VotingIsSexy Initiative Hopes

Gigi Ewing Production Editor

In light of a perceived lack of voter participation among Oberlin students, College fourth-year Eli Kirshner and others saw Ohio’s upcoming presidential primary on March 17 as an opportunity to start a #VotingIsSexy initiative on Oberlin’s campus.

The #VotingIsSexy campaign started in fall 2018 at the University of Michigan. The project was spearheaded by Stephanie Rowden, associate professor at the Penny W. School of Art & Design, and several of her students. At both UM and Oberlin, #VotingIsSexy aims to close the gap between the number of students who are eligible to vote and the number who actually show up at the polls by reframing voting as a “sexy” activity.

“We’re trying to make voting something that is celebrated and visible on campus, where people don’t feel like … ‘That’s just something adults do,’ or ‘My vote doesn’t have any meaning,” Kirshner said. “Actually, if we [vote] as a collective … our generation in this coming 2020 election … has outsized potential.”

Working toward this goal, the students involved in the #VotingIsSexy project have taken an energetic approach in galvanizing young voters. #VotingIsSexy members, including Kirshner, College fourth-year DaQuan Williams, Conservatory fourth-year Neko Cortez, and College third-years Jasmine Mitchell and Claudia Olaes were stationed at Stevenson and Lord-Saunders Dining Halls, where they provided voter registration forms and helped guide students through their registration, which ended Feb. 18.

Team members, sporting hot pink #VotingIsSexy t-shirts, have also added a pop of color to the registration process by passing out brightly colored pins with messages such as “Voting Is Sexy” and “Poll Dancer” to newly-registered student voters.

Kirshner hopes that these unusual voting advertisements will inspire curiosity and eventual participation among the student body.

“It starts a conversation,” Kirshner said. “People ask, ‘voting is sexy?’ It kind of throws them off … and it just gets them to think of it in a different way.”

The team is also planning a series of exciting events to boost the project’s visibility on campus. In the weeks leading up to the primary, look out for a line of #VotingIsSexy t-shirts in the Black History Month fashion show and a popup photo shoot on campus. Additionally, to increase voter accessibility on the day of the primary, volunteers will be running a “Voting Is Sexy-mobile” that will pick students up and drop them off at the polls. #VotingIsSexy does not stand alone in its efforts to expand voter participation on campus.

“We’re part of a much larger coalition,” Kirshner said. “There’s other really great work that’s happening.”

The #VotingIsSexy team meets regularly with several other groups, such as the Oberlin Voter Friendly Campus chapter, the League of Women Voters, and members of the College administration, to discuss outreach strategies and volunteer training. Oberlin appears on a national list of VFC-designated campuses, signifying the institution’s work to develop sustainable, long-term plans through which students can become and remain actively engaged in the electoral process. “This work is an essential aspect of our VFC efforts that have brought community members, faculty, staff, and students around the same table ‘strategizing to engage students and set clear goals so a path can be created in advance of upcoming elections,’” wrote Adrian Bautista, assistant vice president of student life, in an email to the Review, quoting in part from the VFC website.

Bautista also praised the work the #VotingIsSexy team has been doing across campus.

“A key aspect of any effective campus election engagement project is building excitement and visibility,” Bautista wrote. “The #VotingIsSexy operation that Eli Kirshner and DaQuan Williams are spearheading has our whole Voter Friendly Campus team thrilled and I’m sure it will be infectious across campus.” The Ohio primary is Tuesday, March 17. Students with questions can visit oberlin.edu/vote. Members of Oberlin’s #VotingIsSexy initiative gather to prepare for the March 17 Ohio presidential primary.

Photo by Mallika Pandey, Photo Editor Students Protest Outsourcing Proposal

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vendors to produce sufficiently highquality services.

For LaRizza, the management experience of any potential vendor is a concern.

“These people that they’re going to hire [won’t have] as much experience [as] I have or expertise that most people have,” LaRizza said.

Vazquez-Skillings said that quality will remain a priority for the institution moving forward.

“We are very early in this process, with many options available to us,” Vazquez-Skillings wrote in an email to the Review. “What is established is our commitment to secure quality services that will allow Oberlin to focus its efforts and resources on the parts of our core mission that we are uniquely qualified to offer. This is an important moment for the institution, and we will proceed down the path that best serves that mission, now and for generations to come.”

On Wednesday morning in Knowlton, Vazquez-Skillings repeated President Ambar’s statement that any potential vendors could also employ a unionized workforce; her statement was met with laughter from the assembled crowd of UAW workers and student supporters.

Next Steps According to Vazquez-Skillings, regardless of what happens next, the upcoming negotiations between the College and UAW will be the most significant in recent memory.

“This may be the first time in recent history we enter into union negotiations specifically regarding terms that will produce this level of savings,” VazquezStudents assembled at King Building Wednesday. Photo by Mallika Pandey, Photo Editor

Skillings said. “Certainly, every three years, we are entering into negotiations with the union. … We’ve had prior negotiations regarding terms with financial impact, but nothing at this level in recent history.”

President Ambar added that it’s possible that employees who lose their Oberlin jobs as a result of outsourcing could find employment with new campus vendors.

“We hope that the potential vendors will take seriously the applications from our employees, and we hope that many, many people will have an opportunity through our vendors [to] still be a part of our Oberlin family,” President Ambar said. However, neither President Ambar nor Vazquez-Skillings were able to guarantee that current UAW workers would be given the opportunity to work with new vendors.

Villar wants to see the College demonstrate more loyalty to its employees.

“A majority of our members … have had generations of family members work here,” Villar said, according to the Wednesday evening press release. “To be told out of the blue on a random Tuesday … that these changes would be implemented in less than four months is a slap in our face to everyone here.”

For LaRizza and others, the anxiety caused by President Ambar’s announcement is here to stay.

“It’s just going to be really hard to get through the rest of the year … just to know that the horrible outcome [is coming] at the end,” LaRizza said. “It’s going to be tough for everybody.”

For now, Schlensker is hoping the administration will walk back their proposal.

“I think the ultimate goal is that I would like to see senior administration decide not to go through with outsourcing as of right now,” Schlensker said. “They haven’t officially committed.” At the Wednesday morning meeting, Vazquez-Skillings said that official communication from the College regarding the outsourcing proposal will be quiet for the next few weeks as the College engages in discussions with Villar and other union leadership.

Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020 1:15 p.m. A student reported the theft of several items from their jacket pocket while at The ’Sco on Feb. 12. The jacket was left on a bench inside The ’Sco. Lost items included miscellaneous keys and wireless headphones. 10:04 p.m. A student reported that the stove in the co-op kitchen at Keep Cottage was expelling gas due to the pilot lights being off. A maintenance technician and the Oberlin Fire Department responded. Temporary repairs were made and plumbers responded the next morning.

Friday, Feb. 14, 2020 7:25 a.m. Staff reported vandalism in an elevator and two bathrooms in South Hall. Graffiti was written in blue marker on the walls. Photographs were taken, and the area was cleaned.

Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 3:03 a.m. A student requested a Campus Safety officer to assist a visitor who was ill. The individual was transported from Fairchild House to Mercy Allen Hospital for treatment.

Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020 1:09 a.m. A resident of a Goldsmith Village Housing Unit reported that they were unable to sleep due to loud music. Officers responded to the area and located two parties. One authorized party was advised to turn the music down and complied. Attendees of another unauthorized party were advised the party was ending and were told to leave the area.

1:55 a.m. Officers were requested to assist a student, ill from alcohol consumption, on the third floor of Dascomb Hall. The student was coherent, able to answer all questions asked, and declined medical treatment. The student was escorted to their room for the night. 10:28 p.m. A student-worker reported a bat flying around in the main gym at Warner Center. Officers checked the building, but the bat was not located. Officers checked again later and were still unable to find it.

Monday, Feb. 17, 2020 11:24 p.m. A resident of Talcott Hall reported that there was possibly a bat in their room. Officers responded and checked the room, but could not locate a bat. The student was advised to call again if a bat is spotted.

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020 7:01 a.m. Staff at the McGregor Skybar reported extensive damage to the Skybar’s refrigerator and several missing items. After viewing camera footage, officers identified two juveniles. The Oberlin Police Department was notified, and charges will be filed. 2:40 p.m. An officer responded to a report of graffiti in the second-floor restroom in the Carnegie Building. Nonoffensive graffiti was written on the mirrors with blue marker. A work order was filed for cleanup.

Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020 2:30 a.m. A student reported hearing what sounded like someone screaming just north of Talcott Hall. Officers responded and checked the area, including Tappan Square, but did not observe anything out of the ordinary.