The Oberlin Review
FEBRUARY 14, 2014 VOLUME 142, NUMBER 14
Outside the Bubble
ESTABLISHED 1874 oberlinreview.org
ONLINE & IN PRINT
SNAP Cuts Increase Demand on Local Pantries
News highlights from the past week Senate Raises Debt Ceiling, Avoids Crisis G.O.P. leaders voted to raise the debt ceiling Wednesday despite their party’s attempt to filibuster the debate. Although many party members were extremely hesitant to vote on behalf of the raise, it ultimately led to the narrow avoidance of another potential financial crisis, a simulacrum of October’s 16-day governmental shutdown. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who initiated the filibuster, said he refused to allow the debt ceiling to rise without addressing the country’s underlying spending problem. The bill to raise the debt ceiling will hold until March 2015. Facebook Updates Gender Options Recognizing that not all users view themselves as strictly “Male” or “Female,” Facebook recently made 50 new additions to its users’ gender options, including, but not limited to, “Intersex,” “Gender Fluid,” Gender Questioning,” “Gender Variant,” and “Custom,” as well as the more traditional “Androgynous,” “Transgender,” and “Transsexual.” Users can choose up to ten options to describe their gender, as well as the more neutral “they/ them/theirs,” an addition to the previously offered “she/ her/hers” and “he/him/ his” pronouns. According to an email sent by Facebook Publicist Will Hodges to the press, the website worked alongside LGBTQ activist groups to draft the list of options. Users also have the option to block others from viewing their selected gender identity. Sources: The New York Times, CNN and ABC News
Food coordinator Alan Mitchell at the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio stocks various nonperishables as he prepares to serve food-insecure Ohioans. Due to the recent cuts to SNAP benefits, food pantries have struggled to provide aid to the increasing number of Ohio residents who frequent the food pantries. Claire Morton
Elizabeth Dobbins Staff Writer Recent financial cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are causing an exponential increase in the number of citizens forced to frequent food pantries across the nation. In Lorain County, where 14.2 percent of the population is food insecure, only 6.8 percent of the population is eligible for the financial benefits provided by the remaining SNAP programs.
On Nov. 1, the expiration of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act resulted in a 5.5 percent drop in maximum food stamp benefits. Ohio saw $193 million in SNAP cuts, which affected almost 1.85 million people or 16 percent of Ohio’s population. As of 2011, the average cost of a meal in Ohio was $2.41, while the eradication of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, has resulted in reducing the average nationwide SNAP benefits to less than $1.40 per meal.
See page 4
See Food, page 4
Green for Green: EDGE Fund Seeks Student Proposals Emma Baxter Students involved with Oberlin’s Green EDGE Fund have high hopes for the semester’s upcoming initiatives. Even with a fund totaling more than $250,000, College senior and Green EDGE Board Member Noel Myers believes efforts among students and administrators are often lacking. “A lot of times we get criticism of projects. It can be hard when we don’t know who to exactly target because of the wide variety and diverse groups of students on campus,” Myers said. “The environmental movement sometimes gets put into a very particular niche where a lot of groups are interested in activism and social issues that are incredibly important but not so much focused on infrastructural improvements. We work closely with the administration and that can sometimes turn students off.” Addressing this lack of student support is
a top priority for Green EDGE Fund members this semester. “We have $250,000 of Oberlin students’ money and there is no reason why we shouldn’t be getting 15 proposals for projects every week,” said Myers. “We want to focus on letting students know of our presence and the capital and infrastructural importance of what we do.” According to College senior and Green EDGE Board Member Evan Tincknell, each student contributes to the fund when paying for tuition and other semester fees. “Most students don’t realize that they are the ones who contributed to our fund. We bring in about $50,000 a semester through student fees,” said Tincknell. “Each student pays $20 as part of a fee that can be waived, but most don’t. That money then goes into the EDGE account.” Like Myers, Tincknell also voiced concerns about the fund’s recognition on campus.
Run Oberlin, Run
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Lena Dunham sits down for an informal chat with the Review.
Kris Hebble, a member of the vestry at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Food Pantry in downtown Elyria, described some of the issues with the cuts. “Because of the cuts, they’re not sure how they’re going to pay for food and gas. So they’re finding it difficult to choose between the two, and the way the pantry’s set up [is that] it’s emergency use so we’re happy to give as much as we can, but unfortunately it’s just not enough sometimes,” said Hebble.
The SNAP cuts are a result of the newly reformed Farm Bill, a piece of legislation that will reduce federal spending by $23 billion over the next 10 years. In redrafting the bill, legislators removed several regulations and additives, including a ruling known as the “heat and eat” loophole. SNAP recipients’ income and other expenses, including utilities, are taken into consideration when awarding SNAP benefits. These increase if the recipient also receives utility assistance from the LowIncome Home Energy Assistance Program. In states such as Massachusetts, as little as $1 in fuel assistance benefits per year will allow recipients to apply for an increase in their SNAP benefits. The removal of the “heat and eat” loophole — the practice of awarding token LIHEAP assistance to increase SNAP benefits — has been scrutinized as an unfair ruling in light of the underfunding of the Food Stamp Program by critics of the Farm Bill. Since 2009, the average number of people served in food pantries across Lorain County has been steadily increasing. “We’ve had an increase as well in the number of what I would say are predominately middle class clients, and most of them are rather shy to talk,” said Hebble, “but they’ve said they can’t understand what’s going on because they’ve worked all their lives, they have decent jobs, it’s just at this point they’re finding it so
On Fire Political strife and star-crossed lovers ignited Hall Auditorium in Follow Me to Nellie’s. See page 10
INDEX:
Opinions 5
This Week in Oberlin 8
The track and field teams dominated the Crimson & Gold Invitational last Friday. See page 15
Arts 10
Sports 16
“I don’t think students realize how easy it is to submit a proposal. We are focused on ideas that will benefit Oberlin, and we take any idea into consideration,” Tincknell said. “We really hope to see an increase in the number of proposals we receive.” Last year, the EDGE Fund installed solar panels on top of Kahn Hall and switched the lights in front of Mudd Library and its bike racks to LEDs. Because all of the current board members will graduate this May, the fund recently appointed four new members for the semester. “We were looking for motivated individuals who had a basic understanding of what goes on in decision making, resource allocation and environmental issues,” Myers said. “We were also looking for students we could trust leaving this organization to.” Of the 20 applicants who applied for a spot See New, page 4
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The Oberlin Review, February 14, 2014
Tensions High at Divestment Symposium Rachel Weinstein News Editor Nearly 100 members of the Oberlin community gathered in Dye Lecture Hall to discuss responsible investment in a two-part symposium on Sunday. Hosted by the College administration, faculty and academics from other institutions such as George Washington University were invited to appear on the panel and help facilitate a conversation about divestment and Oberlin’s financial goals for the future. Students Responsible Investment Organization was also invited to speak about the College’s investment plans. “In terms of issues specifically involving divestment or different ways of trying to get companies to do things that are responsible, the first section was much more useful than the second,” Economics Professor Ed McKelvey said. According to McKelvey and Professor of Economics Ellis Tallman, the second part of the panel was “muddled by the politics.” “The second panel overshadowed the issue of the College’s investments and became a discussion of politics,” Tallman said. “In the second half, it became unclear what the objectives were.” The College’s divestment from particular corporations has been a hot-button issue on campus for years, but has only gained recognition within the last year. Student groups in the community, like Students for a Free Palestine and Anti-Frack, have pushed the administration to withdraw the College’s investment in corporations that endorse specific practices, such as Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and pollution. “[RIO] wasn’t trying to advocate for or against any specific issue but instead find a way to talk about and define responsible investment in a safe way,” said College senior and RIO member
Andrew Follman. In 2009, Student Senate, in collaboration with the Board of Trustees, founded Oberlin’s Socially Responsible Investment Committee with the hope of incorporating students in endowment and investing dialogues. In spring 2011, the SRIC released an online list of companies in which the College invested, resulting in the forced disbandment of SRIC that summer. Since the disbandment of the SRIC, communication about divestment between student groups and the administration has been tense. “RIO was supposed to help the administration plan the symposium on Sunday, but [it] never sought us out or returned our messages,” Follman said. “We were briefed on what would occur at the symposium, but we were not a part of the planning process like [it] said originally.” David Roswell, OC ’13 and co-founder of RIO, shared similar sentiments, “In terms of what happened, we learned that [the administration] was planning this set of panels and [it] invited us to get involved initially,” said Roswell. “We were ready to help fund and plan the symposium, but were not contacted until the event was entirely planned.” “Whether the institution wants to represent its values through investment or change the practices of the corporations that it invests in is unclear,” McKelvey said. “You can divest or you can be a shareholding activist, but it all depends on what your objective is.” Agreeing with McKelvey, Tallman said, “I think Eve Sandberg made a very good point. Once you divest, you’ve made your statement. It’s the publicity that comes with divestment that makes a difference. When you sell [shares] someone buys [them].” Although unclear about financial solutions for the institution’s
Panelists Joyce Babyak, Sarah W. Peck and Paul Bugala discuss and debate the pros and cons of the College’s possible financial divestment from Israel. The Divestment Symposium, which was held on Sunday morning in the Dye Lecture Hall, featured two sets of panelists in two 90-minute sections. Rachel Grossman
endowment, RIO plans to host its own symposium in the coming weeks. “RIO will be hosting a policy symposium that will be on March 8 and 9,” Roswell said. “RIO’s symposium will not be focused on divestment but, rather, trying to create policy on what investment means to Oberlin and that may include divestment but may also include other avenues of responsible investment which includes community investment and shareholder advocacy.”
Ohio Rep. Helps Ratify Egyptian Constitution Ohio Enters Elizabeth Kuhr Staff Writer
In an unlikely turn of events, Cleveland’s Democratic State Representative Mike Foley traveled to Egypt this January to help the country ratify a military-backed constitution — an effort by the Egyptian government to stabilize the body politic amid political unrest — through Egypt’s first election since protesters ousted former president Mohammed Morsi last summer. During a week-long trip to Cairo, Rep. Foley served as a short-term election aid by opening polling booths, assisting voters, and counting ballots at 30 locations. “Fair elections are vital to any democracy,” said Foley in a press release, “but for an accomplished nation undertaking a bold transition to democracy, the electoral process is even more important.” Out of the 51 million Egyptians eligible, approximately 21 million, or 38 percent, decided to vote on Egypt’s constitutional ratification. Ninety-eight percent of voters favored the new version, according to the International Foundation for Electoral Studies. Zeinab AbulMagd, an assistant professor of History at Oberlin College who specializes in Middle East and North African Studies, claims the referendum drew the highest number of voters in three years. “There was really no fraud; it was fair,” said Abul-Magd. “This is what
the majority of Egyptians think is good, and their voting reflected it.” Similar to the old constitution, the proposed charter maintains Sharia, or Islamic law, as the governing rulebook, but provides more specificity on how each law applies to society. In addition, it states that political parties cannot be founded based on gender, race, religious sect and geography. The charter also extends more autonomy to the military, police and judiciary. Rep. Foley said that aside from awarding the military some “problematic” power in appointing representatives, most of the constitution appears to ensure a fair democracy that fosters equality. The vote marks the first unified step to build a democracy in Egypt since General Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi led the country’s military and civilians into the streets of Cairo in protest of the former president, whom the military ousted last summer. Although the recent ballot focused solely on conceding or rejecting the constitution’s ratification, Egyptians took the opportunity to rally in support for Sisi’s presidential bid at polling places across Cairo. Although his declaration is much anticipated, Sisi has yet to formally confirm his plan to run. “Some guy [at the polls] started pushing me, saying ‘We are all supporting Sisi!’” Foley said as he described the scene. “He insisted I knew and that he said it in front of this huge crowd.”
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Not all Egyptians joined in celebration during January’s voting days. Morsis’s political party, The Muslim Brotherhood, called for supporters to boycott the voting booths, despite the military’s recent classification of the party as a “terrorist group.” However, those in opposition to the new constitution had little control over the electoral outcome. Security forces repressed public opinion, turning to unnecessary violence as they arrested and shot protesters. Other dissenters could not combat the high number of proponents who turned out to vote. “Even if they campaigned and got their voices heard, this wouldn’t have changed the results,” said Abul-Magd of the constitution’s op-
ponents. “How many ‘no’ voters could it have gotten, five million?” People against the constitution launched violent attacks directed at citizens headed to the polls days before voting began, but Abul-Magd said they did not disrupt the process. The morning of the first voting day, Foley received notice that officials disarmed a bomb right near his location. “That made me pretty nervous,” he said. Egypt plans to hold its presidential election before parliamentary votes in the upcoming months, reversing the initial timetable drawn by the military. The new schedule could provide Sisi a swift election, according to a Reuters report released on Jan. 26.
Ohio State Representative Mike Foley in Cairo, Egypt. Foley, a Cleveland Democrat, traveled to Egpyt this January to support the ratification of a new military-backed constitution. Courtesy of Mike Foley Rosemary Liv Boeglin Combe Allegra JuliaKirkland Herbst Managing editor Samantha Julian Ring Link News editors Rosemary Madeline Boeglin Stocker Rachel Alex Weinstein Howard Opinions editor SophiaWill Ottoni-Wilhelm Rubenstein This Week Weekeditor editor Zoë Sarah Strassman Snider Arts editors Kara NoraBrooks Kipnis Anne Georgia Pride-Wilt Horn Sports editors Nate Quinn Levinson Hull Madeleine SarahO’Meara Orbuch Layout editors Abby Tiffany Carlstad Fung Ben TaliaGarfinkel Rodwin Alanna Sarah Sandoval Snider Photo editors Effie Kline-Salamon Olivia Gericke BrannonRachel Rockwell-Charland Grossman Online editor Business manager Jesse Alanna Neugarten Bennett Editors-in-chief Editors-in-Chief
Ads manager Alex Abromowitz Curtis Cook Business Online editor manager Simeon Savi Sedlacek Deutsch Ads manager Technician Mischa Reshard Lewis-Norelle el-Shair Production manager Sophia Rosalind Bamert Black Production staff Stephanie DanaBonner Belott Emma Abigail Eisenberg Bisesi Louise Taylor Edwards Field Katherine Alice Hamilton Fine Hazel Julia Galloway Hubay Annelise Tracey Giseburt Knott Noah ElizaMorris Kirby Anna Kiley Peckham Petersen Silvia Lydia Sheffield Smith Bennett DrewWalls Wise Distributors Joe Eliza Camper Kirby Edmund Joseph Dilworth Metzold James Sam White Kuntz
Minimum Wage Debate Kristopher Fraser Staff Writer President Obama spoke about raising the minimum wage for all federal contract workers to $10.10 an hour in his 2014 State of the Union address, a change that could have a great impact for a small town like Oberlin. Yet in an interview with The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio Governor John Kasich voiced his skepticism regarding a minimum wage hike. “Look, we want everybody to make more money. I’ll tell you how people are going to make more money: get better education. That’s the key to this great divide that we have,” said Kasich. Krista Long, owner of Ben Franklin’s, expressed that while she is in favor of an increase in minimum wage, she does not believe it should be granted to everyone. “With a big jump in my wages like that, I would be looking at adults and older people who can work longer hours and more flexible schedules, instead of young people just working part-time; See Governor, page 4
Corrections The Review is not aware of Corrections any corrections this week. The Review is not strives aware oftoany corrections The Review print all week. as possible. information asthis accurately If you feel the Review has made an error, please send an e-mail to managingeditor@oberlinreview.org.
The Oberlin Review, February 14, 2014
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Off the Cuff: Tim Elgren, new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, former Hamilton science professor Tim Elgren is a chemistry professor at Hamilton College and Oberlin’s new dean of Arts and Sciences, a duty he will assume on July 1. Elgren sat down with the Review to discuss his attraction to the sciences, his experience as a teacher and his first impression of Oberlin students as possible victors of the Hunger Games. What geared you toward the sciences? I’m a physical inorganic chemist, so that’s a lot of chemistry. That’s my background. [I went to] undergraduate school in St. Paul, MN, and really explored a lot of areas. I was interested in psychology, I got interested in biology, and ultimately landed in chemistry, and really felt that I was incredibly fortunate to have landed at exactly the kind of level of question that I really enjoyed thinking about. So chemistry was a natural place for me. I went off to Dartmouth [College] and did my graduate work in this specialized area of chemistry. I [was] always interested in environmental chemistry, but when I got there I became interested in a biochemical detoxification project, so that was my root into the chemical basis of toxicology and environmental toxicology. What made you want to go into teaching? There were many tracks for chemists, so there are really two questions that are interesting: The first is: ‘Why teaching?’ The second is: ‘Why teaching at a liberal arts college?’ A lot of people headed off to industrial careers, and chemistry is a very professional track in that way, but I really enjoyed the academic environment, so that’s what I really wanted to pursue. But then I went off into a postdoctorate as well, which is common
Thursday, Feb. 6 12:17 p.m. Officers were requested to assist a student who slipped and fell on East College Street, injuring her arm. The student was transported to Mercy Allen Hospital for treatment. 1 p.m. Officers and members of the Oberlin Police Department responded to a report of a dog bite at the Union Street Housing Complex. The victim, a College employee, was transported to Mercy Allen Hospital for treatment. 3:56 p.m. Several faculty members reported that some textbooks had gone missing over Winter Term. The thefts are under investigation.
for scientists. I did a postdoctorate at the University of Minnesota, [which has] a very large research lab. A lot of the people were going off to research institutions, and that really didn’t interest me. I really wanted to work at a small college again, a liberal arts college, where there was an opportunity to reach out across the disciplinary borders and work with my colleagues and other students on issues at the interface of chemistry and other issues like public policy and environmental studies and those sorts of things.
rations turn into everyday activities and ultimately what the students leave with. I’m really excited to get to know the Oberlin community and various corners of the campus, not just faculty and staff, but the student experience as well. So specifically what I’m really excited about is that the campus is just starting a strategic planning process, and so this is really a great way for somebody from the outside to join the community and think about how the members of the community envision the future of Oberlin.
Why did you apply for the dean position at Oberlin? I had been an associate dean at Hamilton [College] and enjoyed it in a way that I hadn’t anticipated. So I had had a lot of success in my role as a faculty member in terms of the normal things that we do: pursuing my scholarly interests, research and enjoying the teaching and developing curricula, which are really part and parcel to the job. But there’s also another aspect to the job that has to do with service and taking on part of the institutional load of helping to deliver the things that we do as a college. That’s part of what every faculty member does. What I found in the dean’s office is that I enjoyed helping to [ facilitate] my associates’ successes as much as I enjoyed aiding my own. I think that involvement in faculty development is what has motivated me to move on in the administration. This year, the Oberlin job was really the very best job that was on the market. Oberlin’s just an iconic institution [with a] rich, rich background of academic excellence and social justice, inclusion [and] a spectacular conservatory. It’s really just a fantastic opportunity, so of course I applied and was delighted to have advanced in the process and ultimately been selected.
Is there any aspect of the position that you’re nervous about? I’m nervous about being an outsider because I would hate to give the impression that I have sharp elbows as I ask questions and get a sense of what Oberlin’s values [are], and how the community works and how the faculty operate. So I’ll be conscious and listen very carefully as I start to get involved and get to know people. The College recently announced that Tim Elgren, former bio-inorganic chemistry expert and professor at Hamilton College, will now serve as the new dean of Arts and Sciences. Courtesy of Hamilton College
Any first impressions of Oberlin? [Laughs.] You know, I didn’t get much of the quirky and strange part. I just got the sense that it’s a very engaged campus. I’ve always had a very strong feeling,and I knew more about Oberlin as being a leader in higher education. I’ve known about Oberlin for a long time, but I didn’t know much about the student experience. So being on campus, visiting the art museum… somebody grabbed me to get coffee and we went and sat in the Conservatory, surrounded by terrific music. It really was just a rich, rich experience, but I just got a tiny little taste of it. Is there a specific aspect of the po-
Friday, Feb. 7
Saturday, Feb. 8
6:10 a.m. Staff members reported a gas odor near the grills in Wilder Hall. Officers and members of the Oberlin Fire Department responded to the report and turned off the gas. 2:14 p.m. An officer responded to the west side of Hall Auditorium to assist a student who was having an allergic reaction. The student was transported to Mercy Allen Hospital for treatment. 7:47 p.m. Officers responded to a report of vandalism in the men’s restroom at Stevenson Dining Hall. Three students in the area were questioned, but denied causing any of the damage. A work order was filed to repair a hole in the wall.
11:56 a.m. An officer on patrol of Firelands Apartments observed water leaking from the ceiling by the west door. A maintenance technician staff member responded and found that the leak appeared to be coming from the kitchen sink drain of a second floor apartment. The water was turned off and repairs were made. 1:58 p.m. A student reported finding a stainless steel grinder on a picnic table near the north entrance of Dascomb. The grinder, which contained a residue consistent with marijuana, was turned over to the Oberlin Police Department. 3:42 p.m. A student reported the theft of his t-shirt, black hooded sweatshirt and pair of white Air Jordan high tops from the varsity locker room at Philips
sition that you’re the most excited for? [It’s] really a great opportunity to know a new community and see what they value, and how they express that value in the form of an education, and how that translate[s] into a student experience. I served a year as an American Council on Education fellow and got to travel to a number of institutions and talk with a number of administrators and faculty and students about the academic experience — not just in the liberal arts sector, but in many sectors. It’s really just one of the great things as you get to know a new institution to see how those things get implemented, and how those aspi-
gym. The value of the items is estimated at $600. 10:44 p.m. Safety and Security officers and members of the Oberlin Fire Department responded to a fire alarm on the second floor of South Hall. Smoke from burnt broccoli and Brussels sprouts had activated the alarm. The area was cleared of smoke and the alarm was reset.
Sunday, Feb. 9 1:08 a.m. Officers responded to a noise complaint at the Union Street Housing Complex. An unauthorized party was shut down and attendees were asked to vacate the area. 8:06 a.m. An officer on patrol at Firelands Apartments observed non-offensive graffiti in black marker on the north exterior door of Firelands. A work order was filed.
All right, cool. So tell me, are you familiar with the Hunger Games? [Laughs.] Yes. I saw the first one; I didn’t see the second one. If Oberlin students were pitted against Hamilton students in a Hunger Games-type situation, who do you think would win and why? Oh, tough call… Yeah? Yeah, tough call. You know, I don’t know the Oberlin students well enough … but it seems like they’re crafty and creative and resourceful, and I think that would play well in their environment. How’s that for dancing around it? Interview by Maddie Stocker, News editor
Monday, Feb. 10 10:45 a.m. A student reported the theft of her black Eddie Bauer coat, ID and keys from a party she attended on Woodland Street the night before. The coat is valued at approximately $150.
Tuesday, Feb. 11 9:38 a.m. Custodial staff reported finding a substance consistent with marijuana inside an unoccupied room in East Hall. Officers responded and the clear bag containing the substance was turned over to the Oberlin Police Department. 7:24 p.m. Officers and members of the Oberlin Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at Firelands Apartments.
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The Oberlin Review, February 14, 2014
Q&A with Alumna Lena Dunham, actress and writer/director of Tiny Furniture and HBO’s Girls Lena Dunham, OC ’08, released her first film, Tiny Furniture in 2010, for which she served as writer, director and actress. Her first television series, Girls, premiered on HBO in April 2012. Like Tiny Furniture, Girls is a comedy-drama that follows the lives of close friends in their twenties living in New York City. According to Dunham, the show’s premise was inspired by some of her real life experiences. In October 2012, Dunham signed a book deal with Random House to publish her first essay collection, Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s “Learned.” Dunham has won several awards throughout her career, including two Golden Globes for Best Television Series and Best Actress. RB: You incorporate your personal life into your work. How do you maintain authenticity as your life evolves from what you’re working on? That’s a good question that many people are always really curious about. I think that there is a misconception that if you have success of any kind, your personal problems evaporate, and your anxiety evaporates, and you live in a detached cloud of rainbows and candy and you can’t relate to the common person. But the fact is that I have a pretty stressful job in an industry that is very challenging for women. I get embarrassed a lot, I get anxious a lot; I have friends that are not yet doing what they want to be doing, I have a lot of experiences of things not being received the way I want them to be received. So I have a lot of experience every day to draw from; I just may switch the setting: It’s not going to happen at an award show, it’s going to happen at a party. It’s just about finding a
way to translate the myriad of complex emotions that I deal with on a daily basis into the world that I’ve created for these characters. I also have a staff that is full of experiences and full of knowledge, and when we put our heads together, [authenticity] isn’t a challenge. RW: To what extent are your later seasons a response to the critique of former ones? It’s a complex question, and it’s a combination. In some ways there’s stuff on the show that’s letting critics know that we’re self aware of what we’re doing, but also, a lot of it is topics that we would have gotten to anyway. I feel like a lot of critics don’t think we were aware of the stuff that they were leveling at us. It’s like, ‘Guys, these are issues that we would have tackled at some point, because we’re human people living in the world, but we just didn’t have the chance when we started.’ MS: You mentioned about how you have felt challenged as a woman in your industry, and I’m wondering if you could talk a little more about that. Yeah, I think it’s probably pretty clear to us, and the people at Oberlin who are constantly challenging norms, that Hollywood isn’t a particularly warm place for women. It’s like once every two years there’s a think piece about how ‘It’s the best time for women than it’s ever been in movies,’ and then things go back to being the same. It’s a challenge just to navigate a world where the programming that speaks to 52 percent of the globe is considered sort of ‘marginal programming,’ or ‘women’s programming.’ [I just want to] challenge
the conception. I was reading a book about Sylvia Plath and how she’s one of the greatest poets of all time, and I’m not saying I’m the Sylvia Plath of television, I’m really not saying that. But her medium was challenged. and she was called diaristic and navel-gazing and overly feminine by all of these male poets, and I think that the same bias towards media that talks about a woman’s experience still exists now. And you know, I don’t want a battle cry of misogyny to become my entire life, but I think that it’s just really important to point it out and acknowledge it. APW: You mentioned that you aren’t good at collaborating. I was wondering what the process is like on a TV program where you’re collaborating with a large group of people? I really love my job, and I’ve gotten better at collaborating. I have an amazing partner in show running whom I’m able to fully collaborate with, and I love working with the actors … I would say just the forced collaboration of a second grade science class, or an Oberlin documentary class where the real challenge for me is that you need to be able to choose like-minded people who are able to understand your voice. I’m sure that some of you have found that in college, that just wasn’t my reality. So now that I’m able to pick people to work with, it’s great because I’m sort of living in the fantasy land of people whose voices I love and who get what I have to say. MS: I think that one of the many reasons that people at this school look up to you is because you’ve turned so many of your ideas into cre-
ations which have then become successful. Can you talk about that process? It’s funny, I think that you always meet people who are like, ‘I’m writing a screenplay about whatever,’ and you know if you talk about your screenplay that much you’re probably not writing it. It’s OK — writing’s really hard, and it’s a lot easier to talk than to write. It’s about sort of forcing yourself to take that next step. I know so many people, and this isn’t just a thing I say, that are so much funnier and more talented than I am, it’s just… I think for a lot of people the reason they don’t write isn’t that they’re lazy, it isn’t that they’re entitled. It’s that they’re scared, because it’s scary to express yourself. It’s scary to write something and put it out there, and you can feel really delusional thinking that you have the right to ask anyone to turn their attention on you in that way. That, for me, has been a big thing: Just realizing that you just have to do it. Just do it. RW: How has it been shifting gears from this rural Ohio town to being in the center of the spotlight? Well, I grew up in New York. I always kind of thought I would move back there and embrace the pace of that, and then I had a good three years of kind of skulking around New York doing this and that and the other thing before I started working on Girls. It was just an important time to transition out of the bubble that is [Oberlin]. It’s very emotional to be back and to feel the energy .and the cloistered goodness of [Oberlin.] I didn’t think I realized when I was there how special that experience was.
Food Pantries Feel Pressure After Federal SNAP Budget Cuts Continued from page 1
difficult to put food on the table and get everything else that’s required out of life.” Juliana Chase-Morefield, the executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank, an organization that provides food to over 50,000 people across four counties in northern Ohio, commented on the impact of the increase. “What we saw from November and December of 2012 to November and December of 2013 was about a 10 percent increase in the number of people who need help at food pantries. That’s a pretty significant increase from one holiday season to another,” said Chase-Morefield.
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Food Pantry is one of the many kitchens in the area that receive a large portion of their food from Second Harvest Food Bank. According to Hebble, St. Andrew’s served 716 people in December of 2013, a figure that is up almost 33 percent from 481 people in December of 2012. This past January they served 924 people, a 15 percent increase over 2013. “All food pantries have really seen a significant increase in the demand for food pantry services as a result of the food stamp cuts,” said Anne Spelic, the executive director at Lorain County Office on Aging. Some Ohio residents have had additional SNAP benefits cut as a result of Governor John Kasich’s directive, which requires able-bodied adults without dependents to work at least 20 hours a week in order to qualify for assistance. The directive, which
Governor, Congressman Bring National Debate over Minimum Wage Hike to Ohio Continued from page 2 although, there are young people working to support their families,” explained Long. “It’s a shame, because I do think young people should have [part-time] jobs.” While some politicians believe that a $10.10 minimum wage is the first step in ameliorating issues of income inequality, others contend that federal minimum wage laws are actually hurting job creation and instead hold that wages should be determined by employers. Across states, the variety of legislation pertaining to the minimum wage suggests a divide throughout the nation. While Governor Jerry Brown of California has been applauded for signing legislation guaranteeing the highest state minimum wage in the country at $10 an hour, other politicians such as Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota assert that “abolishing minimum wage would create jobs.” But Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has declared his support for raising the minimum wage in the state. “People shouldn’t have to rely on a customer to get decent pay for the job they’re doing,” said Brown in an interview with WBNS-TV10. “There are people who work hard. It’s valets. It’s people working [as] servers in restaurants. It’s people who work in hotels.” College senior William Quick works as a desk attendant at Wilder Hall’s Student Union and has stated that even with of a salary of $8.45 an hour, he is still faced
took effect this January, pertains to 77 of Ohio’s 88 counties and is projected to apply to approximately 3,600 of Lorain County’s residents. Chase-Morefield estimates that about one third of those residents were unable to find jobs before the directive took effect. “We’ve done the best we can to increase the amount of food we have available,” said Spelic. “We’ve had to do some additional food drives to try to increase the capacity of our pantry to try to serve those in need.” Other states currently experiencing similar SNAP-related food insecurities are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Washington D.C.
New Board Members to Head Green Edge Fund Continued from page 1
with financial challenges. “I’m looking for a second job, because with my current job alone, [it] does not make it possible for me to save up to start my life after graduation or do any of the things I actually need to do,” said Quick. However, Quick admitted that even if the minimum wage were increased to $15 an hour, it should not be for the purpose of serving students like him. “A $15-an-hour minimum wage should not be serving students working part-time at college; it should be serving people like janitors and those doing ‘get your hands dirty’ work that students here wouldn’t even dream of doing,” he said. “People don’t realize how essential those working-class jobs are.” Unlike Quick, College junior Kendra Farrakhan, an employee at Campus Dining Services in Dascomb Dining Hall, does not believe that a $10.10 minimum wage would benefit her. “My job is already one of the highest-paid jobs on campus and I already make over $9 an hour,” Farrakhan said. “I don’t see an extra dollar making a huge difference, but for those other campus employees who make below that, for them I could see it making a big difference.” While politicians and Obies have yet to come to a consensus in the debate on minimum wage, the conversation will persist in the wake of the upcoming 2014 midterm elections.
on the board, College first-year Julia Murphy was one of the applicants ultimately chosen. “The EDGE Fund reminded me of something I did in high school where we were in charge of allocating $750,000 to enrichment programs to narrow the achievement gap in my community,” Murphy said. “I have been interested in economics and environmental studies, so it was a perfect opportunity.” According to Tincknell, this is the first time that students have the option to receive credit for being a Green EDGE board member. “We wanted to provide incentive for people to join, so this semester we are going to offer one credit of private reading from our faculty advisor, Shawn Hayes,” Tincknell said. “Unlike [Royal Thread Collective] members who get paid, we are a volunteer-based group. For Oberlin students that feel too busy, this adds incentive.” One of the four graduating
members of the Green EDGE Fund, Myers said he believes this organization has been the most influential extra-curricular activity in his time at Oberlin. “Grant writing is an important skill to have, and the ability to hold conversations with people is really important, too,” he said. “Decision making, prioritizing what types of projects you want to accomplish, the initiatives you want to contribute to and just the basics of how difficult it is to make an organization run [are other skills to be gleaned from the fund].” With four new members on board, the Green EDGE Fund is preparing to entertain new projects. The organization recently finished the installment of new trash and recycling stations around campus. “We funded this pilot program to hopefully see if we can reduce crosscontamination by having a uniform waste system on campus,” Tincknell said. “We always are thinking of the big picture for projects.”
February 14, 2014
Opinions The Oberlin Review
Recent Economic Growth Solely Benefits the Rich Oliver Bok Contributing Writer The phrase “income inequality” is the spittle on every pundit’s lip. Left-leaning pundits like to use this issue as a cudgel with which to beat Republicans, but fall far short of proposing policies that would actually help, such as a universal basic income. Rightleaning pundits continue to try to obfuscate the issue; The Wall Street Journal had to issue a retraction after editor Bret Stephens used non-inflationadjusted figures to try to prove that poor and middle-class Americans have gotten significantly richer over the last 40 years despite rising inequality. In reality, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, incomes for the bottom 25 percent declined by 2.6 percent in real terms, and income for the middle class (in the 50 percent to 75 percent range) increased by only 5.7 percent in real terms, from 1979 to 2012. The top 25 percent increased their incomes by 42 percent in real terms with staggering increases in the top 1 percent accounting for much of that growth. For the last three decades, most Americans have been treading water while the top 1 percent swim away with an Olympic-worthy freestyle. Stephens, in another misleading article, recently wrote that “inequality should only matter to Americans if, Russia-like, the rich are getting
richer at the expense of the poor.” I agree with him — and I think it’s quite apparent that the rich are getting richer at the expense of the poor. Before the 1970s, wages rose with productivity. Since 1970, wages have stagnated, while productivity has continued to increase. The result? Corporate profits are at record highs. If industries are –––––––––––––––––––––––––
The current state of affairs is a stunning refutation of supplyside economics. The conventional wisdom in American politics is that if businesses thrive, the country thrives. ––––––––––––––––––––––––– producing twice as much as they did in the 1970s but only paying their workers slightly more in real terms, it’s obvious that the result will be massive profits for the owners and shareholders. It may be an awful economy for employees, but not for employers. Desperate workers are good for business. Why raise wages in an economy when being employed at all is considered a blessing? Why create jobs when you can raise performance standards and squeeze more wealth out of your existing employees instead?
The current state of affairs is a stunning refutation of supply-side economics. The conventional wisdom in American politics is that if businesses thrive, the country thrives. For both political parties, it’s gospel truth that “what’s good for General Motors is good for America.” But what’s actually happening in the real world is that the workers are getting screwed, and the owners are getting off. If you live on a salary, you live in a depressed economy. If you live on dividends or stock options, you’re in the middle of one of the biggest booms in history. These two facts do not exist independently of each other, and the former has largely caused the latter. Labor costs are low, so profits are high. The U.S.’s GDP is growing at a healthy clip — employment, not so much. One of President Obama’s signature initiatives from the State of the Union is to convene a conference of CEOs at the White House to create more jobs. The President is going to beg business leaders to hire people instead of hoarding money and paying dividends to investors. Spoiler alert: It’s not going to work! The economic pie is growing, all right, but all of that growth is getting devoured by a gaggle of greedy gluttons. It’s been this way for 30 years, and it’s past time we did something about it.
Feeling lonely this Valentine’s Day? Suck it up and write a column. opinions@oberlinreview.org SUBMISSIONS POLICY The Oberlin Review appreciates and welcomes letters to the editors and column submissions. All submissions are printed at the discretion of the editorial board. All submissions must be received by Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at opinions@oberlinreview.org or Wilder Box 90 for inclusion in the following Friday’s Review. Letters may not exceed 600 words and columns may not exceed 800 words, except with the consent of the editorial board. All submissions must include contact information, with full names, for all signers. All electronic submissions from multiple writers should be carbon-copied to all signers to confirm authorship. The Review reserves the right to edit all submissions for content, space, spelling, grammar and libel. Editors will work with columnists and contributors to edit pieces and will clear major edits with the authors prior to publication. Editors will contact authors of letters to the editors in the event of edits for anything other than style and grammar. In no case will editors change the opinions expressed in any submission. The Opinions section strives to serve as a forum for debate. Review staff will occasionally engage in this debate within the pages of the Review. In these cases, the Review will either seek to create dialogue between the columnist and staff member prior to publication or will wait until the next issue to publish the staff member’s response. The Review will not print advertisements on its Opinions pages. The Review defines an advertisement as any submission that has the main intent of bringing direct monetary gain to the author of a letter to the editors. Opinions expressed in letters, columns, essays, cartoons or other Opinions pieces do not necessarily reflect those of the staff of the Review.
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The Oberlin Review Publication of Record for Oberlin College — Established 1874 —
Editors-in-Chief Rosemary Boeglin Julia Herbst Managing Editor Julian Ring Opinions Editor Sophia Ottoni-Wilhelm
Expanded Access Necessitates Increased Information on BC As anyone who’s ever seen a Yaz commercial can tell you, the side effects of birth control are swept largely under the rug — specifically, a shag rug that sits below the fine leather couch upon which our four leggy sex-positive maidens sit as they discuss the freedom and effectiveness of this pill over that. As if Twista himself were rattling off the side effects — including an increased chance of blood clots and stroke — these medical manufacturing companies try their hardest to divert attention from the seriousness of these medications. In short, it’s not all mani-pedis and mocktails when it comes to birth control. These drugs, or at least the hormonal variety, have real consequences that may not be fully understood by users. According to a study by the University of North Carolina, more than 52 percent of sexually active college-aged women regularly take some form of hormonal birth control. Consquently, its ubiquity implies innocuity. This was exemplified most recently in Merck’s $100 million settlement to thousands of users of the hormonal contraceptive vaginal ring NuvaRing. January’s Vanity Fair article “Danger in the Ring” put a face to the issue, telling the tragic story of 24-year-old Erika Langhart, who used NuvaRing and subsequently died in 2011 after a double pulmonary embolism. Likewise, this fall The Chicago Tribune reported on the nearly 7,000 claims settled by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals from users of drugs containing the hormone drospirenone, of which Yaz is the most popular. One user of the newer birth control pill, 20-year-old Maggie Yunker, suffered a massive stroke after multiple blood clots cut off circulation to her brain. Both companies have stated — based on numerous industry and FDA-funded studies — that any additional risks posed by Yaz and NuvaRing are negligible next to other oral contraceptives, though Merck has updated NuvaRing’s packaging to alert users to the possibility of blood clots forming before or after surgery. Several women’s health advocacy groups and national research centers say the warnings aren’t made visible enough, while still others are calling for the removal of the drugs from the market entirely. None of this is to say that we shouldn’t be actively working to increase accessibility to these medicines. On the contrary, the Review’s editorial board is of the opinion that contraceptives, including birth control, should be made accessible to any woman of reproductive age. Our vociferous support of the Affordable Care Act stems in part from the program’s extension of oral contraceptives to women previously priced out of the market. New regulations on health insurance companies dictate — with a few notable exceptions — that women pay only their monthly premium and that they be able to choose among a variety of types, including the pill, injectables, the ring, diaphragms and sterilization. Aside from birth control’s obvious benefits to women, namely the freedom to make decisions about whether and when to bear children, eliminating birth control co-pays will save the nation money in the long run. According to the National Women’s Law Center, Obamacare’s new guidelines will ultimately lower Medicaid expenditures by redirecting resources to preventative services instead of more costly maternity, infant and dependent care. The sexual and reproductive health researchers at the Guttmacher Institute contend that every dollar spent providing contraceptive services saves $5.68 in future Medicaid expenditures. But the cult of Margaret Sanger cannot shirk the implications of proponing a serious and potentially dangerous medication such as the pill and other forms of hormonal birth control. This is not to say that birth control is distinctly dangerous, but rathere that it, like any drug, carries with it a laundry list of negative side effects, including increased risk of blood clots, stroke, breast cancer and high blood pressure. As the ever-widening scope of birth control options continues to advance the empowerment of women around the world, these developments must be paired with an extensive study of their detriments so that new users can make informed decisions about which type of contraceptive is right for them, their bodies and their partners. When we discuss safer sex, we should go further than simply giving out condoms or praising the pill. It’s one thing to promote the use of contraceptives, but it’s equally important to be informed about which methods are right for you. Editorials are the responsibility of the Review editorial board — the Editors-in-Chief, managing editor and Opinions editor — and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the Review.
Opinions
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The Oberlin Review, February 14, 2014
Spring 2014 Election Statements Hope Kassen I am a third-year Politics and Law & Society double major, minoring in Economics. I am running for Senate with these main objectives: Raise the Student Minimum Wage: I am aware of the reality of tuition increasing at a faster rate than student wages. I want to make Oberlin more affordable and accessible by matching the rate increase of student minimum wage so that it’s congruent with that of tuition’s. A Holistic Approach to the Senate — I want to bring more unity and dialogue to this campus by bridging the north/south campus divide, raising awareness of community issues and creating ways to achieve more environmental sustainability. I believe the College should remain committed to its mission of social justice and invest responsibly. If elected, I will listen to all voices. Every person’s perspective and experience is unique and valuable, and I promise to take into account any and all concerns.
Aaron Pressman Hey everyone! I’m Aaron Pressman, and I’m running to be one of your student senators for 2014. I’m a first-year, and am planning on majoring in Politics. I’ve always been interested in student government and have been involved in leadership positions in various organizations since I was in middle school. One of my largest concerns for Oberlin College is the upcoming vote that will determine whether the Student Senate endorses the campus-wide tobacco ban. Since I first heard about this potential ban, I have been a strong opponent. I believe the role of the administration is not to be our babysitter, and that a student should have the right to make his or her own decisions regarding his or her own
body. If elected senator, I will do everything in my power to make sure this ban is not implemented. Together, let’s protect liberty on campus!
Joelle Lingat Hello! My name is Joelle Eliza Lingat, and I’m a graduating third-year majoring in Environmental Studies and Comparative American Studies with a minor in Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies. Throughout my time at Oberlin College, I have learned so much from fellow peers, mentors and teachers, and hope to spend my last semester giving back to the communities that have taught and supported me. I hope to be an accessible and open source, especially to those that have felt voiceless in the administration of this institution. While I do not see myself as a politician, I have a passion for politics that is informed by people’s stories and my personal experiences. I don’t believe in empty promises, so I won’t make any now, but I do commit myself to being as true to the values that my community here has taught me. In peace, love and power, thanks for reading.
Christopher Gould I will do my best to make sure Oberlin College as an institution and their student body live up to its progressive history. Oberlin has a long history of sending out socially conscious people into the world, but something I would like to change is how policies and the College environment affect the Oberlin community and the College-town relationship. Policies such as the No Trespass list and the tobacco ban directly affect community members’ lives and alter them to fulfill our desires. The majority of Oberlin College students come from other parts of the U.S.
and are only here for four years. Is it reasonable to make people who have grown up in Oberlin (many of whom serve and cook our food, clean our buildings and keep Oberlin College running) change their lifestyle based on what we think is good for them? Where is their voice in this process?
Lisa MacDonald I am a second-year Biology major from Northampton, MA. I am a member of Third World Co-op, the Asian American Alliance, and Professor Yolanda Cruz’s lab. I am running for Student Senate to ensure that communities whose voices are silenced and ignored on this campus receive the respect and agency they deserve. The communities include, but are not limited to, members of our community who identify as POCs, trans and queer, low-income and disabled. While I cannot single handedly represent any of these communities, I can try to function as a liaison in solidarity with them. I don’t believe in bureaucratic systems, but I do believe that it is possible to work through them in order to challenge them. As a Student Senator, I will work to hold both the administration and the Student Senate accountable to the desires and demands of the Oberlin College community.
Sarah Minion * Endorsed by Program Board * Endorsed by Dascomb Residence Hall How many times have you eaten salad with a spoon? There’s a shortage of forks at Oberlin, and hungry students are livid. But after a few moments of denouncing CDS, most forget and move on. Oberlin students are passionate. We care about bettering our community. But
when it comes to action there’s a disconnect, and it’s about so much more than forks. Together, let’s redefine what it means to be active in advocating for our issues and hold ourselves accountable to the goals we set. Let’s fuse innovation with advocacy to accomplish an agenda of progress and revamp the systems that aren’t working without being afraid to dream big. Let’s increase transparency and create cohesion between the Senate and student body. You are the most powerful force of change on this campus, and I’m committed to amplifying your voice. I am motivated, approachable and dedicated to making Oberlin a better place for all students. Together, let’s champion positive change.
Omar Hurtado * Endorsed by La Alianza Latina If elected, I want to serve as a voice speaking on behalf of communities that find themselves silenced and start honest discussions about problems we face in our spaces. I want to start a dialogue that can serve as foundational work for making our community a place where radical change can start. Concretely, my goals are to make Oberlin College’s finances more transparent, so that we know our tuition money isn’t funding practices inconsistent with our principles; to work with individuals who’ve already made progress towards making Oberlin College a place accessible to undocumented students; to provide more opportunities for all students to engage openly with one another about issues in our community; and to provide for the health of our community by making quitting supplies more accessible for students who want to quit smoking without banning tobacco for those who don’t want to quit. Also, I say funny things sometimes.
Rachel Manning * Endorsed by Slow Food Oberlin College In my four years at Oberlin, I’ve had the opportunity to work with and learn from several great organizations on campus, including leading fall and spring break service trips through IYS, organizing awareness of food justice issues on campus through Slow Food Oberlin, continuing involvement with the Bonner Center for Service and Learning and my current job with the Office of Student Wellness. The debate over the pending tobacco policy on campus has prompted me to think about ways that health services and resources on campus can be made more widely available and accessible to students, but also the potential for a deeper conversation surrounding how we can help students manage stress and mental health challenges. If elected, I will make sure these issues are heard, as well as other topics of concern that arise from the student body.
Jesse Kohler My name is Jesse Kohler. I am a sophomore and was the president of the first-year class last year. As a senator, my primary focus would be on improving mental health resources on campus. I am glad that the conversation surrounding the tobaccofree policy has opened up talks about this, and I hope to make sure that student voices are heard in this discussion. As an RA and member of the baseball team, I have experience with a wide variety of groups on campus, and look forward to representing all students during my term.
Harrison Wollman My name is Harrison Wollman, and I am a sophomore studying Politics and
Economics. As a senator, I will attempt to improve several facets of everyday student life, including more accessible health services as well as a push for longer Science Center Library hours. As the tobacco-free policy has emerged as possibly one of the most prolific changes in Oberlin history, I will work to ensure that the Senate’s vote embodies the general consensus of the student body and not the ideals of a select few. I also plan to show my support for the well-known issue that is the lack of transparency from the trustees surrounding divestment. Just because it’s their job to handle these finances doesn’t mean that the student body should be left in the dark without a voice.
Mia Wallace Hello! My name is Mia Wallace. I am a secondyear Politics major from Tennessee. At Oberlin I spend most of my time either swimming on the Oberlin swim team or at the Allen Memorial Art Museum as a docent and desk attendant. As a student senator, I hope to be part of an effort to increase awareness and cooperation between the city of Oberlin and Oberlin College. Through work as the Senate city liaison, I would help link the College and city’s concerns and endeavors to encourage stronger community bonds and cooperation toward shared goals. But overall, as a senator I want to deepen the thought, discussion and activism that occur on this campus, utilizing the passion and talent that is so abundant at this college. Thank you for voting, and I look forward to representing and serving this student body.
Peter Arden I’ve been on Senate for two years now, and that entire time, I’ve been working to protect students’ interests and create
Opinions
The Oberlin Review, February 14, 2014
Peter Arden cont. a Student Senate that actually gets shit done instead of just getting paid (by you). Working with Student Health and the Counseling Center, I’ve helped create better walk-in hours and a student committee to communicate student interests on an ongoing basis. I’m now working to make the anonymous feedback system more accessible so that students can actually have their voices heard. Since the administration of this school has already made it clear that the smoking ban will be happening one way or another, I’ve been pushing to make sure students have access to cessation services and products. I’ve also been ensuring that our policy respects that smokers are, in fact, people, while still protecting students from secondhand smoke. I’m also working to set up an EMT training class at Oberlin, as well as a student EMT service that would give free emergency care to students if they want it. I’ve been on Senate longer than anyone else (and I’m the only science person, too) and I stand up for students’ rights even if it gets people pissed at me. Senate’s job is to stand up for students, not get practice as useless politicians.
Emma Snape Re-elect Emma Snape! As a student senator, before anything else, my main goal would be to represent the Oberlin student body to the best of my ability, making sure that the voice of the students is heard on every subject Senate discusses. Though there are many issues worthy of discussion this semester. There are three topics that, if you re-elect me, I plan to focus on. First, the proposed smoking ban, and making sure that the administration listens to what students want; second, the central heating plan; third, using Senate to improve transparency and communication on campus between the administration and students. As I served on Senate last semester, I have experience with Senate and doing my best to represent as many students as possible, and as a first-year, I have a fresh perspective unique to students who’ve only been on campus for one semester. Vote Emma!
Vote online now
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Focus on Individual Leadership Neglects Value of Team Players Ike Hollander McCreery Columnist Though it had been retired many years prior, one phrase stuck out to me in the lore of Oberlin when I was applying here in 2008: “Think one person can change the world? So do we.” Since I’ve gotten to Oberlin, I’ve found a satirical version still sticks around town in Peace Community Church’s materials: “Do you believe one person can change the world? Neither do we. Let’s do it together.” It’s easy enough to change a single word in Oberlin’s old mantra and expose a little more clearly what was going on: “Think one person can save the world? So do we.” Doesn’t sound so good, does it? Cocky? Privileged? Paternalistic, perhaps? But, when inspected, that word switch doesn’t change the meaning much, just clarifies it a bit. I mean, it’s not like folks around Oberlin are trying to make the world a worse place. It’s no wonder that phrase was retired. But the culture of paternalistic leadership still hangs in the air at Oberlin, and that culture damages our work and our communities. We should be doing a better job educating ourselves and our peers on what real leadership means. Oberlin’s expanding entrepreneurship program, the Creativity & Leadership Program, is an obvious place to start in our dissection of our culture of paternalistic leadership. When I participated in C&L’s Winter Term workshop, LaunchU, this year, some of us noticed a common thread in all of the projects — including mine — that took part in the workshop: No one could very clearly answer the questions, “Who’s already tried what you’re trying to do?” and “Who else have you talked to who thinks this is a good idea?”
In other words, no one could answer the question, “Who has given you the right to lead?” Jeff Hanson, OC ’80, one of the business mentors working with LaunchU, is famous for asking, “What’s your passion?”, for encouraging students to “define their own terms of success,” and for demanding that they not wait for someone else to give them permission to lead/create/ invent. While I agree that asking ourselves about passion is important and inspiring, leadership does not come from within, and if we truly aspire to be leaders, we must earn the title. If leadership is granted and can be taken away by those who follow, it is true leadership; anything else is coercion. As essayist Robert Greenleaf writes in The Servant As Leader, “the great leader is seen as servant first, and that simple fact is the key to his greatness.” A servant-leader “make[s] sure that other people’s highest-priority needs are being served.” Don’t get me wrong: C&L’s programs, including LaunchU, have a lot of potential. Those of us hoping to make the world a little bit better in our time here on Earth have plenty to learn from the worlds of business and entrepreneurship — some strategies cut across morality. But we cannot take leadership; it must be given by those we aspire to lead, and we have to do the hard work to get there. If you think the culture of paternalistic leadership only exists in C&L, look again. After seeing year after year of mediocre projects that get started, gain some momentum and then die, especially “community projects” (some the fault of yours truly), I’m starting to ask some hard questions of myself and my own work and my peers and their work. I recently posed this parable in a workshop: “There was once a blue fish who came up with an idea. He
got straight to work. Other fish in the reef had had many great ideas before and had been working on similar projects for many years, but he knew his idea was different and better. He persuaded his best friend that it was a great thing to do and they worked for a whole year. Then, one day, the blue fish looked around and asked himself, ‘Why doesn’t anyone else care about my great idea?’” “Around the same time, there was an orange fish who came up with an idea. She wondered who else had had similar ideas before and wondered what they had done. She started asking her friends and eventually found others who were working on related but different projects. She decided to drop her idea for a while, maybe to return to it later and helped those fish out with their projects because they had the same vision for the future as she, just different ways to get there. Then, one day, after a year of hard work with other dedicated fish, the orange fish brought up her idea because it seemed like it was really needed; immediately the others she had been working with whole-heartedly supported her and her project.” Which fish do you think had more success? And which is more like the typical Oberlin student? Which is “one [fish] changing the world”? Often, members of the College community wonder about the strained town-gown relationship. I think Oberlin College and Conservatory’s commitment to fostering leaders and our lack of inspection of servant-leadership creates a tremendous amount of strain on our relationship with the larger community. In my experience, Oberlin students are notoriously bad at serving. We avoid figuring out what other people are doing before deciding what we want to do ourselves. It’s not glamorous;
it’s boring, tedious and often disheartening as we realize others have had the same brilliant idea and they have all failed. And it’s hard: it takes practice to learn to see things how they are rather than how we want them to be. Our work is riddled with examples of what bell hooks calls subject-to-object relationships: there is a doer and a done-to. This objectifying dynamic is unsurprising, given our relatively traditional education program, especially in the sciences where I’ve spent much of my time. We learn to understand content as it is — statically and without volition — as opposed to how it could be or might want to be. To be full humans, though, to be true leaders who refuse to engage in subject-to-object relationships, we must see the people who surround us as subjects and ask the question, “What have you desired?” Only then will we be engaging in subject-to-subject relationships in which we are all equally volitional, where we see people as people who act, not just objects to be acted upon. This is the only kind of relationship that can beget true leadership. When we think we’ve figured out what would be great, we must put it aside and find out what other people are doing. If Oberlin truly wants to build leaders, if Oberlin students really want to change the world, we need to learn humility and teamwork. They come as a package. We’ve acknowledged that one person can’t change the world. But we don’t yet embrace that it’s groups of people, dedicated teams of people working tirelessly over years and decades, that change the world. Think all of us, if we come together humbly and work hard as a team and ask hard questions, and struggle within ourselves, and struggle within our team and do dirty, exhausting, thankless work can change the world? So do I.
Insidious Societal Contructs Dictate Our Lives Sean Para Columnist Social constructs shape our lives in a profound and little-addressed way. Race, class, gender, the state — these are all constructions. They exist because we, as a society, live by their tenets and allow them to shape our lives. Let us consider, for example, the state. While the state seems to many a crucial, fundamental part of our society, its legitimacy is drawn only from popular consent and an ability to provide social benefits to most members of society. As John Locke would put it, the state exists because of a social
contract between members of society. The state’s power isn’t based on anything tangible, but rather the consent of the people living under it and the sense of legitimacy they give to its actions. It is as constructed as a skyscraper, no more than an amalgamation of various parts. But as a social construction it exists only because we, as a society, believe it ought to. I have used the state as an example to illustrate that many of the rules that govern how our culture functions are not tangible or based in practicality, but on edifices that have slowly evolved in our society
to become so accepted, so real, that one could hardly imagine the world without them. Let us look at gender as another example. Many believe their gender to be an immutable part of their identity. Others reject the gender society gave them and choose to identify as another. But gender itself exists only arbitrarily because humanity has created it. Taking a step back, one’s sex is no more important a physical distinction than height or hair color. Despite this, gender is an incredibly powerful force. It dictates the “normal” operation of social relationships, keeping wom-
en from achieving equal standing and forcing men to conform to abstract notions of masculinity. The conception of gender as a constructed identity began in the 1970s among historians, largely due to the emergence of the field of Women’s History. Since then it has become a major way that historians examine the past. All of this, when looked at from a distance, is groundless. Race is the most absurd example of how social constructions dictate our lives. There is absolutely no evidence for the idea that one’s skin color could determine personality traits or intelligence. This fallacy was cre-
ated by a set of historical circumstances in the past four centuries that brutally subjected millions to slavery. Howard Zinn would say that racism emerged in order to prevent poor whites from allying with their black contemporaries against the white planter class in Colonial America. His book A People’s History of the United States was one of the first major works in history to assert this conception of race. Since then it has firmly taken root among historians and political scientists. Whatever its true origin, and despite the end of formal segregation, race as a social construction still has pro-
found implications for the world we live in. The color of one’s skin, ludicrously enough, determines a huge amount of how one is seen by others, how individual identity is formed and the course one’s life takes. Societies have always lived under arbitrarily created rules and ways of thinking. Lordship, nobility and chivalry were all very real things in the Middle Ages and yet have totally disappeared from the modern world. Let us all reflect on the way that we live in a world bound together not by tangible things but by constructed ideas that dictate social relationships.
Oysters are high in zinc, which aids fertility and sperm count. They also contain iron, which helps raise libido. In addition, the amino acids trigger sex hormones, according to a recent study. Coincidentally, they resemble the vagina and are involved in the myth of Aphrodite, who sprang out of an oyster shell.
Chocolate contains serotonin, which helps trigger feelings of happiness in the brain. It also contains phenylethylamine, a neurotransmitter similar to amphetamines. High levels of phenylethylamine in the brain are linked to feelings of love and happiness.
“Vatsyayana says that as variety is necessary in love, so love is to be produced by means of variety.�
Chili peppers stimulate endorphin production, speed up your heart rate and make you sweat. These sensations are very similar to the body’s reaction to arousal.
“In short, nothing tends to increase love so much as the effects of marking with the nails and biting.� Aside from looking like penises, bananas contain bromelain, an enzyme that stimulates testosterone production. In addition, they are high in vitamin B and potassium, which raise energy levels.
r 7BMFOUJOF T %BZ JT TFDPOE POMZ to Christmas in number of cards exchanged each year.
r *O QFPQMF JO UIF 6 4 BUF BCPVU QPVOET PG DBOEZ FBDI r *O BMNPTU NJMMJPO PG roses were sold. r *O GMPSJTUT JO UIF 6 4 FNQMPZFE PWFS QFPQMF
White roses symbolize innocence, purity, honor and remembrance. This color rose is popular at weddings as well as funerals.
Orange roses represent energy, desire, passion, enthusiasm and romance. Send this color rose to that special someone to heat things up.
The lycopene in watermelons, which gives the fruit its pigment, relaxes blood vessels and improves circulation. This helps keep the sex organs healthy and also aids in arousal.
i)PX NBOZ CPOFT EPFT B IVNBO CPEZ IBWF u i u i3FBMMZ $BVTF XIFO * TFF ZPV * IBWF u –Arturo Octavio i"SF ZPV B (JSM 4DPVU DPPLJF #FDBVTF * XBOU 4BNPB EBU CPPUZ u m#SJBOOB .BIPOFZ “Your legs are like my favorite book; I really want to open them.� –Loisa Fenichell i%P ZPV MJLF GPPUCBMM $BVTF * LOPX IPX UP UVSO B UJHIU FOE JOUP B XJEF SFDFJWFS u m+1 +FOOJOHT i8IBU T B OJDF QFSTPO MJLF ZPV EPJOH JO B EJSUZ NJOE MJLF NJOF u m(SPWFS /FWJMMF i*T UIBU B LFH JO ZPVS QBOUT #FDBVTF * XBOU UP UBQ UIBU BTT u i*T UIBU B NJSSPS JO ZPVS QBOUT #FDBVTF * DBO TFF NZTFMG JO UIFN u m+BZ :BV This Week Editor: Sarah Snider
CALENDAR
The boron in honey helps metabolize estrogen and boosts testosterone levels.
r *O DIPDPMBUF DPNQBOJFT FNQMPZFE PWFS QFPQMF
Yellow roses symbolize joy, friendship, happiness and warmth. If you get this color rose, it means you are a true friend.
of Lupercalia was banned in the fifth century due to a rising belief in Christianity. The tradition of the Valentine’s Day with which we are familiar did not arise until the 18th century, when people began exchanging small gifts and notes. However, there are some traces of poetry from as early as 1400 about the festivities and romance of Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t until the 20th century that people exchanged the printed greeting cards that are a staple of the holiday we know today.
Garlic contains allicin, which increases blood flow and helps the sex organs stay healthy and functional.
The caffeine in coffee is a stimulant, so it raises heart rate and blood flow. A study with female rats also provides evidence that coffee might arouse women.
r .PSF UIBO QFSDFOU PG 7BMFOUJOF T %BZ DBSET BSF bought within six days of the holiday.
Pink roses symbolize grace, elegance, admiration, appreciation and joyfulness.
Many historians credit the idea of Valentine’s Day to the ancient Roman celebration Lupercalia, which was held Feb. 15. Lupercalia was a fertility celebration honoring the god of agriculture, Faunus. The priests, or Luperci, would go to the cave in which Romulus and Remus were believed to have been raised by a wolf. There they would sacrifice a goat, representing fertility, and a dog, representing purification. Afterwards, they would go around touching women and crops with blood-covered goat hide strips. The pagan celebration
“Whatever things may be done by one of the lovers to the other, the same should be returned by the other.�
Pine nuts are also high in zinc, which helps sex drive as well as sperm production and stamina.
Red roses symbolize love, romance, beauty and perfection. This rose says “I love you� more than any other.
There were many Valentines in history, which makes it very tricky to pinpoint the origins of the holiday. One Valentine supposedly married soldiers who were forbidden to marry by Roman Emperor Claudius II, who said single soldiers were stronger soldiers. He was eventually put to death. Another was said to have helped Christian prisoners escape prisons, and when he was sentenced to death, signed his final letter to his love, the daughter of his jailer, with “from your Valentine.�
“A man should gather from the actions of the woman of what disposition she is, and in what way she likes to be enjoyed.�
Valentine’s Day at the Cat Friday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m.
Spring Art Rental Saturday, Feb. 15 at 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Lunar New Year’s Banquet Saturday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.
Michael Dickman Poetry Reading Monday, Feb. 17 at 4:30 p.m.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and His Music Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Collaborative singer/songwriters Griffin Jennings and Gabe Smith will be playing Valentine’s Day covers, as well as original songs, at the Cat in the Cream.
Miss out on the art rental last semester? Line up behind the back courtyard doors of the Allen Memorial Art Museum to rent up to two masterpieces for $5 each. As the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm.
Come celebrate the Lunar New Year in the Root Room of the Carnegie Building. The Chinese Students Association, Vietnamese Students Association and Oberlin Student Korean Association promise a night of food, games and dancing. Tickets are $3 in advance, $5 at the door.
Currently a professor at Princeton University, Michael Dickman is a poet from Portland, OR, who has won various awards, residencies and fellowships for his work. The Creative Writing Department is sponsoring a reading of his poetry in King 123.
The Oberlin College Black Musicians’ Guild is sponsoring a film screening of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and His Music in America, 1900–1912 in Afrikan Heritage House. The film focuses on ColeridgeTaylor’s influence on American music of the time and features performances by many great AfricanAmerican musicians.
Sources: Science Channel, Reader’s Digest, History Channel, ProFlowers
Occupation and Negotiations: A Conversation with Lara Friedman Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 4:30 p.m. J Street U Oberlin presents Lara Friedman, who will be speaking about Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in Hallock Auditorium. Friedman is the director of policy and government relations for Americans for Peace Now and is a leading voice on the subject.
Lecture on Exotic Animals in Ohio Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tim Harrison, director of Outreach for Animals, will be speaking about Ohio’s exotic animals in Craig Lecture Hall. Ohio is one of the states with the most exotic pet owners, and Outreach for Animals provides a home for abandoned exotic pets.
Oysters are high in zinc, which aids fertility and sperm count. They also contain iron, which helps raise libido. In addition, the amino acids trigger sex hormones, according to a recent study. Coincidentally, they resemble the vagina and are involved in the myth of Aphrodite, who sprang out of an oyster shell.
Chocolate contains serotonin, which helps trigger feelings of happiness in the brain. It also contains phenylethylamine, a neurotransmitter similar to amphetamines. High levels of phenylethylamine in the brain are linked to feelings of love and happiness.
“Vatsyayana says that as variety is necessary in love, so love is to be produced by means of variety.�
Chili peppers stimulate endorphin production, speed up your heart rate and make you sweat. These sensations are very similar to the body’s reaction to arousal.
“In short, nothing tends to increase love so much as the effects of marking with the nails and biting.� Aside from looking like penises, bananas contain bromelain, an enzyme that stimulates testosterone production. In addition, they are high in vitamin B and potassium, which raise energy levels.
r 7BMFOUJOF T %BZ JT TFDPOE POMZ to Christmas in number of cards exchanged each year.
r *O QFPQMF JO UIF 6 4 BUF BCPVU QPVOET PG DBOEZ FBDI r *O BMNPTU NJMMJPO PG roses were sold. r *O GMPSJTUT JO UIF 6 4 FNQMPZFE PWFS QFPQMF
White roses symbolize innocence, purity, honor and remembrance. This color rose is popular at weddings as well as funerals.
Orange roses represent energy, desire, passion, enthusiasm and romance. Send this color rose to that special someone to heat things up.
The lycopene in watermelons, which gives the fruit its pigment, relaxes blood vessels and improves circulation. This helps keep the sex organs healthy and also aids in arousal.
i)PX NBOZ CPOFT EPFT B IVNBO CPEZ IBWF u i u i3FBMMZ $BVTF XIFO * TFF ZPV * IBWF u –Arturo Octavio i"SF ZPV B (JSM 4DPVU DPPLJF #FDBVTF * XBOU 4BNPB EBU CPPUZ u m#SJBOOB .BIPOFZ “Your legs are like my favorite book; I really want to open them.� –Loisa Fenichell i%P ZPV MJLF GPPUCBMM $BVTF * LOPX IPX UP UVSO B UJHIU FOE JOUP B XJEF SFDFJWFS u m+1 +FOOJOHT i8IBU T B OJDF QFSTPO MJLF ZPV EPJOH JO B EJSUZ NJOE MJLF NJOF u m(SPWFS /FWJMMF i*T UIBU B LFH JO ZPVS QBOUT #FDBVTF * XBOU UP UBQ UIBU BTT u i*T UIBU B NJSSPS JO ZPVS QBOUT #FDBVTF * DBO TFF NZTFMG JO UIFN u m+BZ :BV This Week Editor: Sarah Snider
CALENDAR
The boron in honey helps metabolize estrogen and boosts testosterone levels.
r *O DIPDPMBUF DPNQBOJFT FNQMPZFE PWFS QFPQMF
Yellow roses symbolize joy, friendship, happiness and warmth. If you get this color rose, it means you are a true friend.
of Lupercalia was banned in the fifth century due to a rising belief in Christianity. The tradition of the Valentine’s Day with which we are familiar did not arise until the 18th century, when people began exchanging small gifts and notes. However, there are some traces of poetry from as early as 1400 about the festivities and romance of Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t until the 20th century that people exchanged the printed greeting cards that are a staple of the holiday we know today.
Garlic contains allicin, which increases blood flow and helps the sex organs stay healthy and functional.
The caffeine in coffee is a stimulant, so it raises heart rate and blood flow. A study with female rats also provides evidence that coffee might arouse women.
r .PSF UIBO QFSDFOU PG 7BMFOUJOF T %BZ DBSET BSF bought within six days of the holiday.
Pink roses symbolize grace, elegance, admiration, appreciation and joyfulness.
Many historians credit the idea of Valentine’s Day to the ancient Roman celebration Lupercalia, which was held Feb. 15. Lupercalia was a fertility celebration honoring the god of agriculture, Faunus. The priests, or Luperci, would go to the cave in which Romulus and Remus were believed to have been raised by a wolf. There they would sacrifice a goat, representing fertility, and a dog, representing purification. Afterwards, they would go around touching women and crops with blood-covered goat hide strips. The pagan celebration
“Whatever things may be done by one of the lovers to the other, the same should be returned by the other.�
Pine nuts are also high in zinc, which helps sex drive as well as sperm production and stamina.
Red roses symbolize love, romance, beauty and perfection. This rose says “I love you� more than any other.
There were many Valentines in history, which makes it very tricky to pinpoint the origins of the holiday. One Valentine supposedly married soldiers who were forbidden to marry by Roman Emperor Claudius II, who said single soldiers were stronger soldiers. He was eventually put to death. Another was said to have helped Christian prisoners escape prisons, and when he was sentenced to death, signed his final letter to his love, the daughter of his jailer, with “from your Valentine.�
“A man should gather from the actions of the woman of what disposition she is, and in what way she likes to be enjoyed.�
Valentine’s Day at the Cat Friday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m.
Spring Art Rental Saturday, Feb. 15 at 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Lunar New Year’s Banquet Saturday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.
Michael Dickman Poetry Reading Monday, Feb. 17 at 4:30 p.m.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and His Music Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Collaborative singer/songwriters Griffin Jennings and Gabe Smith will be playing Valentine’s Day covers, as well as original songs, at the Cat in the Cream.
Miss out on the art rental last semester? Line up behind the back courtyard doors of the Allen Memorial Art Museum to rent up to two masterpieces for $5 each. As the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm.
Come celebrate the Lunar New Year in the Root Room of the Carnegie Building. The Chinese Students Association, Vietnamese Students Association and Oberlin Student Korean Association promise a night of food, games and dancing. Tickets are $3 in advance, $5 at the door.
Currently a professor at Princeton University, Michael Dickman is a poet from Portland, OR, who has won various awards, residencies and fellowships for his work. The Creative Writing Department is sponsoring a reading of his poetry in King 123.
The Oberlin College Black Musicians’ Guild is sponsoring a film screening of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and His Music in America, 1900–1912 in Afrikan Heritage House. The film focuses on ColeridgeTaylor’s influence on American music of the time and features performances by many great AfricanAmerican musicians.
Sources: Science Channel, Reader’s Digest, History Channel, ProFlowers
Occupation and Negotiations: A Conversation with Lara Friedman Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 4:30 p.m. J Street U Oberlin presents Lara Friedman, who will be speaking about Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in Hallock Auditorium. Friedman is the director of policy and government relations for Americans for Peace Now and is a leading voice on the subject.
Lecture on Exotic Animals in Ohio Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tim Harrison, director of Outreach for Animals, will be speaking about Ohio’s exotic animals in Craig Lecture Hall. Ohio is one of the states with the most exotic pet owners, and Outreach for Animals provides a home for abandoned exotic pets.
Arts The Oberlin Review
Page 10
February 14, 2014
Nord Family Endows Allen Curatorial Position Nora Kipnis Arts Editor As college students, we are used to sitting in a classroom listening to lectures by someone one or two generations older than us. But at the Tuesday Teas at the Allen Memorial Art Museum, the situation is reversed; this past Tuesday, a small crowd of local adults, including many residents of Kendal at Oberlin, gathered in the East Gallery of the Allen to hear Sarah McLusky, OC ’13, discuss paintings, prints and how they demonstrate the rise of humanism during the Renaissance. The student docent program is a unique feature that makes the Allen stand out among college art museums; while others provide training in museum education for graduate students in art history, Oberlin’s program is one of the few that allows undergraduate students of all majors to become docents. The Tuesday Tea program is one of the many educational outreach programs at the Allen and symbolic of how the museum has become an educational bridge between the College and the community. These outreach programs are directed by the curator of education, a position that has existed sporadically at the Allen since the mid-1980s. Now, thanks to a generous $1.5 million en-
dowment by the Eric and Jane Nord Family Fund, the newly-renamed Eric and Jane Nord Family Curator of Education position will remain permanently at the Allen, ensuring that museum education will be available to Lorain County for as long as the museum’s doors are open. Jason Trimmer, who has been the curator of education at the Allen since 2006, expressed delight at the recent endowment, which provides financial stability that the museum hasn’t experienced since the 1990s. After 9/11, Trimmer explained, the College instituted a hiring freeze for many positions due to economic uncertainty. Thanks to this endowment, as well as endowments for four out of five other curatorial positions, the Allen will be able to better formulate long-term plans without fear of another economic scare impacting the College’s finances. “There’s going to be funding for [the positions] no matter what happens,” said Trimmer. This particular endowment is part of the Oberlin Illuminate Campaign, a sevenyear, $250 million fundraising campaign that has already raised $212.4 million. One of the main goals of the campaign is to get more positions endowed to ensure permanence; for intance, the curator of Asian Art will be reinstated in May, thanks to another recent endowment. This will
be the first time since 9/11 that the museum will have a full curatorial staff. The Nord family has been an important sponsor of the Allen and other arts initiatives in Lorain County for decades. The Nord Gallery on the north side of the Allen, devoted to Renaissance art, was dedicated in honor of Eric Nord’s parents. “They have a very strong commitment to Oberlin’s educational principles, education in the arts in the local community, and outreach to the greater Lorain County community in terms of arts education,” said Museum Director Andria Derstine. The Nords’ daughter, Emily McClintock, graduated from Oberlin College in 1976. Jane Nord currently lives at Kendal and is on the Board of Trustees at Firelands Association for the Visual Arts, which often collaborates with the curator of education to create programs. Trimmer says that both he and Derstine have a “really warm relationship with Jane Nord,” and he’s glad that “she’s able to see the impact … of having [the museum] so accessible.” Thanks to the generosity of the Nord Family Fund, Trimmer will be able to sustain a variety of programs including collaborations with the Oberlin Heritage Center and FAVA on youth summer camp programs, Tuesday Teas, First Thursday evening hours and the highly popular Chalk Walk in late June, when locals and artists cover Ober-
lin’s sidewalks with chalk art. Trimmer has also created a substantial web presence for the Allen, including a Facebook page and a Tumblr with almost 12,000 followers. Besides outreach to the broader Lorain County area, Trimmer works closely with students during Winter Term to train them as docents. Since his arrival, he has rethought the class, broadening it to include information about general museum and fine arts careers, meetings with museum staff and trips to art conservation labs in Cleveland. Trimmer also employs a student assistant — currently, Julia Melfi, a College junior majoring in Theater and Art History — who is researching the effects of museum education, a relatively new field. Melfi is working on developing surveys for docents, teachers and visitors to see if they are impacted by the tours and programs the Allen provides. “Museum education … focuses on visual literacy and critical seeing skills,” said Melfi. “Oftentimes, I think we really stress the written word and text … but I think it’s important to also realize that we can read an image in much the same way that we can read a book.” Trimmer echoed her sentiment about the importance of art education: “I like … sparking an interest in art. … People are a lot more able to read images than they think they are, and that’s gratifying to see.”
Follow Me to Nellie’s Takes Dramatic Look at Love, Civil Rights Paris Gravley As one would predict of a play set in the South during the mid 1950s, racial conflict is at the forefront in Dominique Morisseau’s Follow Me to Nellie’s. Performed at Hall Auditorium on Feb. 6, 7 and 8, the play follows Northerner Ossie
the sheriff ’s son enlisted to find and kill Brown, played by College senior Hayes Biche, succumb to the local pressure that brings his own romantic feelings for Na Rose into question? Act 1 progressed with subtle ambition, continuously introducing new conflict with a slight, humorous hand. In one particularly well-crafted scene, the sheriff informs Brown of the fate of a pre-
(From left) College senior Brandon Brown as Nellie’s husband, College senior Gynarva Monroe as Ossie Brown, and Clevelandbased actress Debra Rose as Nellie share a dramatic moment in Follow Me to Nellie’s. The play, which blended romance and smalltown political intrigue, was performed at Hall Auditorium last weekend. Courtesy of John Seyfried
Brown, played by College senior Gynarva Monroe, who moves to Natchez, MS on a quest to register blacks to vote, becoming a wanted figure in the town. Nellie, a middle-aged woman played by Cleveland-based actress Debra Rose, begrudgingly agrees to let Brown take refuge in her brothel. Brown’s love for Nellie’s adopted daughter Na Rose, played by College first-year Zoë Davidson, becomes another central conflict in the plot. Will Brown be caught by the town for his abolitionist efforts? Will Tom Robertson, Jr.,
vious rabble-rouser, making clear the peril of Brown’s situation as the sheriff graphically describes the recent tar and feathering. Tom’s threat is still lingering on stage, encapsulated in Brown’s body language — he sits on the porch steps, head in hands — when Rose saunters in. Quickly, the haunting tension becomes playful as it is redirected between the soon-to-be lovers. When the scene finally culminates in a cathartic embrace between Rose and Brown — which received “oohs” from the audience — the sheriff ’s
thinly veiled threats drift even further into the background, falsely foreshadowing resolution. Most, if not all, of the scenes in the first act followed a similar pattern: mounting racial tension disguised in the playfulness and humor of romance and lust. By intermission, the plot had reached a tangle of conflicts, each promising an exciting avenue of resolution. Unfortunately, this left Act 2 with quite a challenge. Morisseau’s final scene is reminiscent of classical plays wherein playwrights enlist mass carnage for a tidy ending. The jarring yet ambiguous “Death to all!” finale seemed like an easy out, especially after the revving of Act 1’s anticipatory engine. Beyond the frantic ending, Act 2 in general turned down the charm to make space for the dramatic plot to run its course. However, the growing seriousness of the unfolding events unfortunately quenched the humor in the dialogue. To the play’s advantage, the acting was solid. From Rose’s bashful underwear dance scene, to Brown’s confusion and frustration with racial issues, to the drunken anti-hero charm of prostitute Marla, stunningly performed by College junior Christal Bell, the talent onstage cemented together what could have been a disastrously fragmented first and second act. Moreover, in scenes in which plot tensions reached an overdramatic volume, the performers were able to defuse heated situations with convincing ease. There were two smaller detriments to the overall solid performance of the actors, though they ultimately did not detract from the production’s quality: Nellie’s cough and Rose’s singing. Nellie’s cough was not only unconvincing — and borderline funny — it didn’t develop into anything more than a minor plot point for Rose, who is torn between joining a local singing group and caring for her ailing guardian. Rose’s voice itself, which is supposed to be so siren-like it enchants both Robertson and Brown, was decent, but not exactly the alluring force implied by the storyline. Nonetheless, Rose herself was so charming that it was hard not to fall in love with her. Acting and storyline aside, Brown’s realizations throughout the play struck a resonant chord with its presentation. In one scene, Brown sits with Rose in the brothel’s parlor, injured and desperate to flee the angry mob looking for him. He confesses to her his skewed expectations of the South — he’d imagined that being a well-educated, well-intentioned man was enough to help others; he hadn’t expected that the men in Natchez simply wouldn’t care about his degree. His epiphany had situational profundity on an Oberlin stage when he explained to Rose that when you’re in the liberal bubble of academia, surrounded by other activists, “You forget Mississippi.”
Arts
The Oberlin Review, February 14, 2014
Page 11
New Exhibition Provides Counterpoint to Realism Nicolas Hen Anyone who’s taken a drawing class has likely heard the instruction, “Draw what you see.” But how does one draw what one can’t see? In order to explore this topic, the Allen Memorial Art Museum’s Curator of European and American Art Andaleeb Banta has put together a collection of prints that depict various elements of the fantastic, titled Between Fact and Fantasy. Banta joined the Allen this past July, after working at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where she was the assistant curator of old master prints and drawings. Given her previous experience with the medium, it is fitting that her first AMAM exhibition is composed entirely of prints — which, in fact, make up more than half of the museum’s collection. The prints in the exhibition span over 500 years of art history, with works created as early as 1400 and as late as the 20th century. The exhibition serves as a counterpoint to the museum’s focus on realism this academic year. While the entire John N. Stern Gallery has been devoted to an exhibition that surveys 19th and 20th century artists’ interpretations of what realism is, the upstairs Ripin Gallery is devoted to Banta’s exhibition. In the 19th century, artists began largely to occupy themselves with representations of reality. Painters found themselves preoccupied with narratives that are located in fleeting moments: light falling on hay at sunset, or waves breaking on driftwood lining an empty coast. At the same time, fascination with the impossible continued. While realism searches for truth in the artistic representation or abstraction of life, the fantastical exhibition Banta has constructed allows for an examination of artists’ attempts to describe what they do not know or cannot see. The exhibition is divided into five sections: “Fact and Fiction,” “Places Real and Reimagined,” “Gods and Heroes,” “Visions and Miracles” and “The Artist’s Imagination.” In an interview with Banta, she said this decision was made in order “to give the viewer the chance to regard each artist in his own light, as opposed to making any argument about the evolution of the fantastic over time.” Looking at the prints in the gallery, it’s clear she achieved this goal; one might regard each artist in Banta’s exhibition as an auteur who used the fantastic in one way or another to tell a story or communicate an idea — deeply personalized, yet contextual. Each print approaches the fantastic or imaginary as a tool for communicating a story, event or idea that pertains to a historical or cultural moment. In the “Gods and Heroes” section of the exhibit, one might look at a scene of Saint John receiving the five books of the New Testament from God. While the story as described in the Bible calls to mind a range of possible images and inter-
“Invidia (Envy) Personified” by Pieter van der Heyden and Pieter Bruegel the Elder is one of the prints featured at the Between Fact and Fantasy: The Artistic Imagination in Print exhibit. The collection, on display in the Ripin Print Gallery of the Allen, explores how artists visually interpret the world of the imagination. Courtesy of the Allen Memorial Art Museum
pretations, Albrecht Dürer’s depiction of the moment gives visual particularity to the abstract, mythical event. His vision is neither correct nor incorrect, but observing how he tackled this scene in a single image exposes certain truths about how humans deal with the unknowable. Banta recommends taking in “The Artist’s Imagination” section from start to finish, which she says is “the catch-all for the exhibition.” In this section, each artist is acknowledged as the holder and master of the fantastic, and the subject matter is highly diverse. Acting as bookends, two interpretations of sin sit on each end of the north wall. One is a deranged reiteration of “Envy” from The Seven Deadly Sins, printed in the style of Hieronymous Bosch by Pieter Bruegel the Elder; the other is Edvard Munch’s “Sin,” a minimalist depiction of a nude woman who possesses a maddening gaze. It is rare to find such diverse artwork in extremely close quarters. The sole limitation Banta placed on the exhibition was that it would be composed solely of reproducible media, which she thinks is an appropriate choice for images
of the fantastic. “For mediums that are reproducible, the stakes are lower,” she said. “Many of the artists featured in the exhibit were producing within very strict political limitations. Prints were an exception to these limitations.” Walking through the hall of the Ripin Gallery, one is confronted with works of art produced with the greatest liberty possible by the artist, and, as such, images that subvert the boundaries of what we know and see. This exhibition displays various ways that the fantastic is used as a tool for describing what is beyond realism. After strolling through this exhibition for a while, you might find that the vocabulary with which you read an image has changed. Reality and imagination have been conflated ever so slightly. The exhibit, placed in the context of the pieces in the modern art galleries, describes various subtleties about how artists approach the immaterial world. “In curating this exhibition, I was interested in the balance between the sane and the insane,” said Banta. “I find that the most successful works of art find themselves right between the two.”
Alumna Lena Dunham Charms with Playfulness and Candor Anne Pride-Wilt Arts Editor As the most talked-about Oberlin alumna in recent years, Lena Dunham, OC ’08, returned to campus for a convocation in Finney Chapel last Saturday night like a conquering hero — a funny, humble, downto-earth one. Dunham is well known for creating and starring in the Emmy-awardwinning HBO series Girls, now in its third season, and her award-winning 2010 indie film Tiny Furniture, among other projects. While Oberlin students may sometimes tire of being compared to Lena Dunham or hearing her name dropped in conversation, Dunham’s warm, smart and surprisingly poignant convocation demonstrated that the association does Oberlin well. The convocation was staged as a candid interview between Dunham and Professor of English and Creative Writing David Walker, who was Dunham’s professor during her time at Oberlin. Dunham was greeted with huge applause, but she seemed just as happy to be back in Oberlin as the community was to have her back. She told a brief anecdote about how, upon her arrival in Oberlin the previous night, she had “wanted to go to Agave ’cause it’s delicious,” and on the late-night run had encountered “memories on every corner.”
Those memories of Oberlin were the initial focus of Professor Walker’s questions. As he reminded the audience, Dunham had only graduated five and a half years ago, and he took the audience back to her college days. While at Oberlin, Dunham had created subversive “guerrilla-style” YouTube videos that featured, among others, Dunham bathing and brushing her teeth in the fountain in front of the Allen Memorial Art Museum. While that particular incident ended in a brush with security, according to Dunham she was nonetheless extremely grateful for the creative support she received at Oberlin. For example, her first full-length film, Creative Nonfiction, was filmed while at school — Professor Walker even had a part. After reminiscing about Dunham’s college years, Walker and Dunham naturally segued into a discussion of Dunham’s second film, Tiny Furniture, which featured the actress playing a recent college graduate navigating the foibles of the post-grad world and starred members of her own family. Tiny Furniture, which won Best Narrative Feature at South by Southwest, got Dunham her big break. As Dunham related, producer Judd Apatow had seen a copy of the film pre-release and sent her the email that led to her HBO series. Dunham’s reply to the email? “If this is Judd Apatow, thank you. If this is my friend Isabel, go fuck yourself.” Unfortunately, Apatow’s reply was not recounted.
Walker followed this autobiographical theme fairly closely throughout the interview, leading Dunham and the audience through early negotiations with HBO over Girls before transitioning to the run of the series and Dunham’s current notoriety. Most amusingly, Dunham shared that HBO had not originally intended her to star in the show — Dunham had merely assumed that she would since she had acted in Tiny Furniture, a mix-up she had thought would get her fired. Instead, HBO installed her as the lead, and Dunham became a public face. That publicity has not come without its downsides, though, which Walker addressed when he shifted the conversation to the controversy that Dunham and her show frequently provoke. A line from an early episode of the show is often cited as an example of Dunham’s megalomania: “I think that I may be the voice of my generation. Or at least a voice … of a generation.” When Walker brought it up, Dunham protested, “Guys, my character said it when she was on drugs!” The line, however, has refused to die, remaining an endless source of snarky articles with headlines like Dunham’s hypothetical example, “Lena Dunham Thinks She’s the Voice of Her Generation.” Of criticisms that her characters are unlikeable and overly neurotic, Dunham responded that she “just wanted to show characters
who were as complex as my friends are.” She listed Tony Soprano, Walter White and Dexter as examples of beloved unlikeable male characters and noted that “women behaving badly is historically really problematic for audiences.” These lighter criticisms aside, Walker addressed the most troubling aspect of Girls: “the privilege question.” Few discussions of Girls or its creator pass without a reference to the almost across-the-board racial and economic privilege of its characters. In response, Dunham became serious. When the show was conceived, she said, she wasn’t thinking of representing the totality of voices in her generation — she was just making characters based on herself. Her regretful answer was more explanatory than defensive, and she said she was glad that at least the racially troubling aspects of her show had started a conversation. She also pointed out that her show had responded to the criticism in later seasons: “Maybe I should have gone on HuffPo and written an essay, but I’d rather work it out in my work.” When, to conclude, Walker asked Dunham what she would tell a twenty-year-old Lena Dunham in the audience, Dunham offered a heartfelt paean to Oberlin on the importance of finding oneself. There’s “a lot of really powerful energy here,” she said. “Go where the bliss is.”
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The Oberlin Review, February 14, 2014
Excellent Directing Enriches Moving Play Stop Kiss
(From left) Peter, played by College sophomore Andrew Hartley, and Callie, played by College junior Grace Williams, comfort Sara, played by College first-year Roux Namaei, after she is the victim of a brutal hate crime. Stop Kiss bravely takes an inside perspective on same-sex relationships, which are rarely shown on stage. Courtesy of Adina Katz
Julia Rudolph Callie and Sara, a budding couple, are walking through a West Village park when they stop to share a tender kiss. In response, a bystander harasses them with homophobic slurs and when Sara fights back, she is viciously beaten — her head struck against a brick wall, a foot bashed into her back. She falls into a coma, and the new romance is cut brutally short. This is the central conflict of Diana Son’s play Stop Kiss, produced by the Oberlin Student Theater Association, which ran last Thursday through Saturday in Wilder Main. The play, directed by College sophomore Maggie Bussard, follows the relationship between New York City traffic reporter Callie, played by College junior Grace Williams, and third grade teacher Sara, portrayed by College first-year Roux Nemaei. The script jumps in time between
before and after the attack in the park, though the event itself is never shown. While the show was advertised as concerning a “lesbian relationship,” the two main characters do not identify as lesbians at any point in the show. Bussard compared Stop Kiss to other plays from the late ‘90s and early 2000s that address homophobia, like Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. But while these two shows both portray homophobia, they differ in their focus. Stop Kiss speaks more to the idea of discovering and becoming comfortable with one’s fluid sexuality. The cast’s commitment to authenticity was commendable, particularly Williams’s ability to be fully convincing in a dramatic moment immediately following a comedic scene. Nemaei was also able to easily transition from hospital patient to bubbly and energetic teacher. More importantly, they worked well as a pair. While initially the
Imani Winds Reinterpret Chamber Traditions Ava Bravata-Keating Sunday afternoons are usually uninspiring, consumed by half-hearted studying, intermittent napping or other forms of aimless dawdling, but last Sunday’s performance by chamber quintet Imani Winds ripped through the stupor of this end-of-the-weekend limbo. The non-traditional mélange of original compositions, reconstructed orchestral classics and jazz-flavored chamber music kept the Finney Chapel audience on its toes while still delivering the polished performance expected from Oberlin’s Artist Recital Series. Meanwhile, the group’s collaboration with lauded pianist Gilbert Kalish added diversity to an otherwise wind-dominated program. Curtain-opener “Startin’ Sumthin’” by Imani Winds’s own Jeff Scott kicked off the show with punchy jazz motifs atop a classical backdrop. The rapid chromatic runaround of the flute and clarinet contrasted starkly with the distant call of French horn and unexpected bassoon solo. The quintet flowed gracefully from one musical tradition to another, ultimately ending on a sustained note à la big-band jazz. Dressed in stunning turquoise and bright red gowns, bassoonist Monica Ellis, OC ’95, and oboist Toyin Spellman-Diaz, OC ’94, shared with the au-
dience the excitement they felt to be playing on the same stage where they had witnessed many recitals during their college years. The program, they said, consisted primarily of pieces the pair had been introduced to at Oberlin. Spellman-Diaz mentioned that she had first heard Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring played on the very stage on which she was standing, but hadn’t had the pleasure of performing it at Oberlin until now. Imani Winds gave Stravinsky’s classic a fresh spin by condensing the piece, written for a full orchestra, to an arrangement for only five instruments. What the quintet lacked in numbers they compensated for with reimagined voicings for the instruments they did have; oboe adopted the trumpet’s piercing intensity as the bassoon mimicked the booming timpani usually essential for the masterpiece’s explosive conclusion. At the start of the piece, the group expressed the hope that its performance would coax spring to come to Ohio a little sooner. However, by the end of the piece, the mood of the audience suggested that they would gladly have winter drag on if it would only keep Imani Winds playing. The evening’s program choices incorporated both the edgy and the melodic, from the traditionally celebrated to the personally commissioned. The
group even altered the program at the last minute to bolster the traditional flavor of their concert, as well as to take advantage of pianist Kalish’s talents; the scheduled “Dumesnil Trio” by the group’s own Valerie Coleman was switched out for the Mozart Wind Quintet in E flat. Afterwards, a commissioned work titled “Cane,” by Houston native Jason Moran, transported Finney Chapel into a sugarcane plantation slave’s narrative. The work captured the experience of a grueling trip from Togo to Natchitoches, an abrupt escape from the fields and then a tender love song from a mother to her children still in captivity. The piece finished with “Natchitoches to New York,” a song infused with a distinct New Orleans feel, brass pumping and winds wailing. To close the concert, the group played “Libertango,” composed by Astor Piazzolla and arranged for winds by Jeff Scott. “Libertango” was a fresh take on tango, written specifically for the concert hall, not the dance floor. Nonetheless, the most difficult challenge of that Sunday afternoon was to keep from dancing. In Swahili, imani means “hope and belief,” and Imani Winds inspired both of these qualities in the audience — hope for the future of chamber music and belief that if they just keep listening, Monday might come a little more slowly.
sexual tension between the two was less than palpable, ultimately Nemaei’s naiveté contrasted with Williams’s scatterbrained street smarts making for an endearing and balanced onstage repartee. Roux Nemaei’s presence lit up the stage for the entire show, stealing scenes with her subtle romantic glances and nervous tics. Nemaei seemed to know Sara inside and out. The character was played with such honesty that it was hard to focus on anyone but her during these scenes. In the post-beating scenes when she is bed-ridden and, later, in a wheelchair, her movements were so lifelike that the audience truly believed she was in pain and unable to move with her natural grace. The best scenes of the show were those in which the vulnerability, insecurity, anger and sadness of Williams’s Callie came through. The actress excelled in these dramatic moments, and more than one of her scenes evoked tears from the audience. Williams started off the show with evocative character choices that conveyed her insecurities about the new relationship. Unfortunately she stagnated in her scenes with Nemaei, as she spoke in monotone and didn’t connect with the other characters onstage. Sara and Callie both talk extensively about their sexual relationships with men. The decision to cast College first-year Grace Freeman Lifschutz as George, Callie’s ongoing “friend with benefits,” was a strange choice. Freeman Lifschutz played the character with dignity and quirky poise, and her portrayal of George was very honest and believable, but the relationship seemed to negate the idea that Sara and Callie’s relationship is a new and exciting same-sex experience. After all, Sara and Callie are confused about their relationship because neither has had strong feelings for another woman before. A subplot concerning a witness of the assault, played by College sophomore Amelia Durham, and a detective, played by College junior Noelle Hedges-Goettl, was somewhat overdramatic. Durham and Hedges-Goettl seemed unsure of who their characters were or what they wanted from their encounters and relationships with others. Their actions were larger than life — not ideal in a show that is grounded in realistic and natural situations. Bussard’s staging was simple and clean, allowing the words and actions of the characters to do the majority of the work. She also designed the set, which featured one large platform with the skyline of New York City painted over a purple ombre background, another clean and simple choice. The frequent, often unnecessary costume changes slowed down scene changes and could have been pared down without ill effect. Overall, however, Bussard’s obvious hard work on her entertaining and endearing directorial debut should be applauded. Stay tuned for her work in the future; it will only get better with time and practice.
Brimhall’s Poems Subvert Melancholy Mary Fischer In spite of the long list of awards and fellowships she has received, including the Barnard Women Poets Prize in 2011 and the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry in 2013, poet Traci Brimhall’s reading in King last Monday revealed a writer both humble and sincere, unaffected by success. As a candidate for a new position in Oberlin’s Creative Writing Department, Brimhall read a range of works and shared her creative process with a small audience of students and faculty, but never gave the impression of wanting to impress, a quality that also came through in her poetry. Brimhall’s reading began with a few poems from one of her latest works, Our Lady of the Ruins, which tells of journeys, grievances and the desire to live. Brimhall conveys these heavy concerns with both vivid, textured detail and explicit, sometimes brutally concrete images that carry within them elements of life and death. Each of Brimhall’s poems is like a Russian doll, one detail revealing another until at the core of each of her poems one finds a hot and explosive core, crumbling from the weight of prior damage. Rather than leaving her readers with a sense of despair, however, Brimhall leaves room in her poems for a delicate sense of hope that she reveals in close observations of the environment she describes. This tension is especially perceptible in her poem “Music from a Burning Piano,” in which the divine shifts places with See Subtlety, page 13
The Oberlin Review, February 14, 2014
Arts
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Nostalgic Melodies Brighten Community Benefit Local Band Turn the Corner Delights Audience at Fundraiser for Homeless Erik Larson The transporting beauty of Irish music rang loud and true at the First Church in Oberlin on Saturday, Feb. 8. With the sun finally out from behind the clouds and the vast space of the church filled with elderly residents, a sleepy, surreal quality pervaded, which was only made more powerful by the soft Celtic melodies. Family Promise of Lorain County, an organization that provides food, housing and support to homeless families, organized
the event and local band Turn the Corner, which has played and given workshops at the Conservatory, provided the music. The afternoon was awash with respect for those living less fortunate lives, and Family Promise took donations at intermission. As Turn the Corner bandleader Michael Kilbane reminded the audience during song breaks, traditional Celtic music is based in peasant roots and has none of the grand classical flavor of other Western European genres. As such, it was a perfect choice for
a day of reflection about what one can do to help others. For the non-God-fearing in the audience, there was blessed little preaching or sermonizing, as the religious heads of the church focused on fostering a sense of community. Family Promise works by volunteering church-goers’ homes to people in need. At intermission, three people came forward, all of whom were formerly homeless and had found shelter through the organization, and delivered heartfelt, impassioned testimonials
Members of local band Turn the Corner perform traditional Irish music at the First Church in Oberlin. The charity event was organized by Family Promise of Lorain County to help house and feed the local homeless. Zoë Madonna
about how Family Promise had changed their lives. A rustling sound overtook the audience as the three left the stage — attendees pulling out their checkbooks for sizable donations. The music itself was wonderful. While high-quality live Irish music is not exactly hard to come by around here, Turn the Corner set itself apart with sheer musical variety, covering as wide of scope of Irish music as possible, each different style and song expertly performed and brilliantly composed. For the most part, each of the 11 songs followed a different discipline of Irish music. There were jigs, reels, polkas, slides, hornpipes and more — some that inspired you to get up and dance, others to sit and let the interlocking melodies lull you to sleep. And interlock they did, with one movement flowing into another, giving the band the chance to utilize many different instruments and tempos per song. The last piece, a combination of several different styles and tempos, was a stunning finisher, weaving the slow and the fast together at a breakneck pace that made for a satisfying conclusion to a rewarding concert. The one wrinkle in the whole event came from overly long breaks between songs and the questionable quality of the content that filled them. Kilbane, the funny and genial leader of the band and the event’s impromptu host, tended to throw
in off-color jokes with casual Irish wit, which proved hilarious to college students, but aggravated some parents during what was supposed to be a “family” event. In addition, it seemed no one was happy with the length at which he spoke between songs, describing in painstaking detail –––––––––––––––––––––––––––
There were jigs, reels, polkas, slides, hornpipes and more — some that inspired you to get up and dance, others to sit and let the interlocking melodies lull you to sleep. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––
each tune and its origin. While initially interesting, the exercise soon grew tiring as the descriptions dragged on and Kilbane got lost in uninteresting tangents. The first time he told the audience about the penniless fiddler who wrote the next tune, it was delightful; by the fifth time, it was tiresome, dragging the one-hour event into 90-minute territory. After the concert, however, the one thing that stuck with the audience as it returned to the outside world was the enchanting music, beautifully performed and crafted, passed down over centuries, earnest and old. Here’s to the next time Irish music comes to Oberlin, and the time after. It’s a joy every time.
Subtlety and Detail Define Traci Brimhall Reading Continued from page 12 the earthly “in a city made by holy pilgrims who wander to it,” where “children are named historians” and “guards brand execution dates onto condemned bodies.” Taken together, the religious imagery and the images of a purposeless judicial system suggest a decay of both heavenly and earthly opportunities for justice. However, the poem’s haunting language and evocative images, like “skin a scaffolding of cells,” diminish the sense of violence and dissolution that would otherwise dominate the tone of the poem. Other poems, like “The Labyrinth,” assert a strong feeling of searching for one’s roots and identity. The desire to “resurrect truth” determines the spiritual tone and imagery of the poem. “We hold still to learn eternity” stands in juxtaposition to “the horrors they saw in the gargoyles’ mouths.” Brimhall seems to imply the infinite hope of humans for the goodness that endures in the “infinite abyss” that the world can be. As Brimhall mentioned during the reading, most of the inspiration for this particular work stemmed from the memories and stories her mother shared with her as a child, enabling Brimhall to weave together her own impressions of the world and the experiences of others. In addition to particular imagery that she explores, Brimhall said she also sometimes places specific constraints on form in some of her poems, as reflected in titles like “Gnostic Fugue” and “Prelude to a Revolution.” In the short Q&A session at the end of the reading, Brimhall left the audience with some insight into her creative process, which sounded surprisingly smooth and easy compared to the substantial themes of her poems. However, the 30-minute reading may not have allowed enough time to reveal the more frustrating sides of being a writer. Brimhall’s process aside, her final product was dark and fascinating, driven by melancholy themes and evocative language, culminating in a reading that may not have been cheerful, but was certainly worthwhile.
Sports
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IN THE LOCKER ROOM
The Oberlin Review, February 14, 2014
Matthew Walker and Randy Ollie
This week the Review sat down with sophomore men’s basketball players Matthew Walker and Randy Ollie to discuss the challenges of playing on the road, the first time they dunked and the NBA players they try to emulate. How has the season gone thus far? Matthew Walker: For what our expectations were in the beginning of the preseason, certainly below that. It started off pretty rough because we knew three of four teams [in the division] were ranked [nationally]. We knew we hadn’t really established an identity for ourselves yet and still had to figure it out. Our team went from one with a lot of potential to back to square one. Randy Ollie: We just haven’t played to our full potential yet, which is a good and a bad thing. Obviously it’s a bad thing since our record is not the greatest in the world, but it’s a good thing since we have a lot of basketball ahead of us and we still have a chance to do some special things in terms of the conference championship and maybe we can try to make the NCAA championships. What are your expectations for the last four games of the season? MW: If we win two out of our next three, we’ll make it to the conference tournament. If we get into the tournament, I don’t think there’s a team that can stop us if we play to our potential. What is the highlight of the season so far? RO: I would say beating DePauw [University] is my highlight. That was the first time Oberlin has ever beat a ranked team, so it was good to be a part of some part of history. MW: I think when we first played Wabash [College]. That was a team that we went out and completely demolished and demoralized and
Are there any pro players that you model your game after? MW: My two favorite players right now who I can say I play most like are Zach Randolph and, number two, my favorite player of all time, Charles Barkley. I’m nowhere near as athletic as Charles Barkley, but he was a 6’ 5” forward in the NBA, and I’m a 6’ 5” forward in college basketball. RO: I like to compare myself to an undersized LaMarcus Aldridge. My mid-range game isn’t as good, but it’s getting there.
Matthew Walker and Randy Ollie, sophomore basketball players made sure there wasn’t a chance for them to win. What’s the toughest part about playing on the road? RO: I would say the fans. You never know what you’re going to get between obnoxious and ridiculous. We just played at Allegheny [College] and a fan had a blow horn when I was shooting free-throws to start the game and that was kind of annoying. MW: Probably the referees. I remember an occasion against Wittenberg [University], and their biggest guy was trying to start fights with people. And, immediately after, the ref scolded us for it and then had a conversation with Randy. What’s the weirdest thing a fan ever said to you?
RO: ‘Do you know how to read?’ That was at DePauw this year. I didn’t get the joke, but I thought it was pretty funny. MW: At Kenyon [College], one of them was trying to get me to dance during the pregame. He was like, ‘I know you remember coming here. Come have fun.’ You’ve had seven losses by single-digits. How frustrating is that? MW: If anything, it’s a testament to our potential. Our potential is there. All those games, it comes down to the last three or four minutes, a stretch of maybe two missed shots, and they come down and make two baskets. Those are the stretches we need to do better in to win those games. RO: I think that if you can take
pride in a loss, you could make the argument that we can really play with anyone. We really only beat ourselves; no one ever beats Oberlin College basketball. How does your off-court relationship help foster on-court chemistry? MW: I think our team is pretty goofy with each other. In terms of on–court, we’ve been through six, seven, eight different lineup changes, so we all know how to play with everyone at this point. RO: I like to think of the team as kind of like a family. Coaches are parents, you got your older siblings, your younger siblings. Sometimes people make you mad and you want to pull your hair out, but at the end of the day, it’s all love, it’s all family.
What about Oberlin made you want to come here? MW: When I came to visit, I felt really, really comfortable. It didn’t seem like I would stick out like a sore thumb here. I could just fit in the way I wanted to fit in. The head coach and I have had a strong relationship. He seems like he’s really focused on my growth each day and each year. Also this school is beautiful. Except for in the winter. This sucks. RO: I came to visit and I just loved the team when I came. I loved the coaching staff and I got the sense that everyone wants the best out of you. There’s a lot of programs where you don’t feel that way in terms of academics, athletics and just the culture of the school. Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker? RO: Jabari Parker. I played against him in high school, seen him up close. He’s got the full package. In terms of whose game is NBA ready, that’s Jabari Parker. MW: I would have agreed with Jabari Parker, but Andrew Wiggins as of late has been great. I think he has more potential than Jabari. Unlike Jabari, he plays defense. Interview by Nate Levinson, Sports editor Photo Courtesy of OC Athletics
— Women’s Tennis —
Despite Strong Start, Obies Lose to Nationally Ranked Spartans Taylor Swift Coming off a solid 9–0 victory Saturday against the Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets, the Yeowomen were unable to withstand their competition Sunday as they took on the Case Western Reserve University Spartans, ranked No. 25 nationally, losing 6–3. Playing on their home court, the Yeowomen started out strong as ITA Central Region’s fourth-ranked player, senior Brenna Sheldon, soundly defeated her opponent Marianne Bonanno in the top spot, winning straight matches 6–1, 6–3 to secure the first point for the Yeowomen. On a team that is primarily underclassmen, lone senior captain Sheldon has excelled at stepping up to lead the team. “The team has changed a lot since I was a freshman. I think leading by example is the best I can hope to do for the team,” said Sheldon. Her success has greatly contributed to the growth and cohesion of the team, but she also credits “the younger girls who inspire [her] to work harder everyday.” One of these younger girls is first-year Olivia Hay, who on Sunday put up a fight
in a nail-biter against opponent Lauren Rover. Hay lost the first set 6–1 but returned on fire to win the second set 6–1. She then surged forward to break the tie, but couldn’t outlast Rover in the one-game super tie-breaker. Despite her loss, the team is optimistic about Hay’s potential for this season. “She fought hard, so that’s a really good sign for her future and hopefully she gained some confidence from that match,” said Sheldon. Even though some girls “didn’t play their best,” Sheldon sees this falter as an opportunity for growth, “because we all have lots of room for improvement going into next weekend and the rest of the season.” In the doubles matches, the Yeowomen were only able to secure one point coming from the second spot, as dynamic duo Sheldon and sophomore Erin Johnson resisted Surya Khadilkar and Sarah Berchuck to win 8–6. In the first spot, junior Grace Porter and first-year Emma Brezel fell 8–4 to the Spartans. Hay and sophomore Ariana Abayomi had a heartbreaking loss as well, losing 8–4 at No. 3.
“I think that all our doubles teams are working together really well considering that all our doubles pairings are new this year,” said Johnson, who excelled with partner Sheldon this past weekend. As a weakness, she noted that “many of us struggled with mental toughness. All of us can compete with all the Case girls when it comes to the physicality of tennis. The youth and inexperience of our team got in the way of our focus when the competition got tough.” Coming off one of these tough doubles losses, Abayomi bounced back to have a standout performance in singles at the fifth spot, winning her first set 6–3, before falling to opponent Sarah Berchuck 6–1. Despite the brief lapse in play, Abayomi went on to power through her one-game tie-breaker and defeat Berchuck, claiming the third point for the Yeowomen. The Yeowomen have high hopes going into the rest of their spring season and are looking to improve their endurance and finish strong in all their matches. “This year we are going to leave everything on the court no matter what and finish every match with no regrets,” said Abayomi. “If we do, we will be ready to battle any team.”
Junior Grace Porter eyes the ball inside the Heisman Club Field House. The women’s tennis team is off to a 1–2 start this season. Courtesy of Allison Gannon
The Oberlin Review, Febrary 14, 2014
Sports
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Track & Field Nabs Gold in Early Season Tournament Sarena Malsin The track and field team swept the Crimson and Gold invitational last weekend, topping the competition with cumulative scores of 197 and 166 points respectively. Among many notable victories, both Oberlin teams dominated the 800-meter race, with both the men and women finishing first. Senior Katrina Gelwick completed the race with a time of 2 minutes and 26.79 seconds, while sophomore Joshua Urso finished with a time of 1:57.80. Oberlin obtained victories in the longer distances as well, with sophomores Sarah Jane Kerwin winning the 3,000-meter in 10:33.75 and Sam Coates-Finke winning the 3,200-meter by 20 seconds with 9:06.79. Off the track, sophomore Larisa Lewis won the shot put, tossing 12.23 meters, while junior Tiffany Henry won the weight throw at 14.77 meters. Firstyear Robert Jamner also won the long jump, flying for 5.99 meters. This was the first meet where Oberlin was able to compete with the entire squad. “It helps that we had our whole team back,� said Gelwick. This was a welcome change from the “skeleton squad� that Head Coach Ray Appenheimer said competed in the three less successful January meets. Although the team separated over Winter Term, it was anything but unfocused. “Winter Term is when we get serious — you can’t think, ‘Oh, I’ll just start running next week,’� said Gelwick.
Appenheimer added that the track program allows members to pursue individual academic interests, especially over Winter Term, under the assumption that they continue to train. “This meet is a great indication that they did just that,� he said. Sophomore Geno Arthur also stressed the importance of Winter Term training. “If we weren’t on campus, we have to come back ready, and people here definitely have to be ready,� he said. “Everything we do is for the sake of being prepared.� Arthur was certainly prepared, coming in first in the men’s mile at 4:28.75. The team’s readiness showed in its collective dominance in races. Oberlin took the top four spots in the women’s 3,000-meter, the men’s mile and the men’s 800-meter, and the top three spots in both the men’s 3,200-meter and the women’s weight throw. Lewis chalks the team’s victory up to the talent and cohesiveness of the squad. “People are constantly snatching records from one another. That’s what makes it a good team — everyone’s comparable,� she commented. Appenheimer said that the team defies the common notion that track and field is an individual sport. “It impresses me how much they clearly love being around one another,� he said. “People are pulled along because teammates are right there with them.�
According to Gelwick, this type of teamwork and togetherness stems from the team’s training methods. “Workout groups really help you know where your teammates are and how they race,� she said. She mentioned that she and junior Norah Ryan worked together in the 800-meter, taking turns leading the race. It wasn’t just the team’s numbers and training that gave it an extra boost Friday night. Familiar fans on its home turf were a welcome sight as well. “It was nice to have the comfort level of a home meet, the place where I practice all the time,� said Lewis, who added that an unfamiliar location only adds to the stress of throwing. Arthur agreed. “Being at home, it’s great to see people you know there, people you don’t usually see at your meets.� Appenheimer enjoyed the energy at the meet, not only of the team, but also of the teammates’ friends who showed up to support them. “This kind of enthusiasm is a spark we’ll see the rest of the year,� said Appenheimer. The team hopes to see more of this support when the College hosts two more significant meets in the spring season. Oberlin will host the Bob Kahn Invitational meet in April and the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships in May. While early meets such as Friday’s are less significant to the team’s spring season record, Arthur said the team’s success provided critical motivation for future meets.
Sophomore Geno Arthur competes at the Crimson & Gold Invitational. The men’s track and field team finished first out of five teams. Courtesy of Brian Hodgkin
Editorial: Olympic Tweeting Pulls Spotlight from Athletes Continued from page 16 #SochiProblems Twitter feed than about the actual athletic events. In Stevie the other day, I overheard someone say, “Wouldn’t it be great if the United States didn’t win a single medal this year?� despite the fact that the American athletes have won twelve medals already. While the athletes continue to sacrifice their bodies for their countries, reporters and fans are distracted. Team USA has recorded several impressive victories in the first few days of the Olympics. The women’s hockey team had an impressive 9–0 victory over Switzerland. Jamie Anderson, a female snowboarder, was awarded gold in slopestyle, as was male snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg. Erin Hamlin became the first American, male or female, to earn a medal in the individual luge. On Thursday the U.S. trio of Joss Christensen, Gus Kenworthy and Nick Goepper swept the podium in freeski slopestyle, earning gold, silver and bronze respectively. This historic win flooded Twitter and many pictures were posted on Instagram. But how many of these social media fanatics actually watched the event? Russian skating legend Yevgeny Plushenko pulled out of the men’s short program on Thursday. Plushenko, now 31, began his career when he was 13-years-old at the Russian National skating competition. Over his 18-year career, Plushenko was a 2002 Olympic silver medalist, 2006 gold medalist, 2010 silver medalist and 2014 team gold medalist. Russia expected him to continue his historic career and bring home gold once again. Needless to say, the Russians are disappointed, just check Twitter. Norway, the all-time winter Olympic medal leader, currently leads the medal standings, buoyed by three gold medals in cross country skiing. The Russians are behind the U.S. even after earning a gold medal in team figure skating. These winter athletes are truly incredible to watch. Because of the increased media presence, the days of sitting with your eyes glued to the television are ending. While Sochi may not be the best location for the Winter Olympics, the Olympics are happening there regardless. The athletes are pouring all their energy into their two-minute skating performances and their 60-minute hockey games. Next time you refresh your Twitter feed, instead of going to #SochiProblems, go to #2014Sochi. Better yet, go to nbcolympics.com. Take a look at what the athletes have been doing. You may find yourself staring at your computer for the right reasons.
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Sports The Oberlin Review
Last week, Delta Lodge Director of Athletics Natalie Winkelfoos and President Marvin Krislov selected Assistant Coach Jay Anderson to be head football coach from a pool of over 200 applicants. Coach Anderson has been the interim coach since early December and has been with the Yeomen for four seasons. Over the course of his time as both defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Oberlin, Anderson has coached many players to All-NCAC and All-Ohio accolades and has aided in two shutout victories for the Yeomen defense. Anderson’s appointment as head coach was welcomed by many, including administrators, coaches and especially players. Senior captain and linebacker Kyle Kessler, who played a role in the hiring process, said, “[Oberlin] made the right move with Coach Anderson. He’s a guy that’s been with the program before; he knows what it takes to succeed at a place like Oberlin and with the unique challenges that a school like this presents.” Sophomore quarterback Lucas Poggiali is excited for what lies ahead. “Clearly what we were doing was not working. You can already see a change in our team’s work ethic. We have always been a hard working team, but now we are working smarter. I am really excited for Anderson to be the new coach. The
school is committed to an overhaul on the football team and is dedicated to the success of the program. Coach Anderson is the perfect person to lead this change.” While Anderson’s promotion was significant for the team, it was also important to him for personal reasons. Anderson, a native of Oberlin and a former football and track athlete at Oberlin High School, is excited that this new position allows him to return to his old stomping grounds after spending a year coaching Division II at University of Notre Dame. He is ready to make an impact in the Athletics department and the greater Oberlin community. Anderson has already started to make changes to the program. The focus this spring has been on recruiting and “changing the mindset in regards to the classroom,” said Anderson. “We have a team goal. We want a team 3.0 [GPA]. We want our players to excel in and out of the classroom because we want them sprinting over that finish line, not limping, with a championship ring on one hand and one of the finest [undergraduate] degrees of this country in the other.” It is this clear passion for football and desire to work with student-athletes at an academically rigorous institution that made Anderson stand out as a candidate. Winkelfoos is excited about Anderson’s goals and visions for this program. “Jay has a vision of excellence for the program. It’s a picture of students
achieving in the classroom, on the field and after four years with us on campus. His familiarity and understanding of Oberlin propelled him to the front of the pack of candidates. He grew up in Oberlin and has a connection and passion in seeing Oberlin College athletics get stronger that is difficult to match,” she said. This season, the Yeomen received some media attention because of the small size of the roster. With only 37 players and never more than 34 of them healthy, the Yeomen were the smallest collegiate football team in the nation. Anderson’s goal is to achieve a roster of about 50 players, which would likely make an incredible difference for the team’s future success. The football team had a goal of bringing in between 20 and 25 players next fall. According to Anderson, “We’re in that mad hunt of finishing up right now, but we are getting really close to reaching that goal.” President Marvin Krislov is also eager to see the team’s roster increase in size. “We need to have a larger squad, because our current numbers are not adequate for the health and safety of the players,” he said. “I am very excited about Jay Anderson. He has done a terrific job under somewhat difficult circumstances and has proven to be an effective recruiter. What I have heard from many students is that not only is he a good coach, but also someone they can look to as a mentor and a leader.”
— Men’s Basketball
Yeomen Inch Closer To NCAC Tournament Spot Tyler Sloan Staff Writer
Sophomore center Randy Ollie goes in for a layup against the DePauw University Tigers. Ollie has averaged 10.6 points and 8 rebounds per game this season. Lily Day
Oberlin has already seen the teams it will be facing in the upcoming weeks earlier in conference play this year. Although the Yeomen pulled off a 67–58 win against Allegheny in January, they lost previous matches against teams they will be seeing again soon, including a heartbreaking home game loss against Hiram that ended in a score of 73–71. “I want us to continue to im-
prove, play with consistency and take the fight to the other team. If we do those things, we earn the right to win some of these down the stretch,” Cavaco said. The Yeomen will face the Hiram College Terriers on the road this Saturday and then return home for a senior night double-header with the women’s team on Feb. 19 against the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan University.
Every two years, for two weeks, the world is abuzz with Olympic fever. But how much of this excitement is actually for the athletic competitions? Olympic athletes train for many years, putting their bodies through workouts most people would never dare to try, then catapult themselves through the air or slalom down a mountain for a mere two minutes. One small misstep or landing can cost athletes a medal or their career. Before Twitter feeds and instant replay, people would sit, transfixed by their televisions, watching the most talented athletes in the world do what they do best: compete. But the days of huddling around the TV are over. The Olympics are now less about the athletes and their accomplishments and more about social media. This decreased focus on athletics is particularly evident this year. By early February, the world was anxious to see what would happen in Russia. People were excited to find that Sochi was not ready for the Olympics. In the first 24 hours after reporters arrived, over 26,000 tweets were sent using the hashtag #SochiProblems. These tweets included pictures of unfinished hotels with cable wires in the shower, light fixtures on the floor, combined bathrooms and dirty tap water. Before the opening ceremonies began, the #SochiProblems Twitter feed had more followers than the official #2014Sochi feed. Walking around Oberlin, I have heard more conversations about the See Editorial, page 15
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After a hard-fought battle against the Wittenberg University Tigers, the men’s basketball team came up short in a 63–70 loss on Saturday, Feb. 8. The Yeomen kept the game exciting and at times closed the gap to just three points, but in the end they could not shut down the Tigers’ offensive momentum. Wittenberg, now 17–4, came out strong and immediately knocked down several three-point baskets. Oberlin held its own throughout the beginning of the first half, but headed into halftime down 11 points with a score of 34–23. Despite the powerful Tiger offense, Head Coach Isaiah Cavaco thought his team played well. “It was exciting to see us continue to raise our level of play each time Wittenberg made a run on us. I was also excited to see our guys play such good defense and not hang their heads on a tough offensive night,” Cavaco said. The Yeomen would continue to trail throughout the game, but came just within reach of the Tigers at 64–60 late in the second half. Sophomore Randy Ollie led this effort with six points to Wittenberg’s two during the scoring spree. The Evanston, IL native contributed an additional 13 points along with 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season and fifth of his career. However, this was not enough to stop the Tigers, who secured the win by scoring the final six points of the game. “Going into the game, I was confident that we could beat them, and after the game I thought that we let the win slip away from us,” said first-year Jack Poyle. “I thought we competed well and really played hard.” Poyle contributed nine points
coming off the bench, along with six rebounds. The 6’1” guard has seen lots of playing time in his first season and had a career-high 30 points in an early game against Franciscan University back in November. Despite their best efforts against Wittenberg’s defense, the Yeomen lost most of their major point-scoring opportunities at the foul line, making just 60 percent of their free throws. However, key players did put up their fair share of points in the contest. Senior Captain Geoff Simpson tallied 15 points for the Yeomen, and classmate Emmanuel Lewis added eight of his own. “Our physical effort was definitely there. We played hard. If we can do that, I feel like we can beat the top ranked teams in our conference. Other than a few mistakes, I felt like we were the better team Saturday,” Simpson said. Looking ahead, the Yeomen are nearing the end of their campaign for a spot in the conference tournament. The team, currently 6–15, will face difficult opponents in upcoming events with games against Allegheny College, Hiram College, Ohio Wesleyan University and The College of Wooster. Simpson believes that although these games will be challenging, his team will be successful. “Allegheny and Hiram will be tough games because they are on the road, but they are both games we expect to win. We need to put together a few days of solid practices and get ready to bring a full 40 minutes’ worth of effort to both games,” he said. Cavaco also spoke of the significance of future games. With clinching a tournament spot on the line, he believes that all the teams have something at stake and that this will make for extremely tough competition.
Sarah Orbuch Sports Editor
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Lillian Jahan
Scandal Reigns in Sochi
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Football Ushers in New Era with Anderson
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— Football —
February 14, 2014
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