May 8, 2015

The Oberlin Review

MAY 8, 2015 VOLUME 143, NUMBER 23

Local News Bulletin News briefs from the past week Sterk’s Goes to Work Sterk’s at Oberlin held its grand opening this Tuesday after months of renovation.

The family catering business is located at 580 West Lorain Street, Presti’s former location. Sterk’s at Oberlin serves German, English, Polish and Slovenian foods, including sandwiches. The facilities include a tavern with live entertainment and a banquet room for private parties.

Cleveland Hosts Annual Marathon The 38th annual Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon will take place the weekend of May 16 and 17. The organizers will host a 5K and Kids’ Run on Saturday and a marathon, half marathon and 10K on Sunday. Cleveland will also host a Health and Fitness Expo with gear for sale and workshop opportunities prior to the event on Friday and Saturday. Three members of the Oberlin cross country team plan to run in the marathon and several other Oberlin students will be competing in different events, including College senior, track team member and Review Editor-in-Chief Rose Stoloff.

Judge Deliberates Over Brelo Verdict The month-long trial of Cleveland Police Officer Michael Brelo ended this Tuesday. Brelo was charged with two counts of voluntary manslaughter after firing 49 bullets into a car, killing Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams, both Black and unarmed. Twelve police officers shot at the car, but only Brelo, who fired the last 15 shots while standing on the hood, was charged. Judge John P. O’Donnell, who is currently deliberating and “not oblivious” to the Baltimore protests, said he may not announce the decision until mid-May to distance the verdict from the events in Baltimore.

Senate Endorses Financial Accessibility Elizabeth Dobbins News Editor Student Senate passed a resolution supporting the tuition protests and recent action around financial accessibility during plenary last Sunday.

This resolution was passed a week after tuition activists brought a different resolution, which called for a tuition freeze, before Senate.

Senate discussed this original resolution but did not pass it, an action that inspired a letter to the editor last week condemning Senate’s inaction and questioning the organization’s relevance (“Silence on Tuition Hike

Proves Senate’s Irrelevance,” The Oberlin Review, May 1, 2015).

College senior Dan Quigley, the main author and a signer of the letter, said the piece was a tool to push Senate into action.

“The letter was a means to an end — an idea based on public leveraging of Senate to not beat around the bush,” said Quigley. “That letter and the public indictment of Senate [was] for not being immediately, or very, very quickly being, behind the student body. That was more of a tool than a wholesale condemnation of the Senate.”

According to Senator and College junior Machmud Makhmudov, Sena-

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tors supported the tuition protests but disagreed on the specifics.

“The disagreement was more so on tactics and specificity and not the general goal. I think everyone was very much in support of financial accessibility.”

Senator and College senior Molly Brand said Senate wanted to consider different ideas and approaches before releasing a resolution.

“The major qualms that I share and that people talked about is wanting Senate to be more than just a rubber stamp,” she said. “We’re an elected body and, in my opinion, we’re elected to have discussions and produce our

College senior Zachery Crowell (center) and student senators discuss the tuition freeze. Senators passed a resolution supporting the protests but have dissagreed about the most effective way to support financial accessibility.

Effie Kline-Salamon

own thoughts that incorporate and include student input. So it’s so significant that 1,000 students supported a petition that endorses that specific language specifically calling for a tuition freeze, but that doesn’t mean that Senate is required to get behind that exact proposal.”

Brand said the resolution the activists presented to Senate called for a tuition freeze, and she, along with other Senators, said she knew the administration was not going to support this action. She said she felt that the resolution Senate endorsed should instead try to use Senate’s capital with the administration to take an immediately productive stance.

The resolution Senate passed calls for increased transparency, the presentation of “a set of concrete proposals related to cost-cutting and financial accessibility” to students next semester and the creation of a financial accessibility working group that would include students, faculty and administrators.

Student Senator and College sophomore Jordan Ecker said he sees the different approaches of the proposed resolutions as an example of a common division among activist efforts on campus — the division between “coping,” or working with the administration to make incremental changes, and “fighting,” or working towards systemic change and refusing to cooperate with the administration.

“It really just depends on how long-term your view is,” Ecker said. “If you’re interested in mostly just your four years here, then coping is the way to go. If you’re interested in the largerSee Students, page 4

OCBC Gathers Community Opinions on Green Acres Hannah Jackel-Dewhurst Staff Writer The Oberlin Community Benefits Coalition, an organization dedicated to creating opportunities for community members, asked Oberlin City Council to delay moving forward with the Green Acres project, a proposed mixed-income housing development, during last Monday’s City Council meeting. Members of OCBC said they feel that City Council has not heard enough feedback from residents about the project and should wait to begin the rezoning process until OCBC can gather more community input.

“We’re not here to stop the project. Our aim is to define the community requirements,” said OCBC co-chair Arlene Dunn at a City Council meeting Monday.

During the meeting, the Council decided to postpone voting on the preliminary site plan after receiving a letter signed by several community members requesting a delay. The letter’s request was based on input from a community meeting hosted by OCBC on April 23. The majority of attendees at the meeting signed the letter, including member of the Planning Commission Peter Crowley.

According to the document, members of the community are concerned about “job opportunities for local residents, contract opportunities for local businesses, well defined objectives for affordability, sustainability, and diversity and assistance for current homeowners in distressed housing.”

The letter also called for better communication between the city and the community.

“The city’s process for pursuing this project

Softball Fever

Demanding Divestment Students push the College to divest from fossil fuels.

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ONLINE & IN PRINT

Bomb Bands Second annual Little Fest will showcase strong array of musical talent.

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INDEX:

Opinions 5

This Week in Oberlin 8

The 40–40 Club plays the Skinflutes this Saturday in the intramural softball championship.

See page 16

Arts 10

Sports 16

has been ineffective thus far, especially in soliciting community input and support for the project and that there is a need for much better communication on many levels,” stated the letter.

OCBC was formed just over a year ago, and one of the organization’s main goals is to guide the formation of Community Benefits Agreements — agreements between community groups with input from local residents and either the developer of a project or the city government.

“These agreements list what the community wants to get out of the proposed project, like union standards and wage agreements, might include having green space provided for, people being displaced — what are the See City, page 4

on the

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The Oberlin Review, May 8, 2015

Committee Reviews Campus Safety Policies Oliver Bok News Editor The presidential working group on Safety and Security recently sent students a survey asking for their experiences with and perceptions of Safety and Security. The working group is currently gathering information and tentatively plans to submit its recommendations for changes to Safety and Security policies before the start of the fall semester.

“Our job is not to independently assert our ideas,” said Charles Peterson, associate professor of Africana Studies and a member of the working group. “We’re a filter; we gather information and then we form our recommendations. … This is a good time for all well-meaning institutions to review campus security policies.”

In his column in The Source, President Krislov announced the creation of the committee last semester in response to the deaths of Tamir Rice and Michael Brown.

“I am convening a working group to assess the best principles and practices for ensuring campus safety in an inclusive and equitable fashion,” President Krislov wrote on December 3. “The working group, which will include significant student representation, will meet with a wide range of campus constituencies and contribute to related policy develop-

ment in tandem with any required collective bargaining.”

Krislov’s announcement also came in the wake of Darren Wilson’s non-indictment on November 24, 2014 and an incident involving Safety and Security officers and College junior Kiki Acey. The incident took place on the night of the Wilson non-indictment announcement and started when Safety and Security officers saw Acey and other students placing a banner on Mudd library in protest.

“I remember [Safety and Security Officer David Bender] picking up his pace and beginning to run after us,” Acey said in Oberlin Municipal Court on April 20. “I was informed, and I had informed my friends, that Safety and Security personnel were not allowed to chase students or to physically detain them. And so I told those that I was with that we were going to walk away. … As I’m running, out of nowhere Officer Cannon jumps out in front of me, and he says, ‘Stop.’ I try to go around him and avoid him, and he grabs me and throws me to the ground. … I was trying to get up from the ground, but he wouldn’t let me get back up.”

According to the Oberlin police report filed

by Sergeant Patrick Durica, Acey “ran into Cannon and began slapping him in the chest.” The Oberlin Police Department then arrived at the scene. Acey “continued pulling away and shouting obscenities,” the police report stated. The

police officers arrested Acey, who was charged with assault, resisting arrest and persistent disorderly conduct. An Oberlin jury found Acey guilty of persistent disorderly conduct and not guilty of resisting arrest on April 21; the assault charge was dropped during the trial.

As Acey’s testimony shows, the actions of Safety and Security sometimes seem to conflict with what students believe the organization’s policies allow. The presidential working group is focused on making more Safety and Security policies publicly available.

“Part of what we’re focusing on is to make Safety and Security policies accessible and clearly understood by the community,” Peterson said. “Transparency can only benefit.”

According to Marjorie Burton, the director of Safety and Security, the impact of increased transparency can be mixed.

“Transparency is good, but transparency is also a gift for someone that might not mean well. So do you want to give away all your security [policies]? There’s some of it you do, there’s some of [it] that’s questionable and there’s some that you don’t.”

While Burton declined to comment on any specific case, she was willing to speak to the Review about Safety and Security policies in general. Burton first stated that Safety and Security primarily serves as a conduit for information for the College and generates over

1,300 reports a year.

“When we’re in a situation of response to someone’s concern, or something we observe in relation to all of these rules, guidelines, suggested responses — when we’re there, we’re trying to gain information,” Burton said.

“That’s our basic function: gain information and then involve the right people. … It’s not a law enforcement role.”

Burton also said that the only kind of scenario in which it would be appropriate for officers to pursue or physically restrain individuals would be one that involves safety: “Safety of the person; safety of the officer; safety of someone else in the community.”

According to Burton, Safety and Security contacts the Oberlin Police Department when dealing with a range of situations. “[We call the police] if there’s an ongoing felony, or a report of a felony, property felony or a physical felony,” Burton said. “And then there’s other times when there is a physical assault that doesn’t rise to being a felony assault because that’s again a safety thing, a physical safety concern about a person. There are things that are required in Ohio law that we have to report that might not be required in other states. … And then there’s times when there’s an uncooperative person and it’s more of a policy of the College and the Department to have the police respond.”

Students Lobby Trustees for Fossil Fuel Divestment Melissa Harris Staff Writer A group of five students — College sophomore Ellie Lezak, doubledegree sophomore Hayden Arp, College sophomore Jasper Clarkberg, College first-year Naomi Roswell and College senior Stephen Lezak — is pushing the Board of Trustees to approve its proposal to divest the College’s endowment from fossil fuels. The Board is currently in the process of deciding how to proceed and may begin discussing the issue at its next meeting in June.

Last June, the Board of Trustees released a divestment resolution that created a specific institutional pathway for divestment proposals.

The resolution required successful proposals to meet three criteria.

“The proposal had to show how investments in the target companies ‘shock the moral conscience,’ in the language [the Board] used.

It had to be supported by the Oberlin community and it had to have a specific negative impact on the companies,” said Roswell. “And so our proposal addressed those three topics.”

The students began working on their proposal when they discovered that the College did not have a plan to divest from oil companies.

“It came as a surprise to all of us that Oberlin didn’t have a fossil fuel divestment movement already,

and [we] were at a Trustee forum at the beginning of the year in October when Stephen [Lezak] asked about divestment, and [we] talked about it a little bit after, just introducing ourselves, and it just grew from there,” Roswell said. “We are not a specific organization; we’re just five people who came together to write a proposal.”

The proposal that they drafted asks the Board of Trustees to remove any direct holdings in the biggest-emitting fossil fuel companies from the College’s endowment.

In the document, they address the strains that fossil fuel emissions put on the environment, the repercussions of these emissions and how the College’s investments in fossil fuel companies represent tacit approval of the environmental damage. The students also suggested that divesting from fossil fuel companies would not be a harmful financial decision for the College.

John Petersen, Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies, argued for divestment by describing how divesting from fossil fuels had previously proved financially beneficial for the city of Oberlin.

“Three or four years ago now, the city [of Oberlin] decided to vote down a long-term investment in coal-fired electricity,” Petersen said. “The Oberlin Municipal Power and Light was being pressured to

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May 8, 2015

Published by the students of Oberlin College every Friday during the fall and spring semesters, except holidays and examination periods.

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A group of students in favor of divesting the College from fossil fuels march in the Big Parade on Saturday, May 2. Students have submitted a divestment proposal to the Board of Trustees.

Elizabeth Dobbins

make a long-term investment in a new coal-powered fire plant, along with 30 something other local municipal utilities. Oberlin was one of two communities to vote down that investment, and because we voted down, we saved a lot of money because that plant was never built, and all of the communities that voted yes for that fossil fuel investment were in for planning costs that we saved for voting it down. We saved over a million dollars by voting it down.”

Petersen also said that refraining from divesting from fossil fuels

Julia Liv Combe Herbst Allegra RoseKirkland Stoloff Managing editor Samantha Taylor Field Link News editors Rosemary Oliver Boeglin Bok Elizabeth AlexDobbins Howard Opinions editor Will Kiley Rubenstein Petersen This Week Weekeditor editor Hazel Zoë Strassman Galloway Arts editors Danny Kara Brooks Evans Vida Georgia Weisblum Horn Sports editors Nate Quinn Levinson Hull Madeleine Tyler O’Meara Sloan Layout manager editors Sarah TiffanySnider Fung Layout editors Josh BenBlankfield Garfinkel Alanna AbigailSandoval Carlstad Photo editors Talia OliviaRodwin Gericke Business manager Brannon Rockwell-Charland Ian Campbell Online Ads manager editor Jeremy AlannaReynolds Bennett Editors-in-chief Editors-in-Chief

would harm the College’s chances of reaching its goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2025.

In the final portion of the proposal, the students proposed that the Board of Trustees oversee a reallocation of any direct endowment investment holdings over the next two years in the top 12 companies responsible for greenhouse gas emissions globally.

“Together, these corporations and their predecessor companies are responsible for 24 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions between 1854 and 2010,” says the CyrusCurtis Eosphoros Cook SaviMike Sedlacek Plotz Reshard el-Shair Effie Kline-Salamon SophiaGiseburt Bamert Annelise Stephanie Bonner Abbey Bisesi Emma Eisenberg Julia TaylorDavis Field Lya Finston Katherine Hamilton Jennifer JuliaJimenez Hubay Tracey Knott Joseph Kenshur Noah Morris Olivia Pandolfi Anna Peckham Sophia Seibert Silvia Sheffield Michael Swantek Drew Wise Antonia JoeChandler Camper Edmund Metzold Joseph Dilworth Talia Krehbiel-Boutis James Kuntz

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proposal. Among the 12 companies, some of the biggest emitters listed in the proposal include the Chevron Corporation, ExxonMobil, Saudi Arabian Oil Company and BP. The students hope that if the College divests from fossil fuels, other academic institutions will follow the College’s practices.

To promote this proposal, the students looked for endorsements from different groups on campus.

They received letters of support from the Committee of Environmental Sustainability and Student Senate, both of which were published in the Review last week.

“Our goal, as Student Senate’s voice, as representatives of the student body, is for a larger push for it, so that we hope that our participation will lend more legitimacy to the work of the smaller group of students who are pushing for divestment by showing that the student body’s representatives are in support of divestment from fossil fuels,” said Student Senate member and College senior Molly Brand.

In addition, the students have received letters of support from different student organizations and two alumni groups: EnviroAlums and Oberlin Alumni for a Responsible Endowment. The five students said that they have been trying to work collaboratively with the Board of Trustees, as well.

Corrections: In “Community of Improv Performers Corrections Grows Tighter,” the rivalry mentioned refersThe to an incident from several Review is not aware of years ago. Primitive Streak is actually a freeform any corrections this week. troupe and Sunshine Scouts is a longform troupe.

Additionally, quoteall about The Review strivesthe to print homogeneity the current information mischaracterizes as accurately as possible. makeup thethe Oberlin improv community.

If youoffeel Review has made an error, pleaseto send e-mail toon In “Students GiveanFeedback managingeditor@oberlinreview.org.

Blackboard, Other Technologies,” the name of the director of OCTET was misspelled.

His name is Albert Borronni.

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The Oberlin Review, May 8, 2015

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Off the Cuff: Wang Yongchen, Chinese environmental activist and reporter Wang Yongchen is the founder and president of the environmental NGO Green Earth Volunteers and the Senior Environmental Reporter for China National Radio. Wang hosted two pioneering radio programs on environmental concerns: “Classroom on Wednesday” and “Journalist’s Salon.” In 1994, she was the first winner of the Prize for Environmental News. Wang also won the Earth Award in 2001 and was selected as the World Environment Figure by Conde Nast Traveler in 2004. Wang has reported on and engaged with a wide range of environmental issues in China, including the effect hydropower dams have on China’s rivers and air pollution in Inner Mongolia.

What does your organization, Green Earth Volunteers, do?

We set it up in 1996. I work in National Radio China. Before I was thinking that China is very poor, but we do have a very beautiful area of nature — animals, trees. But after developing so quickly, the sky [was] polluted, the rivers [were] stopped by the hydropower, the people forgot that nature is our friend. So I was thinking for the media, “We need nature.” I wrote articles but I couldn’t [do] some activities. If we can spend our holidays, our weekends and do some education not only for the normal people but also for many journalists, together we do it. So it must be very interesting and also influence our media, I think. In 1996, the Luce Foundation support[ed] this activity. … They also have a project called China Woman Leaders program. In 1996, I came here to the United States; I understand the United States and how [it] can manage volunteers who care about the nature. So after I came back, I asked journalist friends [about] how we can come together. …

We have bird watching, tree planting, conservation [of the] Yangtze dolphins. But from 2003 we heard [that at] every river they set up big dams except one river, called Nu River. So from 2003 until now, we’ve used the 12 years to keep this river free. Green Earth Volunteers is already 19 years old. Every day we have the news. We collect the whole country’s environmental news. We publish this on the website.

Every weekend on Saturday we … enjoy home towns’ river[s]. More than 10 cities have a river watch, to understand the history, the culture,

Thursday, April 30 6:41 a.m. A custodial staff member reported vandalism to the Langston Hall sign north of the dorm. At the time of the report, the sign had only one vertical post with the address. While investigating, officers found an unregistered bicycle in the dumpster behind Union Street apartments. A work order was filed for removal of the bicycle.

8:12 a.m. Members of the grounds staff reported a vehicle parked perpendicular in the Union Street parking lot. It appeared that the vehicle was moved by individu-

Wang Yongchen, environmental activist and reporter, who gave a talk on Tuesday

the nature. … If some environmental issue happens, like an earthquake or pollution, we can ask scientists and officials [to] give the journalists education. And also, we can have dialogue[s] and argue with each other; it’s different every week. Every year we have two big trips — river trips [to] Southwest China, with the six biggest rivers the government is planning more than 100 big dams. … From 2010, we began a Yellow River trip, the country’s second biggest river. Now we are only two full-time staff, but we have more than 100,000 volunteers join us.

What’s the current state of the Nu River and the rivers in China in general?

I don’t know how I can describe the China river issue; it may be too big. Some of the rivers are polluted, very terrible issues. But my thinking is that the big environmental issues in China are the river issues. Not only pollution but also the hydropower. The rivers, they need life, and if you stop the rivers, colorful plants and fish disappear. The rivers are not only for the humans but also for the other life, biodiversity. It’s also difficult to help them because if they’re polluted, it may just be on the one factory, or two factories, beside the river, so you can stop them, you can ask them to change. But [with] the hydropower, it’s a company policy; it’s a national company policy, as you can also see, it’s the country’s policy. So in Yangtze River, we have the Three Gorges Dams.

A lot of scientists criticized these dams as ter-

als and not involved in an accident.

The owner of the vehicle was contacted to move the vehicle.

10:32 a.m. Officers and members of the Oberlin Fire Department responded to a fire alarm in the basement of the Goldsmith apartments. The alarm was caused by excess moisture and heat from a disconnected dryer duct. The duct was replaced, the alarm was reset and the laundry company was notified.

Friday, May 1 10:31 a.m. Officers responded to a report of three individuals on the roof of the Oberlin Inn. The students were taking pictures of the town from the roof for a project.

Officers told them they were not al-

rible, but the country’s government thought that we needed energy. … So if you want to change, it’s very difficult. But for us, because [of] Green Earth Volunteers, most volunteers come from the Chinese media, national media, so we can write articles, make programs, influence policy. I think in China we have the law, but sometimes the law doesn’t work. So if the media cares about nature, cares about environmental policy, change is easier.

Have you ever received pushback on account of your environmental advocacy?

I think that because I work in the media, … you can write a small story to tell more people about why this story can happen. This I think I can do; I can also ask the journalists that join us. So every year, we have a river trip.

We have no money; the government doesn’t want these activities. We’re also afraid that if a foreigner gives us the money to do this, the Chinese government might not like it. The journalists, when they join us, first so that they can find very small stories, understand the very poor people life. … This year is the 10th year. More than 100 journalists are joining us. Some journalists, after being with us, care about nature. … In the future, in their heart, they will still remember we need to care about nature.

sonal, because you can influence many people. And now it’s also you can have the website, you can have Twitter, any place you can get pictures. Every picture is a story. Where did you get this picture? You can use the pictures to influence many people. …

I’m already thinking about Oberlin College; when I came here on the first day, I got some pictures for Twitter for Chinese friends. One lady, a professor, 10 years ago she also studied in the United States. She saw my pictures and she said, “The United States can use so much energy. If the whole world used energy like the United States, the one Earth is not enough.”

Why is it so beautiful here? We can ask: How can we make our hometown like here? But like here we need a lot of money and energy.

She said, “We like the nature, but if this life needs a lot of resources, how can we use so many resources and [preserve] nature?” I think this [is] a really different opinion.

In your work, how much do you focus on the health impacts of environmental pollution?

For us, we mostly pay attention to river health, not only human health. If there’s no river health, how can you have human health?

This is where our focus is.

Do you think the environmental movement in China is a political movement too, in some sense?

In China, a lot of foreigners criticize us on human rights. We have no democracy, but I think that [in] China democracy may be from the environmental activities because, as I showed you, we keep the river free. This is the influence on policy. Before, this must be central government-decided, but now we can change. I don’t want to talk about this as a political issue. I think of this as an environmental issue. But environmental issues still have a policy [aspect]. So how can we influence policy? This I think we can do; we already do it.

Look at Nu River. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao already three times said, “Oh, we need to care about this issue.” In Inner Mongolia, with the pollution, the sitting president Xi Jinping said, “Oh, we must stop this pollution.” So what is this? Is it political? Environmental? These are high officials who care about this.

On a personal level, what made you first care about environmental issues?

If you’re a journalist, you’re not only per-

lowed on the roof.

1:15 p.m. A grounds staff member reported that a black Sherwin Williams pressure washer, valued at $800, was missing from East Field storage. The pressure washer was last seen in July of 2014.

1:45 p.m. Officers were requested to assist a student who was injured when they fell off a bicycle.

The student was transported to Mercy Allen Hospital for treatment.

Saturday, May 2 7:08 p.m. An officer assisted a student who injured their ankle while at the Arboretum. The student was transported from Keep Cottage to Mercy Allen Hospital for treatment.

9:21 p.m. The Oberlin Police

Department notified Safety and Security that officers had recovered a stolen bicycle belonging to a student. The bicycle was transported to the Security Office for safekeeping.

Monday, May 4 12:07 a.m. Officers and members of the Oberlin Fire Department responded to an activated carbon monoxide detector at a Village Housing unit on West College Street.

No carbon monoxide was detected and the detector was replaced.

3:05 p.m. Members of the Philips gym staff reported the theft of four hitting tees and two pitching machines from the Williams Field House storage area. The missing items were valued at $4,500. A re-

Interview by Oliver Bok, News editor Photo by Yingran Nan Zhang

port was also filed with the Oberlin Police Department.

3:20 p.m. Facilities staff reported non-offensive graffiti on two exterior walls of the Cox Administration Building.

3:51 p.m. A student reported the theft of a backpack containing a black Canon Camcorder and battery pack, valued at $650, from Price House on May 1. The items were left unattended in the lounge.

Tuesday, May 5 9:50 p.m. A student reported the theft of a textbook after leaving the book unattended in a classroom in the King Building on May 4. A check of the area was made, but the book was not located. The custodial manager was notified.

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The Oberlin Review, May 8, 2015

Student Health Implements Saturday Hours Molly Brand Staff Writer Student Health Services will now be open on Saturdays in addition to its normal Monday to Friday hours. The first Saturday hours were held May 2 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the pilot program will continue through the end of the semester and next year.

On May 2, five students took advantage of the new hours, which was a good showing, according to Vice President and Dean of Students Eric Estes.

“I’m sure [participation] will increase,” Estes said in an email to the Review.

One administrative assistant and two nurse practitioners will be present at these Saturday hours, according to member of the student health working group and College junior Avalon McKee. All regular services will be provided, including distribution of the Plan B emergency

contraceptive.

Working alongside Estes, the Student Senate Student Health Working Group has pushed for expanded hours at Student Health over the past several semesters.

This pilot program is one of many steps designed to increase quality and accessibility of health care for students. According to McKee, the idea of piloting weekend hours at Student Health got off the ground when Estes suggested using funding from the new Student Support Initiative Fund.

“Increased accessibility of Student Health Services has always been a priority [of the working group],” McKee said. “It’s always been a question of where do we get the money to do that and to get all the people needed on board, like John [Harshbarger, director of Student Health and Counseling Services] and the nurses and the administrative assistants at Student Health.”

The pilot Saturday hours are being paid for

with funding from the Student Support Initiatives Fund, which was established in March 2015 by members of the Board of Trustees. The purpose of the fund is to support students who are deemed “at-risk,” which often includes lowincome students, students of color and students with disabilities.

According to McKee, at-risk students are expected to benefit from Saturday hours.

“Often [at-risk] students … are really overwhelmed during the workweek, during business hours, and so we’re opening up that space for them on the weekend.”

The pilot program is one of the first uses for the Student Support Initiative fund, though money has been directed toward several other programs, according to President Marvin Krislov.

“The fund is supporting emergency funds, and … peer mentors and student accessibility advocates programs — that’s a three-year com-

mitment — [and] the endowed book fund, the endowed emergency medical fund, the Saturday hours … and an assistant director in the Office of Disability Services,” Krislov said.

According to Estes, the administration is trying to find a long-term funding source for the pilot program besides the fund.

McKee said that students should think critically about whether they need weekend access and suggested that people should go to Student Health during regular Monday to Friday hours if their schedules permit so that students who rely on Saturday hours will be able to access the limited weekend hours. She added that students could support the new hours even if they don’t actually attend.

“If you, a student, aren’t going to go during these pilot hours but think it’s a really great idea, email Eric Estes or John [Harshbarger] or whoever [you] feel connected to and say that [you] support it,” McKee said.

Steering Committee Releases Preliminary Report Sarah Conner Staff Writer Students on the Strategic Planning Steering Committee held meetings on Wednesday and Thursday to hear from students about what direction the College should head toward when formulating the Strategic Plan, the document the Board of Trustees uses to guide its decision making.

Much of the discussions at the meeting focused on the preliminary report released Wednesday morning. The preliminary report gives an early indication of what may eventually make it into the final version.

Among other things, the preliminary report emphasizes providing students with health and wellness resources, establishing an “innovation zone” and integrating the Career Center and the Alumni Office. The report also states that Oberlin should focus on “reorienting Oberlin’s financial model towards greater long-term stability by reducing the rate of growth of tuition (total student charges) and our reliance on it, maximizing endowment growth, developing new revenue streams, re-engineering to achieve greater efficiencies and synergies in operations.”

“Creating this preliminary plan with the committee of faculty, staff, trustees and alumni has helped me realize just how in tune all these bodies of people are in terms of our values in areas like diversity, justice and education,” said Committee member and College junior Avalon McKee. “After several drafts, I think we have done our best job yet of capturing those values. Moving forward, I think a challenge will be maintaining and showcasing those values in the changes we decide to recommend — that is, preventing the disconnect that some students mentioned last night of feeling that this report resonates with them, but they do not see its ideas represented in the types of policy enactments we are currently seeing on campus.”

At the meeting, College sophomore Sarah Minion, a member of the committee, explained that the ideas included in the document were a result of being as imaginative as possible without thinking about College finances, and the committee is figuring out ways for the ideals laid out to be feasible.

Striking a balance between maintaining academic excellence and financial accessibility was an important issue to the students in attendance. Students discussed the tuition hike, growing the endowment and the fact that, according to Vice President for Fi-

nance Mike Frandsen, Oberlin will start to operate with a deficit in 2016.

Students also talked about the College-city relationship. Several students expressed that they felt the document needed to say explicitly it was only for the College, because the city of Oberlin was not represented on the committee, while others voiced their opinion that the College respects and supports the city through taxes and general awareness of the importance of the relationship.

Students seemed to agree unanimously on changes to ResEd and Campus Dining Services. All the students in attendance felt that CDS was overpriced for what it was serving and that ResEd functioned with the intention to make money and not to support students.

“I left last night’s discussion feeling very inspired and confident that, moving forward, students will have some of the best suggestions for the committee regarding specific changes that can be made to represent the values from the preliminary report,” McKee said. “Moving forward, the committee will be creating specific goals that can be put into effect in the next three to five years that stem from the values of the current report.”

City Council Delays Green Acres Decision Students Debate Purpose,

Approaches of Senate

Continued from page 1 community’s needs in this upcoming project?” Dunn said. “We don’t feel as if we’re at the point of entering into a Community Benefits Agreement right now.”

OCBC is holding a meeting on May 11 at the Oberlin Public Library, which will be facilitated by a representative from the Oberlin College Dialogue Center, to try to gather more community opinions.

“Over the last year or so, any public meeting that the community was invited to was all about the Community Builders’ specific proposal,” Dunn said.

This meeting, however, will be open to broader community input. Dunn said the presence of an OCDC note-taker will, unlike for previous public meetings, provide impartial minutes.

Several members of City Council have raised other concerns about the project, such as Oberlin Planning Commission’s decision to not to recommend rezoning the site for the project.

However, City Council has the final say on rezoning.

“I’m not sure why we’re continuing along this path. … Generally with a project of this magnitude, we go with the recommendation of the Planning Committee,” Council member Elizabeth Meadows said at the

Continued from page 1

Council members Sharon Pearson, Bryan Burgess, Sharon FairchildSoucy, Scott Broadwell and Elizabeth Meadows at a City Council meeting on Monday. The Oberlin Community Benefits Council asked the City Council to delay a decision on Green Acres until OCBC could get more community feedback.

Nick Farfan

Monday meeting.

City Council needs at least five votes to overturn the Planning Committee’s recommendation. Since Council member Bryan Burgess has recused himself because he lives on College Street next to the proposed development site, this leaves six voting Council members.

“I am hoping that there still is an opportunity for a decision that will satisfy more people to see that the project goes forward,” Council member Sharon Pearson said.

Councilman Ron Rimbert was also in favor of moving forward

with the project but was concerned by the delays.

“The longer we take, the more difficult it gets. ... I’m not really sure where we’re at with this project,” he said.

Additionally, City Manager Eric Norenberg expressed concern that the necessary site plan approval and rezoning would not be completed in time for Community Builders to meet next year’s February tax credit deadline.

Green Acres will be on the agenda once again at the next City Council meeting on May 18.

scale future of higher ed, then Oberlin is a great place for some really radical students to organize and fight that fight. We can do that too.”

Senator and College first-year Anjali Kolachalam feels Senate’s connections and ability to work with administrators is one of the organization’s most important assets.

“Senate’s primary role … [is] to create things that make student life better, and they do that primarily through our connections with the administration,” Kolachalam said. “I think there are very few student organizations who have the relationship with administrators that we do.”

However, College senior Zachery Crowell, former Senator, signer of the letter and an organizer of the recent tuition protests, argues that, despite these connections, Senate is a dysfunctional organization.

“I stepped down [from Senate], and that was motivated by [the fact that] I thought Senate was too dysfunctional, and [if I had] any desire to actually address financial accessibility and to address these issues that affect the student body, my time would be spent better outside Senate.”

Brand pointed out that Senate has implemented several initiatives this semester, including the creation of a free meal program over spring break, the addition of six students to the

Strategic Planning Steering Committee, presentations with Vice President of Finance Mike Frandsen about College finances and several changes to the Student Health Center resources.

Quigley, however, is also dissatisfied with Senate as an organization and feels it gives students a false sense of student representation and does not have the power to create largescale change.

“Regardless of the individuals and their abilities, the Senate is just a bullshit structure,” Quigley said.

In the letter to the editor, Quigley suggested creating a students’ union in place of Senate. They said they aren’t sure how this would function, but it could possibly give students more bargaining power by organizing protests such as school-wide walkouts.

College junior Aaron Appel, who decided not to run for Senate again after his term ended at the beginning of last semester, said the need for a students’ union depends upon the College’s future trajectory.

“To me, a ‘students’ union’ could be that re-imagined institution taking the place of Senate,” Appel said in an email to the Review. “Of course, whether or not such a step is necessary depends in a large part on this vision for the future of Oberlin, which also plays into visions for the future of higher education — in other words, Oberlin needs to become a leader again.”

Opinions The Oberlin Review

May 8, 2015

Letters to the Editors Improv Community Misrepresented in Arts Article To the Editors: We, members of the three improv groups noted in the recent article titled “Community of Improv Performers Grows Tighter,” take issue with not only the content, but also the process by which the piece was written (The Oberlin Review, May 1, 2015). Many individual members felt their personal experiences were not reflected or altogether ignored, and we wish to use this platform to express our discontent with the portrayal of us and our community.

First, we would like to call to question the lack of communication between the author and the improv community. At no point were directors of the groups aware an article was in the works. A photographer showed up at a recent Primitive Streak performance without asking, either before or after, for permission to document and publish photographs, including the one that ran with the piece. The article primarily pulled from the words of one particular person, who was unaware their responses would decide the direction of the argument presented. It ignored not only senior members, who may have added more historical context, but also the very voices the article deemed absent.

This led to a misreporting of opinions as facts, including the idea of a current rivalry, going to each other’s shows as a “brand new” sense of camaraderie and even basic research errors concerning forms used by particular groups, especially Primitive Streak. We are a large, supportive community and take this matter seriously.

In fact, these processual faults, namely the assertion of one person’s opinion as fact, spread misconceptions, negatively affecting both the individual members and the community’s public reception.

This poor journalism has actual consequences.

This brings us to a major point of issue: ignoring a broad spectrum of voices that are available to speak to the improv community in favor of a small few. We are very concerned that the ar-

ticle created a misconception of Oberlin improv at large that could have detrimental effects for audiences, prospective and even current members. In particular, we are offended by the erasure of our groups’ histories and the identities of our current and past members.

Currently, Oberlin’s improv scene consists of a large amount of women, queer people and people of color. This is actually a unique situation, considering that the improv world beyond Oberlin is disproportionately dominated by cis white men. We do not, in any way, intend to congratulate ourselves or tokenize individual identities.

There is always more to do, but we also recognize how Oberlin’s improv scene is comparatively unique in this way. Our auditions are open to everyone, though the nature of improv does impose size limitations. Groups may be initiated at any time by anyone. Recently there has been an influx of other comedy groups on campus and an effort to expand offerings of inclusive opportunities.

We hope this letter reflects the perspective and experience of a larger portion of the community.

– Primitive Streak – Jesse Arnholz College sophomore, Sunshine Scouts – Taylor Greenthal College senior, Sunshine Scouts – Zoe Kushlefsky College first-year, Sunshine Scouts – Sophie Zucker College senior, Kid Business

Controversial Events Must Be Met with Reason To the Editors: I’m writing to address both of the letters the Review published last week in response to my earlier comments about the generic distinction between “speech” and “violence” (“Violence Requires Multiple Definitions” and “Silencing Survivors Results in Violence,” The

Oberlin Review, May 1, 2015). My colleague Jade Schiff argues that the difference between speech and violence is not as absolute as I maintain. She writes, “Constitutionally protected speech can indeed be violent but not in the same way that rape, sexual assault and related offenses are violent.”

If Professor Schiff is merely arguing that speech can be both hateful and hurtful, I wholeheartedly agree. In fact, one of the problems with the old adage about stick and stones is that it glosses over this fact (“Sticks and stones can break your bones but words can never hurt you”). The second half of that “truism” is manifestly untrue. Of course words can hurt you. Think of the sheer number of people who have attempted suicide after hearing five simple, but constitutionally protected, words: “I don’t love you anymore.” And when it comes to verbal expression that is not protected by the First Amendment, there are many forms of speech that can elicit violence: “Incitements to riot,” for example, or utterances that generate a “clear and present danger” (such as yelling “fire” in a crowded theater). Even less dramatic forms of speech can lead to violence: If I hire someone to kill another person, my speech becomes a form of action, which “causes” the death of that person. And in the eyes of the law, I’m as guilty of premeditated murder as the individual I hired to carry out the act.

But — and this is really the heart of my response to Professor Schiff — the fact that speech can cause violence does not mean that speech is violence. Granted, I’m using the word “violence” in a strictly limited sense, as a noun.

The distinctions I’m upholding begin to evaporate the moment one employs the word as an adjective (e.g. “violent speech” or “violent images”). But I was very careful in my letter to avoid using the word “violence” as either a modifier or a metaphor. And in this regard, Professor Schiff fundamentally misunderstands the context in which I referred to “the unspeakable violence of sexual assault.” I meant this literally, not metaphorically. The earliest clinical studies of those who have been See Letters, page 6

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.

Page 5

The Oberlin Review Publication of Record for Oberlin College — Established 1874 —

Editors-in-Chief Julia Herbst Rose Stoloff Managing Editor Taylor Field Opinions Editor Kiley Petersen

Tuition Hike Bears Consequences for Oberlin’s Accessibility At the “Occu-party” on the grounds outside the Cox Administration Building last Friday afternoon, students protested the recently approved tuition hike for next year, asking, “Can you afford to stay silent?” The Board of Trustees recently approved a $2,400 increase in tuition for the 2015–2016 school year, detailed further in last week’s front page story (“Students Meet with Frandsen After Protests,” The Oberlin Review, May 1, 2015).

The increase would disadvantage underprivileged communities, furthering the inaccessibility of an Oberlin education. Increasing sticker prices aren’t an Oberlin-specific phenomenon; tuition prices at public universities have quadrupled in the past 35 years, while average family income over the past decade has either stayed level or fallen. In President Marvin Krislov’s “President’s Desk Q&A” with Vice President of Finance Mike Frandsen, published in The Source on Wednesday, both Krislov and Frandsen said that the tuition increase was “the topic in higher education,” and Krislov added, “Everybody’s talking about it” (“President’s Desk Q&A: Mike Frandsen on Oberlin’s Tuition Increase”).

A recent New York Times op-ed by Paul Campos challenged the rationale used to excuse college tuition increases; according to the commonly understood explanation, tuition has increased because more people have flocked to higher education while state funding drastically decreased (“The Real Reason College Tuition Costs So Much,” The New York Times, April 4, 2015). Campos counters this narrative by pointing out that public funding has actually increased tenfold since 1960, and total state appropriation per student is much higher now than in the 1960s and 1970s.

Graduates leave four-year colleges with degrees but also a burdensome load of student debt. Even though the average financial aid discount for first-year students is 46 percent, about half of students will end up staying an extra semester or year to finish their degree requirements, and 45 percent of students will stay even longer. Most scholarships last only for the allotted four years, leaving students dependent on loans and family assistance for their extra semesters. Even financial aid, which might seem to unilaterally mitigate high tuition, often causes undue burdens, as student debt is beginning to outlive students themselves.

While Frandsen has offered opportunities to learn more about Oberlin’s finances, including the recent Source column, there is simply a limit to our ability to understand college management.

No matter how many pie charts Frandsen shows us, the bottom line is that the increase is disturbing to students, including the members of the Editorial Board. Oberlin has the fourteenth highest sticker price in the country, and no number of transparency workshops can explain why. If tuition continues to increase, Oberlin’s resulting inaccessibility is unavoidable. Krislov’s hope that to face current and future financial challenges we “need to look for solutions both on the revenue side and on the cost side” is just not enough. We need to be coming up with those solutions now to stop the trend now. A long-term plan to slow down this increase isn’t doing anything to help the families that won’t be able to afford Oberlin next year.

At a time when college is becoming more and more necessary in a tougher job market, the rising cost is excluding students entirely or punishing them with lifelong debt. A 4-percent tuition increase is not a change the student body or the Editorial Board will condone, not this year and certainly not for every year after that.

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

Page 6

The Oberlin Review, May 8, 2015

Letters to the Editors, Cont.

Continued from page 5 “traumatized” by acts of violence (either as civilians or as soldiers) emphasize how often these individuals are rendered literally (not figuratively) speechless. And it’s precisely because I don’t want to diminish or demean the experience of those who’ve been clinically traumatized that I objected so vehemently to the following statement about Christina Hoff Sommers in the group-written letter of April 17: “Her talk is happening, so let’s pull together in the face of this violence” (“In Response to Sommers’ Talk: A Love Letter to Ourselves, The Oberlin Review, April 17, 2015). The reason I described the violence of sexual assault as “unspeakable” is because I regard violence as the opposite of speech.

Violence destroys not only speech but the ability to speak. Christina Hoff Sommers’ words are not — in any way — a form of violence, no matter how uncomfortable they make some readers (or listeners) feel.

But they are … her words, and among the many things that have been all but ignored in this controversy are the words Ms. Sommers has actually published in books such as Who Stole Feminism? What follows is what I take to be a representative passage: “Battery and rape are crimes that shatter lives; those who suffer must be cared for, and those who cause their suffering must be kept from doing further harm. But in all we do to help, the most loyal ally is truth.

Truth brought to public light recruits the best of us to work for change. On the other hand, even the best-intentioned ‘noble lie’ ultimately discredits the finest cause.”

Christina Hoff Sommers is not a rightwing, hatemongering provocateur like Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter. The heart of her argument is not that rape doesn’t exist but that its frequency on campuses like Oberlin has been exaggerated. For those who take issue with her statistical analysis, the appropriate response is not to vilify or threaten the individuals who invited her to campus but rather to have confronted her during the vigorous question and answer, which followed her talk. Unfortunately, the anonymous author of the second letter written in response to my comments has chosen to bypass reasoned argument altogether in favor of intimidation and threats. Even more unfortunate is the fact that the current climate on campus is more accurately reflected by this letter than by Professor Schiff ’s. Oberlin — it seems to me — is at a crossroads. Many of us on the faculty have come to fear that we can no longer function as responsible educators in

this chilly (indeed, chilling) environment.

These two letters represent two fundamentally different “roads” that we, as a community, can travel: We can attempt to suppress controversial speech, prevent it from “happening” in the first place, or we can engage with it in a thoughtful, reasoned way.

– Roger Copeland Professor of Theater and Dance

Mellon Mays Fellows Support SFP Divestment To the Editors: The Oberlin College Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship classes of 2015 and 2016 vehemently condemn the apartheid state of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and proudly endorse the Students for a Free Palestine’s divestment proposal.

As members of the larger MMUF network, we understand firsthand the importance of acting in solidarity with other students of color, the significance of funding, academic institutions, the fellowship of institutions and speaking out against the illicit use of investments, which we, the beneficiaries, do not consent to.

The fundamental objective of the MMUF program is to address, over time, the problem of underrepresentation in the academy at the level of college and university faculties. This goal can be achieved both by increasing the number of students from underrepresented minority groups who pursue PhDs and by supporting the pursuit of PhDs by students who may not come from historically marginalized groups but have otherwise demonstrated a commitment to the goals of MMUF. The MMUF program is designed to encourage fellows to enter PhD programs that prepare students for professorial careers; it is not intended to support students who intend to go on to medical school, law school or other professional schools.

We are united in our deep passion for the dialectical relationship between theory and practice. Our research seeks to not only create conversations within classroom walls. We know that classrooms and papers will not free us and that we must always make connections to those struggling against oppression, which is why we strongly support and act in solidarity with all efforts of liberation. We pursue social justice-based research projects because we all collectively aim to document the strug-

gles of our peoples to fill a largely vacant hole in academia. Even in fields outside of the social sciences, we bring an intentionality of purpose and our lived experiences to our research.

MMUF fellows are deliberate in our background research, the way in which we present our research and who has access to it. However, this does not end with our approach to research. As MMUF fellows, we understand that research and academic integrity are not created in the vacuum of the classroom. We rely on one another to survive interpersonally in institutions built upon capitalism and U.S. plunder.

Therefore, we also realize the global context with which we exist and that which we must resist.

This past winter, Students for a Free Palestine submitted a divestment proposal to the Board of Trustees, which is currently being considered. The Oberlin College MMUF cohort calls upon the student organizations at Oberlin College, other MMUF cohorts and beyond to endorse the labor that Students for a Free Palestine have put into ensuring that our institution lives up to its legacy of social justice. By endorsing this resolution, Oberlin College will be able to catch up to the pioneering resolutions of other universities such as UC Irvine, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego and Brown University.

Under the 10-year agreement since 2009, the U.S. government has been giving $3 billion of military aid to Israel per year.

With the increasing education crisis in the U.S., as students dedicated to the practice of our social justice theory, we assert that U.S. government funds should be directed to the education of marginalized students, not in the occupation of oppressed peoples’ lands. To do otherwise would be to shun the values of civil rights leader and sociologist Benjamin E. Mays, of whom our fellowship is named after. Although we are thankful for the opportunity of research that MMUF has given us, our educational pursuits should not have to be funded by a private entity. As students in the U.S., we demand that we be supported by the government, and it is clear that this current system is created so that the exploits of the few are prioritized instead.

We condemn the Israeli government and stand for the liberation of the Palestinian people and all occupied lands around the world. The Oberlin College MMUF classes of 2015 and 2016 will not remain complicit in this form of U.S. imperialism and call on Oberlin College as an institution to stand on the right side of history, as we will be

the ones writing it both on the ground and in the classroom.

In Solidarity, – Oberlin College Mellon Mays Fellows, Classes of 2015 and 2016

Lying Embedded in Political Tradition To the Editor: Poor Brian Williams! Now that we are all sticklers for truth, we just have no place in our noble profession for those who are fiddling with it. Tut! Tut! Time was when it was a hallmark of our profession to place false stories in random places so that they could be picked up as “sources” for more stories that could be laundered to look like truth, no matter how they smelled.

Does this mean that lying is now extinct in the journalistic profession? That Iraq really was invaded to find WMDs? That the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is a job-killer? That the minimum wage should not be raised because it will kill the economy? That billionaires should be paid million-dollar incomes in order to grow the economy? That the 2008 financial crisis did not occur because of what bankers were doing but because of what they were not doing? That an unarmed Black man running away from the police is a threat to law and order and must be killed? That the U.S. invaded Cuba in 1898 because Spain bombed the USS Maine in Havana Harbor? That the small island of Grenada was invaded in 1983 because American students were in danger from the counter-revolutionaries? That the CIA did not lie about “enhanced” techniques of questioning the Guantanamo detainees? That rendition was a fiction and not a reality?

OK. Be sure to remember those truths and never forget them. So lying is now verboten in public life? On whose shoulders, then, does the burden of carrying forward this noble tradition now fall? And I wonder whether we will ever really know the real reason(s) for the public flagellation of Brian Williams?

What a loss! For better or for worse, the survival of the tradition now seems to lie firmly on the shoulders of congressmen, senators … and policemen.

Long live the tradition!

– James Millette Professor Emeritus, Africana Studies

Corporate Appropriation Delegitimizes Youth Culture, Slang Kiley Petersen Opinions Editor There’s a hilarious scene in the first season of Portlandia where one of Fred Armisen’s characters, a bearded, hipster biker with gauges, cycles past a grocery store. He yells from his bike, “Whole Foods is corporate!” and rides away, shouting random “radical” phrases like “Go vegan!” and “Bike lanes!” until he finally rides his bike into his house, getting his door chain caught in his earring. The whole show is a hysterical parody of white, middle-class, urban-hipster progressivism, and I highly suggest spending some quality time during finals bingewatching it on Netflix.

So, Whole Foods Market is corporate. Surprise, surprise. Basically everything we consume, whether it’s food, clothes or media, comes from a corporation. In light of its recent

meager second-quarter earnings, a whopping $3.6 billion, but still below investors’ expectations, Whole Foods has decided to up its game and compete with the mainstream grocery stores that are jumping on the organic and local food bandwagon. Its solution? A Whole Foods geared toward Millennials — no exorbitant prices, more technology, organic produce.

I’m going to skip the whole section on why Whole Foods is hypocritical in its green-washed, local-sustainable imagery because that could take up a whole column by itself. Look up Field Maloney’s article in Slate for an indepth look at how organic doesn’t always mean environmentally friendly (“Is Whole Foods Wholesome?,” Slate, March 17, 2006).

My particular bone to pick with Whole Foods and other corporations is this new trend of branding everything for the Millennial generation. It

makes sense to target this particular new consumer group: Millennials are growing up, graduating college and ready to spend what little money they have. Whole Foods honestly thinks that if it rebrands its stores as inexpensive and full of exciting gadgets, Millennials will flock to their organic produce and “ancient harvest” quinoa. The sad thing is, it’s probably right. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are the new Walmart — obvious signs of green gentrification in neighborhoods that steal client bases from local grocery stores and farms. Imagine if the Trader Joe’s in Crocker Park magically appeared next to Slow Train. Gibson’s would be abandoned within a matter of weeks; depending on how you feel about this particular store, that could be a good or a bad thing. But all of the local businesses in town would suffer from the arrival of a giant supermarket corporation

since most of the profits from a big store wouldn’t be invested back in the community.

Denny’s is another example of a corporation that has capitalized on Millennial culture and interests. Its Tumblr is a huge source of entertainment and simultaneously the laughingstock of the internet. Denny’s has taken a slightly different route in appealing to younger consumers: Instead of changing its whole structure, Denny’s has discovered weird gifs, meme culture and internet slang to add to the appeal of pancakes, burgers and All-American breakfasts. It’s truly devastating, but also kind of beautiful, to see the outrageous lengths its social media team goes to attract young people. As an English major, I particularly like the series of classic novels rewritten to include the diner’s name: “A Tale of Two Denny’s” and “The Lion, the Witch and the Four Bros Eating at

Denny’s” were the best.

Is it so wrong of me to want my shitty meme culture and weird internet slang untouched by corporations and the “real world”? Youth culture has historically been a place for rebellion and a split from the mainstream.

The addition of the internet has made this tradition global, more inclusive and ever-evolving — we’ve created new linguistic styles of communication with emojis and even been engaged in social movements via Twitter like #BlackLivesMatter. It’s a gross but predictable move that corporations would want to cash in on this culture.

I’m just hoping for the day when I can buy food without the influence of grocery stores or restaurants telling me what I can and cannot consume. In the meantime, I’ll be watching Portlandia and eating Trader Joe’s cookie butter, because it’s unfortunately delicious, and I am a hypocrite.

Opinions

The Oberlin Review, May 8, 2015

Oberlin Fails to Support Students Sam White Contributing Writer In September, when my dear friends and classmates return for their final year at Oberlin College, I’ll be going elsewhere. I’ll be joining the unspoken masses of Obies taking time off to go anywhere, frankly, that isn’t here. Miraculously, through luck and persistence, I’ll be leaving in good academic standing, on personal rather than medical leave, with good prospects for returning and finishing my degree. Stories and numbers from semesters past, however, serve as reminders that there are no guarantees and that some of these students will not be so fortunate.

My ambitious, halfbaked, exciting, eccentric plans for the fall — an unmapped road trip, a journalistic video blog on food justice and hopefully a few performances of my original music along the way — don’t fully capture my urgent need for a leave of absence. I’m excited about the project, but I’m equally excited to be out.

After a hellish journey through Oberlin’s uncoordinated bureaucracy sparked by comparatively simple health difficulties, I’m excited to temporarily escape an environment that has grown toxic for me. After two years of trying to prove to dean after unbelieving dean that I am in fact chronically ill, I’m excited to leave an institution that has grown intent on proving me unworthy of its education.

My situation, as the deans like to remind me, is unique: I’m the exception to the rule. I had the misfortune of getting sick mid-semester, forcing me

to withdraw from courses after add-drop deadlines. I had bad luck finding good doctors who would advocate for me. I fell through cracks in the Collegeoffered health insurance.

And I happened to come down with two chronic illnesses of the hard-todiagnose kind — the kind with the names that don’t mean much on paper, with the kinds of treatments that don’t translate into profits for the doctors or pharmacies. I was unlucky.

“Just get more documentation,” the deans said paradoxically, “and we’ll be here to help you.”

To help me.

I want to believe these deans, these administrators of an institution known for using its educational power to help turn the tides of oppression. I want to believe that they share their institution’s historical commitment to justice — justice, in my “unique” case, for those with invisible disabilities. I want to believe that they’re there to help me, but more importantly, I want to believe that they’re there to help every student who faces exceptional challenges in navigating an educational system designed by and for the privileged. I want to believe that they’re there to help students from any number of marginalized communities to gain access to the reins of power, so that future students who follow in their wake will no longer face the same challenges.

This, I believe, is the job of every Oberlin College dean and administrator: to carry on Oberlin’s legacy of challenging and dismantling oppressive power structures and to

do this by prioritizing the student — every student — before the system, the status quo or the bottom line. This, I believe, is the job that Oberlin’s deans and administrators are not doing, so long as students fall through the cracks. So long as there are exceptions to the rule.

Unique, unlucky exceptions like me.

Education, so the saying goes, is the great equalizer, but each year, students are pushed out of Oberlin College and its peer institutions because they are not given the tools necessary to overcome their individual setbacks. When a college has the power to accommodate these setbacks but chooses not to, it is reinforcing those setbacks and using its power to discriminate.

Relative to some students, I have unique advantages. I stand to benefit, unjustly, from many of the systems of oppression that have contributed to other students’ exclusion. I’m also fortunate to have made it through the worst of my own bureaucratic struggles, and I likely would not have been able to take course incompletes and appeal an academic suspension without a stable home environment, a supportive family and middle-class cultural capital.

I am not the exception that Oberlin’s administrators should worry about, as my own safety nets will catch me where theirs have frayed. Come September, though, I will become one more data point of proof that they need to worry about my peers. The deans’ purported desire to help, their good intentions and their institu-

tion’s legacy will do no good unless matched with action and leadership.

Oberlin must work tirelessly to dismantle an education system that reproduces privilege and power for those who already have it, and it must lead the effort to replace that system with one that produces equity and justice. Each exception to the rule — each unique, unaccommodated student pushed out of a college that claims to be diverse and inclusive — represents one big institutional step toward the former and away from the latter.

Yes, I say to the deans: My circumstances are unique. But so too are the circumstances facing every student who struggles to graduate on time — or at all — because of challenges their more privileged peers (myself included) do not share.

And it would be ironic, to say the least, if individual uniqueness is truly an insurmountable challenge at a school that professes to prospies that “one person can change the world.”

At heart, I believe that most of these deans are sincere in their desire to help. However, they must stop using their intentions as excuses for their increasingly flagrant failures. It is up to them to take the initiative to make Oberlin accessible, not the students who are already on the verge of being pushed out by administrative inaction. It is up to them to practice empathy, not the students to practice respectability. It is up to them to include and amplify the voices their current practices disenfranchise. It is up to them, in short, to practice what they preach.

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Just Ask Us: To Do List Before Graduation Jolie De Feis and Mike Plotz Columnists Disclaimer: “Just Ask Us and We’ll Tell Ya” is a satirical column, and the Review does not condone illegal activity of any kind.

Hear ye, hear ye. It has come time for our final Review article, and boy, are we sad. As seasoned Oberlin students and soon-to-be graduates, we know what is best for you. This time, we are telling you, so don’t bother asking. It is our firm, final and unwavering opinion that in order to consider yourself an Obie, or “Yeo,” you must do the things we have listed below. This list was compiled by us, with recommendations from trusted friends. We know you can do them all if you put your mind to it and don’t care about embarrassing yourself a little bit or a lot. We have both embarrassed ourselves plenty, and we both (almost, kind of, don’t ask us) have jobs. You’re welcome in advance for all of the fun you’re about to have. If you do any of these things, make sure to email us at justaskusandwelltellya@gmail.com. We will have this email forever because, unlike Oberlin email addresses, it doesn’t expire, and it is also Mike’s personal email. r Poop in the bathroom on the first floor of Mudd library with the door unlocked r “Borrow” furniture from East/South Halls r Adopt a dog and have said dog stolen from you and taken to California r Keg stand r Puke before, during and after an intramural softball game r Buy drugs from someone younger than you r Enter an academic building without using a door r Take a class with Paul Dawson r Break something at the Dojo r Break someone’s heart at the Dojo r Repair someone’s heart at the Dojo r Go to Mike’s house and use the fire pit (his lease is up June 15) r Forward your Oberlin mail to Gibson’s or Nikhil r Go on a date with a DeCafé sandwich maker r Talk to Marvin Krislov while he works out at Philips gym r Create a fictional coffee shop with your friends and have the Alumni Magazine pretend it is a real coffee shop r Accidentally hit your friend in the face with a soccer ball and still be their friend afterward r Have one of those friends that you really just only wave to. It is low maintenance and worth it r Feve Upper Decker r “Borrow” from DeCafé (for guidance, check out our archives online!) r Fall in love with a Douglas fir and mourn its early death and the end of Christmas r Flick Nate Levinson’s ear r Take a short trip to Sweden r Go to the Pottery Co-op r Jump on Marvin’s trampoline r Tunnels r Buy condoms at the Sexual Information Center r Date someone on the Ultimate Frisbee team r Create a column for The Oberlin Review during your last year and almost make all of the deadlines

Raising Mice Translates Depression into Compassion, Beauty CJ Blair Columnist There aren’t many teenage girls who would demand to leave school early so they could take care of a dozen wounded feeder mice. Even fewer would do this: call countless rehab centers until they found the right equipment and then nurse all the mice back to health in their own room. Yet my 16-year-old sister Gwen has done all of these things. It all stems from an instance of personal tragedy that would have left almost anyone else shattered, but she’s found a way to craft it into something that is as considerate as it is therapeutic.

Nurturing animals is something she’s always had a knack for. Both my parents are veterinarians, so as far back as I can remember, we raised fawns, ducklings and puppies to adulthood in our home. I helped just as much as she in raising these animals, but I was always impressed by her maternal instincts and willingness to form the closest of bonds with whatever creature we had. The mice are the most recent of these endeavors, but they are also the only

group that my parents didn’t need to take in.

She began raising the mice this spring, after 18 months of recuperating. She’s given me permission to explain that this incident was an assault that she experienced in her first year of high school. This pulled her into a prolonged depression that became so severe that she eventually transferred to another school.

I had already left for Oberlin when her spells became really severe, and every time my mom mentioned it when I called home, I was genuinely worried that my family might not be able to manage all of this.

I’m not sure if it was time or support, but eventually Gwen began to recover. It would be wrong to say she’s back to normal, but things are definitely better than before. It was during this period that she was getting supplies at the pet store with my dad and saw a cage full of feeder mice. She was so intrigued by their situation that she wrote a poem about them. When my mom read it, she immediately bought three and told Gwen she could raise them. Now she goes to my parents’ clinic every day after school and feeds them, holds them and arranges an in-

tricate system of tunnels for them to play in. Oh yeah, and one had a dozen babies.

As horrific as my sister’s situation is, it’s far from uncommon. But what she’s done in lieu of it is more of an anomaly. Coming from a family where mental illness is pervasive and the word “depression” is never taken lightly, I’ve learned that overcoming such adverse circumstances will never be as easy as taking a pill or speaking to a therapist. These interventions can certainly help, but the nature of mental illness and the complexity of human emotions ensure that moving past such darkness is an individualized task that simply can’t be done by someone else.

The recovery she’s made so far is incredible.

In my last article I voiced my frustration with trigger warnings that preface presentations on campus, and my feelings are only strengthened when I consider my sister. The words and ideas that would set her off aren’t anything that anyone could guess, and this isn’t unique to her.

To think that patterns of depression and posttraumatic stress can be foreseen and distilled to a list of potential “triggers” undermines the individuality of mental illness. But this doesn’t ap-

ply only as criticism of Oberlin habits. The idea of individualized responses applies not only to negative triggers but to positive ones as well.

I think this is what made my sister decide to raise the mice. Since she was six years old, carrying around her puppy blanket and pronouncing “th” as “f,” she’s found immense joy in being able to raise something as her own and tend to its needs. Even though she’s gone through significant changes since then, it’s a testament to her character that this passion has pervaded everything she’s been through. There was no way to know how much healing those mice would provide her, but the fact that they helped so much is a stirring testimony of hope that I believe can assure anyone that adversity is not only endurable but can be translated into something beautiful.

Before I finish this piece, she told me to make sure I included all the mice’s names. The mother is Ellie, and the children are Annabelle, Blue, Christopher, Delilah, Emmett, Franny, Gracie, Holly, Iris, Josie, Kate, Leonardo and Mavis. And yes, in case you weren’t sure, she can tell them all apart.

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West, once Clarinet’s cousin Most “Oberlin” major Grants ALOAs, in short __ casa, to residents Pro-order sentiment in OSCA? Playing the long game Virtually inclusive missive Rub off, as words Unlike Clinton, Obies do “Where do you want to go?” home base Con counterpart Lorain horizon feature Difficulty in crosswords Resistant physics loop U.S. lingual norm, abbr.

Blue-light responders “What we look like” subject A-House portion Kids’ film initiative AJLC objective, perhaps Post-zero, broadly Detergent hymns, e.g.

Nominally supplanted by 145 Woodland “Kind regards, __” in short DoD knowledge base; see 30-Across Such as Moon-inspired element

50 Defunct College yearly, to start with 52 A capella songs, for instance (abbr.)

53 Collegium selection, perhaps 56 Aladdin’s specialty 58 See 42-Across 59 Founding bookkeeper 61 See 23-Across; these shows take place 63 Dubious study center, technically 64 ad __ 66 Copyright, e.g.

68 Alliterative association 69 College political area, briefly 70 Stub hub 71 Oberlin gi-wearers, to start with 72 Yellow house occupant 73 Square pavilion DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 16

Brochure posterchildren Many Obies from one of five Land Rhinos play in?

Technology industry (abbr.)

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Thematic venue; see 23-Across Phoenix-wearers attend Hark fare, derogatorily __strom Euclidean annexes Biblical moniker Lacking from NBT

19 Love Lounge tenant 21 Christening benefactor; see 67-Across 22 Objective of Senate-sought pro gram 25 Outings destination 28 Concentration with politics; abbr.

29 Admissions verb of choice 32 Is number required, abbr.

35 Theirs, for 15-Across 38 Prior library faux pas?

40 Eavesdropping portmanteau 42 Warden of 63-Across 47 Allencroft twenty-something, e.g.

48 Others, in sciences 51 Center for __, when facing BSOD 54 Part of lb.

55 Next day, in Georgia?

56 “__ Stars,” 1984 title for secondfloor North 57 Roman female friend 60 Off-campus perk, hassle 62 Survey class, abbr.

65 First-year skits, more accurately named 67 Conscientious caffeination?

71 Yes, in northeast Stevie 72 New Haveners’ break destination Crossword by Hazel Galloway; solutions available online

C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S !

The Oberlin Review thanks its seniors for their huge dedication to the paper and wishes them all the best in the future!

Julia Herbst Rose Stoloff Taylor Field

Elizabeth Dobbins Nate Levinson Jeremy Reynolds Effie Kline-Salamon Mike Plotz Ian Campbell

Editor-in-Chief, Fall 2013–Spring 2015 News Editor, Fall 2012–Spring 2013 Editor-in-Chief, Fall 2014–2015 Sports Editor, Fall 2013 Managing Editor, Fall 2013 & Spring 2015 Web & Layout Manager, Fall 2014 Production Manager, Spring 2013 Production Staff, Fall 2011–Fall 2012 News Editor, Fall 2014–Spring 2015 Sports Editor, Fall 2013–Spring 2015 Ads Manager, Spring 2015 Arts Editor, Fall 2014 Photo Editor, Fall 2012–Spring 2015 Photo Editor, Spring 2013 & Fall 2014–Spring 2015 Business Manager, Spring 2015 This Week Editor: Hazel Galloway Contributing Writer: Olivia Konuk

From top left: bromeliad in AJLC waterfall; mosaic in the Oberlin Public Library reading garden; rock climbing wall in Philips gym; exercise machine in Philips gym, ornamentation in underside of Memorial Arch; mirror in DeCafé; suspension under a bike seat, Bike Co-op; filtered water dispenser, Wilder Hall; hanging banner on third-floor Mudd; hanging paper globe in Azariah’s; stained glass windows in the Rathskellar.

ACROSS

CALENDAR Oberlin College Art Walk Friday, May 8, 7–10 p.m.

Allen Art Building, Domes, Hales Gymnasium

Oberlin Songwriters Spring Showcase Friday, May 8, 7 p.m.

Slow Train Cafe

Oberlin Orchestra Friday, May 8, 8 p.m.

Finney Chapel

MRC Study Break: Let’s Go Hiking in Nature!

Saturday, May 9, 8:45 a.m.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Spring Carnival Sunday, May 10, 1–3 p.m.

Tappan Square

Pitch, Please Spring Concert Monday, May 11, 8 p.m.

Fairchild Chapel

Ray English Retirement Reception Wednesday, May 13, 4:30–6 p.m.

Carnegie Building, Root Room

The 10th annual Art Walk will highlight student work from the past semester. Studios will be open in the Art Building and the domes, while the advanced media exhibition will run from 8–10 p.m. in Hales Gymnasium. “You-bring-it-we-printon-it” art and free refreshments are available along the walk.

Oberlin Songwriters, a group founded to promote connections between student and community musicians, has organized an end-ofthe-year performance at Slow Train Cafe showcasing the original songs of 19 songwriters.

The Oberlin Orchestra’s final performance of the year will feature Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with student soloist Yihui Liu. A live webstream of the concert will be available for listeners out of town.

The Multicultural Resource Center will be kicking off reading period with a trip to the forests and trails of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 45 minutes outside of Oberlin. Organizers will arrange different length hikes based on participants’ comfort levels.

A number of campus organizations have come together for the second year to organize this outdoor festival featuring Indian food, inflatables, carnival games and raffles. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Human Trafficking Collaborative of Lorain County, which will be discussed by a speaker at the event.

In its last-ever show to include founding members of the group, which formed in the fall of 2011, Pitch, Please will end the semester with its spring concert. The group’s innovative and wellloved arrangements tend to be pop-influenced; Monday’s lineup will include pieces by Hozier to Dee-Lite to Disney.

All are welcome to join faculty and library staff as they honor Ray English’s 25 years as director of libraries and 35 years on the library professional staff. English is the personality behind the montage of library trivia known as the RAE board on main-level Mudd. His 1995 high-speed car chase after a womb chair was stolen was recounted in a September edition of the Review.

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As the year ends, summer returns to Oberlin and seniors counterintuitively “commence,” the Review invites all wandering minds to contemplate the dubiously meaningful in the truly mundane.

edition

55

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Where were these circles found around campus? What significance do they hold? Answers to the former upside down, below.

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West, once Clarinet’s cousin Most “Oberlin” major Grants ALOAs, in short __ casa, to residents Pro-order sentiment in OSCA? Playing the long game Virtually inclusive missive Rub off, as words Unlike Clinton, Obies do “Where do you want to go?” home base Con counterpart Lorain horizon feature Difficulty in crosswords Resistant physics loop U.S. lingual norm, abbr.

Blue-light responders “What we look like” subject A-House portion Kids’ film initiative AJLC objective, perhaps Post-zero, broadly Detergent hymns, e.g.

Nominally supplanted by 145 Woodland “Kind regards, __” in short DoD knowledge base; see 30-Across Such as Moon-inspired element

50 Defunct College yearly, to start with 52 A capella songs, for instance (abbr.)

53 Collegium selection, perhaps 56 Aladdin’s specialty 58 See 42-Across 59 Founding bookkeeper 61 See 23-Across; these shows take place 63 Dubious study center, technically 64 ad __ 66 Copyright, e.g.

68 Alliterative association 69 College political area, briefly 70 Stub hub 71 Oberlin gi-wearers, to start with 72 Yellow house occupant 73 Square pavilion DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 16

Brochure posterchildren Many Obies from one of five Land Rhinos play in?

Technology industry (abbr.)

Bacchanalia location?

Thematic venue; see 23-Across Phoenix-wearers attend Hark fare, derogatorily __strom Euclidean annexes Biblical moniker Lacking from NBT

19 Love Lounge tenant 21 Christening benefactor; see 67-Across 22 Objective of Senate-sought pro gram 25 Outings destination 28 Concentration with politics; abbr.

29 Admissions verb of choice 32 Is number required, abbr.

35 Theirs, for 15-Across 38 Prior library faux pas?

40 Eavesdropping portmanteau 42 Warden of 63-Across 47 Allencroft twenty-something, e.g.

48 Others, in sciences 51 Center for __, when facing BSOD 54 Part of lb.

55 Next day, in Georgia?

56 “__ Stars,” 1984 title for secondfloor North 57 Roman female friend 60 Off-campus perk, hassle 62 Survey class, abbr.

65 First-year skits, more accurately named 67 Conscientious caffeination?

71 Yes, in northeast Stevie 72 New Haveners’ break destination Crossword by Hazel Galloway; solutions available online

C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S !

The Oberlin Review thanks its seniors for their huge dedication to the paper and wishes them all the best in the future!

Julia Herbst Rose Stoloff Taylor Field

Elizabeth Dobbins Nate Levinson Jeremy Reynolds Effie Kline-Salamon Mike Plotz Ian Campbell

Editor-in-Chief, Fall 2013–Spring 2015 News Editor, Fall 2012–Spring 2013 Editor-in-Chief, Fall 2014–2015 Sports Editor, Fall 2013 Managing Editor, Fall 2013 & Spring 2015 Web & Layout Manager, Fall 2014 Production Manager, Spring 2013 Production Staff, Fall 2011–Fall 2012 News Editor, Fall 2014–Spring 2015 Sports Editor, Fall 2013–Spring 2015 Ads Manager, Spring 2015 Arts Editor, Fall 2014 Photo Editor, Fall 2012–Spring 2015 Photo Editor, Spring 2013 & Fall 2014–Spring 2015 Business Manager, Spring 2015 This Week Editor: Hazel Galloway Contributing Writer: Olivia Konuk

From top left: bromeliad in AJLC waterfall; mosaic in the Oberlin Public Library reading garden; rock climbing wall in Philips gym; exercise machine in Philips gym, ornamentation in underside of Memorial Arch; mirror in DeCafé; suspension under a bike seat, Bike Co-op; filtered water dispenser, Wilder Hall; hanging banner on third-floor Mudd; hanging paper globe in Azariah’s; stained glass windows in the Rathskellar.

ACROSS

CALENDAR Oberlin College Art Walk Friday, May 8, 7–10 p.m.

Allen Art Building, Domes, Hales Gymnasium

Oberlin Songwriters Spring Showcase Friday, May 8, 7 p.m.

Slow Train Cafe

Oberlin Orchestra Friday, May 8, 8 p.m.

Finney Chapel

MRC Study Break: Let’s Go Hiking in Nature!

Saturday, May 9, 8:45 a.m.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Spring Carnival Sunday, May 10, 1–3 p.m.

Tappan Square

Pitch, Please Spring Concert Monday, May 11, 8 p.m.

Fairchild Chapel

Ray English Retirement Reception Wednesday, May 13, 4:30–6 p.m.

Carnegie Building, Root Room

The 10th annual Art Walk will highlight student work from the past semester. Studios will be open in the Art Building and the domes, while the advanced media exhibition will run from 8–10 p.m. in Hales Gymnasium. “You-bring-it-we-printon-it” art and free refreshments are available along the walk.

Oberlin Songwriters, a group founded to promote connections between student and community musicians, has organized an end-ofthe-year performance at Slow Train Cafe showcasing the original songs of 19 songwriters.

The Oberlin Orchestra’s final performance of the year will feature Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with student soloist Yihui Liu. A live webstream of the concert will be available for listeners out of town.

The Multicultural Resource Center will be kicking off reading period with a trip to the forests and trails of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 45 minutes outside of Oberlin. Organizers will arrange different length hikes based on participants’ comfort levels.

A number of campus organizations have come together for the second year to organize this outdoor festival featuring Indian food, inflatables, carnival games and raffles. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Human Trafficking Collaborative of Lorain County, which will be discussed by a speaker at the event.

In its last-ever show to include founding members of the group, which formed in the fall of 2011, Pitch, Please will end the semester with its spring concert. The group’s innovative and wellloved arrangements tend to be pop-influenced; Monday’s lineup will include pieces by Hozier to Dee-Lite to Disney.

All are welcome to join faculty and library staff as they honor Ray English’s 25 years as director of libraries and 35 years on the library professional staff. English is the personality behind the montage of library trivia known as the RAE board on main-level Mudd. His 1995 high-speed car chase after a womb chair was stolen was recounted in a September edition of the Review.

Arts The Oberlin Review

Page 10

May 8, 2015

Feature Photo: OSlam

College sophomore Annika Hansteen Izora passionately delivers a spoken word poem at OSlam’s final slam showcase. The showcase was a cumulative display of all the hard work that OSlam members have invested in creating a repertoire of moving, powerful poetry. Poets reprised old favorites and presented fresh material at the event, which took place in Third World lounge on Friday at 8 p.m. The team has emphasized the importance of giving precedence to marginalized voices, including but not limited to POC, LGBT and trans performers.

Text by Vida Weisblum, Arts editor Photo by Nick Farfan

Sinfonietta Performs 20th-, 21st-Century Pieces Colin Roshak Staff Writer After a year of memorable performances, the Conservatory’s Sinfonietta ensemble concluded with an inspiring and varied program directed by Timothy Weiss this past week.

The concert began with a piece titled “Planos” by the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas which was scored for piano, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, violin, cello and bass. The piece began with strong chords and an energetic dotted rhythm motif on the piano. The piano’s moving lines contrasted sharply with the placid winds and walking bass line. Much of the piece worked within this contrast of precise rhythmic intensity above slower-moving, spacious soundscapes. As the music developed, different characters became more obvious: The clarinet offered high, sharp exclamations, the trumpet played a more

coy and charming role and the strings played almost folk-like melodies. Conservatory sophomore Wyeth Aleksei played soaring trumpet calls with beautiful phrasing, as cellist and Conservatory junior Rachel Mills played a long flow––––––––––––––––––––––

The piano’s moving lines contrasted sharply with the placid winds and walking bass line.

Much of the piece worked within this contrast of precise rhythmic intensity above slowermoving, spacious soundscapes.

–––––––––––––––––––––– ing melody atop delicately balanced winds. The piece continued changing characters and eventually found its way back to a restate-

ment of the original dotted rhythmic theme on the piano, which brought it to a satisfying close.

Next on the program was the great Russian composer Edison Denisov’s “Chamber Symphony No. 1.” The piece was written in 1982 and consists of three movements, each containing its own musical ideas and shapes, but all connected

by Denisov’s textural, atmospheric style. The first movement, marked “Tranquillo,” began slowly. Starting with the flute, each instrument gradually layered on, thickening the texture.

The movement had an aleatoric feel to it. As the piece went on, the rhythm became more obscured. The parts didn’t so much interact with each other as add to the music’s hazy effect.

The piece moved lazily but eventually hasted with descending runs and pizzicatos in the strings and flutter tonguing in the flute.

Following a short piano cadenza, the music began

anew. This time, however, the music began to layer, starting with the bassoon and other lower voices. The ensemble swelled but died away quickly as the piano descended to its lowest ranges.

The last two movements of the piece, marked “Agitato” and “Lento,” each fulfilled the promise of their titles. The second movement amalgamated chattering strings and winds, passing short melodic motifs back and forth. Each line ascended and descended independently but together formed an excited mist of sound.

The final movement moved between sharply contrasting characters. Gentle cello melodies and an ethereal vibraphone responded to a frenzied piano line. As in the first movement, Denisov slowly layered the instruments, each adding to the folds of interlocking ideas.

The piece came to a satisfying close as the winds died away with a final descending line.

For the next piece on the program, classical guitarist Dieter Hennings joined Tim Weiss for a performance of Juan Trigos’ “Guitar Concerto No. 1,” Ricercare de Cámara VI. Hennings is known both for his renderings of early music for lute and baroque guitar, and for his performances of new music. He and Weiss worked in flawless synchronization as the solo guitar line wove effortlessly in and out of a varied and complicated texture. The piece began with the percussionists clapping polyrhythms alongside virtuosic drumming passages in the guitar; the music was extremely rhythmic. The ensemble often had to play short interjections and difficult rhythms against a constantly driving guitar line. Trigos’ use of percussion enlivened the music.

Hennings navigated syncopated passages easily and played with immense energy.

The final piece on the

program, “Rambleodeon,” began slowly with an ascending clarinet, which was quickly joined by barking winds against driving rhythms in the strings. The piece was by Christopher Dietz, who wrote it in 2010 for a mixed ensemble of winds, strings and percussion. The piece maneuvered between distinct characters. The oboe played a seductive melody, the brass played sharp crescendos and the strings played aggressive pizzicatos. The music was driving, with a constant dotted rhythm beneath the texture. The music waxed and waned and eventually came to an intense finish.

Tim Weiss led the ensemble with a high level of precision. He communicated with calculated technique and an utmost sense of musical direction. The performance was excellent from start to finish and left the audience sad to say that this was Sinfonietta’s final concert of the year.

Arts

The Oberlin Review, May 8, 2015

Page 11

Age of Ultron’s Cliffhanger Ending Disappoints Jeremy Reynolds Staff Writer Avengers, Assemble! Or, you know, don’t. In a recent interview with Empire Magazine about Marvel’s most recent blockbuster, Avengers: Age of Ultron, director Joss Whedon explained his deliberate avoidance of one of the most iconic lines in comic book history at the close of the film: “I made sure that we never shot Chris Evans [Captain America] saying ‘Assemble!’” Whedon said. “I was positive that some executive was gonna go, ‘You forgot to put in the last word!’ I was like, ‘With my dying breath...’ I don’t have to say that a lot, but sometimes I’ll turn to [Marvel President] Kevin [Feige] and say, ‘With my dying breath… ” Just before blackout, Evans sizes up his teammates and calls “Avengers —” and the film ends, just like that. This ending is perhaps one of the most dissatisfying for Marvel fans and newcomers to the franchise alike; the former falling off the edge of their seats waiting for that one word, while the latter scratch their heads in mystified curiosity.

This deliberate refusal to acknowledge essential comic book lore is the major

flaw in an otherwise enjoyable movie.

Sure, Whedon wants to separate the cinematic universe from the comic universe, but this sort of casual disregard damages the already massively overstretched suspension of disbelief that accompanies a Marvel film.

Consider the titular character Ultron, played by James Spader. The living automaton Ultron-5 first appeared in 1968.

Writer Roy Thomas slowly revealed his complex origin throughout the next several years. Here’s the main kicker: Ultron cannot die. Over the past 50 years, the android has been repeatedly smashed, blown to bits, melted and cast into the farthest reaches of time and space. But he always comes back.

In the comics, Ultron’s brain is modeled on that of the scientist Hank Pym, also known as Ant Man; in the film, it’s modeled on Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man. In the latter case, his motivation for the traditional “destroy the world” rigmarole is never fully fleshed out. His only interactions with his creator involve entertaining but unsatisfactory fisticuffs, never resolving the issues of his demented sapience. Unlike Loki, whose development as a character prior to and during the first

Avengers film gave the heroes something genuinely sinister to battle against, Ultron’s rushed development and off-screen destruction at the film’s conclusion never ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Whedon wants to separate the cinematic universe from the comic universe, but this sort of casual disregard damages the already massively overstretched suspension of disbelief that accompanies a Marvel film.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– seem to pose a serious threat to humanity; Whedon never articulates why he is such a malevolent robot.

Similarly, the two new kids on the block, the twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff — Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, respectively — come across as haphazardly thrown together. Despite repeated expositional material, their characters never quite seem to fit in. Perhaps they’d be more at home in an X-Men film, where, based on Marvel’s history, they

belong.

With botched Eastern-European accents, the Maximoffs add little to the film except an excuse for additional special effects. Hawkeye, played by Jeremy Renner, delivers a far more gratifying character arc. Renner’s confident delivery helps to ground a film otherwise predicated on the sleight of hand. If only viewers would forget about plot holes when fed crazy battle sequences. Hawkeye does ultimately lend stability to Age of Ultron through his developing relationship with the team as “the normal guy.”

This is Chris Evans’s fourth portrayal of Captain America. He has the Boy Scout routine down pat, and his interactions with the more worldly characters provide an abundance of comic relief. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson — Iron Man, Thor and the Black Widow, respectively — have also mastered their characters after multiple appearances. The real draw to this film is flippant dialogue, lightly tossed off between the teammates, regardless of the chaos going on around them. Whedon captures the frivolity of the comics well, ensuring that See Whedon’s, page 12

On the Record with Steve Coleman, saxophonist and composer Steve Coleman is a saxophonist, composer and bandleader from Chicago’s South Side. Coleman’s complex style, which emphasizes polyrhythmic meter and unorthodox tonalities, falls outside the realm of categorization. The Review spoke to Coleman on the phone just before his show at the ’Sco Tuesday night about everything from playing in Cecil Taylor’s big band to parallels between music and language.

How did you develop your personal sound? Who are your early musical influences?

My early musical influences are things I heard on the radio at the time. Later on, as I got into improvising, I got into people like Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins — the kind of people that a lot of people listen to. I also listened to a lot of local players in my area, particularly one named Bucky Green. Those are my earliest influences.

You’ve traveled to Ghana, Cuba, India and other countries. How have those trips affected your musical outlook?

As a musician, traveling anywhere just broadens your outlook. That’s what I would say: It [changed] my point of view and how I look at the musical world.

It broadened my whole palette.

I was in Africa mainly to study the relationship between music and language. Communication — that’s the main reason I went.

I wanted to check out how [they] use music as a language. I’m not so much into music as entertainment, but more as a means to communicate.

Can you tell me about your band, Five Elements?

The lineup is constantly changing — the “Five” doesn’t refer to the number of people in the group. [For the Oberlin gig]the lineup consists of people who I’ve

been working with for a long time.

I’ve been working with the drummer and the bass player since the mid-’90s. The trumpet player’s been working with me since 2000 and the guitar player since 2007 or so. They’re not new members or anything like that. But [the lineup has] changed over time; a lot of it can be based on the ability of the musicians. Different musicians join paths for different reasons — sometimes you can’t hold a musician because you can’t pay them enough. [Laughs.]

There are polyrhythms and other complex elements in a lot of your music, so I’d imagine playing with people you’ve worked with for a long time must be helpful.

Yeah, that’s very important: which musicians you work with.

Everybody thinks it’s important, but it’s especially important with [Five Elements] because not just anybody can just jump in and play. It takes a lot of preparation, even though there’s a lot of spontaneous composition.

Can you tell me about this term spontaneous composition? You prefer this term to jazz in terms of categorization. Why is that?

A lot of people don’t like the term jazz, not just me. It doesn’t say anything, you know? Spontaneous composition, to me, says what the music is. When saying “jazz,” you could be talking about anything. People think so-called jazz consists of different things depending on who they are.

Somebody might think it’s Kenny G, somebody else might think it’s Louis Armstrong. It’s a term that musicians have never really liked.

Duke Ellington and [other musicians] never really liked the term because it doesn’t really mean anything.

Do you feel like the term spontaneous composition says

more?

Well, yeah, because that’s what we’re doing. We’re composing spontaneously. So at least it’s descriptive. The term jazz is not even descriptive. People use it as a marketing term.

You’re a very prolific musician. Do any of your records stand out to you as particularly successful or unsuccessful?

Do you have favorites or least favorites?

Usually my favorite is whatever I did last. I’m always thinking about what I’m trying to do next.

Favorite is a hard word, though.

I’m more focused on my most recent work; I’m not focused on what happened 10 years ago or 20 years ago. There are projects that I think turned out okay, like The Sonic Language of Myth, but I’m not thinking about that; that was years ago.

Your most recent record was Synovial Joints. Can you talk about the half-waking vision you had that eventually led to the recording of this album?

This was a dream that I had in January 2013 in Bahia, Brazil. The first part of the vision involved me working with percussionists from Bahia and Matanzas, Cuba. The second part involved combining these sounds with instruments from Eurasia, particularly Western Europe — instruments more commonly found in an orchestra.

The idea was to compose using long rhythmic sentences, where I would create these long rhythmic phrases in counterpoint to other long phrases, to create polyphonic and polyrhythmic texture compositions. I believe that the basic melodic-rhythmic language of this tradition that I am a part of is unique. The basis of the rhythmic conception existed on the African continent but not in this exact form that we are utilizing today.

The underlying principles of the

Steve Coleman, a renowned saxophonist and improvisational composer, who played at the ’Sco and gave a master class on Wednesday

harmonic ideas existed on the Eurasian continent. The melodic elements, although somewhat based on 12-tone equal temperament, are quite a departure from what had occurred in Eurasia or Africa in terms of contour, movement and vibe.

Together this all creates a very different use of color. The melodic and rhythmic language together create a totally different music.

And the melodic and rhythmic language together imply very different harmonic textures — a kind of organic harmony that grows out of the melodic and rhythmic material. In this approach, the form of the rhythms and melodies dictate the harmony, not the other way around.

How did playing in big bands in New York influence you? What was it like playing in Cecil Taylor’s big band?

Playing in big bands taught me discipline. Also, much of the music that I compose for large ensembles is influenced by my work in large ensembles. Playing gigs with Cecil Taylor’s large ensemble was a transformative experience for me. Just to get to work with Cecil was transformative. Mr. Taylor demonstrated to me how to express musical ideas using an oral tradition outside of writing things down on paper.

Interview by Danny Evans, Arts editor Photo by Effie Kline-Salamon, Photo editor

Arts

Page 12

The Oberlin Review, May 8, 2015

Oberlin Tradition Thrives in Musical Union Show Sam Rueckert Staff Writer The Oberlin Musical Union, an impressive combination of College Choir members and Voice majors,

as well as other community members and College vocalists, has been an Oberlin tradition for 178 years.

Their Sunday Concert upheld high expectations set by the collective over the years. The choir jolted into

George Frideric Handel’s “Zadok the Priest” with a strong burst of energy. Though the performers sang with only the organ as musical accompaniment, there was no apparent lack of gusto. Notably, the

choir managed to flawlessly navigate the complex rhythmic structure of the piece, leaving Finney Chapel in dead silence after its final “hallelujah.”

The choir’s next piece, a sweeter composition by Herbert Howells titled “O pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” began simply and grew slowly more complicated. The singers’ monophonic voices began to vary with one another, creating an odd sense of comfort. The choir displayed a similar level ––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Notably, the choir managed to flawlessly navigate the complex rhythmic structure of the piece, leaving Finney Chapel in dead silence after its final “hallelujah.”

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Musical Union Director Jason Harris conducts a range of vocal talent in an uplifting concert. The Musical Union brought audience members to their feet at Finney Chapel last Sunday.

Mike Plotz

of virtuosity in its first piece, although the sopranos got a little too carried away with vibrato. Although the singers were strong individually, the aggregate of voices created an overwhelming amount of noise.

In the middle of the piece, the intensity of the voices decreased. This

turn initially seemed chant-like but gradually reached similar complexity to the first half of thepiece. As it progressed, there were times when the voices sounded disparate, though through no fault of the singers. The disparity emphasized the togetherness of the voices that in the end prevailed, which perhaps related to the message of text: to strive for unity in the city of Jerusalem.

The piece that followed was “Rejoice in the Lamb” by Benjamin Britten, which included four vocal solos spaced out throughout the piece, each catering to a different vocal range. The solos, performed

by Conservatory senior Sarah Pellington, Conservatory junior Anne Stillwagon, Conservatory senior Daniel King and Conservatory sophomore Tayte Mitchell, each had a very different feel.

The choir finished its performance with a very familiar tune: “Jerusalem” by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry. The execution was well paced and the performance did not last too long. After the choir sang its last note, it received a standing ovation from the audience. Overall the performance was impressive and met the standards set years ago by the choir.

Little Fest to Celebrate Oberlin Musical Talent Whedon’s Sequel Falls Short Jake Frankenfield

Continued from page 11 the characters never take themselves too seriously — except for when they do.

Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, whose CGI marks one of the few improvements on the first film, continues in his dramatic quest to avoid accidentally harming innocent people. In Age of Ultron, however, his bizarre romance with Johansson’s character adds an additional “Where did that come from?!” moment in a movie already overstuffed with clunky exposition.

Despite a jerky narrative arc, one thing this film does do extremely well is set up the next big Marvel event: Civil War. Evans and Downey Jr. do an excellent job portraying their characters’ mounting frustrations with each other’s approaches to world security, making it easy to predict the showdown supposedly coming in the next Captain America film.

Is Age of Ultron as good as the first Avengers? No. But it’s still a good film. Although riddled with a disappointing lack of character development — which was probably the first film’s secret — Whedon maintains the light humor and fast pace with consistency. And the battles are beautiful: heavily choreographed and way over the top in some cases but comic bookworthy beautiful. Age of Ultron is certainly worth watching, just be prepared for some mild confusion along the way.

stay at one stage all night, you would see seven different acts and a lot of different genres,” he said.

It’s a great opportunity to see acts one last time before they leave campus for good, Rivas said. “It’s exciting because it’s the last chance to see x person you care about, or x person whose music you follow, or x person whose music you’ve heard is good but haven’t had an opportunity to see,” he said. According to the pair, there will also be a number of acts that seldom play on campus, save for once or twice a year.

For most of the acts, the

festival represents a last hurrah. “There’s a lot of talented musicians who come together to make a scene.

And they’re gonna stay talented musicians, but they just might not play together ever again,” Rivas said.

Rivas had the idea for Little Fest last year as a senior. Lamenting the fact that the music scene would no longer be available to so many graduating seniors, he decided to put together a space in which everyone could enjoy Oberlin’s music before leaving campus, “The idea was just to get everybody who loved music together one last time before graduation and have

enough space for everyone to see something that they care about,” Moritz-Rabson said.

Last year the event was put together relatively quickly on a shoestring budget, but this year things are different. “The student body has been so supportive,” Rivas said. “We set a fundraising goal that was not shy and surpassed it by about a third.”

The event will highlight DIY ethics. “It’s not a forprofit venture,” Rivas said.

“There’s no stake that anyone has other than wanting it to happen. DIY outside of a college is the same way in that everyone is doing what

they can to try and make a scene and make a scene exist.”

As Rivas said, this scene is centered on bringing the community together. “It’s primarily an interpersonal thing,” Moritz-Rabson said. Rivas shook his head in affirmation and added, “Oberlin sustains itself, and we organize.” To them, bringing the community together is the most rewarding part of the experience. “My favorite thing last year was when a friend of mine said his dad had never seen him play music but finally got the chance at Little Fest. That was really moving for me,” Rivas said.

This Commencement weekend — May 22 and May 23 — the second annual Little Fest will take over Oberlin. According to event organizers Jake Rivas, OC ’14, and College senior Mark Moritz-Rabson, Little Fest is “the biggest and only independent music festival to be held in Oberlin.”

“It’s an attempt to unite the campus before Commencement,” Rivas said.

“It’s an attempt to unite the College, the Conservatory and the community.

We have College bands, we have bands from the Conservatory and some bands from the town too.” Interested parties should buy their tickets soon — of the 250 tickets for sale, over 150 have been sold.

The festival is designed to appeal to any true music fan. It offers a little bit of everything. “We have 54 acts, including your indie rock bands with certain twists. … There’s indie rock, there’s rock influenced by jazz,” Rivas said. “[There are] postpunk, hip hop, electronic producers, full bands with electronic elements, some jazz and an acoustic stage,” Moritz-Rabson added. “There’s gonna be three to four stages each Friday and Saturday, so there’s a lot of different options. Basically you’ll be able to see any genre of music on any given day.

There are 20-minute sets College senior Michael Stenovec, MJ Robinson, OC ’14, Jamie Helmsworth, OC ’13, and Alison Kozol, OC ’14, played toand 40-minute sets. So, if gether at Little Fest in the Oberlin band Reformer last spring. Jake Rivas, OC ’14, and College senior Mark Moritz-Rabson you were to hypothetically will put on the festival for the second time May 22 and 23.

Courtesy of Jake Rivas

Arts

The Oberlin Review, May 8, 2015

Page 13

In-Game Purchases Support Online Card Game Avi Vogel Columnist When I first picked up Hearthstone, developed by Blizzard Entertainment, I thought I’d just play ev-

ery once in a while when I wanted to take a break from schoolwork. Now, more than a year after its release, I still find myself popping in every day to do my daily quests and participate in the game’s impressive Arena

mode. All in all, I’m still having fun.

Hearthstone, for those who don’t know, is an online Collectible Card Game, or CCG. Blizzard is renowned for releasing games that are not only incredibly successful but that

also have staying power well after their release through patches and a plethora of free updates. Hearthstone is a free, downloadable game that has microtransactions built in.

I use real money in the game every once in a while as a way to show the developer I enjoy their product … and to get good cards.

To dive into this game, one must understand CCGs. These games are based on building a deck with different types of cards to fight other people who, like yourself, have also built a specialized deck. Deck types are called Heroes. There are nine Heroes, each incredibly well-crafted to deliver a satisfying experience, whatever the player’s style may be.

Different Heroes determine different special abilities and access to special cards. Gamers can play cards by spending mana crystals. With each turn, participants have access to one more until you cap out at 10.

Cards, depending on their power or use, will cost more or fewer gems.

Hearthstone is an incredibly wellbalanced game. Unlike in traditional physical CCG’s, the developers of Hearthstone can monitor the game based on players’ choices. There are multiple ways for Hearthstone players to get the cards they want. Buying packs is a very common method of obtaining cards; packs can be purchased either with in-game currency or real money. However, real money isn’t an essential part of the game. Blizzard worked a clever system into the game to allow players who can’t afford to throw cash away on a video game access to similar opportunities by completing daily

quests. Every day, participants randomly receive a handful of quests to complete. One person can have three quests at a time; completing quests earns players a sum of gold. Combined with the gold earnings that result from winning three matches, players can quickly save enough for packs or for what might be my favorite feature: arena mode.

The arena is an aspect of Hearthstone that really separates it from other competitors in the online space. In this mode, using either gold or money, players select one of three Heroes presented to them randomly. After that, gamers construct decks from random cards that they receive three at a time. This welldesigned system allows players who might not have bought the most packs to still earn rewards and play with cards they might not normally be able to receive. The player receives a reward equivalent to how many victories they achieved. Getting even one victory gives players at least a pack, and going further gives the player enough gold to continue playing in this mode, in theory, forever without having to worry about money or gold.

Hearthstone will appeal to everyone. It is designed so the casual player can pick up the game whenever they have time and participate in a quick 10- to 20-minute match.

For hardcore players, satisfying deck building will take time to master.

Considering the recent release to phones that allows everyone to play on the go, Hearthstone is a fantastic game that deserves the reputation it has gained.

Page 14

Western Yoga Practices Prove Problematic Isabel Hulkower Columnist If you’ve ever wandered into a mat exercise class thinking you were in for something easy and left in extreme pain, you are not alone. Low-impact exercise classes like yoga and pilates have gained major popularity, and their benefits include but are not limited to: being easy on the joints (no jumping), promoting stretching and flexibility and the employment of isometric holds.

Pilates is a style of exercise that emphasizes alignment and core strength to help train the body. It was dreamed up by the illustrious Joseph Pilates, who was born in Germany in 1883. He developed an interest in exercise in his youth and began truly refining his craft when he was confined in a British internment camp during World War I. During that time, he trained his fellow inmates and developed his integrated, comprehensive system of fitness. That’s actually what happened. Seriously.

Pilates has six core tenets: concentration, centering, control, breathing, precision and flow, all of which are designed to help you get better in touch with your body. This system was first popularized for dancers in the New York City Ballet and is still an incredible supplement for athletes of all sorts. It generally involves a lot of floor work and pulsing, and though the moves seem simple, they will hurt you in places you didn’t know could feel pain. It often uses straps, balls and other props, but most of the exercises use only your own body weight, occasionally giving you the feeling that you are “turning your own body against itself.”

Though the two have similar characteristics, pilates is not to be confused with yoga. The latter is a modern take on an ancient practice dating back to at least 3,000 BCE, significantly predating pilates. While pilates clearly has a lot to do with the melding of physical and mental health, it is miles away from yoga’s inherent spirituality, which comes out of old Vedic tradition. The use of poses as a part of a practice came much later than the original Vedic scriptures, which spoke only of spirituality, and even in modern ashtanga yoga, asana (postures) are only one of eight components that together lead to enlightenment. All in all, it’s quite evident that yoga has a much richer and more complicated history, and that the exercise part is just one cog in a much larger machine that is ultimately chugging toward an end goal of living a more meaningful and purposeful life — not just tighter abs.

The conflation of these two exercise styles does seem inevitable in certain ways. They are often taught side by side in the same gyms and fitness clubs, both share a focus on uniting the mind and body and, of course, involve stretching, mats and low-impact muscle toning. A great deal of this confusion is due to the modern thirst for yoga and its subsequent transformation into a commodified fitness trend. Since its popularization in the U.S. in the ’70s, yoga has ballooned into a $27-billion industry, inspiring practitioners to buy expensive mats and sexy pants, attend pricey classes and even go on swanky yoga retreats. Most American practices are caught up in the consumerist mentality and fail to bolster the holistic lifestyle on which the exercise was founded. That critique is only the tip of the iceberg, considering one of the biggest problems with yoga is the fetishization of another culture. White appropriation of sacred Eastern cultural traditions is sprinkled into any practice you find, and though some try to engage critically with it, there is little evidence that this problematic practice will soon change.

There are also classes that combine elements of both practices, with the most notable being Yogalates™. It’s exactly what it sounds like, fusing the two systems and, as the style’s official website says, providing a “meeting place of East and West.” That description is also quick to point out that both yoga and pilates have changed and adapted over the years and that Yogalates is a natural extension of those traditions. Whether this is an accurate appraisal of these narratives and whether this statement mitigates the inherent discomfort in merging an ancient spiritual practice with a more modern physical one is questionable at best. However, my personal credentials as a Johnny-come-lately yoga scholar do not qualify me to make that call.

No matter their faults, yoga, pilates and their unholy union Yogalates™ are all very effective ways of gaining strength, flexibility and spending time connecting the mind and body. Still, it’s important to remember that they are not interchangeable. It would behoove anyone interested in one of these forms of exercise to spend time disentangling them, while putting some intentionality behind their practice.

Sports

The Oberlin Review, May 8, 2015

Editorial: Athletics Department Makes Important Shift Continued from page 16 many teams — they are winning.

This winning trend is occurring in many programs now, a phenomenon that cannot be said of the Athletics department in years past. In my position as sports editor, I have inevitably been attuned to all the sports happenings of Oberlin, and as such, I have watched team records improve, new programs enter playoff season and more fans attend sporting events.

The women’s lacrosse team advanced to the North Coast Athletic Conference final for the first time in 15 years last weekend with Head Coach Lynda McCandlish, who is in her second year at Oberlin. The team has 14 underclassmen; recruiting has certainly been a major component to this success. The same could be said of teams like women’s soccer, football — which brought in 22 new players — or baseball,

which has a class of 11 first-years.

However, there have been conflicting opinions circulating around campus about what the increased attention to athletics means for the composition of the student body. Many claim that increased recruiting and focus on sports brings in students that are not as academically oriented or as representative of the typical “Obie.”

Although I cannot deny that an increasing percentage of student-athletes will definitely alter some social dynamics, I am left wondering if this is necessarily a negative change. For a campus that is so supportive of such a wide range of extracurricular activities, I have encountered a mostly unenthused crowd when it comes to athletics. Perhaps with more winning teams and an increased number of studentathletes, the attitude will begin to brighten and more students will come out to sports events.

— Baseball —

Whitener Leads Yeomen Over Gators Continued from page 16 he said. “I just started pitching a couple months ago. I came in as an infielder and started pitching, and it just caught pretty quickly. It’s been kind of a shock.”

According to Sklar, the plan was for him to pitch only temporarily.

With many seniors on the team, Sklar and his coaches recognized that he would not get much playing time as an infielder but could make a more meaningful contribution as a pitcher.

“The plan was to go back and play short next year, but I’ve been exceeding those expectations as a pitcher,” he said.

Sklar said he has enjoyed his new position and likes being able to contribute so heavily to the team’s success, but admits that the position requires a different mentality of him.

“It’s a different mindset,” he said. “It’s about being ready for your time and going in when you need to, and being fully energized and focused. There’s a lot of time just waiting the entire weekend for a couple innings.”

The victory was a sign that the Yeomen are finally hitting their

stride, putting together a solid effort in all facets of the game.

“All of our conference games this season have gone the same way, where we either have great pitching, decent defense and poor hitting, or we have decent pitching, great defense and poor hitting,” Whitener said. “We never seem to put it all together at the same time. And then against DePauw there were two games where we absolutely put it all together.”

With the DePauw series behind them, the Yeomen turned their focus to the first game of the conference tournament against the Allegheny College Gators. Earlier this season, the Yeomen were swept by the Gators in a four-game series, but the Yeomen’s confidence was still running high heading into the game.

“I don’t think we ever played poorly against [Allegheny],” Whitener said. “We lost a lot of close games. We’re just looking to be just a little bit better.” The Gators beat the Yeomen 10–7, 8–2, 7–6 and 16– 12 in the previous series.

“We didn’t close out a couple of games against them,” he added.

“We had last-inning leads in two of the four games and blew it in the

last inning.”

Before Thursday’s game, Whitener said the team had a lot of will to beat the Gators.

“A lot of guys in our dugout would especially love to get a win out of Allegheny,” he said. “That’s a team that we’ve struggled against in the past but a team that we really want to beat. More than most other teams, that’s for sure.”

The team’s confidence proved to be more than just posturing on Thursday; the Yeomen battled back from an early 3–0 deficit to win the opening game of the tournament by a score of 7–6. A seventh inning, three-run triple from Bliss was the key blow, breaking a 3–3 tie and giving the Yeomen breathing room to complete the comeback.

The team’s momentum continued into the next game against the Fighting Scots, who came into the tournament ranked 11th in the nation. After falling behind 2–0 in the first inning, the Yeomen strung together 11 unanswered runs en route to a 11–6 victory.

The Yeomen will look to continue their winning streak in the NCAC Championship on Friday at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Sports Editors Reflect on Time at Review Continued from page 16 cover a team that is successful is so much more fun.

What advice would you give future Sports editors at the Review?

TS: I would say it’s really important to embrace your role as Sports editor. There are definitely times when the section doesn’t feel as important as other aspects of the paper, but you just have to make it your own. I’ve gotten to talk about a lot of important issues in the sports world, from trans inclusion to focusing on club sports that haven’t been featured before. It’s easy to make it just another job, but really taking the time to get to know the people you’re working with has been a rewarding experience for me.

NL: I would tell them to keep an open mind about Oberlin athletics. I think that athletes here get a bad reputation sometimes, but I’ve met a lot of great people through this job, and not just on varsity teams but also on club teams. I think if you go into it thinking that you can meet a lot of great people through the job, then you can really get a lot out of it, and it will really show in your volume of work.

If you could improve one aspect of the Sports section, what would it be?

TS: I would write all of the editorials. Sometimes my co-editor doesn’t really carry his weight on that end, so if I could do that every week for the paper, I would do that.

NL: I would have to say the same thing. My editorials are really just superior, and they always have been; this is nothing new. I’m just a better writer than my co-editor, and I wish she would just take orders from me. We’d definitely be better off then. On a serious note, I think that if we could have an entire issue in color, that would be cool.

Who has been your favorite co-editor to work with?

TS: By default, Nate is the winner, but it has been a huge pleasure to work with him.

NL: Definitely Rose. Maybe Rose. Rose or Sarah, I can’t really think of anyone else who could even be in the discussion. Just kidding, Tyler is the winner.

Interview by Nate Levinson and Tyler Sloan, Sports editors Photo by Mike Plotz, Photo editor

Sports

The Oberlin Review, May 8, 2015

Page 15

— Women’s Lacrosse —

Yeowomen Fall Short in NCAC Championship Harrison Wollman Staff Writer The Denison University women’s lacrosse team offensively dominated the first half of the North Coast Athletic Conference championship against the Yeowomen last Saturday, scoring eight goals within 20 minutes and holding Oberlin to just three. The Big Red’s scoring momentum, paired with its solid defensive efforts, carried over into the second half, and the team tacked on six more goals to take home the conference title, winning 14–7.

For the Yeowomen, advancing to the conference championship was a major feat on its own. The last time Oberlin’s women’s lacrosse team advanced to the final round of the tournament was in 2000, when the Yeowomen also fell to the Big Red. The historic tension was evident from the start of last weekend’s game, with both teams remaining scoreless for the opening seven minutes in a defensive battle.

Breaking through the Yeowomen’s defensive line, Denison netted the first goal of the match in the 22nd minute to take a 1–0 lead. Just two minutes later, junior midfielder Grace Barlow responded with an unassisted goal to even the score. Barlow, who was named to the NCAC First Team on Tuesday, concludes her 2015 campaign with a career-high 53 goals, placing her fifth in the conference for goals. She said Denison’s previous playoff experience bolstered its potential to win the title entering Saturday’s event.

“Denison is an extremely confident and experienced team,” Barlow said. “They have six conference championships in the past 12 years and know exactly what it takes to win under pressure.”

Later in the first half, following three straight goals from the Big Red, sophomore

attacker Marissa Maxfield scooped up a rebound on a shot attempt from sophomore attacker Sara Phister and buried her attempt to halve the deficit.

Denison responded with a goal of their own just 36 seconds later, moving the score to 6–2. Barlow was able to bring Oberlin back within three with her second goal of the game with the help of first-year midfielder Natalie Rauchle’s assist.

Every time the Yeowomen seemed to gather momentum, the Big Red were quick to respond with a goal of their own. This type of play dictated the contest, as Denison notched two more goals following Barlow’s score to send the Big Red into the half up 8–3.

The Yeowomen used halftime to make some defensive adjustments and were able to hold the Big Red scoreless for the first 20 minutes of the second half. The Yeowomen

translated this defensive stand into offensive spirit, using goals from sophomore midfielder Morgan Daruwala and first-year Sydney Garvis to pull within three.

Denison finally broke its scoreless streak with just under 10 minutes remaining in the second half. After Maxfield was able to find nylon on a free-post attempt for Oberlin, the Big Red pulled away, using a string of goals to put the game out of reach.

Senior captain Kate Hanick, who was named to the NCAC All-Tournament Team, had nothing but praise for this year’s squad.

“This team has been the most driven, tenacious and cohesive of all the seasons I’ve been here,” she said. “It’s been amazing to see what strides were made in such a short amount of time.”

The NCAC honored Oberlin’s historical season with a flurry of recognitions. Second-year Head Coach Lynda McCandlish

Junior midfielder Grace Barlow sprints to catch the ball in a game against the Denison University Big Red last Saturday in Granville, Ohio. The Yeowomen fell 14–7 in what was their last game of the season.

Briana Santiago

was recognized as the NCAC Coach of the Year after guiding her team to an 11–6 record, which included last week’s first round tournament upset against top-seeded Wittenberg University.

Sophomore goalkeeper Alexa L’Insalata headlined players’ awards, earning Defensive Player of the Year and First Team awards. She was joined by classmate attacker Sara Phister and junior midfielder Suzanna Doak, each honored on the NCAC’s Second Team roster. Daruwala was also recognized by the conference on the Honorable Mention list.

For seniors Hanick, Bronwen Schumacher and Jodi Helsel, the trip to the conference finals marked the conclusion of their collegiate lacrosse careers.

“Losing seniors is always hard, and this class is no exception. They’re amazing leaders, both on and off the field,” Barlow said of the graduating class.

Hanick said that this season was the icing on the cake for what has been an amazing four-year experience.

“Being a part of OC women’s lacrosse has, by far, been the most rewarding experience of my college career,” Hanick said.

“Playing for four years with amazing people that I get to call my best friends, all of them, is something not many people get to say.”

Looking ahead, with five conference award winners returning and a large incoming first-year class, the team doesn’t expect to see any drop-off in performance.

Doak said she believes this will be enough to send the Yeowomen to the conference championships again next year, and next time they will take home the title.

“I think we’re going to win conference next year because that’s always our goal,” Doak said. “We came so close this year, and with the big incoming class next season, I know we have what it takes.”

Intramural Softball Championship Approaches Bronwen Schumacher The 2015 intramural softball season will soon come to an end, and with the championship games being played this weekend, teams are preparing for their final bats this season and, in some cases, for their entire college careers.

While some students dabble in the sport, other students, such as 40–40 Club senior captain Maisy Byerly and Skinflutes senior captain Dylan Cohen, have committed

four full years to playing on the makeshift baseball diamonds on North Fields.

Byerly has been a team leader since her first year, gathering the same core group of players to play softball each spring.

Her commitment to the game stems from a long career of softball, including a few weeks on the varsity team at Oberlin.

“I played varsity softball my freshman year for the first two weeks,” she said. “Then I decided that I didn’t want

athletics to take up my whole Oberlin career, which is funny considering that IM softball is my whole Oberlin career but in a whole different way.”

Even after graduating this month, Byerly plans to continue playing softball. Soon after Commencement, she’ll head to China as a Shansi fellow, and there she’ll try to start her own league.

“It may have mixed success, or maybe it will be really successful,” she said.

Byerly’s fellow teammates

Senior captain Maisy Byerly sprints to first base after a hit against the Skinflutes last Sunday at North Fields. Byerly and the rest of the 40–40 Club will compete against the Pecan Sandies in the intramural softball championship game this Saturday at 4:45 p.m. at North Fields.

Mike Plotz

rave about her, and she is responsible for recruiting much of the current team. One team member, senior Clark Sacktor, dislocated his shoulder on a throw from left field earlier in the season, and even then Byerly stood by his side. “[Maisy] is one of the best leaders I’ve ever had,” he said.

“She always brings us up when we’re down, and even when I got hurt, she was there for me.”

Cohen has also long been a staple of IM softball, and Director of Recreation and Club Sports Betsy Bruce singled him out as one of the true heroes of the intramural game.

“Dylan is just one that sticks out,” she said. “He was so personable at the captains’ meeting, and he cares a lot.”

Asked why intramural softball was so special to him, Cohen simply responded, “What’s better than playing sports and drinking with your best friends?”

Now that the season is ending, Cohen feels nothing but love for his teammates and the game.

“I’m really sad, honestly. I love intramural. It’s one of the two reasons I feel like I can survive at this place, with the other being the Jazz program,” he said. “I have put my heart and soul on the field all four of my

years, and I feel like I’ll never be whole again in some ways.”

This past Wednesday, Byerly and Cohen rallied their players and, with their season on the line, competed in a semifinal matchup for the chance to head to the final round of competition. Last season, Cohen’s squad got the better of Byerly’s in the playoffs, but an early season 10–8 victory over the Skinflutes had her feeling confident heading into this one.

“I feel pretty good, I feel like we’re gonna win,” Byerly said before leading her team cheer.

The two teams have long been rivals, and their games seem to carry more intensity than other intramural matchups. The team’s last game ended on a walk-off hit by senior and Review Sports Editor Nate Levinson, and last year’s playoff win for the Skinflutes came late in extra innings.

“Last year we had an incredible game,” Cohen said. “Dare I say the most intense sports moment of my entire life?”

Despite the palpable competitive tension on the field on Wednesday, Byerly and her teammates refused to give in to the stress.

The Skinflutes struck first with a run in the top of the first inning, but the 40–40 Club came right back with a run of

their own in the bottom of the frame. Later Byerly’s squad took advantage of some defensive miscues to take a 5–1 lead. They carried that lead into the top of the seventh, but the Skinflutes refused to go down without a fight. They plated two runs and put runners on second and third with two outs, bringing the winning run to the plate in the person of junior Randy Ollie. With the game on the line, Ollie hit a long fly ball to right field, but senior Jack Redell made a onehanded running catch to end the game and clinch a spot in the championship round.

Despite the end of long careers for Cohen and Byerly, intramural softball will likely be a staple at Oberlin for years to come.

“I just give the sign-up sheets to the RAs at the beginning of the year, and then everything works itself out,” Bruce said. “It’s mostly individual students, like Maisy and Dylan, who rally their troops.

This year, I even had to turn a team away because we had a full 16 teams sign up.”

The 40–40 Club will take the field one last time when it faces the younger Pecan Sandies on Saturday at 4:45 p.m. on North Fields in the championship game.

Sports The Oberlin Review

Page 16

May 8, 2015

— Baseball —

Yeomen Upset Gators, Fighting Scots Rose Stoloff and Nate Levinson Editor-In-Chief and Sports Editor After splitting the first two games of its series against the DePauw University Tigers, Oberlin baseball emerged victorious in the rubber match on Sunday, winning 11–1 to earn a spot in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. This is the team’s second ever appearance in the tournament, with the first coming in 2013. In that appearance, the Yeomen won their second game against the Denison University Big Red but were eliminated from the tournament after falling to both the College of Wooster Fighting Scots and the Allegheny College Gators in subsequent games.

Senior captain Ben Whitener opened Sunday’s scoring in the top of the first inning, ripping a two-run home run to right field to score senior Andrew Hutson.

With the team’s season on the line, Whitener knew getting off to that fast start was crucial.

“It was important to set the

tone early,” Whitener said. “If the first inning goes poorly, no matter how well you’ve prepared or how disciplined you are, the game can just go downhill from there.”

The score remained 2–0 in Oberlin’s favor until the top of the fourth inning. With senior Danny Baldocchi on second and Whitener on third, classmate Ryan Bliss knocked an RBI single down the left-field line to push the score to 3–0. After a sac fly

by Blaise Dolcemaschio, an error by the Gators’ shortstop and a single by senior Kyle Decker, the Yeomen extended their lead to 6–0. It was a lead they would not relinquish.

The Yeomen put the game away in the sixth inning, scoring five runs, all with two outs. Following a two-out double from Justin Cruz, seniors Jeff Schweighoffer and Kyle Decker singled, and Hutson walked to load the bases for Whitener. Whitener proceeded to put an exclamation point on the game, hitting a grand slam for his fifth home run of the season.

On the defensive side of things,

first-year right-hander Milo Sklar made sure the game stayed out of reach, stringing together 8.1 innings of one-run ball, while limiting the Tigers to just seven hits. Sklar, a sidearmer, threw 126 pitches in the game, striking out eight and walking five.

Though Sklar came into the

season as a shortstop, the coaching staff quickly converted him to a pitcher, and he has responded well.

“I understood that I could contribute to the team, but I didn’t think I’d do it as a pitcher,”

Sophomore Justin Cruz waits for a pitch against the Hiram College Terriers on Friday, April 24. The Yeomen advanced to the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament this week, besting Allegheny College in the first round 7–6 and defeating The College of Wooster 11–6 to advance to the conference championship this Friday, May 8.

Briana Santiago

IN THE LOCKER ROOM

Sports Editors

This week, the Review sat down with itself, Sports Editors Nate Levinson and Tyler Sloan, to discuss their favorite parts of the job, why they were initially interested in the position and their favorite co-editors.

What made you want to be a Sports editor for the Review?

Tyler Sloan: I started writing for the Review at the beginning of my freshman year for the Sports section and I really enjoyed it. I had really good editors, and then I realized the editor of the Sports section was in my journalism class, and I had a huge crush on him. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, how can I work with this guy?’ I applied to be a Sports editor and was rejected at first, but eventually the Review came to its senses and I was hired, and it’s been great ever since.

[Editor’s Note: The person to whom Tyler is referring is our own Nate Levinson. She would like to clarify that she is not serious and has always dreamed of working for her college newspaper.]

Nate Levinson: A good friend of mine,

See Whitener, page 14

[Editor’s Note: The Editors-in-Chief doubt the validity of this claim.]

Nate Levinson (left) and Tyler Sloan Max Sugarman, OC ’13, was the Sports editor my second semester sophomore year, and he recommended that I start writing for the section — I was going to write for Bleacher Report over the summer — so I wrote a couple articles. I actually got to write a couple editorials for the section, which would never be allowed now. He had a lot of senioritis, so I did that part of his job for him once in a while, and I also wrote a couple articles on the tennis team. I really liked it, so I applied to be a Sports editor after writing about five articles, and I was lucky enough to get

the gig and start up junior year.

What has been your favorite thing and your least favorite thing about being Sports editor?

TS: My favorite part, aside from actually writing and editing, is being in the office with everyone. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone who works at the Review; it’s a really cool group of people, and I’ve learned a lot from them.

My least favorite thing is when we don’t have enough writers, which happens quite often, and we end up writing the entire section. That can

be stressful, but it’s also been a learning experience in its own way.

NL: My favorite thing about the section is getting to write an editorial every other week because I get to write about national sports topics.

That is really something I’m more interested in than anything else. I love learning about athletes here and Oberlin sports culture, and I’ve learned so much about that, but really my favorite thing is writing the editorials.

My least favorite thing is probably the fact that I have to get up at about 8:15 a.m. on Friday mornings to make sure the section is okay.

What is the coolest thing that’s happened to Oberlin athletics during your time as Sports editor?

TS: Speaking from personal experience on the women’s soccer team, it’s been really great to see my team evolve. With each freshman class that comes in, the team’s been better and better. My first year was a big building year, and this season we won nine games in a row, which was really exciting for our program. I think that’s reflective of the trends in a lot of different programs. The women’s lacrosse team had a great season, as did the women’s basketball team. It’s cool to see the teams continue to get better in the conference.

NL: During my first semester as Sports editor in the fall of 2013, it was cool to see the men’s soccer team have the success that they had.

Brandt Rentel, OC ’14, was an All-American goalie, and being able to See Sports, page 14

Shifting Sports Culture Tyler Sloan Sports Editor As the end of my sophomore year winds down, and my tenure as Sports editor comes to a blissful conclusion as I move to News, I have been reflecting on how the Oberlin Athletics Department has evolved over the last two years.

Playing on the women’s varsity soccer team, I have experienced firsthand what it really means to be part of a budding program.

The team won only one game in 2012 and scored seven goals throughout the entire season. Statistically, my first year was not significantly better, with just four wins and 12 goals to our collective name.

But this year, with an 11-person sophomore class, complemented by seven very talented firstyears, our young team has started to evolve. Of course, this has not been without the leadership of the six upperclassmen, but from my understanding there has undoubtedly been a cultural shift to prioritize athletics.

In part, this can be attributed to a new coaching staff. Head Coach Dan Palmer started his tenure in 2013 and was joined

by Assistant Coach Taylor Houck this year. Under their guidance, the women’s soccer team won nine games in a row this season and had a tangible shot at making the conference playoffs. Delta Lodge Director of Athletics Natalie Winkelfoos has also played a vital role in shaping Oberlin athletics, garnering important donations and helping to rebuild teams. With a brand new stadium and refreshed coaching staff in many programs, something new is happening for See Editorial, page 14