February 7, 2014

The Oberlin Review

FEBRUARY 7, 2013 VOLUME 143, NUMBER 13

Outside the Bubble News highlights from the past week Zimmerman Launches Career as Celebrity Boxer George Zimmerman, defendant in the controversial Trayvon Martin case, recently announced that he’ll take part in a celebrity boxing match against rapper DMX. Damon Feldman, owner of Celebrity Boxing and friend of Zimmerman, shared in an interview with CNN on Thursday that over 8,000 people emailed him, requesting a fight with Zimmerman an hour after divulging the plan. According to DMX spokesman Domenick Nati, the rapper plans to ‘beat [Zimmerman’s] ass.’

Nine South African Miners Trapped Underground Nine South African miners are missing after a fire ignited Tuesday evening, trapping the workers over a mile underground. Operator of the Doornkop mine, Harmony Gold Mining Company, reported that rescue teams were dispatched immediately but could not withstand the fire’s smoke and collapsed rock.

Eight other workers were also working underground but managed to escape the fire unharmed.

Clay Aiken for Congress American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken launched his bid for Congress on Tuesday. Despite running as a Democrat in the conservative state of North Carolina, Aiken remarked that he was confident in the success of his upcoming campaign.

Since his participation in the 2003 American Idol competition, Aiken has worked as an activist speaking against a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in the state.

Sources: CNN and The Huffington Post

Obies Rebuild Detriot Community Hub Ben Smith Students traveled to Detroit for yet another Winter Term this January hoping to rebuild a city of lost jobs, industries and much of its population since the recent recession.

In an effort to restore the city’s communities, nearly 20 Obies found themselves in a small, rundown house on Broadstreet Avenue, located on Detroit’s west side. For generations, Auntie Na’s House has operated as the base for unofficial community outreach programs. According to College junior and trip organizer Jackson Kusiak, Auntie Na’s is a special place for many members of the community. “[The house] could provide something as simple as a onetime meal or a substantial longterm place to stay,” said Kusiak.

In recent years, the house has fallen to disrepair. For the duration of their trip, students worked with Auntie Na and other community leaders to restore the building. The work involved extensive repairs and remodeling, designed to enable Auntie Na to expand her outreach.

Oberlin’s involvement in Detroit communities began two years ago, when former student Jackson Koeppel left Oberlin to

Students work to restore communities in Detroit during Winter Term take part in renovations.

work for grassroots initiatives in the city.

Recalling last year’s trip, College sophomore Hannah Rosenberg explained, “[Koeppel] brought down a group of students to do construction on a house which was to be turned into a green community center.”

According to Rosenberg, the planned renovation aimed

See page 2

to construct a coffee shop and provide examples of green living techniques to locals, but the project ultimately collapsed when the students found that the building was scheduled for demolition.

Despite the failure of last winter’s project, Oberlin students established connections with Auntie Na and other com-

Daneil Goering

munity leaders for projects in years to come. However, misfortune struck the group in its second year as Auntie Na unexpectedly fell ill and spent time in the hospital.

Even in Auntie Na’s absence, Oberlin students continued to complete major renovations to See Volunteers, page 2

Ohio’s New Lethal Injection Extends Suffering Louie Krauss Staff Writer The Ohio State Correctional Facility’s morbid experimentation with a never-beforeused combination of lethal chemicals this January has led the Deparment of Correction to reanalyze its use of chemical poisons.

McGuire, who was convicted for the rape and murder of a pregnant woman in 1994, appeared to be convulsing and gasping just moments after the injections, which then took approximately 24 minutes to kill him. When contacted, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokeswoman Joellen Smith declined to comment in depth on the event.

“The only thing I can tell you is that the Department of Correction is conducting an after-action review, and until that review is completed it would be premature for me to comment any further,” Smith said.

This review intends to examine the legitimacy of McGuire’s pain. According to a press release, the nearby guards claimed he

was simply “putting on a big show.” The Department will address whether or not the mixture of midazolam and hydromorphone should continue to be used.

This is not the first instance of such experimentation. Due to a shortage of pentobarbital, the traditional chemical used in lethal injections, the practice of mixing lethal chemicals has slowly increased. According to ACLU Communications and Public Policy Director Mike Brickner, this shortage is the result of a decline in production.

“The big reason causing Ohio and other states to experiment with these types of drugs is because companies in Europe that manufacture these drugs have said that they will not sell them to the Departments of Corrections for the death penalty. This has led to a big shortage of the medications typically used for lethal injections,” Brickner said.

Brickner went on to say that he believes in human right of life and that the government and prison officials should not be allowed to choose who is sentenced to death.

In regard to the McGuire case, Brick-

Twenty-Mile March Ohioans participated in a march against Ricardo Ramos’s deportation this past January.

ESTABLISHED 1874 oberlinreview.org

ONLINE & IN PRINT

Nothing But Net Stealing the Show Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead proves theater at Oberlin is alive and well.

See page 10

INDEX:

Opinions 5

This Week in Oberlin 8

The men’s basketball team hopes their upset win over No. 23 ranked DePauw University will help them finish the season strong.

See page 16

Arts 10

Sports 16

ner said not only that the execution was “botched,” but that Ohio prisons should not continue to use these more painful injections.

“We have a lot of issues with the execution of Mr. McGuire. There were a lot of things I think happened counter to what we expect in an execution, which is that it was not quick,” Brickner said. “That’s something that Ohio laws require, and that was the longest execution in Ohio since we brought back lethal injection in the ’90s. I also think the reaction of Mr. McGuire during the execution — the way he breathed and how his body reacted during the execution — indicates that this was a botched execution.”

While Brickner views the execution as a failure, Ohio officials thought the procedure went as planned. Other prisons, however, took note of what happened. Louisiana officials cancelled inmate Christopher Sepulvado’s death sentence after learning of McGuire’s suffering.

According to Brickner, one of the main isSee Death, page 4

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The Oberlin Review, February 7, 2014

Feature Photo: Keystone Protest

Volunteers Rebuild Auntie Na’s Continued from page 1

Students, faculty and Oberlin residents gathered in Tappan Square on Monday, Feb. 3, to protest the State Department’s recent evaluation of the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. The report concluded that greenhouse-gas emissions and future tar sands expansion would not be affected by the approval or disapproval of the pipeline. Double-degree first-year Hayden Arp, the demonstration’s organizer, said that the event was one of over 200 that occurred across the country in response to environmental activist website 350.org’s call for action. “My goal was just to say that we did something,” said Arp, “and we succeeded.” Despite the cold, the demonstrators stayed in Tappan Square for approximately 30 minutes before marching in a conga line to the post office. They chanted, “Hey Obama! We don’t want no climate drama!” and other slogans. “In a small campus, especially in the cold, every single body counts,” said College sophomore Eli Dalven. College senior Kai Drumm agreed. “It’s important to draw attention to Keystone and show solidarity for causes we believe in,” she said. Lee Paxton, a resident of Bellville, OH, said that he came here with some friends who, like many participants, heard about the event online.

“I organized the whole thing on Facebook yesterday around 3 p.m.,” said Arp, who also said it was his first experience organizing. “Only three or so RSVP’d on Facebook, so I’m surprised at the turnout.”

Story by Wayoton Cunningham Photo by Effie Kline-Salamon Photo Editor

the house without her and found themselves growing in unexpected ways.

Alice Beecher, who graduated this December, noted that her relationships with fellow participants were strengthened due to the unforeseen circumstances. “[I] was able to interact with people on a different level of intimacy than I had before,” said Beecher. “We were able to break down barriers erected by social positions.”

Beecher connects her time at Auntie Na’s to her continuing interest and involvement in labor movements. “I see a lot of the root of poverty as the result of the death of the labor movement in the United States,” she said.

Though Auntie Na’s House has been an invaluable community resource, Rosenberg points out that it is important to maintain a larger perspective on the group’s initiatives.

“This is the place to look at the difference between social change and social service. I do not think that this is creating massive social change yet, but it could,” said Rosenberg. “It is a social service she is providing, but if she gets these youth programs off the ground, that could contribute to social change.”

In an effort to continue their initiative in Detroit, Oberlin students plan to work with Auntie Na again. Kusiak is working to find additional funding for Auntie Na through grant proposals and web-based funding.

Despite two consecutive years of unanticipated obstacles, Oberlin students await another year in Detroit.

According to Kusiak, increased community gardening, the expansion of youth outreach programs and an increase in the number of computers for the community’s residents are planned for future projects.

Protesters Trek 20 Miles to Prevent Deportation Emma Baxter Nearly a hundred protesters stood in solidarity on the morning of Ricardo Ramos’s scheduled deportation, a day that also marked his daughter’s 12th birthday.

On the morning of Jan. 16, protesters gathered to begin a 20-mile march from the Great Lakes Mall to St. Casimir Catholic Church in Cleveland in an attempt to prevent the deportation of Ramos, an Ohio resident for nearly 16 years.

Veronica Dahlberg has worked closely with Ramos and his wife and three children as executive director of HOLA, a grassroots organization that focuses on Latino outreach, advocacy and community organizing. The orga-

nization has dealt with family separation issues in Ohio for the past four years.

“We had close to 100 people walking in the bitter cold.

It was raining in some parts of the walk, and it was a very grueling journey,” said Dahlberg.

“But it was to raise awareness of the plight of this family risking separation.”

But it took more than a 20-mile march to prevent Ramos’s deportation. Attorney David Leopold took on the family’s case pro bono and filed a motion that temporarily halted the deportation, allowing Ramos to celebrate his daughter’s birthday.

“Ricardo and his family are not feeling a real sense of security, but they are deeply grateful for all of the support

they have received,” Dahlberg said. “They love this country, the people and the church.”

According to Dahlberg, the march’s conclusion at St. Casimir Church is of symbolic importance.

“St. Casimir Church has a long history of miracles.

The church was supposed to be torn down years ago, but the people of the church met every Sunday for three years and managed to keep it open. They brought that same fighting spirit to Ricardo’s case,” Dahlberg said.

In addition to the support of Leopold and the church, veteran Joseph See Demonstration, page 4

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One hundred protesters gather to prevent the deportation of Ricardo Ramos. Protesters marched 20 miles through Cleveland.

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Off the Cuff: Cole Hershkowitz, OC ‘11, co-founder of Chai Energy Cole Hershkowitz, OC ’11, was recently awarded $15,000 by the Oberlin LaunchU Pitch Competition, a grant to fund his future entrepreneurial ventures. A CalTech graduate and engineering enthusiast, Hershkowitz co-founded a company called Chai Energy, an energy conservation company that operates out of Southern California.

What is Chai Energy?

Chai Energy shows homeowners exactly where they’re wasting money on their utility bill and what’s going on in their home through a mobile application. So, if you imagine: You’re at home, and, if you’re forgetful like I am, you leave the stove on or the refrigerator door open. We’ll send you a message on your way out the door, or maybe after an hour, that your stove is on, or that your fridge door has been open for over an hour. And we do that by analyzing [and] number-crunching data that comes out of the utility department, which then allows us to figure out what specific appliances are on or off, so that we can deliver the message.

and I honestly didn’t really know what was in store for the weekend.

The thing that I liked most about it was that it brought together a lot of these people in and around the Oberlin community that were involved in entrepreneurship that a) I didn’t know existed, and b) even if I did know they existed, there was no other opportunity to get them all in one place. So it was really a great opportunity to reconnect with people at Oberlin who had started companies, people at Oberlin who were focused on starting companies. I really [appreciated that] it brought the community together. And that’s pretty much what it was for me during the weekend — a sense of community, talking to people and learning about the cool projects that people are working on.

Cole Hershkowitz, OC ’11, who discussed the founding of his new company and his time at Oberlin

Is there anything else that you’d like to mention about your project?

Yeah! We’ll be launching later this year. It’ll be available in Southern California, and we are really look forward to the market reception and how people enjoy it, what people think about it and what people are interested in. [In regards to Oberlin students who are interested in entrepreneurship,] I’d encourage [you] to reach out to me at cole@ chaienergy.net. I’d be more than happy to answer questions.

solar decathlon project — in which you build a solar powered home — and working on the project we kind of found that there’s no real affordable solution to understand what’s going on in your home or understand where you’re spending So where does the ‘‘Chai’’ in energy on your utility bill. So it kind Chai Energy come from? of [came from] that.

We came up with a list of 100 names and crossed off 99 until we How would you say your time were left with Chai. at Oberlin helped shape what you’re doing now?

Where did this idea come from?

When I was at Oberlin, they had Well, both myself and my co- this Creativity and Leadership profounder worked on the CalTech gram and a class that was a part of that. They had Entrepreneurship Scholars, which was [like] Business Scholars but not, and I took a Cre-

ativity and Leadership class, [where I got to experience] what an entrepreneur was, and I was like, ‘’Oh wow, I’ve never done that before and I like it.’’ That kind of gave me the direction and knowledge I needed to pursue that in a deeper way when I went to CalTech. So I went to CalTech and I became president of the CalTech Entrepreneurship Club, made a lot of connections, read as much as I could and took a bunch of classes. Oberlin gave me the confidence in a way; it kind of said to me, ‘This was something that you could be interested in, and even though it’s not a department at any school in the world, it’s something that exists and now you have an op-

portunity to learn more about it.’’ So I took that and I ran with it, learned as much as I could and started the company.

bers of the Oberlin Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at Firelands Apartments. A student told officers that they might have left a piece of bread in the microwave for too long, creating smoke and activating the alarm. The alarm was silenced and then reset.

10:43 p.m. An officer responded to a call from Kahn Hall regarding a bicycle locked to the main sprinkler pipe in the third floor south stairwell. The cable lock was removed and the unregistered bicycle was transported to the Security Office.

near the Grounds Shop. The vehicle was found at the scene, although the operator had left the premises.

10:57 a.m. An officer responded to a call from Firelands Apartments that alerted authorities of a possible room break-in. There were no signs of forced entry. A small red couch and a mattress were missing from the apartment.

6:15 p.m. A resident of Dascomb Hall reported that food was left in her trashcan over break, causing an infestation of insects in her room. Facilities staff was contacted and a work order was filed for an exterminator.

11:23 p.m. Officers responded to a report of an unauthorized party at Firelands Apartments.

The resident of the room in question was contacted and denied hosting a party. A strong odor of cigarette smoke was also detected, although the occupant denied smoking. Two bagged smoke detectors were observed and the bags were removed.

Sunday, Feb. 2

Monday, Feb. 3

3:12 a.m. A resident of Langston Hall reported that an unknown white substance was sprayed into her open window. Officers responded and determined that a fire extinguisher had been discharged. Discharged fire extinguishers were also found in Burton Hall and the south exterior of Langston Hall. A work order was filed for replacements.

3:06 p.m. Officers and members of the Oberlin Fire Department responded to a fire alarm in the basement of Burton Hall. Dust from a discharged fire extinguisher caused the alarm. A custodian responded for clean up and the alarm was reset.

3:14 p.m. A resident of Price Hall reported an odor consistent with burnt marijuana on the first floor. The occupant of the room in question was contacted and denied smoking. Incense and a burnt candle, both in plain sight, were confiscated.

5:15 p.m. Student staff reported an odor consistent with burnt marijuana on the third floor of South Hall. The occupants of the rooms in question were contacted and denied smoking. Although nothing was found in plain sight, the room held a faint odor of burnt marijuana.

Friday, Jan. 31 10:45 a.m. Student Union staff members reported a 4’ tall, 2” wide circular table missing from the ’Sco. Members of the Oberlin Police Department were notified of the theft of the table, which is valued at approximately $500.

3:19 p.m. Officers and members of the Oberlin Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the Union Street Housing Complex. Smoke from a dirty stove activated the alarm, which was then reset.

4:07 p.m. Officers responded to a strong odor consistent with burnt marijuana that appeared to come from a room on the first floor of South Hall. The students in the room denied smoking and nothing was observed in plain view.

5:48 p.m. Officers and mem-

Saturday, Feb. 1 4:34 a.m. Officers on patrol observed damage to two food service trucks parked in the Stevenson lot.

The box trucks had non-offensive graffiti, sprayed in black paint, on the left side of each vehicle. A work order was filed.

5:25 a.m. Facilities staff reported that a vehicle had collided with a fence on North Professor Street

Are you currently working on any other projects, or is Chai Energy your main focus?

I’ve tried working on multiple things at a time in the past, and it does not work well creativity- and focus-wise. I think you really need to be focused on one thing at a time in order to do something well enough.

Interview by Madeline Stocker News editor Photo courtesy of Cole Hershkowitz

Could you talk a little bit about the competition process?

So I showed up last Wednesday,

Tuesday, Feb. 4 12:56 a.m. Officers responded to a report of water in the basement of Old Barrows. Facilities Operation was contacted and determined that the water came through the floor. A work order was filed.

Wednesday, Feb. 5 8:58 a.m. Officers responded to assist an employee with an injured foot at Finney Chapel. The employee was transported by ambulance to Mercy Allen Hospital.

News

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The Oberlin Review, February 7, 2014

Death Row Inmates Face New Lethal Cocktail Continued from page 1 sues with the lethal injection process is that the correctional facilities don’t publicize how they select who is to receive the penalty.

“We really don’t know [why McGuire was selected]; this is part of the problem with the death penalty. The government is not very forthcoming with a lot of their information. There’s a huge stigma with doctors assisting with executions, and if they do consult a medical person it’s not publicized. So there’s no transparency,” Brickner said.

An additional issue with the process is that medical personnel are not trained in manufacturing lethal medi-

cations; reports indicate that many doctors who are commissioned to design lethal drugs have done so reluctantly, causing them to use larger doses of medicine in the hope of expediting the process.

In addition to the ACLU, Equal Justice USA has also fought to eliminate the death penalty. EJUSA Communications worker Emma Weisfield-Adams said that the focus shouldn’t be on castigating prisons that experiment with their lethal chemicals, but rather on making criminal justice policies more fair and effective.

Both Weisfield-Adams and Brickner added that race often factors into deciding who undergoes the penalty as prisoners of color are more likely to be sentenced, a likelihood that is accentuated if their crime was directed at a white person.

Although she believes that there are still many issues to deal with, Weisfield-Adams trusts that the country will continue to see a rise in the number of states eliminating the capital punishment.

“I think we’re going to see the rate at which states repeal the death penalty [increase] at a very steady pace, as seen with states like New Hampshire and Delaware, which are very close,” Weisfield-Adams said.

As of 2014, 18 states have eliminated the death penalty. Brickner and Weisfield-Adams both note that Delaware and New Hampshire are on the verge of elimination, while states such as Ohio and Texas are far from eradication.

Krislov Joins White House in Expanding Access to Higher Education Madeline Peltz College President Marvin Krislov traveled to Washington, D.C. last month to attend the White House summit on expanding opportunities for low-income students in higher education. In order to attend, each president submitted formal commitments to the White House detailing their plans to improve economic accessibility for all students.

The event included panels and speeches from experts on higher education, such as Sal Khan of Khan Academy, as well as rising stars in the political sphere, such as Mayor Julián Castro of San Antonio.

At the summit, President Obama issued a call to action in which he delineated his plan to increase accessibility.

“We don’t want these to be the exceptions. We want these to be the rule,” said President Obama in his speech at the summit.

Obama’s plan addresses four major barriers facing low-income high school students on their way to college, including connecting more students with institutions in which they can be challenged and succeed, increasing the college application pool by promoting awareness of the process earlier in education, reducing inequalities in the college advising system, and expanding remedial education programs across colleges and universities.

Demonstration Halts Ramos Deportation Continued from page 2 Meissner contributed to the efforts. “[Meissner] has been writing letters to members of Congress, and he got an award for Veteran of the Year. He is a graduate of Harvard Law and he has dedicated his life to helping Vietnamese immigrants. It is a blessing to have his support,” said Dahlberg.

While many praise the efforts that delayed Ramos’s deportation, some say that there is more to be done.

“It is important to show solidarity through actions,” said College junior and immigration activist Joelle Lingat. “We shouldn’t just talk about politics and write letters, but we need to show our support and have an active approach towards solidarity, on institutional and personal levels.”

Lingat became interested in issues of immigration and social justice when she took a U.S. history class her first year. Her research project, funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, also dealt with issues in immigration.

“I research and talk a lot about immigration because I come from a big immigrant community,” she said. “I think everyone has been saying that the immigrant system is broken, and it’s hard for me to grapple with the fact that families are being broken up by man-made borders.”

Education systems across the country are coming face to face with issues of immigration.

The College is in the process of creating an undocumented students program, which Lingat helps to organize.

“I think in general the system of higher education definitely privileges certain kinds of people, whether it be race, class or gender. I think it’s important to localize higher education so we don’t have too many people from the coasts going to a Midwest rural school,” said Lingat.

“We as a community need to go beyond just thinking and talking about it and start reflecting on what role we have as students, faculty, staff and as an institution.”

Krislov expressed great enthusiasm for the goals of the summit. “[Obama has been] a leader in access from the very beginning,” he said. Krislov went on to state that he had several goals upon entering the summit. “[I wanted to] find out what the latest techniques and opportunities were [by] connecting with people who are doing interesting things that we might learn from,” said Krislov.

New non-profit founder Nicole Hurd, one of the summit’s panelists, piqued Krislov’s interest. Hurd’s organization, the National College Advising Corps, combats inequality in the college advising system by placing recent college graduates into urban high schools with sparse resources. The program hopes to help high school students navigate the complex maze of requirements and resources that come with college applications.

The summit also exposed President Krislov to an array of approaches regarding expanding accessibility, but the central example of Oberlin’s engagement in economic accessibility is the College’s commitment to partner with the brand new non-profit, Raise Labs.

Supported in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Raise Labs provides high school students with microscholarships, which, administered through a credit system, allocate small amounts of money toward the recipients’ college tuition as they continue to succeed academically.

Dean of Admissions Debra Chermonte, who heads the partnership, said, “We are excited about Oberlin’s partnership with Raise Labs and see this as an innovative way to motivate and inspire ambitious students throughout high school. Tying micro-scholarships to academic achievement, community service, leadership and other special achievements while elevating the attributes of each partner college is a genius idea.”

In addition to the administration’s commitment to a partnership with Raise Labs, the student demands presented to the College’s Board of Trustees earlier this year included a proposal for a scholarship fund specifically designated for undocumented students who wish to attend Oberlin. “[The fund is important] because it provides assistance for students who should be able to join our community and not have to bear a punishment based on the circumstance they were born into,” said Student Senator and College sophomore Ziya Smallens.

While President Krislov might not share the same radical fervor as some members of the student body, he also expressed belief in this idea.

“We’ve been supportive of that, we’ve met with students and they’ve met with our development officer and we’re actually very interested in establishing it. I myself have contributed to it, as have some others,” Krislov said.

‘Mediocre’ Outlook for Local Schools Elizabeth Dobbins Staff Writer According to a recent auditor’s report, John Schroth, superintendent of the Oberlin City School District, has tried to stay positive about the district’s “mediocre” financial projection.

“Mediocre is better than rotten,” said Schroth.

For the last three years, the school system has spent less than its total revenue; however, this is expected to change in the 2015 fiscal year with expenditures rising above revenue and cutting into existing funds. This trend is projected to continue at least until the 2017 fiscal year. Schroth explains that this pattern of under- and over-budget years is indicative of the way the Ohio school funding system functions.

“Essentially the system is set to have these kinds of cycles,” Schroth said. “You pass an issue, you collect more money than you need for a couple of years, and then you spend that money in a later couple of years. There comes a time when either you have to cut costs or pass another issue. And that’s the way we’re faced now.”

According to Schroth, tax issues are passed and collect at a flat rate for a set period of years with no adjustment for inflation or rising costs. Income tax increases with inflation, but other funding sources, such as property tax or state funds, do not change.

This means the school district must periodically increase revenue or cut spending.

“I wouldn’t say I’m concerned,” said District Treasurer Angela Dotson. “The district is very proactive and our fiveyear forecast does show a loss a couple years out, but I have all confidence that we will make the adjustments necessary.”

The report released by the Ohio Auditor of State assessed the financial position of the district’s four schools: Oberlin High School, Langston Middle School, Prospect Elementary and Eastwood Elementary.

Among the more ambitious adjustments is the proposal to build a new facility for kindergarten through grade 12. Currently, the school district has four different schools and leases space to two other organizations. By downsizing to one new facility, the district expects to save between $1.25 and $1.5 million a year in upkeep and maintenance.

“One of the things that we were looking at is tearing down [the current school buildings] and selling off the lots for redevelopment,” continued Schroth. “We’re looking at alternative uses for some buildings for early child care and seniors and maybe studio space; even possibly student housing, for that matter.”

Since the current facilities were built in the 1950s and ’60s, enrollment in the Oberlin school system has dropped from about 2,000 to less than 1,000, despite little change in the city’s population. As a result, Oberlin schools have almost twice as much squarefootage per student compared to any other district in Lorain County, leaving empty seats in the city’s classrooms.

A demographic study conducted in 2012 predicts no significant change in enrollment over the next 10 years. The new, smaller school would cut down on yearly maintenance costs, allowing adequate funding for the district and possibly lowering property taxes.

“It’s probably one of the few opportunities we’re going to have to cut costs going into the future,” said Dotson. “It has more efficient buildings that don’t require as many repairs.

Less space to maintain requires less upkeep cost most of the time.”

The proposal to build a new school will go on the ballot as a large bond issue next November. More information about the proposal will be available this spring, but Schroth expressed concern that some voters may not approve the large initial expenditure required to build a new facility.

“Explaining the financial aspect of it [will be challenging] because it is going to be a large bond issue at the beginning. We really need to do this in order to save money in the long run,” said Schroth.

If the issue is passed, Schroth says, the new building will be the first carbon-neutral K-12 school in the nation.

Alternatively, if construction of the school is not approved, Dotson says the School District may combat the budget and space issues by combining schools and downsizing to three buildings.

“Things don’t look horrible for the next few years,” said Schroth. “But we have to keep looking ahead and put things in place today that are going to affect what’s going to happen in 2017.”

February 7, 2014

Opinions The Oberlin Review

Page 5

Letter to the Editors

The Oberlin Review

activating a half percent, one percent, or even more of these new construction budgets to be used for the acquisition of new artworks or installations?

Case Western Reserve University, just 40 miles to our northeast, recently built their Weatherhead School of Management, designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. Sited nearby, within University Circle, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland just opened their new space designed by internationally recognized architect Farshid Moussavi. These two new buildings have not only provided their institutions with functional spaces; they invested in architects who could manipulate space in transformative ways. Gehry and Moussavi also put these institutions on a global map, one that drives excitement, interest, awareness and the big “P”— patronage.

In 2005, Rice University’s president activated a half percent of the university’s budget for art, allowing Rice to create a public art program that has, to date, commissioned and acquired more than 14 significant works of art for the campus.

Among these works is James Turrell’s Twilight Epiphany skyspace, a space that manipulates light through the use of LED and natural light. It seats 120 people and has drawn over 40,000 visitors to the Rice University campus since it opened

Publication of Record for Oberlin College — Established 1874 —

Alumna Expresses Concern About Building Projects To the Editor: A graduate of Oberlin College, Ellen Johnson, joined the Art History faculty in 1939. During her tenure, Johnson brought important works of art and architecture to Oberlin College. When she passed in 1992, Johnson’s lasting, visionary legacy was marked by modern masterworks: the Robert Venturi addition to the Allen Memorial Art Museum and a Frank Lloyd Wright home that she bequeathed to the College. Ellen Johnson refreshed a tradition of aesthetic awareness at Oberlin College that I believe has fallen dangerously dormant.

Over the course of the next few years, we have an opportunity to revive these great visions that have endured at our institution, as we expand and enhance our architectural landscape with the addition of a new athletics center and a mixed-use complex to replace the Oberlin Inn. To my knowledge, so far only an engineering firm has been retained for the Inn project. Is there a notable architect at the helm of either of these upcoming projects? Are there plans to engage an internationally recognized architect? Additionally, has Oberlin considered

Machmud Makhmudov Student Senate Liaison I’m excited to announce that Student Senate will be holding its spring election next week! A total of six seats will be open for competition, which represent 40 percent of the total body of 15 senators. Nominations will be accepted until 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8. If you’d like to

nominate yourself or a friend, please send an email stating so to senate@oberlin.edu and mmakhmud@oberlin.edu.

We anticipate that the election will begin on Feb. 10. Per recently renewed senate bylaws, the election will run for a minimum of five days. If a quorum of 20 percent of the student body — approximately 580 students — has not been met

in June of 2012. This work, commissioned by an alumna who was excited about the new art program, has inspired other alumni to come back to the Rice campus to experience this work of art, and it has re-engaged them with the University. Rice is just one example. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, San Diego, have also activated building funds for the purchase of art. Art that I argue has elevated these campuses, has had transformative effects on the students who attend these universities and has again inspired patronage.

I ask Oberlin’s administration and board, as well as the current students of Oberlin, to consider what Oberlin College could be with world-class architects on both or even one of these upcoming projects. Consider what this would do for our college, how it would re-engage alums and drive significant patronage. And, with the Inn being situated “in town,” what broader positive impact could this have on the city of Oberlin?

How are we honoring the vision of great alumni like Ellen Johnson, whose aesthetic investments left an enduring legacy for our institution? Are we doing just enough to stay relevant, or should we be doing much more?

–Emily Stein, OC ’05

after the five-day period, the election will be extended until quorum is met.

Unfortunately, only a small proportion of the student body typically votes in Student Senate elections. Quorum is usually only barely reached, with voter turnout fluctuating between 600 and 800 voters. One See Student Senate, page 7

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.

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Opinions expressed in letters, columns, essays, cartoons or other Opinions pieces do not necessarily reflect those of the staff of the Review.

Editors-in-Chief Rosemary Boeglin Julia Herbst Managing Editor Julian Ring Opinions Editor Sophia Ottoni-Wilhelm

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain It’s not news to anyone that Woody Allen is a little creepy. In fact, his neuroses are often his selling point, giving an otherwise nasally and high-strung man a charm irresistible to his millions of worldwide fans. So why is it then, that when Allen’s former adopted daughter Dylan Farrow released a statement last week concerning her 1992 sexual abuse case against her father — shortly after Allen received a lifetime achievement award at this year’s Golden Globes — did we only now throw our hands up and decide to voice our discomfort with the man whose films we name-drop at parties?

There are a few camps into which people generally fall when it comes to people like Allen, Chris Brown, R. Kelly and other popular artists with unseemly backstories.

There are always apologists who make excuses, blaming the accusing party and refusing to acknowledge any or all transgressions for the sake of the artist. The problem with these people is not merely the defensive stance they assume, but also that their frenetic downplaying diverts the public’s attention from both the immediate and systemic issues at hand. Screenwriter, producer and director Robert B. Weide — who directed a two-part PBS documentary on Allen — wrote a 5,600 word essay for “The Daily Beast” titled “The Woody Allen Allegations: Not So Fast,” in which he spends paragraphs discussing a host of irrelevant topics, including the sexual history of Farrow’s mother. These details in no way elucidate the case and instead detract from the larger conversations we should be having about sexual violence, rape culture and the responsibilities of public figures.

As Aaron Bady’s astute editorial in “The New Inquiry” points out, the argument that we must presume Allen’s innocence implicitly discredits Farrow’s allegations. “If you want to vigorously claim ignorance — to assert that we can never know what happened in that attic — then you must ground that lack of knowledge in the presumption that what she has said doesn’t count, and we cannot believe her story,” he writes. Allen’s innocence also rests on the assertion that others conspired to fabricate the assault. “All things being equal, the explanation that doesn’t require you to imagine a conspiracy of angry women telling lies for no reason is probably the right one.”

Others who cannot locate the separation between the artist and the art he or she produces find it unethical, distasteful or simply impossible to enjoy the work of a person whose actions they find despicable. Although such a position’s ethical inflexibility is commendable, and the Review’s Editorial Board generally advocates for the strong assertion of moral principles, this type of rigid indignation comes with several unfortunate downsides as well — namely that human error prevents the enjoyment of the art. For instance, a rigid moralist couldn’t enroll in the Cinema Studies module course on Roman Polanski; neither could she bump n’ grind to “Remix to Ignition” at Splitchers. For that matter, the rigid moralist probably shouldn’t listen to Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love,” either (see Kiss My Sass on page 7 for more).

The more moderate view — widely adopted out of convenience, if for no other reason — holds that we might appreciate the art without taking the artist into account.

In fact, the appreciation of art ultimately centers around an audience member’s oneon-one relationship with the work, regardless of what they may think of the creator’s history or rectitude. Although the Editorial Board generally adheres to this reasoning, we recognize its limitations and its potential for hypocrisy. For instance, softly lamenting the troubled nature of Woody Allen’s personal life when Soon Yi-Previn or Dylan Farrow are mentioned allows us to outwardly reconcile this discomfiture without acknowledging our complicity in Allen’s continued fame. The disputed elements of his personal life frequently appear in his most beloved films — like in Manhattan, where we witness proclivities for barely-legal ladies displayed on screen to a receptive audience.

Perhaps, then, the artist’s personal life cannot be eradicated from his or her art and, as viewers, we must acknowledge that our consumption of Woody Allen’s films is not entirely dissimilar from drinking Coke or wearing Nikes. Being a consumer in the artistic sense, whether we like it or not, makes us complicit in the goings-on behind the scenes of that art, both in its creation and outside its boundaries. But this doesn’t, nor should it necessarily, prohibit us from engaging with the works we enjoy. We can remain informed about these controversies and speak out about the issues which deserve a public debate without flinching at the trailer for Blue Jasmine.

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, Februrary 7, 2014

Okay, Keep Campus Culture of Stress Sours Relationships It’s Pressing Snooze Isaac Hollander McCreery Columnist There is a common refrain that murmurs its way through Oberlin at the beginning of every semester, one full of wild hope that is always dashed. It’s a hope that, somehow, this time, we’ve learned to do Oberlin differently. It goes something like this: “I’m trying really hard this semester to be less busy.”

But then there’s that all-too-familiar moment, when we look at our schedules and say to ourselves, “Eh, I’m not doing anything Wednesday between seven and eight; I can do that.” We’ll pack our schedules, not taking into account that we need to sleep, breathe, eat, and all the other little things, not to mention the problem sets and papers and practicing. This heavenly and hellish vibrancy is what makes Oberlin so special, though, right? One of the most memorable tidbits from the newly-redesigned website is the remarkable boast of “500+ concerts and 40+ theater & dance productions every year.” That’s not to mention classes, jobs, student organizations, academic lectures, sports, co-ops ... the list goes on.

But that list isn’t the complete picture of Oberlin’s vibrancy — or of its consequences.

The vibrancy of this campus is more than what can be put on paper. In my time at Oberlin, many of my most treasured — and influential — experiences definitely aren’t on any list: a long conversation, late on a cold night, about philosophy in the basement of Harkness; a brief conversation at Slow Train about a project I was working on; time spent making pizza with friends. The lifeblood of Oberlin isn’t in our schedules. In many ways, our schedules sap the lifeblood of Oberlin.

Most obviously, we all sacrifice quality. Simply put, we do more stuff less well.

Even now, during the first week of classes, I find it hard to write with the classes and meetings and emails flying. That’s not necessarily bad; we’re all young and experimenting with new things, learning what we love and don’t. That’s in the

spirit of a liberal arts education.

But the sacrifices go beyond our own work. In doing so much all the time, we lose the ability to appreciate the very vibrancy this place has; we lose respect for each other’s work. The time that I spend on my activities is time I cannot spend appreciating the incredible work of my peers. (To get a sense of what I’m getting at, imagine if we limited ourselves to one activity per time-of-day: one thing in the morning, one thing in the afternoon and one thing at night. If you have class, you don’t schedule something else; if you go to a show, you don’t go to a party.) The incredible work that this campus produces is worth more than we give it. We try to fit as much as possible into every weekend night, and we end up losing sight of just how brilliant all of what we do really is.

We also forgo care; we don’t take care of ourselves or those around us. We don’t take the time and energy to build and maintain healthy relationships, those relationships that we have been told are more important than any class or activity here at Oberlin. In The Invisible Heart, economist Nancy Folbre accounts for how the “invisible hand of markets depends on the invisible heart of care” and how the care economy, upon which the formal economy rests, is in danger of disintegrating. Similarly, Oberlin’s academic economy rests upon our care economy, one with which we have a tenuous relationship, particularly as things get hectic. My friends have rough times; I have rough times; my friends break down; I break down. Our inability to care for each other — because we are so wrapped up in our own stuff, whatever that stuff is — is an oft-overlooked cost of our overbooked lives.

Finally, our overwhelmed culture brings another common refrain: “I’m so stressed!” This recitation and its variants — such as “I’ve slept so little the last few nights!” and “I haven’t eaten all day!” — insidiously infiltrate our lives.

In many circles at Oberlin, we establish social status through our narratives of stress, consciously or not. We believe we are important because we do

so much. We live in a masculine world where what we do is more important than who we are. To compare, black feminist bell hooks asked the following question in an interview published in her book Outlaw Culture: Resisting Representations. What if we looked at biography from the standpoint of the question, “What have you actualized within yourself ?” instead of, “Who or what have you conquered?” How would we tell our stories differently, and how would that affect the way we live? At Oberlin, like most other places in this society, we tell our stories largely through the second question, and the narrative of stress is a building block for social status, a way for us to bask in our conquering of so much, more than we can reasonably handle.

Furthermore, our casual communication of stress is a way to assert our dominance over others. Not only is it a way to bask in our own glory, it is a way for us to say, “what I do is more important than who you are and what you do.” As we constantly live and assert our narrative of stress, we push away our peers and tear apart the fabric of community. It is an incredible gift to be a part of a community doing so many amazing things, but when doing so much is turned into a form of domination, where people value their own work over the lives and work of others, the gift becomes toxic.

Now, let’s be real; I’m not calling anyone out for asking for support from their peers in times of need. Oberlin’s a hard place to be for a lot of reasons, a lot of us work jobs because we have to, and everyone needs support and should be able to ask for it when they need it. But there is a difference between asking for support and using stress to assert dominance (even if not consciously) and too often we do the latter.

So as we book our hours this semester, perhaps we will stop to remember Laertes’s words to Hamlet and wish, like Hamlet, that we had heard them earlier: “The treacherous instrument is in thy hand, / Unbated and envenom’d .”

Let the games begin!

Joshua Kogan Columnist I decided to try something new during my last semester at Oberlin, and write a column for our lovely local paper, The Oberlin Review. I majored in Biology, so I will try to write about topics of interest to biologists that are also relevant to Oberlin students. For my first article, I’d like to talk about sleep, something that no student here can seem to get enough of. Between classes, clubs, ExCos and Splitchers, who can find the time? And when you think about it, what is the deal with sleep anyway? Why do humans, and for that matter all animals, need to go unconscious for a third of their lives to survive? This adaptation doesn’t seem like something that would help our early ancestors survive against the forces of nature.

The short answer to these questions is... we don’t really know. But scientists have begun to shed some light on how sleep works and why it exists. Hopefully after reading this article, you will start to pay more attention to your sleep schedule and figure out what works and what doesn’t.

Lately, it’s come to my attention that it’s really important for me to get the right amount of sleep. Too little sleep and I feel tired the whole day, with that special type of headache that only a good night’s sleep can cure. Surprisingly, when I oversleep, I feel worse, my thoughts are cloudy and it’s hard to concentrate or feel motivated.

This wasn’t always true. I remember struggling freshman year to make it to Stevie brunch before it closed at 2 p.m. I must have been sleeping for 10 to 12 hours. Scientists and non-scientists alike have known for years that children and teenagers need more sleep than adults, but why is this the case?

When we sleep, we go through what are called sleep cycles, intervals of about 90 minutes that consist of both non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement phases. An average person will go through four to five cycles per night, and the duration of the REM cycle increases with each cycle. Different patterns of activity in various brain regions characterize these parts of the sleep cycle. In stages one and two of NREM, you are very lightly sleeping and may have fragmented memories. People in these stages are very easy to wake up.

See Importance, page 7

A Cynic in Washington: Reflections on a Senate Internship Sam White Contributing Writer Winter Term, as every Obie should know, is a unique and invaluable opportunity that knows very few bounds. Last year, as a freshman, I was fortunate to have the chance to travel outside the Western hemisphere for the first time in my life and work as a farmhand in rural Thailand. This year, I stayed closer to home, but completed an internship that immersed me in a thoroughly different culture: the United States Senate.

The stark disconnect between American politicians and their constituents is no secret. I began my adventure in Washington facing facts. At the beginning of January, roughly 13 percent of Americans approved of the way Congress was performing, and I was not among them. The reality that I will probably declare a Politics major in the next few weeks cannot hide the fact that I deeply resent many aspects of American politics, and

after spending a month observing the system from within, I haven’t changed much in this respect.

Government in its ideal form, I believe, centers on public service.

Politics, as practiced on Capitol Hill, is steeped in egotistic careerism at the expense of both governance and service. The disjunction is overwhelming.

The sad reality, though, is that what happens — or doesn’t happen — in Washington affects everyone in America, no matter how distanced or out-of-touch our politicians may be. As much as I want nothing to do with politics as we know it, the majority of the issues I care and write about are inherently dependent on politics and policy. Knowing this, I ventured to the District of Columbia with two main goals. First, to get closer to working out what I want to do with my life; and second, to try to learn the language of government, since I will probably find it relevant to whatever I end up doing.

I managed to secure an internship in the office of Senator Edward

Markey of Massachusetts, who was elected to the Senate in a special election after John Kerry was appointed Secretary of State. One of my first realizations once inside the Russell Senate Office Building, I have to admit, was the simple observation that a huge quantity of work does in fact get done on Capitol Hill — and meaningful, substantive work at that. The interns who answer hundreds of calls from constituents each week are not pretending to listen (at least in Senator Markey’s office); they are actively working to make sure that senators hear their constituents’ concerns, as well as helping constituents get the information they need to decide whether the senator is adequately addressing them.

Teams of roughly 20 to 30 staffers in each office research policy issues, consult experts, meet with constituents and organizations, collaborate with other Senate and House offices, sort through correspondence and do whatever else is necessary to allow the senator to focus on the most important task:

crafting and passing legislation informed by these staffers’ work.

This last level, I imagine, is where everything breaks down if a senator is out of touch. I was lucky enough to witness the process at its best and was thrilled to see Senator Markey take important issues — issues I had worked on with his staffers — to the committee floor. In one memorable instance, at a publicly recorded hearing on domestic drone use with the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Markey raised several crucial questions regarding privacy concerns. Putting the previous 90 minutes of slow-moving discussion to shame, he drove home a well-articulated argument for his own unrivaled legislation on drone regulation, all while gesticulating passionately with an iPhonecontrolled, camera-equipped quad-copter that he had brought to the hearing to demonstrate the technology’s market availability.

Sadly, it became clear that Markey — and all his hard work — was the anomaly in the room; by contrast,

Committee Chair Jon D. Rockefeller of West Virginia seemed reluctant to even listen.

At least in its current and disproportionately rich, white, old and male membership, Congress is clearly dysfunctional, reflected in its abysmal approval ratings (which dropped one percent further during my time there).

However, I now realize that this isn’t entirely for lack of trying, as evidenced by the painstaking efforts of the staffers with whom I worked, and by the occasional well-meaning, talented senator, like Ed Markey. My experience did little to improve my outlook on American politics, but it did at least increase my understanding of and appreciation for some of the hard work necessary to translate constituent concerns into meaningful government action.

Our political system is not necessarily broken, but Congress will only repair itself and regain the trust of the American people when its members, too, appreciate the need for this work.

Opinions

The Oberlin Review, February 7, 2014

Kiss My Sass: Eat the Cake, Jay Z Sophia Ottoni-Wilhelm Opinions Editor Before Christmas, Beyoncé surprised the world with the release of a bitchin’ self-titled album featuring an array of popular artists: Drake, Frank Ocean, her husband Jay Z and Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The album blew my mind with the collection of 17 videos centered on the theme of marriage, sex and family.

Beyoncé says the birth of her daughter Blue Ivy™ (yes, her name is trademarked) made the album possible: “Once I became a mother, I felt like I could tear down those fourth walls. I completely feel liberated, and I felt like I could no longer create my art for other people, so I just felt like it was time.” This is nothing new. Beyoncé’s personal life — both her relationship with Jay Z and her joy at becoming a parent — has played a pivotal role in shaping her career over the past decade. Far from keeping them out of the spotlight, she’s embraced the happy family image and become one of the most successful artists in the United States.

In 2013, Beyoncé and Jay Z cumulatively earned 100 million dollars.

She rocked last year’s Super Bowl and published an essay titled “Gender Equality Is a Myth!” in the Shriver Report, urging women to continue to fight for their rights. This stance is apparent in her recent album as she reflects, “I took all of my insecurities, all of my doubts, all of my fears and everything I’ve learned over the last 17 years, and I applied it to this project.

But more than the music, I’m proud of myself as a woman for taking the risks.” In the video for “***Flawless,” Beyoncé includes a clip of bestselling author and feminist Adichie speaking out about women’s rights during a TED talk.

Given B’s family branding and outspokenness on issues of gender equality, I was completely shocked by the song “Drunk In Love” from her new album. The song features a rap from Jay Z, during which he says: “I’m Ike Turner, turn up / Baby know I don’t

Continued from page 5 unintended side effect of this relative voter apathy is that our student government is sometimes disconnected from the issues affecting the entire campus.

Everybody has a stake in Oberlin’s campus community, whether you’re a Conservatory student, program house resident, co-oper or athlete, and so I hope that everybody who may not have the time to run as a candidate at the very least makes sure to vote. Alongside every name on the ballot will be a short statement written by the candidate outlining their

play, now eat the cake, Anna Mae / Said ‘Eat the cake, Anna Mae!’” In the video, Beyoncé mouths the lyrics as her husband raps them.

For those of you who don’t know, Ike Turner abused his wife, Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock), throughout their 16-year marriage. The line Jay Z raps is in reference to an evening the couple spent together celebrating one of Tina’s professional successes.

As the couple sat together in a restaurant, Ike ordered cake. When it arrived and Tina didn’t want to eat it, he slammed it in her face shouting, “Eat the cake, Anna Mae!” I’m disgusted.

Beyoncé, self-professed feminist, made it clear by mouthing the lyric in the video and during her live performance at the Grammys that she condones or, at best, is complicit toward domestic violence. But Jay Z, as her manager and husband, is certainly not without blame. Most rap artists do include crude and inappropriate references in their songs, but most rap artists haven’t worked hard to develop a brand centered around their family. When Lil Wayne says something about violence and sex, no one takes it seriously. It’s still not acceptable, but, unlike Jay Z, no one looks up to Lil Wayne as a modern day Margaret Sanger because — let’s face it — “Lollipop” isn’t exactly about gender equality.

It’s important to note that I’m a big fan of Beyoncé and I have been for a while, partly because of her slammin’ tunes but primarily because of what she represents as a strong, independent woman and mother. This is what disappoints me the most. She and Jay Z have worked hard to depict themselves as a happy couple conscious of gender inequality in the world. This image is hugely popular throughout the United States, with many comparing them to Michelle and Barack Obama. The Anna Mae lyric completely contradicts that image.

It isn’t a clever or hot way to talk about how banging their sex life is.

There certainly are other ways to do so that don’t downplay the seriousness of spousal abuse.

platforms. I encourage everybody to read through these statements and consider candidates that place a strong emphasis on having a clear agenda and working together with a variety of groups on campus.

Thank you in advance to all of the candidates for demonstrating their commitment to public service and moving Oberlin forward. The open and lively exchange of ideas that occurs over the next week will hopefully provide ample momentum for a productive semester on Senate. To all the candidates, good luck! To the rest of the student body, don’t forget to vote!

Page 7

Christie Scandal Sheds Light on Hypocrisy of Politicians Sean Para Columnist As we come back to Oberlin for yet another lovely semester full of friendship, angst, vegans and hipsters, I would like to share with all of you a few reflections on the biggest political scandal of the break,:the recently infamous Chris Christie bridge debacle. I think we could all agree with — or if not agree with, at least respect — the idea that Chris Christie is, for lack of a better term, a complete scumbag.

As many politicians seem to be at times, Christie showed himself to be a totally self-interested and soulless politician, with no regard for the people of New Jersey or the public good. And yet, he weathered the scandal successfully, purged the “corrupted” parts of his administration and carried on. I would hope that his political future has ended, that a scandal of such magnitude occurring within his administration would dash any hopes that he could one day take the nation’s highest office, but this may not be the case.

Regardless, he is ultimately responsible for the gross misuse of power that occurred within his administration.

Are the American people truly to believe that the aides responsible for the closing of the George Washington Bridge, the misallocation of Hurricane Sandy relief funds or the nefarious dealings with in-state politicians were not answering to Governor Christie? I find it nearly impossible to believe this myself, despite what the governor has said multiple times in various press conferences and written statements. He was ultimately behind all of these heinous abuses of power. It would be impossible for these acts to be committed without the consent of New Jersey’s governor. These aides,

the foremost being coincidentally named Bridget Anne Kelly, must have gotten the impetus from somewhere.

No one would decide to bully Mark Sokolich, the mayor of Fort Lee, NJ, just for fun. No one would decide, for sheer amusement, to close a large section of one of the world’s busiest bridges.

And yet, this is the story the Christie administration would have us believe: that this individual was acting without the permission of her boss. The notion is utterly ridiculous when examined.

For me, the most unnerving aspect of the Governor Christie scandal is that it provides a rare and unique window into how day-to-day governmental administration functions. One would like to believe that this scandal represents an abuse of power far more heinous than any normal politician would ever contemplate.

Yet it seems more likely that this scandal exposes practices and behaviors that are part of the way politics usually functions. Back room deals, allocation of funds and resources based on personal relationships and political expediency rather than actual need seems to be the way that the government is run.

Despite all our talk of democracy, a republic and other lofty ideals, our political system functions like many others do: on the strength of personalities and personal relationships and on what different politicians can do for each other at the given moment.

The Christie administration made an example of Mark Sokolich, throwing his town and much of the New York metropolitan area into disarray just to further the governor’s political agenda. How many other abuses of power occur every day, at every level of politics, for the benefit of politicians rather than the people?

Importance of Sleep Should Not Be Dismissed This Semester Continued from page 6 Stages three and four of NREM are considered deep sleep, with greatly decreased brain activity. Following these stages, you will enter REM sleep, in which patterns of brain activity change and dreaming occurs. The exact purpose of REM sleep is unknown, but infants spend a much higher proportion of their sleep cycle in REM, which suggests a role in brain development. Drugs like alcohol, caffeine and nicotine can interfere with REM sleep, which can make you feel more tired the next day. So if you normally have a drink or two before bed, try to eliminate this and you will sleep better.

As I mentioned, scientists are still investigating what happens during sleep and why it is so important for people and other animals to get enough of it. For obvious reasons, it is not that easy to study what is going on inside the brain of a sleeping person and most of our knowledge comes from MRI and other imaging studies. One mechanism that seems to be involved is called synaptic plasticity. The brain is constantly being remodeled as a result of experiences, with connections between neurons being strengthened or weakened. Additionally, from birth to adolescence, a special type of plasticity called synaptic pruning occurs. This process is

responsible for eliminating all of the unneeded connections in the brain at birth, so you can focus your energy on the important ones. There is evidence that synaptic pruning, as well as other forms of plasticity, largely occurs during sleep, when the brain is in a resting state.

This could be a reason why children and adolescents need more sleep than adults — they need extra time to reorganize brain circuits that are fully established in adulthood. It is of paramount importance that children and teenagers get enough sleep; if they don’t, their brains may not develop correctly and they are much more likely to develop mental disorders down the road. In addition to synaptic, other forms of plasticity are important for the establishment and consolidation of long-term memories. People who are sleep-deprived perform worse on tests of memory and cognition.

Whatever the specific processes implicated, it is clear that proper sleep is crucial for normal brain function.

The timing of your sleep is extremely important in maximizing its benefits. This is due to natural fluctuations in chemicals, hormones and metabolic processes throughout the 24hour cycle known as the circadian rhythm. These patterns are observed in a huge variety of organisms, from primitive, unicellular cyanobacteria all the way to humans. This suggests that a

circadian rhythm is an extremely beneficial adaptation.

This is not at all intuitive and much remains to be understood, but a proposed theory is that the adaptation in cyanobacteria evolved so that the bacteria could protect their DNA from damaging UV light during the day and replicate it to reproduce at night. Circadian rhythm machinery doesn’t depend on environmental factors, but they can influence it. So a group of people put in a dark room for 24 hours will still exhibit a circadian rhythm, but alterations in certain factors such as light will reset the rhythm.

A great example is jet lag. After a long east-west flight, you don’t feel too great, but within a few days you will adjust and have normal sleep patterns and behaviors. Each person has a slightly different circadian rhythm. To find your optimal bedtime and wake up time, I’d suggest that you do some experimenting.

Sleep is largely still a mystery to scientists and probably will be for many years until we develop better techniques to study it. But for now, it’s safe to say that you need to get good sleep to function, and that without it, everything will start to deteriorate. Maybe someday we will understand the intricacies of sleep and even develop ways to live without it, but for now we can only dream.

Protests against the Vietnam Draft in front of Wilder Hall.

Construction of North Hall in 1987.

The Yeomen at play in 1993.

Artist Claes Oldenberg supervising the moving of his sculpture, Three Way Plug.

A student radio show inside the WOBC station.

Students honor the victims of the Kent and Jackson State killings in 1970.

Daniel Moe (’72-’92) conducts the musical union.

The Oberlin Review releases a brand new, redesigned website! Visit us at oberlinreview.org.

CALENDAR

This Week Editor: Sarah Snider

Observatory and Planetarium Open Friday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.

Follow Me to Nellie’s Friday, Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m.

An Evening with Lena Dunham ’08 Saturday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m.

Study Away Information Session Monday, Feb. 10 at 4:30 p.m.

Free Blood Pressure Clinic Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 1:30 p.m.

Angelique Kidjo Thursday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m.

All students are welcome to check out the stars at the Observatory and Taylor Planetarium in Peters Hall. The planetarium will be open if the stars are not visible.

Come see the Oberlin College Theater perform Dominique Moriseau’s Follow Me to Nellie’s in Hall Auditorium. It is a story of the search for freedom centered on Nellie and the women of her segregated whorehouse in Mississippi during the ’50s.

Tickets are $5 for students, $8 at the door.

Oberlin alum and award winning producer, writer and director Lena Dunham ’08 returns to Oberlin after exceptional success with her HBO show Girls and her feature Tiny Furniture. The event will be held in Finney Chapel — tickets are required and free.

The Study Away department is providing weekly meetings in Peters Hall (Room 212) for students interested in studying abroad.

Attendance is mandatory in order to pick up an academic leave application.

High blood pressure, although symptomless, can be life-threatening. Get your blood pressure checked for free at the Student Union in Wilder Hall.

Head over to Finney Chapel to see Beninoise singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo in concert. Aside from being a Grammy Award-winner, she is listed as one of the most iconic figures in Africa by the BBC. Tickets are $8 with OCID.

Protests against the Vietnam Draft in front of Wilder Hall.

Construction of North Hall in 1987.

The Yeomen at play in 1993.

Artist Claes Oldenberg supervising the moving of his sculpture, Three Way Plug.

A student radio show inside the WOBC station.

Students honor the victims of the Kent and Jackson State killings in 1970.

Daniel Moe (’72-’92) conducts the musical union.

The Oberlin Review releases a brand new, redesigned website! Visit us at oberlinreview.org.

CALENDAR

This Week Editor: Sarah Snider

Observatory and Planetarium Open Friday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.

Follow Me to Nellie’s Friday, Feb. 7 and Saturday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m.

An Evening with Lena Dunham ’08 Saturday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m.

Study Away Information Session Monday, Feb. 10 at 4:30 p.m.

Free Blood Pressure Clinic Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 1:30 p.m.

Angelique Kidjo Thursday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m.

All students are welcome to check out the stars at the Observatory and Taylor Planetarium in Peters Hall. The planetarium will be open if the stars are not visible.

Come see the Oberlin College Theater perform Dominique Moriseau’s Follow Me to Nellie’s in Hall Auditorium. It is a story of the search for freedom centered on Nellie and the women of her segregated whorehouse in Mississippi during the ’50s.

Tickets are $5 for students, $8 at the door.

Oberlin alum and award winning producer, writer and director Lena Dunham ’08 returns to Oberlin after exceptional success with her HBO show Girls and her feature Tiny Furniture. The event will be held in Finney Chapel — tickets are required and free.

The Study Away department is providing weekly meetings in Peters Hall (Room 212) for students interested in studying abroad.

Attendance is mandatory in order to pick up an academic leave application.

High blood pressure, although symptomless, can be life-threatening. Get your blood pressure checked for free at the Student Union in Wilder Hall.

Head over to Finney Chapel to see Beninoise singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo in concert. Aside from being a Grammy Award-winner, she is listed as one of the most iconic figures in Africa by the BBC. Tickets are $8 with OCID.

Arts The Oberlin Review

Page 10

February 7, 2014

Hamlet Meets the Absurd: Oberlin Theater Does Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Andrea Goltz Shakespeare is an immensely popular playwright, constantly performed by professionals and amateurs alike. His work is, by all accounts, a safe choice. But what happens when a playwright creates a situation of his own within one of Shakespeare’s works?

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, written by absurdist playwright Tom Stoppard, is set in the world of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and does a phenomenal job of integrating modernist and absurdist ideas into one of the Bard’s most recognized works.

Last Saturday through Tuesday audiences had a chance to witness the players of Oberlin’s Theater and Dance Program provide their own interpretation of the metatheatrical work in the Little Theater.

The focus of the play and its namesakes are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two minor characters in Hamlet who meet their untimely end attempting to deliver Hamlet to the King of England. The two are opposites of each other; where Rosencrantz is childish, Guildenstern is logical. In spite of their differences, they are best friends. The pair is constantly lost, both figuratively and literally. The rules of logic, on which they have counted in the past, have abandoned them, stranding them in a world where actors’ fake deaths are more believable than the real thing and their childhood friend Hamlet has gone mad.

In the performance, this central pairing was a high point of the show — the title characters were simply a delight to watch.

College senior Zach Weinberg, who played Rosencrantz, skillfully presented a fleshed-out character. Underneath Rosencrantz’s silly and quasi-idiotic façade, he is fearful and aware of his inability to control his fate. Weinberg transitioned seamlessly between these traits, keeping his voice

(From left) College seniors Zach Weinberg as Rosencrantz, Joshua Selesnick as Claudius and Colin Wulff as Guildenstern deliver a gripping performance in the Little Theater. The performers in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead rehearsed during Winter Term to present a play that combined Shakespearean tragedy with absurdist comedy.

Courtesy of Daniel R. James

chipper for witty lines and adopting a shockingly heavy timbre for those that merited more emotion.

College senior Colin Wulff ’s portrayal of Guildenstern was similarly fitting. For most of the play, Wulff held his head high and maintained a slight smirk that exemplified Guildenstern’s droll, logical side, but in the penultimate scene, he and his partner delivered a haunting dialogue.

Wulff ’s words were strong, yet his shaking voice underscored Rosencrantz’s fear of what lay before them. College senior Sarah Rosengarten, who both directed the production and performed the role of the Player, was equally impressive. She showcased her deep connection to her art as well as her character’s fun side, attempting to persuade Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to “participate” in her troupe’s sexually charged production, for a fee.

The decision to make the Player a woman further distanced the title characters and the actors, contributing to the image of the Player as a ringmaster of sorts — and the actress doubling as a director adds a fascinating layer of metatheater.

Of all the effects employed in this production, the most impressive was a chalkboard on which Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and the Tragedians — the aforementioned theater troupe — wrote.

This chalkboard served as the entirety of the set as both a constantly changing backdrop to the action of the play itself and the embodiment of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s disorientation.

At times, it was a scoreboard; at others, it became a banner, and sometimes it was just used for doodling. The characters were somewhere, yet nowhere, floating in a world of ideas. College

senior Aaron Palmer, the play’s lighting designer, capitalized well on the darkness of the Little Theater. The last few scenes — unsurprisingly, the most dramatic and philosophical — were immersed in almost total darkness.

In these moments, the characters were truly alone, floundering in the unknown, symbolized dramatically by the literal lack of light.

The only aspect somewhat lacking in this production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead was, in fact, the central conceit of the play — that the title characters were those from Shakespeare’s play. To cement the connection between his own play and Hamlet, Stoppard samples excerpts of Shakespeare’s work within his own. The presence of these elements not only allows the audience to understand where the characters are in the

scheme of Shakespeare’s play but also convinces them that both stories are occurring simultaneously in the same universe.

The final monologue, delivered

by Horatio (played by College sophomore Peter Elgee), had a quality and depth that embodied this relationship and was a fitting end to the adventure that was Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. The rest of the production, however, didn’t achieve the end of connecting Stoppard’s script to Shakespeare’s. Actors recited lines from Hamlet in extremely affected tones that conveyed to the audience that the Hamlet characters didn’t exist in the same world as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The two plays are necessarily connected and should have been portrayed as such, but this adaptation inappropriately and unfortunately distanced them.

Muted Sea Monster Attack Imminent: TIMARA Infects Audiences at the Cat Olivia Menzer The energy that abounded at the Cat in the Cream on Monday night felt infectious in an eerie, bug-up-your-pantswith-a-rusty-knife way. The occasion for such an uncomfortably thrilling sensation? TIMARA’s Winter Term Final Concert. The music performed delivered a mind-altering experience that enraptured and shocked the audience. In fact, it was clear that the musicians who presented the concert had themselves been infected in a multitude of ways by the unorthodox sounds they created.

The expectant audience settled in with cookies and a charming introduction by the class leaders, double-degree second-years Matt Omahan and Paulus

Van Horne, before the lights dimmed for 17 vastly different pieces. The dark room and empty stage kept the composers anonymous, while their projects played in seemingly random order from a single computer in the back of the room. Without a set list or artists’ statements to pore over for explanations, the audience was left to decipher what happened on their own. Some of these pieces elicited laughter, cheers, and tepid applause out of confusion or emotional disdain for something that was simply unappealing to the ears. Every three minutes or so, confused whispers were exchanged in reaction to the varied approaches taken in the final projects.

From the complexity of the music, it was evident how much technologi-

cal knowledge and precision goes into making music this way. Classes covered how to collect sound, the use of computer programs to create synthesizers –––––––––––––––––––––––––––——

In fact, it was clear that the musicians who presented the concert had themselves been infected in a multitude of ways by the unorthodox sounds they created.

––––––––———————————

and occasionally even instructed students to simply make noise instead of

what they traditionally defined as “music.” Students’ levels of previous experience ranged from none to independent production to classical instrumental training.

Common to all pieces were found sounds, some of which could be identified as trickling or gurgling water, Oberlin winter wind, fast-forwarded cassette tapes, doors creaking and slamming and guitar riffs. Carefully layered and disorienting static was frequent, as well as the general category of “monster noises.” The pieces evoked bizarre moods and experiences: flighty, inorganic unicorn echoes; a murderous piano bar; a freaky drug See Winter, page 13

Arts

The Oberlin Review, February 7, 2014

Page 11

Faculty Recital Regales Audience with Operatic Love Songs Daniel Hautzinger Staff Writer

Handel’s opera Ottone, in which LeFebvre unleashed his massive tone and technique

English, German, Italian, gibberish: Associate Professor of Singing Timothy LeFebvre can do them all. In a diverse Jan. 31 recital in Warner Concert Hall, with Professor of Instrumental Accompanying James Howsmon on piano, LeFebvre demonstrated his facility with all these languages, as well as his impressive voice and sensitivity to text.

LeFebvre’s song is like a father’s strong, comforting hand tucking a child into bed.

His voice has a substantial weight behind it and the capacity for great power, but the strength is comforting rather than intimidating. The first half of the program demonstrated that quiet potency especially well. Handel’s arias “Where’er You Walk,” from the opera Semele and “Frondi tenere… Ombra mai fù” from the opera Serse were simple expressions of adulation that immersed the audience in the deep pool of LeFebvre’s voice. A storm then clouded the scene in “Del minacciar del vento,” from

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

LeFebvre’s song is like a father’s strong, comforting hand tucking a child into bed.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– in defiant runs, compounded by Howsmon’s unflinching piano work.

An die ferne Geliebte, Beethoven’s only song cycle, restored the placidity of the earlier Handel arias. The lyrics convey a lover’s sighs of lament at the distance between himself and his beloved. The songs are saturated by natural imagery; the speaker entreats the clouds to greet his lady and rejoices in the renewing power of spring. One might expect a melancholy, melodramatic setting for such poetry, but the music is carefree and pastoral instead, and LeFebvre tenderly crooned the songs, at times playfully romping through the green fields and flowing rivers con-

jured by Howsmon’s bright touch. Though shadows occasionally darken the mood as the poet despairs of his separation from his lover, they pass as quickly as they appeared. The cycle ends with what proved to be the highlight of the night, a serene declaration that “these songs reclaim all that was separated by lonely hours, and a loving heart attains what a loving heart has earned.”

After the intermission, LeFebvre progressed to more dramatic repertoire. He released the brunt of his voice on a set of five songs by Ottorino Respighi, characterized by operatic scales and luscious harmonies. Cries of loneliness like “Ballata” and “Nebbie” darkened the program, the latter rendered especially powerful by LeFebvre’s booming voice, while the simple “Stornellatrice” harkened back to the light Italian art song of an earlier era, for which LeFebvre appropriately adopted a more delicate, lyric tone. Howsmon’s rich chords shone in the caressing “Notte,” and LeFebvre’s rendition of “Invito alla danza” charmed the audience.

The program ended with some good old Americana as LeFebvre sang selections from Copland’s Old American Songs.

Despite the flashy touches added by Copland, these arrangements of folk tunes maintained their rustic appeal. LeFebvre’s barrel-chested bellows in “The Boatmen’s Dance” complemented rollicking piano tunes that wouldn’t sound out of place in Kern and Hammerstein’s Show Boat. “At the River” was majestic, while the exquisite “Simple Gifts,” popularized by Copland’s ballet Appalachian Spring, evoked images of a quaint country church. Finally, that aforementioned gibberish showed up in the galloping rendition of “Ching-aring Chaw.”

LeFebvre and Howsmon returned for one encore, Erich Korngold’s “Tanzlied des Pierrot” from his opera Die Tote Stadt.

LeFebvre showed off his impressive upper range with melodies steeped in unabashed romance — a welcome last opportunity to bask in the warm embrace of LeFebvre’s voice.

Student Band Showcase Rocks Classes Back Into Session Yonah London Oberlin is known for its expansive student music scene, and if the Student Band Showcase last week is any indication, it’s only getting bigger. This past Friday, Jan. 31, the ’Sco was filled with far more talent than the typical Wednesday evening DJs, as nearly a dozen talented musicians rocked the place. Students gathered in the ’Sco for the first post-Winter Term performance of the new semester, filling the space not only with reunited friends but a showcase of Oberlin student talent, new and old.

Student bands buzzed with excitement upon returning to

campus, making plans for future shows, releases and tours.

The showcase featured newlyformed group Pink Robot, as well as more established acts Peaks and Nuns. While the venue wasn’t very crowded as the show kicked off, the audience grew with each break between sets.

Opener Pink Robot’s audience was small but enthusiastic — especially considering the group’s minimal pre-show preparation. Although the band formed less than a week before the showcase, the untrained ear never would have guessed that the musicians had just started playing together. The band, all

College sophomores, consists of frontman and bassist Kevin Sloan, drummer Stephen Barry and guitarists Ben Lebovic and Alex Frank. The band played rock music that called to mind contemporary bands like the Strokes, Wilco and Big Star and carried with it dreamy shoegaze influences. The rookies only played five songs, but Sloan’s stereotypically indie lyrics and beautiful vocals — he also writes his own folk-inspired music and sings in a capella group the Obertones — complemented the band’s catchy, somewhat poppy melodies and captured the attention of the crowd.

Performing next was Peaks,

featuring College seniors Peter Hartmann, Rachel Ishikawa and Tom Kearney, double-degree fourth-year Nate Mendelsohn, and Duncan Standish, OC ’13.

They performed two previously released songs from their album Young Frisk, as well as four others. Despite a hand injury due to an accident with boiling water just before the show, guitarist Hartmann gave a stellar performance. The band’s eerie, haunting vibes were compounded by vocals from Ishikawa and Hartmann that ranged from mellow to loud and intense. While Peaks had a calmer sound than the other groups they shared the stage with at the ’Sco, the audi-

(From left) College sophomores Michael Stenovec, Liam Casey, Reed McCoy, Ziya Smallens and Ivan Krasnov of Nuns prepare for their set at the ‘Sco. The band provided an energetic performance to an enthusiastic and growing crowd.

Courtesy of Maria Krasnova

ence’s energy remained positive, boosted by the performers’ evidently strong rapport. The band has recorded with TIMARA major and Conservatory senior Charles Glanders, who also mixed the showcase with College junior Nick Plett. The pair blended the bands’ varied sounds perfectly for an acoustic effect reminiscent of a professional rock concert.

The showcase’s headliner, Nuns, has recently cultivated a strong campus presence. The group featured lead singer and College sophomore Liam Casey, College sophomore Ivan Krasnov and College junior Michael Stenovec on guitar, bassist and College sophomore Ziya Smallens and drummer and College junior Reed McCoy. Opening song “This Bed Is Wet and It Is Not My Fault” was familiar to those who attended the band’s campus performances last semester.

The vocals supplied the brunt of the energy in the group.

Casey’s harsh voice and angsty lyrics merged with Smallens and Krasnov’s strong backup to generate a truly stellar sound. The synchronous vocals, together with fast beats and pleasing melodies, propelled Nuns’ show forward and invigorated their crowd.

Nuns’ upbeat post-punk music has a history of attracting a rowdier crowd with plenty of moshers. Although there wasn’t too much pushing and shoving in the audience at this performance, the group’s catchy riffs still got the attendees jumping and bobbing their heads.

By the end of the night, the ’Sco still wasn’t at its typical Wednesday evening capacity, but attendees left energized and the bands left optimistic for their future endeavors. Based on the talent evident at this show, Oberlin also has a reason to be optimistic — the music of the new semester promises to challenge and excite.

Arts

Page 12

The Oberlin Review, February 7, 2014

Diverse Repertoire Showcased in Intimate Concert Nora Kipnis Arts Editor When Zuill Bailey was 17, he liked to hang around the Kennedy Center and look at the expensive watches in a jewelry store next door, where one watch in particular caught his eye. A man came up to him and told him, “You’re a musician, you’ll never be able to afford that watch.”

After puncturing Bailey’s fragile adolescent ego, the man offered him a deal. “If you can play ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ on that cello, I’ll buy you that watch.”

The man’s expectations were swiftly frustrated. After delivering this anecdote at the end of his performance last Wednesday night, Bailey demonstrated the skill that had won him that

watch. Bailey is a storyteller, and the tales he told about his instrument, his teachers and his teenage foibles during his recital at Warner Concert Hall on Wednesday night were as much of a treat as the main event of his gripping, spectacular performance itself.

In addition to being a major recording artist whose work has hit #1 on the Classical Billboard charts, Bailey gives about 100 concerts a year and is a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso. On his way to perform with the Columbus Symphony, he stopped by Oberlin to give a master class and a brief recital, with the aim of demonstrating a large variety of musical styles.

The performance began with J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G

Major. From the suite’s first ominous, anticipatory notes, Bailey took the small but dedicated audience on a romantic, haunting journey. The music captivated the audience; when the piece concluded, the enjoyment in the room was palpable. His cello — which he explained had been largely unaltered since it was built only 17 years after Bach’s birth in 1685 — clearly suits him.

When he plays, Bailey said, the cello leads him more than his own thought process.

His next piece was Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata in A Minor, adapted for the cello with piano accompaniment by Allie Su. The adaptation was clearly difficult — the piece was originally composed for the arpeggione, an instrument with a higher natu-

ral range than the cello. As the tempo picked up and the pitches grew higher, Bailey’s intense concentration was visible, the cellist so united with his instrument that whether it was the musician or the cello sighing was anyone’s guess.

The last few pieces, explained Bailey, were personally important to him. The first of these was one of Chopin’s nocturnes, which Bailey plainly felt most comfortable with out of all the pieces. While the Schubert was a challenge, the Chopin particularly showcased Bailey’s talent — but the real standout of the evening came just after, with his performance of Foss’s “cowboy piece.” The Capriccio for Cello and Piano, as the piece is titled, sounds like a theme from

a Western, although it occasionally sounds incredibly experimental; at one point Bailey beat the strings of his cello so hard that one of the hairs on his bow broke. In 1966, Bailey’s teacher Stephen Kates brought the Capriccio to the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow to exemplify American culture’s soft power during the Cold War, and even today the song carries the anticipation of a growing America.

After the excitement of the “cowboy piece,” Bailey broke the audience’s hearts with “Massenet’s Meditation” from the opera Thaïs. The entire performance, taken in total, was an emotional journey for both performer and audience — from haunting to mournful to exciting and back again.

On the Record: Nolan Boomer, Editor of New Literary Magazine The Juvenilia College sophomore Nolan Boomer worked this Winter Term on a literary and art magazine called The Juvenilia, to be published this week. The Juvenilia started as a blog at thejuvenilia.com when Nolan was in high school, and this issue will be the first in print. I sat down with him in Azariah’s Café to discuss the relationship between the printed word, collaboration from afar, the internet and visual art.

in like a constrained 6 x 9 form because that’s also kind of small, but I think the artists going into it knew what it would be and provided art accordingly.

The Juvenilia is very aesthetic in terms of the way it’s laid out. Did you have any specific directions you wanted to go in with respects to the relationship between the visual art and the printed word?

Yeah, definitely. Thinking about it, I really wanted it to be as cohesive as possible.

When we’d finish a written piece we’d contact an artist with the finished article and ask them to make art based on it. … So we sort of wanted [the writers and artists] to be in conversation with one another, and hopefully that comes across.

Can you tell me a little bit about how your literary magazine got started?

I think it was junior year of high school. I went on a summer trip through Brown [University] to Greece for a month. I met a girl there named Kolleen who grew up in Hong Kong. We became really, really good friends on that trip … As a way to sort of keep in touch we decided to start an online art-lit publication together … It was cool because it sort of bridged a gap between us and had us working on a project every day together … So we did that for a year and a half or so, and then once we were both in college and we got sort of busy, we wanted to do something that was more infrequent but still as thoughtful.

What did you learn from this kind of project about the creative process in general?

I think, especially going to a very small school in the middle of Ohio, it’s important to also have other projects going on … And these are a lot of people that I’ve worked with either [during] past summers or people I’ve met random places and I think it’s cool to keep some sort of tether to those people and sort of collaborate on something because that’s possible now. So I think I sort of want to continue in the future to do some sort of thing like this. I also learned that publishing is very expensive.

It’s just a very, very expensive industry.

So you’re working with her from afar on the print thing?

Yeah, she was less involved with this past issue, but yeah, [it was me] and a lot of editors. A lot of people I worked with at McSweeney’s [Publishing] last summer were helping me with it as well, to manage individual pieces.

Like Dave Eggers?

Not quite. My friend [at McSweeney’s], who’s like a receptionist lady who also does a bunch of stuff with poetry, contributed some really, really cool poems, which I’m excited about … We sort of also switched gears with this one and wanted to have it sort of be about showing the work of younger contributors.

It’s called The Juvenilia. [We wanted] it to be accessible to a lot of different kinds of contributors. We found with our … website that people from Africa were submitting things, and people from Australia, and people from all over the U.S., who were pretty young, and it was cool they could find it because it was online. … We want all our content to be focused on place, because we — Kolleen and I — both find that really important [to the relevance of art and literature].

What were your intentions when you

The cover of The Juvenilia, the literary and art magazine that is the brainchild of College sophomore Nolan Boomer, features artwork by Chilean collage artist Virginia Echeverria. Boomer has been working on The Juvenilia’s blog for almost three years, and the first issue of the print magazine will be sold online and in bookstores.

Courtesy of Nolan Bloomer

started working on this issue, and how did those plans change as the project developed?

I had less funding for it than I thought I would initially, so we’re doing a very small run of 100 or so copies. Some will be in bookstores, some we’ll sell online.

But … I think I would have rather been able to sell more of them for cheaper because I want it to be as accessible as possible and I think in the future I want that to be thought about better.

Do you think anything is lost in transferring physical art to print? How did you try to overcome that?

When we were working with all of the artists we … [let them] know that we, in the end, wanted it scanned and sent to us.

But with the art spreads we have, one is a collage. … I don’t even know if the physical form of it exists anywhere, because a lot of it was elements put together and stuff. …

I think it would be cool to not have it be

I guess everything’s on the internet now. Do you have any future plans for this project?

I think we’ll see how the first issue goes and then do another one after that if there’s enough interest. … Because we sort of dramatically switched formats we’re just hoping to see what happens.

It’s pretty fun and I’ve worked with a lot of magazines but never done one by myself, so I think it’s cool to know I can do that.

And hopefully we’ll continue to do that in some form.

Where can Oberlin students get the magazine?

I’m going to try to sell some here. My friend [College sophomore] Molly Lieberman made a bunch of zines over Winter Term that she wants to sell as well, so we’re going to try and have some sort of event here. But if not, it’ll be accessible online [at thejuvenilia. com].

Interview by Nora Kipnis, Arts Editor Photo courtesy of Nolan Boomer

Arts

The Oberlin Review, February 7, 2014

Winter Term TIMARA Students Shock, Enliven Continued from page 10 trip in the back room of a ritzy night club; bathroom oboes; jazz clown horror film; gray beach day chasing or being chased by a stranger; the language lab in Peters Hall; muted sea monster attack imminent.

A few soundbites were recognizable despite creepy and humorous distortions. College firstyear Joseph Farago used sounds from the 2007 film There Will Be Blood; College first-year Siobhan Furnary sampled Britney Spears songs and interviews. Another College first-year, Michael Jappe, was a game-changer with his improvisational demonstration of some of the technology utilized in the course. His percussion provided a background for collected soundscapes from the Octapad, a digital percussion instrument.

One or two of the songs felt forced, too hard for that tone of static that delivers gut shivers, while some felt too rooted in traditional music to really step out of the box. All were certainly individual and thoroughly worked through, so that one was never left wanting more development — only, occasionally, a longer track time.

Upon further reflection, the TIMARA Winter Term Final Concert was an unsettling, confusing and potentially perfect way to start the spring semester. It was a reminder that, as Jappe said, “We are on the fringe of music with experiments like this concert.” With new generations able to use these tools, people will continue to question and expand their conception of music.

Page 13

Sports

Page 14

IN THE LOCKER ROOM

The Oberlin Review, February 7, 2014

Men and Women’s Basketball

This week the Review sat down with senior men’s basketball players Geoff Simpson, Derrick Sant and Emmanuel Lewis and senior women’s basketball player Lillian Jahan to discuss what it’s like to live together, what they expect for the rest of their seasons and Geoff’s sleeping habits.

What do you expect for the last few weeks of the season?

LS: I have high expectations. Last weekend we played DePauw closer than any other team. I think that game showed that we can play with anyone, especially in our conference.

We have a l ong stretch of conference games ahead of us — all games we can and should win — so I have very high expectations.

GS: We still have a lot of work to do in terms of reaching the conference tournament and fulfilling our team goals. But, at the same time, once a game I want to be able to stop and enjoy what I’m doing, because this is the last time we are going to be able to play and be on the court together.

How do you like living together?

Lillian Jahan: I love it. I have been hoping that this would happen since freshman year, and it’s been a lot of fun.

Derrick Sant: It is definitely a lot of fun. The four of us have been extremely close since our freshman year, and we had been planning to live together for a while.

Emmanuel Lewis: It’s a dream come true.

What have you learned about each other this year?

Geoff Simpson: Lillian likes the house freezing cold. We have spent so much time together and so we know the types of things that set each other off.

LJ: We’re good at finding what sets each other off.

GS: But we also know when not to cross the line.

EL: Geoff is the messiest.

DS: But EJ [Lewis] is definitely the cleanest.

How was Winter Term?

LJ: It was a lot of fun, and it went by really quickly.

Geoff Simpson, Lillian Jahan, Derrick Sant and Emmanuel Lewis GS: Winter Term is a lot better when you live in a house.

EL: It was definitely the best Winter Term in my four years here.

LJ: I think the most exciting part for my team was the opportunity to go on longer trips and spend more time together. It was really great getting to know each other, hanging out and playing basketball. Although our record does not show it, we played some incredible basketball over break and had a few very tough but close games.

GS: I think the coolest thing for us over break was our win last

weekend against DePauw University. January was an up and down month for us in terms of wins and losses, but it felt like we progressed throughout the month, and by the end we were able to upset a ranked team; it was a big moment for us.

Do you have any special pregame rituals?

LJ: I try to do the same thing before every game. I wake up early and always get shots up on my own. During the first half of our warmup, a Lady Gaga song comes on, and no matter what we are do-

ing, everyone stops and watches one of our freshman teammates, Connie, do a little dance.

GS: We don’t really have many team rituals; we all just do our own thing and listen to music with our headphones on. I literally do the same thing every game before I step on the court. EJ pretty much does the same thing, too.

Last year before our first game, some of our freshmen wanted to have a dancing circle, so we tried it, but then we lost by 35 points and have never done it since.

What’s one word to describe each other?

GS: Lillian is definitely “crazy,” and Derrick [is] probably “funny guy.”

LJ: EJ is “Mr.Clean,” and Geoff has to be something with sleeping.

EL: Maybe “Snorlax.”

LS: Or “Sir-Sleeps-a-lot.”

DS: “Sleepyhead.”

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

DS: When you gotta go, go.

LJ: Live in the moment.

EL: I’ve got one better: YOLO. Interview by Sarah Orbuch, Sports editor Photo by Rachel Grossman, Photo editor

Basketball Enters Final Stretch Continued from page 16 the NCAC tournament. The win against DePauw may be the boost the team needs to finish the season strong.

“This was the type of win that should catapult us forward — we’ve lost so many close games, so pulling out this win is really important for our minds,” said Simpson.

“The win against DePauw was exciting to say the least. The players deserved it after fighting through some close losses earlier this season. My hope is that a win against such a good team will give us confidence for the rest of the season,” said Cavaco.

Last season, the Yeomen made it to the NCAC quarterfinals, where they faced the College of Wooster Fighting Scots. This was their first postseason game since 2008, but unfortunately the Scots bested them 74-47. This season, they are looking to take another step forward.

The Yeomen play at home again on Saturday, Feb. 8, against the Wittenberg University Tigers. A win would give the Yeomen a second upset victory in two weeks, since the Tigers are currently ranked 22nd in the nation. Following the game will be the Men’s Basketball Alumni game at 5:30 p.m.

Women’s Tennis Team On Track Continued from page 16 Brezel is looking forward to the spring season and expressed her excitement to be on a Division III team. “[The mentality] is so different than high school. In high school, doubles was a joke, but in college people understand it more, so it’s a lot more strategic,” she remarked. Brezel emphasized her desire to be a constant source of success for the team, saying, “I’d like to be the person the team knows is going to have a win, that go-to person.”

New assistant coach Ben Turchin is eager to see the team in action.

“The first-years look great,” Turchin said. “Emma Brezel is going to contribute right away in both doubles and singles. Even though she is suffering from a wrist injury, she has worked hard to make adjustments to her game and will be a key player for us. Olivia Hay is a solid player with great volleys and net presence. I expect her to make an immediate contribution in our doubles lineup. Anna Treidler has made major strides in her game throughout the fall. She is a fierce competitor and really steps up to any challenge, which is a rare trait in most freshmen.”

The coaches still feel the power of their wins from last season and are looking to carry that strength into the first matches of the spring.

“We always strive to build upon the previous season and to better ourselves both individually and as a team,” Turchin said. “We need to take it one match at a time. We have a tough weekend ahead of us. Case is usually a tough match for us, but we enjoy playing them early in the season. It helps us see where we need to improve as the season progresses and as we play more high-level teams.”

The women’s tennis team faces five nationally ranked teams this year, including the Spartans this Sunday, Carleton College (No. 29), University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (No. 27), Johns Hopkins University (No. 7) and the University of Mary Washington (No. 21).

Sports

The Oberlin Review, Febrary 7, 2014

Page 15

Yeomen Aim to Improve Record This Spring Men’s Tennis Enters Season Boasting Young but Talented Roster Hannah Christiansen The new-look men’s tennis team starts its spring season this weekend against the Wabash College Little Giants. The Yeomen appear poised to improve upon their 9–13 record from last year.

The team is much younger this year than it has been in the past. There is only one senior on the roster this year, Charlie Marks, who will serve as one of the two team captains alongside junior Soren Zeliger.

Marks has compiled 29 singles and 29 doubles wins during his career. Zeliger will also bring winning experience to the young squad, with 24 singles victories and 21 doubles wins in his time at Oberlin.

Despite the relative inexperience of the team outside of Zeliger and Marks, second-year Head Coach Eric Ishida doesn’t anticipate an apparent lack of experience being an issue.

“Honestly, we have not had any challenges with adjusting to having so many freshmen on the team,” said Ishida. “Our older players do a good job of teaching and guiding, and our freshmen are talented players; they get it pretty quickly. I don’t think of them as freshmen, which I think means we recruited the right students.”

First-years Abe Davis, Ian Paik, Paul Farah and Jeremy Lichtmacher are all expected to be in the mix for spots in both singles and doubles lineups. Fellow first-year Lucas Brown is shaking off some nagging injuries but is expected to be equally competitive once he has healed.

“For me, the biggest thing through the fall was getting match experience,” said Lichtmacher. “Because the team has so many freshmen and so much inexperience, it’s nice to have gotten to play competitively and take that into the season.”

Through the fall, the team worked on its athleticism and added extra running and lifting sessions. “I think the team is faster, stronger and more explosive,” Ishida said. “The guys are working hard off the court, and that is leading to more confidence on the court.”

“I’m just excited to get going,” said Marks, who missed the fall season while studying abroad. “It’s been awesome to get to play with our freshmen so far, and we have a lot of potential. We’re a full team and we’re competing in practice every day so, going into matches, I’m excited to compete and get some wins.”

Sophomore Callan Louis will be another crucial player for the Yeomen. The 2013 North Coast Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year, Louis won 15 singles victories, playing for most of the year in the No. 1 singles spot.

The Yeomen will have to rebuild their impressive doubles tandem of Marks and Ben Turchin, OC ‘13, who graduated this December and is now with the team as an assistant coach. The duo compiled 11 wins playing in the No.1 doubles spot. Marks expects to play with Louis to start off the season.

While they may be young, the Yeomen spent their fall season competing at a high level and they are ready to take to the court for their competitive spring season. “We have a very tough schedule this year, including several regionally and nationally ranked teams,” said Ishida. “We will have to look at the positives from each match and look forward to the next one. I wanted to create a schedule that will challenge us and allow us to continually raise our standards throughout the season.”

The Yeomen finished eighth in the conference last season. “If we come out positive and compete hard, we have a chance to be in the mix of the top teams,” said Marks.

“We open against Wabash [College] who came in fifth last year so that will be a good test of our progress.”

The Yeomen split against Wabash last year, winning 5–4 in the regular season before falling to the same score in the playoffs. “I’m also really excited to play Allegheny [College],” Marks added. “We lost a very close match to them last year and we haven’t in my time beaten them, so I would be very excited to win that match.”

This season will certainly be a test for the team, but the players are confident that the coaching of Ishida has

Editorial: Criticism of Seahawk Unfair, Racist Continued from page 16 wrong with these answers, but expecting all athletes to give the same empty, politically correct responses is unfair.

Many players trashtalk on the field, and slamming them for continuing that dialogue in interviews is wrong. Sherman refrained from using any profanity, and his candor was much-appreciated by fans sick of hearing the same responses from players and coaches over and over again.

It’s not as if Sherman’s claims are unwarranted either. Since entering the league in 2011, he has more interceptions and passes defensed than any other player in the league. He has also allowed the lowest opponent QB passer rating when targeted. If that doesn’t give him reason to boast, then I’m not sure what does.

A Compton, CA native, Sherman was also the salutatorian of his high school class with a 4.2 GPA, and graduated from Stanford University in 2010, before returning in 2011 to use his last year of NCAA eligibility and pursue a master’s degree. Not too shabby.

Crabtree, meanwhile, has averaged just over 700 yards a year in his five seasons in the league, struggling to live up to his lofty draft status as a first-round pick. He also allegedly attempted to fight Sherman at an offseason charity event, only lending credence to Sherman’s verbal attack on him after the game.

The only criticism of Sherman’s post-game rant that I can understand is calling him out for taking away from the team’s victory. While he does have a legitimate case as the best cornerback in the NFL, his play is buoyed by the great work of the team around him. Sherman himself admitted as much after his adrenaline wore off.

Still, had Sherman boasted the same way about his team and put down the 49ers instead of Crabtree, I find it hard to believe that he wouldn’t have faced the same backlash.

Richard Sherman is black, has tattoos, dreadlocks and he yells and boasts in post-game interviews. None of that means he’s a thug. The scrutiny on outspoken black athletes like Sherman won’t go away anytime soon, but, especially since this is the case, it’s time the media and fans alike accept him as a positive role model and not the villain many make him out to be.

Sophomore Callan Louis shows off his forehand during the fall 2013 season. The Yeomen open their season on Feb. 8 at Wabash College.

Brian Hodgkin

prepared them for the tough road ahead.

“Coach Ishida has been doing a really good job of keeping us calm right now,” Marks said.

The Yeomen will open the home portion of their season on Feb. 15 when they take on the Otterbein University Cardinals.

— Women’s Basketball —

Yeowomen Remain Confident Despite Injuries Michaela Puterbaugh The women’s basketball team had one of its best games of the season last Saturday as it maintained a close game with the No. 1 ranked team in Division III, the DePauw University Tigers.

Though they fell 67–62, the Yeowomen fought hard the entire game and trailed by only three points late in the second half.

“I couldn’t have been any more proud of them,” said Head Coach Kerry Jenkins. “That’s the best game they’ve played in about three years.” Jenkins said he hadn’t expected such a close game and advised his players to “be able to live with your result” before the game.

The Yeowomen’s record sits at 8–12 for the season, with the team struggling to overcome injuries as of late. Coping with season–ending injuries to post players senior Allison Gannon and sophomores Katie Lucaites and Caitlyn Grubb has been a challenge, and the team has lost seven games in a row.

“We’ve just had to get a little more creative in the way we score and defend, because we don’t have the size that other teams have,” said junior Christina Marquette. Implementing offensive motion options and working with a defensive zone have also been key to adjusting to the injuries.

First-year Eleanor Van Buren has been forced to step up, as

she is now the team’s tallest post player. She scored a career high of 12 points against the Kenyon College Ladies in a game on Jan. 29. Marquette also noted that sophomore Lindsey Bernhardt has upped her play as of late.

“She has really stepped up this year with her scoring,” Marquette said. Bernhardt recently netted a career high of six three–pointers in one game.

Marquette has done her part to keep the team afloat and has recorded 12 double-doubles during the season, while averaging 18.3 points per game. She has 366 points this season and stands as the seventh highest scorer in Oberlin women’s basketball history.

While Marquette has had a lot of success on the court, her favorite moment of the season was in early January. “[We had] a three– game conference win streak capped off by Malisa Hoak’s buzzer beater against Hiram College,” she reminisced.

While most opposing teams tend to have a full bench, the Yeowomen are unswayed by their depleted roster. “We have eight talented and capable players, and we do not ever let up,” Bernhardt said.

Though wins have been hard to come by lately, Coach Jenkins has been impressed with the team’s effort. “I couldn’t single out any one player. I think that it really is a team dynamic right

now. Everybody has stepped up,” he said.

Although the team has naturally good chemistry, Winter Term was a chance for the team to become even closer, since there were fewer students on campus. “We coordinated times to watch College games or ESPN’s 30 for 30; we ate all of our meals together and straight from there we would go hang out,” said firstyear Briana Santiago.

Bernhardt agreed. “Winter Term was the most fun I have ever had with the team,” she said.

“Just being together and enjoying each other’s company was great.”

With only five games left in the regular season, Bernhardt seems sure that the Yeowomen will finish strong. “I know that we will peak and start winning games again, and losing to the number one team in the country by only five last Saturday shows that.”

While the Yeowomen are not guaranteed a spot in the playoffs just yet, Coach Jenkins thinks that their chances are good. “We feel comfortable that we are going to make the playoffs, but we do not know where we are going to play or who we are going to play against,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Denison University or Allegheny College; whoever it is, we’re going to play the exact same way and do the things we are strongly suited to do.”

Sports The Oberlin Review

February 7, 2014

— Football —

Assistant Coach Replaces Ramsey fore returning to Oberlin this past fall.

Senior captain Zach Kisley was coached by Anderson for his freshman, sophomore and senior seasons and expects him to thrive in his new position.

“Anderson was my position coach for three years, and I was able to work with him very closely.

I can honestly say he is the best technical coach I have had in any sport, and I am very excited to see what he is going to do with the program’s future. Anderson

is an amazing and caring coach [who] puts in numerous hours on and off the field.”

Senior defensive lineman Jake Danko agreed. “While I will never get to play for [Anderson] as a head coach, I played under him this last season when he coached defense.

I am excited for him to be the new head coach, and I believe that with his dedication and all-around football knowledge, he will change the way people view Oberlin College football both at Oberlin and in the North Coast Athletic Conference.”

— Men’s Basketball —

Yeomen Prepare for NCAC Tournament

Lillian Jahan Over Winter Term, the men’s basketball team picked up three wins, two of which

came against conference foes, the Allegheny College Gators, and most recently over the DePauw University Tigers, who entered Saturday’s game

the team’s coaching staff did a great job establishing a balanced routine that included supplementary lifts on – off days. “It made it really easy to get into a rhythm and helped us really come together over the course of the month,” said Simpson.

“Winter Term is always a good experience for our team. We get to spend more time working on basketball without the stress of homework and exams, so it seems like our players really improve,” Head Coach Isaiah Cavaco commented.

In the final game on their Winter Term schedule, the Yeomen showed just how much work they put in throughout the month when they defeated DePauw, bumping them from the Top 25.

“This was a big win for us for two reasons,” said Simpson. “One, this is the first time Oberlin men’s basketball has beat a ranked team, and two, this is big for [NCAC] tournament implications

because of where DePauw stands in the rankings.”

The lead changed on six different occasions throughout the turbulent game but the Yeomen and Tigers battled neck and neck. Although both teams shot 48 percent in the game, Oberlin was red hot from the three-point line, shooting 50 percent on 6–12.

The Yeomen also had more rebounds than the Tigers and took better advantage of second–chance points.

With 11 seconds to go and a tie game, Coach Cavaco called a timeout and drew up a play. It led to a Lewis layup that put the Yeomen up by two points. Refusing to relinquish the lead, the Yeomen came out on top, 62–60.

“This was a huge step for us and will hopefully give us momentum heading into the last stretch of the season,” said Lewis.

The Yeomen have six regular season games left, and if they build on all of the progress they’ve already made, the team has an excellent chance of extending the season into See Basketball, page 14

— Women’s Tennis —

Yeowomen Prep for First Match Against Hornets Bronwen Schumacher

See Women’s, page 14

See Editorial, page 15

Junior Grace Porter lunges for the ball inside the Heisman Club Field House. The Yeowomen will have their first match this weekend at home against Baldwin Wallace University.

Alex Guevara

the trash — r in e r p

e or compost ycl it ec

The women’s tennis team has high hopes for the spring after last season’s historic national ranking. Despite losing two top seniors, Farah Leclercq and Preeya Shah, both OC ’13, team members feel positive about the integration of three first-year newcomers, Emma Brezel, Olivia Hay and Anna Treidler.

The team will start its season this weekend when it hosts the Baldwin Wallace University Hornets on Saturday and the Case Western Reserve University Spartans on Sunday.

Last year, junior Grace Porter and her doubles partner Farah Leclercq had a winning season with a record of 18–9. Their record landed them an alternate spot at the NCAA tournament and contributed to the team’s spot at 25th in national rankings.

As a vetted top player on the team, Porter has a good idea of what she needs to do to solidify her wins for this season. “I am going to work more on my mental game — and this is common for most people — but I need to separate myself from the matches more.”

This season, Porter’s new doubles partner is first-year Emma Brezel. Despite only starting to play with Brezel at the start of Winter Term, Porter spoke highly of Brezel’s talent and net game, showing unabated optimism for the upcoming tough matches this weekend.

“Case has always been tough for us,” Porter said. “We always have a good match against them. They have a really strong doubles lineup, so it will be fun to go up and see how we compare with their doubles teams.”

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman is one of the best players in the NFL. A Stanford graduate, he now plays for a Super Bowl-winning team and runs a successful charity that provides children with clothing and school supplies.

Yet all it took for the loud, proud black man to be declared a hoodlum was a little bit of adrenalinecharged passion and a camera in his face.

For those not inundated with the social media obsession about Sherman over the last several weeks, the All-Pro came under fire following an emotional post-NFC Championship game interview.

Seconds after the contest ended and the Seahawks earned a trip to the Super Bowl, Sherman declared on live television that he was,“the best corner in the game,” yelled to the camera, “Don’t you ever talk about me,” and called San Francisco 49er Michael Crabtree a “sorry receiver.”

In what has become a recurring theme, Twitter was abuzz with hateful words immediately following the interview. Detractors likened Sherman to various members of the primate family, called him words I won’t dignify by repeating and referred to him as nothing more than an overpaid thug.

Unfortunately, the response is hardly surprising.

Sherman deviated from the usual script and such a move is bound to be met with criticism. Most athletes in similar positions thank God, teammates and fans, and some even pay respects to their opponents in a show of good sportsmanship. There’s nothing

t this new t pu sp o a n

Senior Geoff Simpson dribbles the ball against the Wabash College Little Giants. The Yeomen look to improve their 6–13 record in their final six regular season games.

Erik Andrews

ranked 23rd in the nation.

Breaking into the spring semester with a 6–13 overall record and 3–9 in North Coast Athletic Conference play, the Yeomen are focused on the NCAC tournament.

Over Winter Term, the Yeomen had the opportunity to travel to Ithaca, NY, to take on Division I Cornell University Big Red. “It was a great experience.

Getting to play with a Division I team is always a welcomed challenge. Even if we don’t win, getting to play at a higher level is a learning experience for all of us,” said senior captain Emmanuel Lewis. “The score doesn’t truly reflect how we played.”

The Yeomen fought hard for the entire 40 minutes and saw contributions from nearly every player in the game, before falling to the Big Red 77-55.

Without classes, Winter Term was a prime opportunity for the team to take advantage of lighter schedules and settle into a new routine.

Lewis’s senior co-captain, Geoff Simpson, noted that

Nate Levinson Sports Editor

o

Delta Lodge Director of Athletics Natalie Winkelfoos announced Thursday that InterimHead Coach Jay Anderson will take on the role of new head football coach, effective immediately. A former assistant, Anderson was named to the interim position after Jeff Ramsey was relieved of his duties as head football coach following a disappointing 3–7 season.

The announcement came following an extensive candidate search that began in early December.

“Jay will do a phenomenal job leading our football program and will be a great ambassador of the entire community. He has demonstrated the ability to recruit top-flight scholars,” said Winkelfoos.

Anderson was a defensive back at the University of Toledo and previously coached at Oberlin and Notre Dame College be-

ead! Please d

Sarah Orbuch Sports Editor

Richard Sherman Is No Thug

t ins

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