SUPREMACY MUST COME DOWN AND THAT CELEBRATIONS OF THIS SORT MUST TAKE THEIR PLACE. following President Ambar’s inauguration the evening before, would have been more than enough to answer the student body’s queries surrounding the recent addition of alumna Mary Church Terrell’s name to the Mudd Library Center. While an abundance of information about Terrell’s life and legacy is available on Oberlin’s campus, notably through an exhibit that can be seen on the first floor of Mudd, many students have been left wondering what significance she has to our library and campus and why this dedication is happening now.

For Hudson-Ward and her colleagues, having Terrell’s name on campus is important because it recognizes the extraordinary accomplishments of an esteemed alumna of African descent, whose beliefs mirrored those of Oberlin’s by, “typifying how one person can change the world,” said Hudson-Ward. To them, this commemoration is also important because it places Oberlin in a leadership position among other institutions to memorialize remarkable alumnae whose legacies may have been disregarded in the past due to their race or gender.

After referencing the events of Charlottesville in August, 2017 regarding the alt-right protest against the removal of a

a founding member of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs (NACW), who championed Black people and Black women and put an emphasis on the phrase, “lift while we climb.”

It’s easy to fall into the belief that this dedication is simply a means by which Oberlin can pat itself on the back, commending itself for making a large contribution to the life of such a remarkable educator and civil rights activist. However, with enough historical information regarding Terrell and her relationship with Oberlin, it is clear that through this inscription Oberlin is not only highlighting its accomplishments but also its flaws, making an effort to critique and better itself, as well as other college communities. This was made apparent when Dr. Carol Lasser sighed a knowing sigh at the naming ceremony on October eighth, as she uttered the quippy line, “Oberlin is remaking history.” She went onto say, “More than a century after Mary Church Terrell tangled with then-Oberlin College president Henry Churchill King, our new college president Ambar and our director of libraries Alexia Hudson-Ward--women who themselves would have faced discrimination in the college dorms during King’s administration--have led the way in

reclaiming Oberlin’s historic commitments to racial and gender justice. And for that I thank them profoundly.”

However, an abundance of information about Terrell and her legacy will not always be so readily available on Oberlin’s campus, and the creators of her dedication know this. Dr. Pamela Brooks put it perfectly on that October morning: if students ever find themselves wondering who Mary Church Terrell was, and what exactly she did, “now they have a reason to ask.”

Pokémon Gone?

BY IAN FEATHER I CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

This past Monday, after wandering out of Mudd and acclimating to the mid-afternoon sun that temporarily blinds all who dare look anywhere but the ground as they exit, I noticed a gathering of about thirty individuals next to the big tree in front of Wilder Hall.

Mostly middle-aged with some younger folks mixed in, a mixture of white-collar, blue-collar, and student, the group’s unifying feature was that each and every one was intensely staring at a smartphone, occasionally looking up and saying something to those next to them.

I started to have a hunch that this was potentially an encounter with a Pokémon Go

gathering. Pokémon Go (PoGo, for short), for those who aren’t aware, is a game that uses a mobile device’s GPS to locate, capture, battle, and train virtual creatures, called Pokémon, which appear as if they are in the player’s real-world location (thanks, Wikipedia).

Anyway, while such PoGo encounters were pretty ubiquitous a year ago, they seemed much less common now. Plus, while I was aware that a sizable amount of older adults had gotten into the game, I had never seen so many in a PoGo gathering. And finally, there was the fact that it was early afternoon on a Monday, meaning that the older folks probably had work.

Yet, as I got to the steps of the Wilder porch, I could hear the names of different Pokemon creatures being exclaimed every few seconds--it was now clear to me what was going on.

As I approached the herd of PoGoers in hopes of getting some type of interview, feeling like an even more awkward Nathan Fielder in Nathan For You, some of the group began to disperse. I heard some of them telling those that remained that they had to get back to work, mentioning nearby towns like Amherst and Elyria.

Fortunately, several PoGoers remained, not quite ready to reenter the non-PoGo rat

race of the real world. Thus, I had an opportunity to speak briefly with Roger Hall, a middle-aged man who described how his kids initially got him into the game so that he would get some exercise. Hall, initially looking skeptical of me (a very common occurrence), soon became animated when he told me about meeting “a lot of nice people” through the game soon after starting, about how playing PoGo means that “you’re in a community with people who share the same interest.” He also remarked how the PoGo community is “very diverse, which is awesome.”

It seemed to me that the older PoGo demographic, at least, was quite happy with the community that has developed around the game in this local region. But just like how old folks have hijacked social media platforms like Facebook, to the chagrin of their children and grandchildren, I was wondering how younger players felt about these geezers.

In order to find out, a week later I sat down with Goo Mattison, a fourth-year College student, to get their thoughts. Mattison made clear that they harbor no ill will against the older players - if anything, they’re surprised that folks who didn’t grow up with Pokémon, who don’t have the “nostalgia factor,” are still so enthralled by it. They also described becoming friends with some of these people through the game, remarking that they “probably would have never met them” if it weren’t for PoGo. What surprised me most about what Mattison had to say was how they had missed the initial hype around PoGo when it first came out in mid-2016 (due to being abroad at the time) but have since become an avid player over the past year and a half. I had naively

assumed that most who still play had been doing so from the get-go; however, some quick research revealed that the game is actually still growing. In June of this year, video game news platform IGN reported that PoGo had reached its highest player count since the game’s release.

Thus, while the motivation to play for younger people like Mattison may be based heavily on nostalgia, it seemed like there was another subset of players, like Roger Hall, who find in the game something they haven’t been able to in the modern world. Whether it’s a shared sense of community with people from myriad backgrounds or a chance to briefly escape into a semi-virtual world, PoGo clearly offers individuals like Hall something unique.

Ultimately, however, it’s unclear to me how this observation should be interpreted: is it a sad reflection on the state of our society (the fact that it takes a virtual game to bring people together), a glimmer of hope regarding people coming together during such a divisive time, or both?

PHOTO BY IAN FEATHER A Pokémon Go gathering on Monday, October 1st in front of Wilder Hall.

Odd Ones Out

Misplaced First-Years in Program and Theme Housing

BY MARISA KIM I CONTRIBUTING WRITER On the bright, sticky morning of August twenty-sixth, 2018, rented vehicles and family cars bearing the license plates of New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts, among others, flooded campus, searching for a prime spot to double-park. It was move-in day.

Anxious and sweaty freshmen and their even more anxious and sweaty parents lugged overpacked suitcases, mini-fridges, and endless Bed Bath and Beyond bags through un-air-conditioned corridors (unless you live in Kahn, lucky bastards). The most anxious and sweaty of them all? First-years moving into program and themed housing that they never applied for.

There are currently ten program houses scattered across the Oberlin campus, and ten themed wings operating in larger residence halls. Program houses are entire residence halls that are centered around either lifestyle, language, or identity. The Program House residential cluster encompasses Afrikan Heritage House (A House), Asia House, Barnard (Substance-Free), French House, German House, Hebrew Heritage House (J House), Russian House, Spanish House, Third World House, and Baldwin Women and Trans Collective. Theme living dif-

fers in that theme communities are created by students and approved by the Office of Residential Education and Dining Services. Theme communities typically reside as enclaves in traditional housing residences, such as Sci-Fi and Latinx Wings in Langston/North.

According to the Office of Residential Education’s housing website, “Placement in any of the Pro-

Communities (Program Houses), told the Grape, “We do our best to ensure that students are placed into houses they applied for or expressed interest in on their housing application; however, it is essential all students have a room assignment. Unfortunately, at times that depends on availability. We work very closely with Program House and theme space leadership to re-

going to place non-applicants into program housing, that they should make an effort to place them in spaces they can specifically relate to, either by reviewing their application or reaching out to students personally during the housing process. Martinez also ensured that, “the Program House RAs put on programming that is welcoming to all students in recognition that all

THE ENROLLMENT GOAL OF 750 STUDENTS WAS SURPASSED WITH 868 STUDENTS COMMITTING TO OBERLIN gram Houses is first completed by specific application; remaining spaces are filled as needed.” This makes sense, especially with the much-talked-about overflow of freshmen this year. The Oberlin Review reported last May that the enrollment goal of 750 students was surpassed with 868 students committing to Oberlin. Though that number has since decreased, the class is still much larger than preceding classes. Alejandro Martinez, the Area Coordinator for Multicultural and Identity-Based

duce the number of vacancies.”

A first-year residing in SciFi Hall in Langston/North, who wished to stay anonymous, feels that although they received what they had requested, a single, they are confused as to why they were placed in Sci-Fi Hall as opposed to a hall more aligned with their interests, “More could have been done to place me in a space that’s more similar to my interests. Like, was there no space in Latinx Hall in Langston? Or even a non-themed hall?” They believe that if ResEd is

residents may have differential relationships to the house’s mission.”

Despite this, they still feel like an outsider in their living community, and they are uncomfortable using the shared spaces in Sci-Fi Hall.

“I’m kind of isolated from community activities. And it’s harder to navigate social spaces, like if I want to use the TV or have my friends over in the common space, it’s hard to do that without feeling like I’m intruding.” Dewi Beer, a white freshman placed into Asia House, feels that although she is better

suited to Asia House as opposed to any other program house due to her background in Asian studies, she still struggles with the social atmosphere, due in part to the lack of a freshman community in her dorm as well her placement in a residence with an identity she does not align with. “I think a big part of my experience is that I don’t know anyone in my dorm — people’s friend groups come from people they’re with all the time and we just don’t have that at Asia House, it’s to each their own,” said Beer. Furthermore, she was placed into a single-sized dorm room in Asia House — with a roommate. Due to the cramped space and differences in living styles, her roommate is moving to another room in Asia House.

Likewise, for students who intentionally applied to live among people with a shared identity, they had to adjust their expectations of their house communities when they arrived on campus. Risa Beddie applied to Asia House specifically in hopes of being assigned an Asian roommate and being able to bond over their shared cultural experiences, but was instead placed with a white roommate who had not applied. An international dual-degree student, Beddie explained her disappointment: “I just feel like there

FOR STUDENTS WHO INTENTIONALY APPLIED TO LIVE AMONG PEOPLE WITH A SHARED IDENTITY, THEY HAD TO ADJUST THEIR EXPECTATIONS OF THEIR HOUSE COMMUNITIES WHEN THEY ARRIVED ON CAMPUS.

was a lack of empathy towards me and my coming to the States, and living here for the first time, and having to adjust as well as having to do that in a place where I am a minority, and I hated that even in Asia House. I felt powerless around my white roommate.” Currently, Beddie has moved into a different room in Asia House and is now living with an Asian-American roommate.

Randomly placing students into program or theme housing is far from a new development. Theresa Kim (‘93) lived in German House her freshman year, after submitting her housing application two weeks past the deadline. Fortunately, there were other freshmen who had also procrastinated on their forms and were equally lost during the house meetings in which German was exclusively used. Indrani Kharbanda (‘20), a third year, was placed into Afrikan Heritage House her freshman year, where she struggled

to connect with other first-years, and instead found friends in Asia House. She recalls being frustrated with her placement as she was far away from main campus and her friends. Since then, she’s resided in Asia House for her sophomore and junior years.

Some misplaced first-years have, too, opted to switch into other residences where they feel more of a sense of belonging. Conservatory student Nasir Butler was moved from East Hall into J House before arriving on campus, as ResEd wanted him closer to the Con. Of his month and half-long experience living in J House, Butler said, “I felt like I was welcome, but I didn’t feel like that was the place for me; I didn’t feel happy to come home to that everyday.” Consequently, he has moved into a different program house, a single in A House, which has proved to be a much better fit, and he hopes to become an RA there in the future. For oth-

ers, their residences programming have not had a large impact on their experiences, and their dorms feel like any other. A freshman in Substance-Free stated that other than having to call campus security about smelling weed on her floor and finding places to stay after a night out, she largely does not notice the programming.

Some freshmen, like Rebecca Kukushrin, view their placement as a blessing in disguise. Kukushrin similarly applied to live in firstyear only housing but was assigned to Russia House. Luckily for her, she happens to have Russian heritage. “I’m really happy I ended up there because I am Russian, so like being able to have blini, which are like crepes, feels really homey.” She even called her placement “fate,” and stated, “I was talking to a friend, and I was like, ‘can you imagine me living anywhere other than Russia House?’ It’s so my place.”

Ohio Without Title X

BY CLARA ZUCKER I CONTRIBUTING WRITER Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court poses extreme risks to the future of reproductive and sexual health care. With the threat of overturning Roe v. Wade and undermining Title X, an individual’s access to contraception and abortion care will become increasingly more difficult.

Since the 1970s, Title X has had bipartisan support. Title X provides access to affordable reproductive health care such as birth control, cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and breast and cervical cancer screenings. With Kavanaugh now serving on the Supreme Court, however, the funding for Title X is likely to change, putting Title X-funded providers, such as Planned Parenthood, in danger of closing. In an interview with ACLU Freedom Project Director, Jennifer Dalven, she stated, “Kavanaugh’s confirmation is a big green light to states that want to pass laws that shut down clinics and ban abortions.” Since the 2010 midterm elections, states have passed over 400 restrictions to access on abortion. “Starting in January, we can expect there to be a huge tidal wave of new restrictions at the state level, including in Ohio,” said Dalven. According to Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, undermining Roe v. Wade could make Ohio one of the most restrictive states for reproductive freedom.

Currently, Ohio is closing down abortion clinics left and right.

In 1992 there were forty-five health centers that provided abortions in the state. In 2018, there are only seventeen Title X health centers that serve 59,000 Ohioans every year. For many, Planned Parenthood is the only provider for affordable

reproductive and sexual health care, and closing its doors would result in subpar care for many who need this care. “The [Title X] program is a critical lifeline for people who otherwise would go without care,” said Dalven.

The Trump administration has set out guidelines for Title X clinics, such as advocating for abstinence over medical contraception methods.

In addition, they have proposed a “domestic gag rule,” in which an individual’s right to unbiased,

63% of Ohioans who depend on Title X care rely on Planned Parenthood health centers.

Title X access helps Ohioans prevent 16,500 unintended pregnancies a year by providing birth control.

No other provider could serve all of the Title X patients who rely on Planned Parenthood for contraceptives.

comprehensive counseling regarding their pregnancy options would become extremely difficult. President Ronald Reagan proposed this rule in 1998; however, it was never fully implemented. In late May, the Trump administration stated their hope to reimplement the gag rule.

“For decades, American taxpayers have been wrongly forced to subsidize the abortion industry,” President Trump said at a gala in front of anti-abortion advocates.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, an organization that promotes sexual and reproductive health and rights nationwide, “the Trump administration’s overarching intent is...to stifle health care providers, impede people’s access to family planning care, stigmatize abortion, and

exclude providers that offer it or otherwise help women obtain it, and — above all — to coerce pregnant patients toward childbearing, regardless of their own wishes.”

The gag rule attacks Planned Parenthood and other health clinics funded under Title X. Besides restricting a patient’s right to comprehensive counseling, the gag rule would also prohibit abortion referrals and deny agencies that provide abortions using non-federal dollars, such as Planned Parenthood, from receiving Title X funds. In addition, the gag rule would order that all pregnant patients at Title X services be referred for prenatal and social services, such as infant or foster care and adoption.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, the gag rule is a direct violation of medical ethics. “Denying or delaying services for patients who have decided to terminate their pregnancies jeopardizes their health and wellbeing,” said Kinsey Hasstedt, a Senior Policy Manager at the Guttmacher Institute. In fact, organizations such as Planned Parenthood and the ACLU are gearing up to fight new restrictions on reproductive and sexual healthcare as they may put a patient’s health at risk. As Dalven said, “We have a president that has done everything he can to make it harder for women to get contraception and abortion care….That is why it is so important to vote as if your reproductive rights depend on it — because they do.”

Statistics from Planned Parenthood Fall 2018 Newsletter.

15 Minutes With Baltimore’s Own Butch Dawson

BY OCTAVIA BURGEL | CONTRIBUTING WRITER I met Butch Dawson in a large, makeshift green room (a reappropriated classroom on the second floor of Wilder Hall).

On the left hand side of the vast fluorescent-lit space was a chalkboard on wheels. Scrawled across in bright blue read the message BUTCH TAKES OBERLIN. He completed this mission later that night, mesmerizing the ‘Sco’s energetic audience with dark beats and clever, prophetic lyrics like “walkin’ on that water/ Call me Butchy Christ, damn.” My camera in hand, I sat down with the underground star to discuss his projects, influences, and beloved hometown of Baltimore.

This interview originally aired on Jetsetting, Monday nights at 11pm on WOBC 91.5 fm, and has been edited for legibility.

OB: Who are your greatest musical influences?

BD: Growing up I was really influenced by Lil Wayne… well, I wouldn’t really say influenced, I’ve just always been a big fan. Off the top, the people that I was really inspired to be like were Pharrell, Nas, and AZ. I really wanted to rap like AZ growing up. That’s about it. I’m really inspired by feelings and stuff like that. That’s what I’ve been looking into, just doing kind of an experiment with myself. I’ve been thinking of different shit and analyzing certain things in a different way. Like, I know for fact that I’m a true artist and I’m gonna be making music and creating until the day I die, so I’m just looking for different ways to be affected by a certain feeling and then expressing it through music.

OB: So was that experience of processing emotions kind of your entry point into making music?

BD: I was always around it from a young age— my father was a locally known rapper. He was always in and out of my life, but being a boy, when I was around him I was trying to get that father and son time, and he was always doing music as his work, so I was just around that kind of culture. I wouldn’t say that that inspired me to do music, but it definitely gave me an open mind on what was out there. So it was never really a thing for me when I was younger, to be like “I want to be a fireman.” I was like, “My father is a rapper,” and if you just have an open mind on that from a young age it kinda just molds you.

OB: Having listened to your music and read some interviews, I noticed that you make a lot of reference to bridging the divide between rap and punk. Are there any artists you look up to who you feel have been able to do that particularly successfully?

BD: Yeah, I feel like my friend Peggy (JPEGMAFIA) really does that at his shows. Like, same outfit type shit, just like, sweating. Yeah, there’s definitely been a lot of artists who

PHOTO TAKEN BY OLIVIA BURGEL did that. Even artists now who have like mosh pits at their shows, they’ll be doing wild shit and thats just punk, that’s just total punk. It’s just that form of freedom; performing like that, you’re getting a lot of emotions out. So for me, I’m pretty chill, I like to chill out, but when I’m performing and people are going crazy and there’s a lot of chaos happening I’m just getting everything out.

OB: You’re active in Baltimore’s DIY scene— what do you think of that space? Is it welcoming of people of color or is it generally pretty white?

BD: Oh yeah. It is definitely welcoming of people of color, LGBT folks, it’s really open to anybody. There were a bunch of

safe spaces, probably like 5 or 6 years ago, but due to the situation that happened in Oakland [a mass-casualty fire in the winter of 2016 at Ghost Ship, a warehouse turned arts space in Oakland’s Fruitvale District] a lot of fire departments were going around Baltimore checking spaces and they shut a lot of shit down. It’s still cool though, I feel like Baltimore is the king of DIY shit, like we’re really putting a lot of shit together from nothing and I represent that all the way.

OB: You describe yourself as being involved in a lot of creative projects. What are they and how do you feel that having those projects influences your music?

BD: Working on videos, editing videos and doing skits— I’ve been doing that since I was in middle school. So that’s just one of the things that I really like doing in terms of, like, incorporating all of the creative things that I’m trying to do with the music just to make the brand bigger. I do a little creative directing on the side, like with our merch and stuff like that. I do this monthly mix called “Basement Rap Radio,” and that’s, like, inspired by Grand Theft Auto radio stations so it has like that same aesthetic. I give you comical, funny commercials mixed in with Baltimore local music, and it’s, like, all different types, it’s not even just rap. Any creative thing that I do I just want to incorporate it with the brand and make that experience bigger, so that’s what we’re doing with our whole team and brand called Basement Rap. OB: And is Basement Rap the brand focused on Baltimore, too?

BD: Yeah it’s like a movement, but anyone can represent Basement Rap. I just wanna be able to provide a platform where people can see Baltimore the way I see it.

OB: How would you describe the sound coming out of West Baltimore? Do you think it differs from a lot of rap coming out of New York or other big cities? Are there any particular styles?

BD: I really can’t pinpoint a certain sound that comes from West Baltimore because there are a lot of artists from that region who have different styles, different sounds. I feel like West Baltimore and East Baltimore kinda have the same sound because [the city] as a whole is so small and the region we’re in is kind of out of the spotlight.

Baltimore is not really a musical city, but slowly it is becoming more musically progressive because of the artists who are now coming out of it. A lot of artists are starting to come out and be successful and the city has really started to make more of a name for itself, which in turn is really inspiring a lot of younger artists. I feel like as that cycle keeps going we will continue to develop our own sound.

Is Oberlin a Dating App Desert?

BY ANNA POLACEK | CONTRIBUTING WRITER In an effort to definitively determine the best dating app on campus, this week The Grape sent veteran reporter Anna Polacek into the field (read: the App Store), to give her take on a variety of dating and hookup platforms.

Dating app usage at Oberlin seems to rely on one app, and one app only. Tinder has influenced our college dating and hookup scene to such an extent that I seriously wonder how people interacted before it made its way onto this campus.

It’s the app everyone complains about, deletes, and re-downloads two weeks later. It can be seen in use on the first floor of Mudd, in class, and pretty much anywhere people use their phones. Is it even worth a review? We all have our own feelings about Tinder. But just for the newbies out there, here’s a brief rundown of its functions: upon downloading and opening the app, you must create a profile comprised of a series of photos of yourself (some people like to get quirky and throw some memes in there) and a short bio (ex: ). You can also add your anthem/favorite song (“Sweetener” by Ariana Grande is my personal preference, and also an amazing song). The profile requirements are so few that it creates a sizeable amount of pressure to ensure you’ve chosen the perfect photos and formulated the most clever bio. Many Obies rebel against this pressure, trying to make it look as though they don’t give a single F about their image; we might call this a power move.

Once your profile is all set up you may begin swiping left (not interested) or right (interested) on other profiles in your area.

If both profiles have swiped right on each other, a “match” is made, and you can message your suitor.

But enough about Tinder. I’m sick of Tinder. Aren’t we all? It’s time for bigger and better things. It’s time... for a new dating app. Since there are so many options, I have taken it upon myself to find you the best one. Over the past week, I downloaded, built profiles for, and messaged people on Bumble, Hinge, Her, and Happn. In the following sections I will lay out the functionality of each app and my personal review.

PHOTO TAKEN BY ANNA POLACEK

PHOTO TAKEN BY ANNA POLACEK

Full disclosure: as a queer individual, my research was done under the guise of using dating apps as a queer individual.

All names used in this article have been changed. Onward.

Bumble The first Tinder alternative that came to mind was Bumble. I have no prior experience with the app, but I had an idea

of it as the metropolitan version of Tinder for adult people who are actually interested in making moves.

That is certainly not me, but for the sake of The Grape, I thought I’d give it a try.

The profile questions were pretty basic but a bit more demanding than Tinder’s. Onlookers of my profile can inquire that I’m looking for something casual, exercise almost never, am a Leo, and tower over most people at a healthy 5’ 9”.

After that easy set up, I was prompted to a new screen that looked a heck of a lot like Tinder: the same swiping mechanism with a slightly different layout. Once I matched with a potential suitor, the app displayed the message: “Women MUST start the chat within 24 hours or the match expires forever.

Men can’t send the first message even if they want to.” Which like… how in the hell does that apply to me if neither parties happen to be men. Luckily, someone who we will call Carmen informed me through the messaging feature that, for queer users, “it’s honestly the same as other apps in that regard because either [person] can message first.”

The “women message first” feature rubbed me the wrong way. It indicates the app was designed for hetero use only and leaves no room for the recognition of more than two genders. So pretty much, queer Bumble is just a less trafficked Tinder. Maybe Bumble can serve its purpose in higher populated areas, but in terms of its usage in Oberlin, queer users of the app seemed to all feel the same way: boring!

Next.

Hinge The Hinge layout made me feel like I was 15 again and setting up my first VSCO profile. Or like it was this past summer and I was re-downloading the app for that expensive frozen yogurt place just so I could look at the flavors. Anyway, a mes-

sage pops up that reads: “Welcome to a more thoughtful way to date.” OK, I think I’m getting it now. It’s like the innovative, start-up version of a dating app with a minimalist layout.

The profile set-up was a whole different ball park. Instead of basic questions about your towering height and superior astrological sign, it prompts you to choose and answer three quirky questions. Just to get an idea, here’s mine: My personal brand is: Australian boy singer Cody Simpson with a hefty amount of Pier 1 Imports On a Saturday at 2 am you can find me: Tf asleep I geek out on: Ariana Grande but NOT Pete Davidson Hinge also differs in its matching mechanism. Rather than swiping right or left, you can pick something on someone’s profile to “like.” For example, if you thought I looked charming as hell in that photo with the cowboy hat you could like that, or if you also just don’t get all the god damn hype about Pete Davidson, you could like that.

So my review of the layout, profile set up, and matching mechanism on Hinge is 10/10. But it can’t go any further than that because I only got one match, which after further inqui-

ry, I discovered attends a local Jr/Sr high school. Yikes.

Next.

Her Her markets itself as a dating app for LGBTQ+ people. Everything about this app is so gay: it’s high maintenance, the design is tacky, and there’s this random feature with a bunch of “communities” you can join. The community function works as a platform for users to post and share events. All of the posts from communities you subscribe to come together in your feed, which works a lot like a Facebook feed. Some of the options for communities include: 40+, Queer Womxn of Color, Trans Womxn, Trans Men, They/Them, Recipes and Foodies, Mindfulness and Wellbeing.

It’s really just the gayest thing I’ve ever seen. The communities I subscribe to are: HIT ME UP!, Strong and Single, and Ask HER Anything. Based on these subscription choices, my feed was hopping with many aggressive queers. Just 1 minute ago, Someone who we will call Shane posted that they always seem to be attracted to older women. Another user, Alice, feels as though this app is nothing but “catfishes” and

“dry-ass” people. And there’s a lot of inquiry about an event called “UHAUL Vacation!” happening in Mexico next month.

Goddamnit I love this app. Sadly though, the majority of Her users tend to live far out of town. No Obies in sight.

Next :( Happn This app isn’t even worth a review because literally no one uses it, but the concept is that it notifies you when you cross paths with someone else who uses the app. I just think that’s crazy. And potentially so, so dangerous.

So pretty much, we’re back to where we started. As you can see, there are plenty of promising apps out there, but not enough users to make them worth our while. So maybe this is a call to action: download these apps people! Maybe we can change the dating and hook-up scene if we don’t all rely on an app that functions as a lookbook dependent on arbitrarily judging someone on four photos and a Spotify anthem. Plus, it was refreshing to see so many non-Oberlin queer people out there (shout out to Her). At the very least, can we all download Happn for like a day? Because I just really want to try it.

Comic

By Anya Spector | Contributing Writer

Searching for Soloway (and Scanning for Channing) Amazon Pilot produced by Jill Soloway of Transparent and Channing Tatum to be Shot in Oberlin

BY RUBY ANDERSON AND PJ MCCORMICK | CONTRIBUTING WRITER AND SECTION EDITOR On September 28th, the Oberlin College Theatre and Dance department sent out a casting call for extras and stand-ins for an Amazon pilot called College. The summary given in the casting call reads: “Six college freshmen set out to reinvent themselves only to realize that being someone new might be damn near impossible. They grapple with consent, race, gender identity, class, sex, love and drugs all while trying to figure out who they really are.” In other words, the average Monday at Oberlin!

Further Google searching revealed more details: the project is headed by Marja Lewis-Ryan, filmmaker and showrunner of Showtime’s reboot of The L Word. Earlier this year, Lewis-Ryan directed Netflix film 6 Balloons, starring Abbi

Jacobson, Dave Franco, and lots of Transparent-reminiscent piano score in the trailer. Jill Soloway, creator and writer of Transparent, and Channing Tatum, certified hottie hunk, are signed on as producers.

On Saturday, October 13th, our little patch of grass in Northeastern Ohio will be packed with star power. According to an email sent out by the Cinema Studies department on October 7th, the series will be filming “large exterior scenes” in Tappan Square with a crew of over 80 people and 65 extras.

While we obviously don’t have confirmation yet on the exact outfit that Channing will be wearing as he sips coffee and watches the dailies, campus buzz speculates that Tatum will be wearing a white v-neck and plaid flannel with a puffy vest

and baseball cap.

It’s predicted that Soloway will be wearing a sensible navy cardigan over an eye-catching button down, (including top button). Obie chatter anticipates the footwear to be a pair of worn-in New Balances — after all this isn’t the Emmys!

Either way, as the most famous visitors on campus since Ed Helms earlier this week, they should be easy to spot. And with all these Hollywood types descending on our campus, one thing’s for sure: Tinder is about to get real interesting.

Does Sarah Koenig Talk About Herself Too Much?

A Conversation Between Amatuer Student Journalists

BY BY ABBY LEE | CONTRIBUTING WRITER The third season of the critically-acclaimed NPR podcast Serial premiered on September 20th, focusing on none other than the city of Cleveland. Serial’s format— part of what made it such a widespread success— is that of narrating a detailed investigation, week by week, into a captivating criminal case.

This season, however, has assumed a different structure: every episode focuses on a completely different case being tried at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center. As fans of the podcast, myself and The Grape’s co-Editor-In-Chief, Sophie Jones, felt inclined to discuss this new season, and what it says about podcasts as a contemporary medium. Here is our (edited) conversation: It was a regular Wednesday night in Oberlin. As the locals headed to Long Island Night at The Feve, I made my way to Sophie’s house.

Abby Lee: So, how long have you been listening to Serial?

Sophie Jones: I’ll tell you about my start on the Serial train; I refused to listen initially because I was like, this is so mainstream. And then when I was farming one summer I listened to the entire thing in probably like, 24 hours, but nobody wanted to talk to me about it because they’d all listened to it six months earlier.

AL: I had a similar experience, except that it was this summer that I listened to the first season, so it was four years later. But I think this time around, when I heard the third season was about Cleveland, I was intrigued, not only as an Oberlin student, because that’s literally where we are, but as a person from the West Coast, instead of the Midwest, it’s really interesting to me.

There was a stillness in the room. Our conversation developed from swapping stories to the heart of the matter: is listening to Serial, and other NPR podcasts, simply indulging in bi-coastal voyeurism?

SJ: That’s like all these shows, people from New York City just saying, “Let’s go to Alabama,” and then doing exactly that.

AL: It’s a form of othering, but it’s also under the guise of like, “We’re all Americans and we need to relate and we need to know about each other,” which has value. But I think that similarly to Oberlin, or your Facebook feed, Serial and NPR listenership is an echo chamber. Podcasts are a pretty strong example of a newer form of media— I subconsciously symboled scare quotes when I said the word ‘media’. ...where the concept of form, a.k.a. media, influences content and vice versa. I feel like with podcasts, we tend to separate form and function, because we’re not always thinking about the ways it might be problematic because it’s done well.

SJ: High production value! And I feel like they also present themselves, maybe S-Town (a 2017 longform podcast from the producers of Serial and This American Life) more than Serial, as an alternative to the fast pace at which we read news.

AL: A response to the 24-hour news cycle.

SJ: And they can just get away with saying sentences that you could never really print. She’ll just place herself so intensely in the story, describe stuff with, like, five adjectives because they’re focused on painting the visual picture. But it’s also so ridiculous.

I sensed from Sophie a moment of journalistic reverie.

AL: I read one review, from Vanity Fair, that didn’t find this new season and it’s new structure engaging, and was saying there’s way too much Sarah Koenig. At times where it would be the most valuable to hear the subject saying their story in their words, she’ll just end up describing and paraphrasing it.

SJ: The form of Serial and podcasts really normalizes journalists inserting themselves and their commentary into the story… And that’s tricky territory because Sarah Koenig and Brian Reed are basically narrating black or rural or queer lives.

At this point, I referred to the people in podcasts like these

as “characters.” Sophie’s eyes lit up.

AL: In another review from Vulture, the first sentence was: “it’s such a pleasure to listen to Serial again,” which I found very disturbing. I wouldn’t use the word pleasurable to describe the experience of listening to stories of murder or injustice.

SJ: But it’s so funny because you hear a sentence like that, and you’re like, that’s so fucked up, but then, it’s like, yeah…

I’m a white “coastal elite” working at a frickin’ sustainable farm listening to this story about criminal justice and, yeah, I was getting a lot of pleasure out of it.

Now I’m wondering, are podcasts, and the true crime genre in general, ultimately going to turn us all into sadists?

Are we pretending like we’re not getting pleasure out of it because the form makes us feel like we know these people?

SJ: What you said earlier, when you were like, “characters... I mean people,” they literally seem like characters.

Sophie’s roommate, his name is Charlie Sherman, enters the room. He has something to share.

Charlie: [Sarah Koenig] sounds like what a white person imagines themself sounding like when they’re a “fly on the wall.”

We all chuckle. We try to coax more commentary out of him, but he’s reluctant— perhaps because of the presence of an iPhone recording our every breath.

Charlie: I was just gonna ask if I could shower.

SJ (in a Koenig-style cadence): He was crusty… something seemed, off.

Charlie: That’s not… none of that is true, what? I came to check my phone.

AL: Ah, the mundane activities of everyday life.

SJ: He eats some Lucky Charms, standing dejected and alone, a tissue sticking out of his front pocket.

At this point, we’d all rather be eating cereal than talking about Serial. We start talking about a Portlandia sketch from this past year— Sophie sent it to me prior to this com-

pletely scheduled and non-candid conversation. Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein portray Ira Glass and Sarah Koenig-type radio hosts. Their fake show is called “Forgotten American: Rural Footprints.” If Sophie and I had a podcast, perhaps it would be called “Do You Really Care About Our Hot Take?”

SJ: Something crazy about S-Town — and they parody this so well in a Portlandia sketch — was the fact that the story was maybe going nowhere, and then they kind of get a whiff that he’s gay, and then they pretty much out him and now the story is gripping. And I listened to it, and it was a pleasure, but man, it was so fucked up.

AL: It points to the muddy ethics of podcasting in this way, but we needed a satirical TV show to make us aware of that.

Thank god for satire!

The sound of Charlie running the shower creeps into the room, just like the chill that creeps down my spine when a media frenzied conversation becomes almost too much to handle.

SJ: I think that when first season came out, and the reaction was really unprecedented, Sarah Koenig noticed that and was like “Woah, I just created this really weird powerful thing with a following, so I’ll try to use it to highlight these cases that aren’t so unique.”

AL: In theory, that makes a lot of sense. It’s a very 2018 move, that times have changed so much since this first came out, so we have to change with it.

SJ: It does literally feel like something that’s like, Trump’s president now.

AL: Yeah. And here’s what we’re doing.

SJ: We’re going to Cleveland!

AL: In her words, “The least exceptional, most middle-ofthe-road, most middle-of-the-country place.”

SJ: She says, “We’re not gonna shit on the mistake by the lake,” but she just did. But we’re Oberlin students and all we do is shit on Cleveland!

AL: What I think is missing, is if we’re talking about Cleveland, and talking about Ohio as a swing state, socially and culturally mysterious, super diverse but also segregated, they haven’t talked about why that is.

SJ: Cleveland and Ohio become, kind of, buzzwords, for a wealthy audience, they hear that and they’re like, “Oh, Cleveland, we know what that means.” But they don’t. And neither do we?

AL: They’re clearly giving us a sense, with these stories, of the political climate of this city — that cops are corrupt, there’s a lack of accountability — but it’s totally unrooted in why it is like that and what made that happen.

SJ: I was about to say something about Tamir Rice, because I feel like when they were introducing Cleveland as a case study, at least to me it felt glaring that they didn’t bring him up.

AL: Until episode three.

SJ: There’s a lot of cool things happening in journalism right now, and journalism taking creative forms is the only way that you’re gonna get people to listen who don’t have to, about stuff like that. But this kind of trend of super voyeuristic, super one-and-done podcasts, you have to interrogate the form. When does some fucked up event just become an episode of a podcast?

I’m sensing an overarching theme of conflict here. We’re stuck between feeling annoyed at the way in which stories are being told in Serial, but at the same time, there is value in having it be out there. Our brains, like the confused rhetoric of investigative podcasting, are a bit blurry at this point. The clock strikes 10:30 PM. Much like the first season of Serial, we’re leaving this conversation unresolved, with no tidy conclusion.

IS ZENDAYA MEECHEE?

BY CHARLIE RINEHART-JONES | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Smallfoot, the animated movie about Yetis, opened last week to moderate success at the box office. The move sported a star-studded cast, including Channing Tatum, Lebron James, James Corden, Common, Gina Rodriguez, and of course, Zendaya. Many movie critics thought Smallfoot would just pass through the fall season without much fanfare. But before we get to the cultural phenomenon surrounding the film, let me fill you in on the basic

Danny Devito is Dorgle Ooo, Common is StoneKeeper Zendaya is Meechee Gina Rodriguez is Kolka” The meme went absolutely viral. Even Zendaya had something to say:

SCREENSHOT TAKEN BY CHARLIE RINEHART-JONES premise.

In Smallfoot’s Yeti society, Yetis follow the rules of the “stones,” a bunch of rocks with rules written on them.

The reason that they follow the directions of these rocks is unclear; regardless, Stonekeeper, played by Common, demands that the society of Yetis follow the rocks without question. To really understand Smallfoot, you have to understand that the Yetis don’t know much about our human world at all. When Migo, the local Yeti prodigy, finds a human man, the society of Yetis don’t quite know what to do. Migo brings the human back to his community, who are thoroughly confused. One the one hand, they can tangibly see the human in front of them, but their set of laws dictate that he can’t exist. To see what happens next, you’ll have to see the movie.

The film, however, has become much more than its plot. Gabriel Gundacker, of Vine fame, made the movie a hot topic when he posted a viral video of him singing along to billboards depicting the actors and their respective characters.

His lyrics are simple, descriptive, and overwhelmingly catchy: “Zendaya is Meechee And LeBron James is Gwangi

But did Smallfoot live up to it’s big expectations?

Frankly, no.

I wouldn’t recommend Smallfoot to an audience over 18 years old. However, it did seem to have a lot to offer a younger crowd. Simple-yet-funny jokes, an amazing cast, and a couple of catchy songs. However, I can only write this article as me, Charlie Rinehart-Jones, an adult.

This animated film addresses skepticism as a major theme, as well as the problems of groupthink, bullying, and judgement. As it attempts to address these important issues, it does so in a way that isn’t super compelling.

You would think a movie about such real world issues would gain more traction, but for me it just didn’t land.

Frankly, the only problem with this movie is that it’s super unrealistic. I think the fact that the vast majority of characters are Yetis really takes away from the serious nature of the plot. Aside from the Yetis, there are other super unrealistic things about the plot. For example, the Tetis face serious physical harm in the film, but seem to never acknowledge the lasting damage to their bodies.

However, Smallfoot also addresses some more light concepts well.

Overall, we can consider Smallfoot’s name apt; as it was a small success.

Hillary Clinton, Go Away.

Don’t come back another day

BY LIZA MACKEEN-SHAPIRO | CONTRIBUTING WRITER On September 26th, I logged on to Twitter, saw the news that Hillary Clinton plans to campaign with Andrew Gillum, a progressive gubernatorial candidate from Florida, and groaned. Although I was not exactly surprised (my faith in the Democratic National Committee has been steadily eroding ever since November 9th, 2016) it nevertheless confused me why Democrats would allow a failed candidate with a 36% approval rating to latch onto one of their rising stars.

Upon thinking about this further, I realized that Hillary Clinton has inserted herself back into the national spotlight a lot lately. In September, she went on Colbert to denounce

Brett Kavanaugh, published an article in The Atlantic detailing why she believes American democracy to be in crisis, and somewhat bizarrely appeared in a video for that Youtube channel Bad Lip Readings (which, like her presidential aspirations, should have died in 2012). Worst of all, she’s getting on the campaign trail for more candidates than just Gillum — on October 1st, she headlined a public campaign event for J.B. Pritzker, the Democratic candidate for governor of Illinois. After synthesizing all of this, I could only think one thing: Hillary Clinton needs to go away.

Unsurprisingly, I’m neither the first nor

only person to have this take, and Clinton has addressed those who share my opinion.

During a talk at Rutgers in March of 2018, she told the audience, “I was really struck by how people said that to me... ‘Go away, go away.’ They never said that to any man who

a Gallup poll conducted in August of 2018 found, the majority of Democrats view socialism more favorably than capitalism. Although it’s not quite the revolution, these victories are still extremely promising for the leftist cause, and the last thing this

IF HILLARY TRULY CARES ABOUT PROGRESSIVE VALUES, SHE MUST REALIZE THAT HER CONTINUED PRESENCE IS DAMAGING THE CAUSE. was not elected.” This response is textbook Hillary: deflecting from legitimate criticisms of her political effectiveness by dismissing them as sexist. The truth is that Hillary Clinton embodies a toxic brand of liberalism antithetical to the growing progressive cause, and there’s nothing misogynistic about wanting to leave that in the past.

Trump’s election brought about somewhat of a reckoning for many on the left: the Democratic Party of the Clintons is no longer sustainable. As a result, grassroots candidates with strong visions of economic justice have emerged all around the country. In the race for New York’s 14th district, self-professed socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez trounced Joe Crowley, who had served in Congress for twenty years and was one of Nancy Pelosi’s favorites to inherit the speakership. Down in Florida, the aforementioned Andrew Gillum defeated Gwendolyn Graham, a congresswoman and daughter of the former governor, by campaigning on Medicare for All and a fifteen dollar minimum wage. Meanwhile, a Harvard-Harris poll that surveyed registered voters across party lines found that Bernie Sanders (arguably the father of this burgeoning progressive movement) is the most popular politician in the country. Socialist was once a dirty word used to smear politicians who veered even slightly away from center left — now, as

momentum needs is to be derailed by an association with Hillary Clinton. As much as she can try to cozy up to candidates like Gillum, there’s no pretending that her and her hawkish foreign policy, Wall Street donations, and beltway insider status don’t stand for the establishment they’re pushing back against.

Inextricable neoliberalism aside, Clinton is also just bad at being a politician.

She is a veritable gaffe machine — just off the top of my head, I can list such memorable ones as “How does your student loan debt make you feel? Tell us in 3 emojis or less,” “Just chilling in Cedar Rapids,” “Pokemon Go to the polls,” and most infamously, “basket of deplorables.” Even at a recent appearance at the Atlantic Festival on October 1st, she ever so wisely decided to compare Russians meddling in the 2016 election to 9/11. She’s also uninspiring, a perception which is often chalked up to sexism, but to me accurately reflects her milquetoast personality and utter lack of vision for any cause other than her own self-advancement. It makes no sense to rely on someone who is such a political liability to attract voters for other candidates, so why are Democrats doing it?

Republicans know how damaging Clinton is to the Democratic cause better than the Democrats do — in fact, they’re bank-

ANDREW GILLUM, RISING STAR OF DNC

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOE RHONDONE

ing on the general public’s hatred of her for their midterm strategy. In our very own state of Ohio, 5,092 Republican gubernatorial ads between January 1st and April 24th alone mentioned Clinton. Corry Bliss, the head of GOP super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund, said, “I promise you that you’ll continue to see it — Hillary Clinton starring in our paid media. She’s a very powerful motivator.

It’s about what she represents. What she represents, just like what Nancy Pelosi represents, is out-of-touch far-left liberal positions.” Although I hardly think Hillary qualifies as the far-left (liberal is more like it), Bliss is correct that she represents a brand of establishment politics that many Americans are rightfully sick of. If the Democrats want to stand a chance of winning back the 13% of Trump voters who voted for Obama in 2012, they need to disassociate themselves from the failed candidate with Washington in her blood and Wall Street in her pocket.

Thus, my statement stands: Hillary Clinton needs to go away. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is her moral responsibil-

ity to go away. If Hillary truly cares about progressive values, she must realize that her continued presence is damaging the cause.

The thing is, I don’t think she does — at least, certainly not as much as she cares about gaining power — but I would love to be proven wrong. After all, there’s plenty she could get up to with some time off the national stage.

Get back into the woods! Give some more paid Wall Street speeches! Reckon with her husband’s alleged rape of Juanita Broaddrick (an especially interesting undertaking within the context of the #MeToo era)! As far as I’m concerned, as long as Hillary isn’t trotting herself out as a continued representative for the Democrats, the world is her oyster — and with a net worth of forty-five million dollars, I think she’ll be able to manage.

Pinegrove and the Question of Restorative Justice

BY SAM SCHUMAN | STAFF WRITER

In some ways it’s difficult for me to write about Pinegrove’s Evan Stephens Hall with critical distance, because for a long time I wanted to be him. Like Evan, I grew up white and male in progressive, suburban Montclair, New Jersey, playing music at Terry’s Serendipity Café and frequenting shows at The Meatlocker on Park Street. We took the same music classes at Montclair High School, even had the same private guitar teacher.

To me, being an indie musician in Montclair meant existing in the shadow of Pinegrove and Evan, who along with most of the band had graduated Montclair High School a decade before but was frequently seen around town. My friends and I followed their rise obsessively, attending local shows whenever we could and generally celebrating that our hometown heroes seemed poised to become indie music’s new heroes. In an album review published in January 2016, Pitchfork called Pinegrove “a band who feels like an increasingly noble cause to support,” and I agreed wholeheartedly.

Last November, weeks after the release of the first single from their second album, Evan posted a vague statement to the band’s Facebook page saying that he had been accused of sexual coercion. The band was taking a hiatus and he was entering therapy. Details were scarce, but the consensus seemed to be that Pinegrove was “cancelled,” at least for the time being.

It was encouraging to see a public figure

take responsibility for their actions and give their accuser space and time to heal, but it felt like a betrayal to see someone I looked up to in so many ways, someone whose art so often focused on friendship and love, be outed as an abuser. Evan has acknowledged the harm that he caused his accuser, who has remained anonymous at her request, although he said he had always thought their relationship to be consensual. Since that Facebook post, Evan and Pinegrove were silent.

Two weeks ago, Pitchfork published an article by Jenn Pelly entitled “Reckoning with Pinegrove.” Pelly, who visited Oberlin last spring to talk about her recent book on The Raincoats, explained in detail Pinegrove’s situation over the past year. To sum up: when the allegation surfaced, Pinegrove and Evan’s accuser began to work with a mediator, and the victim expressed her wish that Pinegrove take a year off touring. After Pinegrove honored that request, the victim approved the band’s plan to resume playing shows and release their second album, which they did on September 28th.

Pelly is clearly sympathetic to Pinegrove and Evan—she admits as much in the beginning of the piece, which was intended for release last year as a more straightforward profile of the band. But regardless of any bias, the facts are clear: Evan accepted responsibility for his actions, reached out to his accuser, determined with her how he could make amends for the harm he caused, and

then got her consent before continuing his career.

This seems to be a textbook case of restorative justice. So far, Evan stands as the only example of a public figure—or indie musician, anyway—who, after being accused of sexual misconduct, has honored his accuser’s requests and only then returned to the spotlight.

Pinegrove shouldn’t be lauded to high heaven for their response to Evan’s victim.

Sure, it was by all accounts the right thing to do. But it’s called the “right thing” for a reason: it’s what’s supposed to happen. It’s discouraging that even as men are increasingly held accountable for their sexual misconduct, the simple act of making a genuine attempt to right a wrong is uncommon enough to merit outsize praise. Nevertheless, their actions provide a blueprint going forward for how men accused of sexual misconduct can respond appropriately and proactively.

Although Pinegrove is signed to Run for Cover Records, their second album Skylight was self-released (all proceeds will be split evenly between three different charities).

The decision not to release the record on Run for Cover was a mutual one, made after other artists on the label expressed discomfort with the album’s release. Stephanie Knipe, who performs as Adult Mom and was scheduled to open for Pinegrove during their sold out tour last year, tweeted, “I do not support Pinegrove’s return”.

Certainly, the choice to support an artist is a personal one that doesn’t need to be justified. But does anyone have the right to “cancel” Pinegrove or their supporters on the basis of Evan’s actions when his victim—the one person who can speak with authority to the effects of those actions—seems to have exonerated him? Conversely, does restorative justice entitle those who cause harm to the same platforms they used to cause it? There are no easy answers to these questions, and I won’t pretend to have any.

After a year-long gap, I’ve started listening to Pinegrove again. The music hasn’t changed, but the familiar songs don’t evoke quite the same feelings that they used to, and I’m not sure they ever will. Some of my hometown friends, with various degrees of hesitancy, have started listening again, too. Others haven’t, and don’t plan on it. For years a cultural touchstone among friends who otherwise had disparate tastes in music, Pinegrove has suddenly become polarizing. Their story, and the story of Evan’s victim, bring up salient questions of patriarchy and male entitlement in music and beyond.

In such a messy situation exacerbated by so many outside factors and inevitably colored by personal histories, I find the last few sentences of Pelly’s piece helpful: “When clarity is in short supply, we still have the agency to think our way through. Our experiences dictate what we are comfortable with, what we can possibly forgive, and what we cannot accept.”

BUT DOES ANYONE HAVE THE RIGHT TO “CANCEL” PINEGROVE OR THEIR SUPPORTERS ON THE BASIS OF EVAN’S ACTIONS WHEN HIS VICTIM—THE ONE PERSON WHO CAN SPEAK WITH AUTHORITY TO THE EFFECTS OF THOSE ACTIONS—SEEMS TO HAVE EXONERATED HIM?

On a Sex-Positive Campus, Sex Workers’ Voices Go Unheard

In a school that celebrates and prioritizes sex positivity, do sex workers have a stake in the conversation?

BY ZOE JASPER | STAFF WRITER

According to Open Society Foundations, sex workers are “adults who receive money or goods in exchange for consensual sexual services or erotic performances, either regularly or occasionally.” The livelihoods of sex workers are often the topic of national conversation and fascination, with sex workers getting little say in the matter. When the media and government conflate all sex work with sex trafficking, workers engaged in consensual transactions stand to lose their agency. Just last April, the Senate and House passed the bills Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) and Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA), with the intention of protecting victims of sex trafficking. However, the bill led to the shut down of a number of websites used by sex workers to screen clients and ensure their safety, such as Backpage. The complete disregard for the chorus of sex workers speaking out adamantly against these bills points to the pervasive stigma against their industry. Why are the voices of sex workers not given value, and can increased education and awareness lead to systemic change?

“I feel like people put out this vibe where they’re inclusive, but there’s a cognitive dissonance with sex work. Some people have their reasons where they fundamentally aren’t comfortable with it,” said a sex worker in the Oberlin community. “There is a lot of shaming, especially with call-out culture.”

Although Oberlin is a hub of sex positivity

and open conversation, it is not a given that sex workers feel safe sharing their experiences on campus. A culture of sex positivity is certainly better than silence, but also runs the risk of trivializing the hard work that goes into the sex industry. For instance, it is commonplace to hear Oberlin students joke about getting a sugar daddy or joining Seeking Arrangements, when in reality, going into sugaring is a serious decision.

“I started on Seeking Arrangements shortly after I turned 18. I’ve worked in childcare all throughout high school and had money from work and scholarships for college, but didn’t have money for myself for things as simple as toothpaste or even things like concert tickets or new clothes that weren’t just necessities,” said another anonymous sex worker in the Oberlin community. “I do fear sometimes people just think of [sugaring] as a joke. It’s different from Tinder and requires lots of hard work.”

Oberlin does of course have a number of vital and comprehensive resources for sex education and safety, including the Sexual Information Center, the HIV Peer Testing Center, and PRSM, but does not yet offer any resources specifically surrounding sex work. In a community where many people care about safe and empowering sex, it is likely that there is a willingness to learn, but a lack of knowledge on where to go for proper insight.

“Oberlin could bring in someone to speak

IN A COMMUNITY WHERE MANY PEOPLE CARE ABOUT SAFE AND EMPOWERING SEX, IT IS LIKELY THAT THERE IS A WILLINGNESS TO LEARN, BUT A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ON WHERE TO GO FOR PROPER INSIGHT. on sex work who has been in the industry.

They could also compile resources written by sex workers that can be found online for easy access,” suggested a current PRSM trainer at Oberlin. “I think what’s most important is that people who haven’t actually been part of the industry should not try to co-opt the discussion of sex work and rather let those actually involved speak on what needs to be done.”

As an alternative to speaking over those with experience in sex work, Oberlin students could consider giving them a platform to discuss issues that are pertinent to their community. Many organizations offer public education programs and workshops led by sex workers, such as the Vancouver based organization, PACE, and Project Safe in Philadelphia. Some of their workshops include “Sex Work 101,” “An Injury to One is an Injury to All: Queer/Sex/Worker Liberation,” and “Save

us from our Saviors: Sex Work, Human Trafficking and Rape Culture,” just to name a few.

On an interpersonal level, Oberlin students can create a culture of greater respect through choosing language more carefully, especially since many people choose not to disclose to their friends if they are involved in sex work. Needless to say, Oberlin is a small and insular community whose views do not necessarily impact the rest of the country. However, changing the attitudes of college students about sex work could be the first step in molding a more open-minded generation.

“We want to make our job something normal,” said Tessa, a sex worker and writer for the blog Slutty Girls Problems. “We want consensual and liberating sex for everyone. And we want everyone to feel validated and understood. It would be awesome if they took away the ‘sex’ aspect, and just understood the main point of sex work.”

Ecolympics: A Lost Opportunity

BY JULIA HALM | CONTRIBUTING WRITER Ever since I sat down to write my “Why Oberlin?” supplemental two years ago, I’ve been anticipating Ecolympics, an annual community-wide resource-saving competition that engaged students as well as other community members. Different than in the past, this year these events are taking place in the fall rather than the spring, and the resource-saving competition traditionally held between dorms is available to individuals and independently formed teams. The Office of Environmental Sustainability justified the move to the fall semester so that conservation practices adopted during the Ecolympics would last throughout the year, and first years could get involved in sustainability on campus from the beginning. I understand the reasoning to move the events to the fall, but I believe that eliminating the dorm-wide competition is detrimental to the effectiveness of the Ecolympics as a whole.

Although the changes to the competition seek to increase accessibility to Ecolympics, I believe that by making participation more discretionary, we are missing out on an opportunity to build community through a shared effort, especially for new students.

Without the dorm-wide competition and the publicity surrounding it, people who aren’t initially enthused about or aware of the Ecolympics are less likely to participate. This is a missed opportunity to spread ecologically friendly behaviors through positive peer pressure. A little friendly rivalry between residential communities would boost incentives for residents to conserve electricity and water. Taking the competitions out of the dorms is a missed opportunity for both community-building and engaging as many participants as possible.

The reduced spectacle of the Ecolympics, such as the community-wide parade that occurred in past years makes the Ecolympics more illusive. Even as an Environmental Studies major who was actively excited about Ecolympics, I barely had a sense of what was going on due to the new changes. If we are to stick with the new team structure, we need to publicize the events that the Office of Environmental Sustainability and Environmental Studies Department work so hard to plan.

While it’s great that the new Ecolympics gives everyone the option to participate at whatever level they can/would like to, I feel

like the changes mimic other changes to student-life activities that have led to an increased feeling of isolation, such as the elimination of Wilder desk as a hub of student activity. Oberlin is a campus defined by its community, but if we eliminate the spaces and events we use to gather, we start to lose touch with that. I believe that there are ways to boost accessibility without losing the essence of what the Ecolympics seeks to achieve: increased unity via a collective effort toward creating a more sustainable community.

ENVIRONMENTAL DASHBOARD

Liberal Notions of Gun Control on a “Leftist” Campus

BY KAI JOY | CONTRIBUTING WRITER ogy. It works to empower Black and Brown communities. This visual and its reality in practice, in fact, was (and is) so threatening that several members of the Black Panthers were falsely imprisoned or assassinated by the FBI and local law enforcement (rest in power, Fred Hampton).

Every day we are fed visual information: position-reinforcing optics of white male armament. The conservative NRA gun nut, the hunter, the disturbed white kid shooter-terrorist, the suburban dad who fantasizes about catching Black men trying to break into his home, the police officer. These visuals reinforce themselves. White men are by far the most likely demographic to own guns, and gun ownership among this demographic specifically spiked after the election of Barack Obama (in fact, gun manufacturing has tripled since 2008), and spikes again every time gun control legislation gets media attention. This information, when paired with the immense overlap in conservative gun ownership and white nationalist ideology (that has become increasingly visible in the past few years), certainly paints a scary picture.

It is interesting to me that even within contemporary (mostly academic) leftist circles, a painfully liberal stance on issues of gun ownership is typically held. I honestly want you to think about which groups of people liberal gun control legislation will end up targeting. Historically, which groups have been disarmed, criminalized, targeted by judicial and law enforcement systems that were designed to perpetuate Slavery era social positionalities? It has been proven time and time again that even acquiring and registering firearms legally will not save Black people; you can ask Philando Castile about that. There is already an optic, an archetype, an assumption of illegality, of danger, applied to Black and Brown people. White girls with AR15’s strapped to their back get Insta famous, while Beyonce can’t wear an outfit that features fake ammunition bandoliers without white American outrage and chaos. Even if every rule is followed, firearm legislation and

Pete O’Neal of the Black Panthers

I would like to begin with a few content warnings for gun violence and police violence. When having these conversations it is important to be sensitive to people who have been affected by guns. I’ll just be up front and let y’all know that I am someone whose life and immediate family has been profoundly impacted by gun violence. I am also someone who has experience being around and handling firearms. With this in mind, I would like to make myself available to anyone who has any questions or feelings or needs support in any way, particularly other Black people. My insta is @_necromantress_ please do @ me if you need. Now that that is out of the way, I would like to briefly discuss the legacy of the Black Panthers before getting into the contemporary.

What was so impactful and subversive and threatening about the Panthers? Of course, you could point to their countless community programs (such as their breakfast program) or their ideological underpinnings.

But I’d like to step back and talk optics: I’d like to talk about how powerful the image of armed Black people is, how powerful the reality of armed Black community protection is. I’d like to talk about the act of observing and challenging police presence in Black and Brown communities. Even the visuality of intracommunal protection, of how community galvanization-weaponization worked (and works) to subvert notions of Black community subjecthood and white supremacist surveillance-policing.

It is a visuality that feeds revolutionary ideol-

KANSAS CITY BLACK PANTHERS, 1969 racialized understandings of gun ownership are (and will continue to be) literally used to kill Black and Brown people. You really think that the “disturbed” suburban white boy will have trouble navigating psychological evaluation and background checking? Do you really think that the white gun enthusiast living in a conservative community (or any community) will have trouble purchasing and retaining firearms when the optic of his gun ownership is already positively reinforced every day?

You really think that stricter gun laws (that are literally enforced by LAW ENFORCEMENT) will adequately and nonviolently solve “inner-city” gun violence? I personally do not. What I will, however, advocate for is an increased emphasis on community protection-weaponization-armament.

I think gun safety is extremely important to teach and foster within leftist circles, within targeted communities (queer, Black, Brown, etc). I see that some people even get

uncomfortable when I (a trans woman of color) carry a knife on me. How can you have “revolutionary” or “radical” politics if you refuse to arm yourself, or to at least understand other targeted people arming themselves?

Isn’t the point of “revolutionary” ideology to, like, work towards actual revolution? I don’t think any legislation that can be used to criminalize, that exists within a governmental apparatus constructed from slavery and genocide is really working towards that at all.

If you want legislation to support, vote yes on the State of Ohio’s Issue 1 (also known as the Neighborhood Safety, Drug Treatment, and Rehabilitation Amendment), which will significantly reduce penalties for crimes associated with the possession, purchase or usage of illegal drugs, as well as allocate funds towards rehabilitation programs. Always work to disrupt law enforcement’s ability to target, police and surveil Black and Brown folk.

WHITE GIRLS WITH AR15’S STRAPPED TO THEIR BACK GET INSTA FAMOUS, WHILE BEYONCE CAN’T WEAR AN OUTFIT THAT FEATURES FAKE AMMUNITION BANDOLIERS WITHOUT WHITE AMERICAN OUTRAGE AND CHAOS.

Investigation Finds Furry Artwork Hung in Baldwin

BY GRACE SMITH I CONTRIBUTING WRITER One fateful day in Baldwin Cottage, the Women and Trans Collective, inhabitants awoke to find their communal art board filled with drawings of furries. Reactions ranged from indifference to visceral disgust. Over the following days, news of the kinky critter gallery spread like wildfire. I learned of the incident over breakfast at Stevie, my mouth agape over a plate of undercooked eggs.

“I heard the drawings were explicit!

Really nasty stuff!”

“Oberlin must have an underground furry group, who else would hang that up?”

“My friend thinks his roommate is a furry…he doesn’t know what to do about it!”

As questions and theories circulated around me, I resolved to get to the bottom of it all. Enclosed in this article are the products of my investigation.

On a chilly September night at the end of orientation week, three first years clustered in a dorm room searching desperately for commonalities to bond over. At last, social tension abated when they realized their point of solidarity: they were all furry-adjacent. Meaning, they were not furries themselves, but were each at least two degrees away from one. One girl shared that there had been a furry club at her high school. Someone else added that they were horrified to discover their ex-girlfriend was a furry (via an explicit Tumblr account). They recounted “she asked me to call her kitten…which I realize now is probably a furry thing.” Another girl revealed that she knew some “almost furries”, the kind who were attracted to monsters, “like the fishbanging scene in The Shape of Water.”

For those of you who are blissfully unaware: furries are fans of anthropomorphic animals. Each creates their own character, called a “fursona”, to be used in fanfiction, artwork, and/or sexual roleplay. This fandom has evolved

from a hushed chat forum subculture to hosting full-blown meetings and conventions. They are also characterized

newly cemented friends, they decided to mess around. They created a neopets account titled “NotFurriesUWU” and

by their specific dialect — yeah, that’s where “uwu” came from. Whether we realize it or not, many of us have had unsolicited furry encounters. Perhaps it was the person in an animal suit on the NYC subway that your mom told you not to make eye contact with. Maybe it was the kid in your high school that hung a foxtail from their back pocket. Potentially, one afternoon while perusing Reddit you saw fan art so disturbing that you repressed the memory until reading this sentence.

Back to the trio. Like any group of

started sketching animals on index cards coined with the phrase “#FurryJustice”.

By the end of the night they had filled the Baldwin hall communal art board with furry drawings. These pieces of art ranged from stick figures to images that were “not explicit…but curvaceous,” the masterpiece being “a sexy goat that ended up looking like Satan.” One of the perpetrators recounts, “it was so far from serious, I was dissociating.”

Needless to say, Baldwin Hall was not thrilled. In the following weeks enough

formal complaints were submitted that the drawings were officially taken down.

The three friends assumed this was the end of their prank, noting, “We were surprised it stayed up for so long.” Then, controversy struck. Some claimed the removal of these drawings was censorship of art, regardless if people supported the cause behind it they should not limit their expression. Others pointed out it was justified, as the artwork is indicative of a sexual kink dangerously close to bestiality and made people uncomfortable. To their horror, the trio realized they had accidentally aligned themselves with the furry movement.

The tale was extravagantly inflated by the college rumor mill. A week ago, I was under the impression that Oberlin’s underground furry subculture had hung explicit drawings as a statement on their “alternate sexuality” oppression. I myself am guilty of relaying this misinformation before I had all the facts. Although it would make for quite an enticing story, this simply isn’t true. Non-explicit artwork was hung up as a prank and, as far as we know, the Furry Rights Revolution isn’t imminent.

Miscegenation Blues

BY ANONYMOUS | CONTRIBUTING WRITER He talked about music and doing drugs, and

Japanese literature, Japanese food,

first year, I was stopped by a soon-to-be

About four weeks before the end of my

asked me about the same topics. Then he

Japanese everything.

graduate on my way out of our Japanese lit

asked me why I decided to take the Japanese

class. I had never spoken to or interacted

lit class. I said that I wanted to learn more

with this man up until that point, and to be

about my mother’s heritage, traditions, etc.

truthful, I didn’t even know his name. He

He nodded understandingly. I politely asked

asked me out for “coffee or something,” and

him why he was interested in the class.

then for my number. I was so surprised I

“Well…my brother is into Japanese stuff,

Ohhhhhhh no. Even I could read the subtext.

I had never actually confronted yellow fever before. I had no idea what to say.

I saw one of my teammates in the corner an S-O-S type of manner. She could not save

to, it wasn’t my first choice…”

me.

He didn’t have to deny interest that

He could have been telling the truth about his brother, and maybe he was

just as white and generic, if not more so).

Then he asked,

interested in me beyond my heritage, but it

We had two mutual friends on Facebook,

“So have you been to Japan before?”

is true that he only got to know me through

and he played in a punk band, so it seemed

And then it was,

the class, where I was not very abashed

alright.

“Are you into Japanese pop culture?”

about my Asian-ness. Plus, I needed to

He asked about Japanese culture,

consider why anyone about to graduate in a

The next weekend we went on a date to Slow Train. It was very awkward.

My Time on Liberal Arts Tinder

BY AUDREY LIBBATUQUE

I did not let him walk me home, but I’m ashamed to say that I felt so bad about hurting his feelings that I later reached out to him to say bye before I left for the hug. He still tried to kiss me. Bye.

and I didn’t really want to take it, but I had

much, but okay.

from me.

summer. He tried to kiss me; I gave him a

just asked me on a date — I was a naive first(this is a fake name, but his actual name was

I realized I did know what he wanted

and I waved at her very enthusiastically, in

said yes without even realizing that he had year. He later texted me his name: John Doe

What exactly did he want from me?

few weeks would want to ask out a first year.

Remembering Kris:

Oberlin Dykes pay homage to that Gay Admissions Rep

BY RUBY ANDERSON AND SOPHIE JONES | BAD HABITS EDITOR AND CO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF For many people, growing up with

stories are dedicated to Kris.

Cass:

homosexual urges means frantically searching

OC

Alum

‘18

and

Former

Admissions Intern:

for role models and glomming onto every vaguely queer adult you meet. Whether this be

Sophie: Went to High School in the

the shaved head hard femme who worked at

PNW, Interviewed by Kris

“Kris’ charm shined through at every admissions info session she gave…she often

Blockbuster when you were six, or the dapper

“I caught my first glimpse of Kris Surovjak

referred to choosing Oberlin as a place to coach

yet approachable former volleyball coach

in a sprawling landscape of folding tables at a

(did you know she was a volleyball coach?)

who interviewed you for Oberlin College,

massive college fair at a school I did not attend.

because she wanted ‘a town where she could

encounters with adult gays in the wild are

I was in a really bad mood because I didn’t

forever inscribed in the minds of baby queers

know anyone, I was three years younger than

across America.

the target demographic, and I was gay. My very

The latter description, of course, refers to

proactive mother had insisted I, a high school

Kris Surovjak, Oberlin Admissions officer

sophomore no less, go (alone!) to the event and

in charge of the Pacific Northwest. A casual

I was just starting to really resent her for caring

conversation between Editor-in-Chief Sophie

so much about me when I saw…Kris Surovjak.

Jones and Bad Habits editor Ruby Anderson

Standing tall and broad-shouldered in a pink

revealed that both Seasoned Senior Dykes had

polo shirt and grey chinos beneath the Oberlin

formative encounters with Kris during their

banner…for a second I could have sworn she

senior years of high school.

was Alison Bechdel herself. Whoever she was,

Jones and Anderson decided to do some

‘Hey! Need some help?’ I looked up, and

she was a Dyke to Watch Out For.

digging and reached out to known Pacific

I was too shy to talk to her then, but

Northwestern dykes and admissions queers

flash forward two years to me sitting in a

to see if anyone else felt...moved...by Kris.

nondescript conference room not three feet

What resulted was a rich oral history of an

from Kris Surovjak herself. It was an intimate

admissions powerhouse.

info session; just me, Kris, and a very popular

Kris has since relocated to Whitman

football player who had already committed

College in Walla Walla, Washington, where

to play for Oberlin (he is very successful now,

she’s almost certainly hiking every weekend

I think). A volleyballer herself, most of Kris’

and enjoying far pricier cups of coffee. These

attention was trained on the athlete.

I sweated awkwardly in the corner, trying

I saw a short and sturdy dyke outfitted in a J.Crew men’s suit and signature pink bow tie.

Flustered, I could hardly choke out a timid ‘Yes’ before she jumped into action, Oberlin Admissions nametag jingling as she flung herself on the floor knees first. The next thing that happened is inscribed in my memory forever, as I truly feel this was the moment in hold her wife’s hand while walking down the street without judgement.’ Don’t we all, Kris.

to interject about myself; “I am interested in

Having visibly queer people working in

getting involved with student journalism!” (I

admissions is critical, as I know queer kids in

wasn’t), or maybe, “I love you!” (I did). Kris’

crisis regularly reach out to Oberlin admissions

admiration for the golden boy was the first hint

officers based off their pictures on the website,

that throughout my college career, Oberlin as

hoping to find their dream school and safe

an institution would consistently prioritize

haven.

athletes over sweaty gay people (except for gay

Also, since it’s clear that during my time at

athletes I guess?). I didn’t care. I applied, got

Oberlin I mostly kissed folks from Seattle (Kris’

in, committed. And now I am here. I have no

recruiting area), I thank you (Kris) for your

regrets. Well, just one; I never said goodbye to

noble service.”

Kris.

I always imagined I would serendipitously

Ruby:

Very

Familiar

with

the

run into her just as I was stepping off the stage

Admissions Staff as an Ethnic Recruit :

at commencement, diploma in hand, and that

“I first encountered Kris Surjovak in a

she might say “I’m proud of you Sophie.” I still

profoundly vulnerable moment: 18 years old

dream she might come back for a visit next

and on my knees in the Admissions office,

May, but then again, maybe it’s better she

struggling to get my sleeping bag in its stuff

doesn’t. Sometimes it’s best not to meet your

sack after a whirlwind weekend as a participant

heroes. “

in the Multicultural Visit Program.

which I first thought ‘I am gay’.

Kris, squatted low on polished saddle-shoe heels, began to shove my sleeping bag into the stuff sack. She pushed. She squeezed. And oh, did she stuff.

The whole thing took about 30 seconds, but I was forever changed by Kris’ fisting my sleeping bag into a stuff sack that was far too small. Watching that unruly bag of down so easily compressed and nestled in the warm embrace of the nylon stuff sack, I knew that

I too, could fit into….unconventional spaces.”

Emma: Went to High School in the PNW, Interviewed by Kris, former admissions tour guide: “I first saw Kris in my Seattle high school, in the room where the college counselors would interview students.

Hearing her speak, I immediately thought, this place sounds sick. I lied to her and said Oberlin was my second choice school.

Actually, wait, it wasn’t a lie, Oberlin

we should hang out in Seattle.”

paraphernalia all over the walls. So, Kris gave a presentation at this coffee shop, and

was my second choice…it’s just that I only Em Marcus, Portland Native: “I walked into the Oberlin info session

I definitely instantly fell in love. She was a beautiful, like, 35-year-old dyke.

as a Proud Straight Ally, and the person

I tried to talk to her after the presentation,

leading said info session was Kris. She was...

hoping there’d be some queer recognition

stunning. She was wearing a collared button

and maybe fodder. Nothing. She just like,

down shirt. She had really short hair. She

shut me down. And I was like, ‘oh my god,

was carrying one of those messenger bags,

I’m queer, and you can’t see it, and I don’t

you know the one, yeah, you know the one.

understand why we’re not connecting on this

And she looked like she was going to go for

queer level.’ And I guess that makes sense;

a hike right after this info session, which, it turned out, was true. I think she had biked to my school.

realized that when I saw Kris Surovjak that day. I wanted to listen to Kris speak for the rest of my life; her voice was so optimistic, so productive, so forward moving and energetic.

I was undeniably attracted to her. Kris literally started our interview by talking about her wedding to another woman, and I still felt as

if you’re a 35-year-old dyke you don’t want

though there might be some subtext between

to be nodding and winking at the 17-year-old

us… and if she could twist that narrative, I

lesbian in front of you.

Since we met in such a queer space, I

knew I wanted her to twist my narrative — to

was like ‘yeah, this is what Oberlin is.’ She

the admissions committee that is!

Fast-forward a couple years, and I’m

My boyfriend was actually in the room

really sold me on the Living Machine. She

working in the admissions office at Oberlin

with me when I met her, so there were a lot

really played it up, and I was just in awe of

(Kris recommended me for the job). I ran into

of conflicting emotions I would say. I wasn’t

this woman talking about pooping in front

Kris in the office several times and if she wasn’t

sure what was happening — I had never

of me. The whole atmosphere and her being

in a rush, she would take a lot of time to ask me

really felt this way. Like I said, I was a proud

someone I wanted to be with in the future...I

how I was — check in, if you will — and give me

straight ally.

was just like ‘okay, this is what Oberlin is.

a big hug.

She basically painted a picture of a

Just like a bunch of dykes.’”

You know how every time you see a lesbian

small campus where everyone knows each

you think, ‘I wish my mom was a lesbian’? Kris

other. She mentioned Queer Beers, she

made me feel like my mom was a lesbian. It

mentioned Drag Ball, she mentioned the

was very hard to be in a bad mood around Kris;

co-ops, she mentioned people walking

Kris Surovjak may be traipsing around

she has a very positive energy and she always

barefoot in Tappan. All kinds of styles — all

the Blue Mountains of Northern Washington,

felt incredibly present. Her physical presence is

kinds of lifestyles. My heart was beating so

but she will forever be held in the hearts of

also worth noting: she’s, like, very in her body,

fast, I couldn’t slow it down. She painted

many Oberlin students. Kris, wherever you

very athletic, she even used to be the volleyball

me a picture of something I hadn’t known

are and whatever you’re doing, The Grape

coach here at Oberlin.

I wanted, but I suddenly would’ve followed

hopes you’re doing well.

I think it’s outrageous that Kris left us for Whitman; Kris is one of the reasons that I

her anywhere — including Northeast Ohio.

So I applied ED.”

chose not to go to Whitman, and came to Oberlin instead. Kris has betrayed me, but I

Miche McCall, Portland:

forgive her already. Kris, I miss you, we don’t

“There’s this coffee shop called ‘The

have many queer rolemodels, we have to hold

Flying Cat’ in Portland. Owned by this

on to them. I hope she has fun in Walla Walla,

classic 60-year-old dyke. And there’s cat

---

Green EDGE Fund

A Misleading Perception of the Typical Oberlin Athlete

BY JASON HEWITT | STAFF WRITER I just want to begin by letting y’all know that there are so many athletes on this campus who have entirely different views on different topics. Also, I know it’s crazy to believe, but there are a LOT

People just don’t look up to me like they did in high school. Ah, the good old days.

Everything was perfect. Nobody would give me shit about making racist or homophobic jokes. Nobody would call me out or try to start “discourse” on social media with me.

ones. They’re the ones who are stuck in their own little bubble. Safe space, my ass.

Anyways, let’s talk about the fact that Obies protest every little thing like it’s the end of the world. I promise it’s not, at least for me anyways. You feel like your “human

of athletes who are people of color. The following narrative is entirely satirical and represents the type of Oberlin athlete that we all love to hate. Please don’t associate the following statements with me. I promise, I’m not this terrible.

Things just aren’t fair for me at Oberlin!

People on campus always attack me, but I swear I don’t do anything to piss them off. I just like to wear my favorite Ronald Reagan shirt sometimes. What’s wrong with that?

Sure, he might have had something to do with the drugs in the “hood” or whatever, but he made this country great. I don’t want to get to deep into it, because politics make me uncomfortable. I mean, you Obies would know a thing or two about that, right?

My goodness, how can you be so sensitive and yet send the hatred my way? I mean, “love wins,” after all, right? Alright, look.

I just wanted to say that I don’t see color. I mean, gosh, my best friend’s black. He may be a Trump supporter, but he’s still black, damn it. Doesn’t that count for anything?

I have another complaint to make:

or say anything without getting in trouble.

As a white man, I feel incredibly targeted by society. It’s only amplified at this school,

PEOPLE JUST DON’T LOOK UP TO ME LIKE THEY DID IN HIGH SCHOOL. which my parents paid for (they worked for that money, by the way). “White privilege” is some bullshit that people made up because they felt sad about not being at the top of the human totem pole.

That’s all I have to say. Sorry for ranting so hard. I hope I didn’t burst your little social bubble.

They would just laugh, because the jokes were funny! Like, I don’t get why it’s such a big deal here. I notice that there are a lot of LGBTQ people here, but why should I give a damn? Then, these Obies try to tell me that I’m privileged. What? ME? That’s ridiculous. These Obies are the privileged

rights” are violated? How do you think I feel whenever my coaches yell at me? Or when my parents yell at me for wrecking the car again? Like, that shit sucks, but I’m not going to protest any of that. Why? Because I’m not soft. See, I swear, this generation’s so soft nowadays. You can’t do

Juul Pods to be Sold at DeCafé

BY LIZA MACKEEN-SHAPIRO I CONTRIBUTING WRITER As part of recent alterations to dining

again, or introduce Juul pods into our stock

policies on campus, the Office of Residential

at DeCafé. We figured the latter would make

and community members alike

Education

you all the happiest.”

are concerned about the effect

and

Dining

Services

has

However,

some

students

announced that Juul pods will now be

Response to these changes has been largely

this change will have on local

available for purchase with a meal swipe at

positive, with many students overjoyed at

establishments — specifically,

DeCafé.

the chance to further replace regular meals

the Mickey Mart on 155 South

According to sources within the Oberlin

with nicotine. Said a first year Kahn resident,

Main Street. When reached

administration, this change came about as a

“All these upperclassmen keep complaining

for

result of student uproar over the scaling-back

about how dining on campus used to be so

manager told The Grape, “Oberlin students

of options offered under meal plans. Said an

much better, but I don’t know how it could

purchasing Juul pods comprise over 95%

official who wished to remain anonymous,

get much better than this. I told my friend at

of our business. Their sudden availability

“Upon reexamining the budget, we realized

Bard about it and he was sooooo jealous. He

on campus could pose a major threat to our

that we actually had enough money to reopen

says they can only get food with their meal

livelihood.”

Dascomb, offer groceries with meal swipes

plan.”

comment,

the

store’s

Despite initial excitement about the new

offering, a petition quickly began circulating on Facebook after news leaked that the only flavor sold would be crème brûlée.

Notice Me, Jill Soloway

BY RUBY ANDERSON I BAD HABITS EDITOR For more information on the Amazon pilot that will be filming on campus this

I’m flustered, but in a sweet way that’s also totally hot and charming.

weekend, check out the article I wrote with P.J. in Arts and Culture.

Ever since I heard that Oberlin’s campus would be the site for Jill Soloway’s (creator of

“Oh, um — hi!” I respond.

“I love your look,” says Jill. “What’s your name?”

Transparent) new project, I’ve been having this recurring fantasy, and it looks a little like

“Ruby.”

this: I’m in line at Slow Train, ordering my

“I’m Jill.” (I know!)

usual: a triple shot over ice. I bring my own Mason jar. I take the Mason jar to the milk station and sneakily add whole milk —

“I know! I mean, uh, it’s really cool to meet you.”

bam, half-price latte. While I’m desperately avoiding the scornful glare of Slow Train

“You too. Listen — I’m filming this pilot

employees, someone taps me on the shoulder.

on campus and we have a walk-on role. The

“Hey.”

actor flaked last minute. It’s pretty easy, just

I turn around and see a dapper, older

a few lines, you’d be playing this cool senior

queer staring back at me. They’re smiling

dyke hosting a hip party. You interested?”

coyly, taking in my look: shaved head, hammered metal facial piercings, tortoise shell glasses, tattoos, ethnically ambiguous,

Jill pulls out their business card and hands it to me.

butch with a pretty face, built like a brick shithouse. It takes me a moment to realize, but then I know: this dyke checking me out

“Give me a call- I think your vibe is exactly what we’re looking for.”

is none other than Transparent creator and queer media tycoon Jill Soloway.

Jill walks away and joins Marja Lewis-

Ryan, showrunner for the Showtime reboot

old and ignoring the handsy-ness of my voice

of The L Word. I imagine they’re discussing

coach because all the girls who got callbacks

writing me into The L Word, talking about

for Young Cosette worked with him.

the specific brand of dykedom I embody and how to incorporate it into the show.

So, I close this piece with a plea — notice me, Jill Soloway. Notice me, Marja Lewis-

The fantasy typically stops there, but

Ryan. Any other dykes working on set:

I imagine what follows is queer media

notice me too. I can be reached at randerso@

fame — Instagram sponsorships from cool

oberlin.edu.

alternative sex toy companies like, say, ecofetishist supply business Sacred Sadism, or queer underwear firm TomboyX. Regardless, all this business with Amazon pilot College has awakened in me a thirst for fame that I haven’t felt since I was 11 years

Sophomore Discovers Beach House, H.E.R. on Instagram

BY LIZA MACKEEN-SHAPIRO I CONTRIBUTING WRITER Technology has made it easy to find

ephemeral 24 hours. Said Johnson, “Oh,

to their Instagram stories with near-daily

refreshing Instagram in hopes that one of her

new music in countless different ways, be

yeah, as soon as I see someone add a song

regularity ever since the function was

friends would update their story so she could

it through a Discover Weekly playlist or

to their Insta story, I immediately open up

introduced in August of 2016. Some of the

have something to listen to.

Anthony Fantano’s yellow flannel reviews.

Spotify and listen to it. After all, people only

most recent additions ranged from selections

However, according to sources close to

do that because they genuinely want people

from the new Brockhampton album to the

the student, second-year Dakota Johnson

to discover something new — not to show off

new Noname album to one of the older

reportedly cultivates her entire music taste

how cool and obscure their music taste is or

Brockhampton albums.

around songs her friends post on their

anything.”

Instagram Stories.

Using her $4.99 / month Spotify Premium membership, Johnson exclusively listens

When reached for comment, one of

Added the second year, “That’s how I

the users Johnson follows on Instagram

discovered super-underground artists like

remarked, “I’m just glad I could introduce

Clairo and Rex Orange County.”

another person to artists like Beach House

to songs that the 377 people she follows on

Upon investigation of Johnson’s Spotify

Instagram choose to screenshot, upload to

profile, The Grape found a playlist containing

their story, and share with the world for an

thousands of songs her friends have added

and Mac DeMarco, or Kevin Abstract before he was a part of Brockhampton.”

At press time, Johnson was seen frantically

Tanner Vandross ‘18 (Economics) Is a Change Agent

BY RUBY ANDERSON AND IAN FEATHER I BAD HABITS EDITOR AND CO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF talk about it, prefacing every comment he

produce garments for American companies

financed by one of our clients who works

Habits and the Career Development center

made in his Africana Studies classes (he

like The Gap and Nike. The loan would cover

in fruit distribution. As it turns out, her

have partnered to bring to you the stories

was a minor!) with an extensive delineation

a start-up fee, which would be applied to the

husband works for my client’s firm! That’s

of Oberlin alumni who are going on to do

of all the ways in which he, a white settler

cost of the needed equipment.

when I realized the power that ethical

great things. Here is one of those stories.

colonizer, benefited from the suffering of the

As part of “Senior Launch Week”, Bad

disadvantaged classes.

Tanner Vandross grew up wealthy

Graduation was looming, though, and

and didn’t think twice about it— that is,

Tanner’s dad made him an offer he couldn’t

until he got to Oberlin. An Economics

refuse: a position at Vandross Capital, the

major planning to make beeline for Wall

family hedge fund.

Street right after graduation, Tanner had

Tanner hesitated at first, as he was

a profound identity crisis after his politics

worried his left-leaning peers would judge

professor made his class watch Inside Job,

him for “selling out.” That’s when he

a documentary detailing the ways in which

realized: he could change the system from

members of Tanner’s species had ruined the

within!

world. Realizing that the modern financial

Tanner’s dad loved the proposal, and was

investment has as a form of legitimate

Tanner hesitated at first, as he was worried his left-leaning peers would judge him for “selling out.” That’s when he realized: he could change the system from within!

He frantically wrote a proposal to his

system is run by vampires of greed who

dad: Tanner would be in charge of the new

profit the misery of low-income suffering,

“ethical investment” branch of the firm,

so proud of his little boy that he immediately

wealth redistribution. This is radical praxis,

Tanner started to feel some guilt about his

giving microloans to struggling female

allocated $100 million dollars to the

folks!”

future profession.

craftspeople in developing nations. The

investment fund.

Tanner was aware of his privilege: he was

This one person can change the world?

female artisans would be taught how to use

“The coolest moment in my new job had

white, cis, able bodied, wealthy, male. His

sewing machines and their homes would be

to be this one time I was giving a microloan

thousands of Obies making a difference all

social consciousness didn’t stop there — he

outfitted with all the equipment needed to

to this woman in Indonesia. The loan was

across the global South.

was sure to

So do we. Tanner Vandross is just one of

BY ABBY LEE | CONTRIBUTING WRITER

M A D L I B S