April 7, 2017 by The Oberlin Review

The Oberlin Review

APRIL 7, 2017 VOLUME 145, NUMBER 20

Local News Bulletin News briefs from the past week OCOPE Protests Administration Members of Oberlin College Office and Professional Employees and students silently protested outside the Science Center's Craig Lecture Hall Wednesday at noon as faculty members gathered for a meeting. The meeting was intended for the faculty and administration to discuss the suspension of Research Status. OCOPE President Tracy Tucker indicated that the protest was to display how budget cuts are affecting a variety of groups on campus and to support faculty members. Michael Gilbert Passes Away Safety and Security Officer Michael Gilbert unexpectedly passed away Saturday. Gilbert had served the College since 1993. The department of Human Resources will be available to employees for support in light of Gilbert’s passing. The College has also provided to employees in need of services to cope with the loss through the Employee Assistance Program, where they can find additional information and resources. County-Wide Sales Tax Increase Takes Effect The Lorain County sales tax increased 0.25 percent from 6.5 to 6.75 percent April 1. County commissioners made the change late in 2016 to raise an estimated additional $9.5 million per year in an attempt to address the $5.1 million deficit. Although county voters rejected the tax increase by a 74 to 26 percent margin in the November election, the commissioners decided to override the results in a 2–1 vote.

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College Takes on Millions in Additional Debt Sydney Allen Production editor The College received a $41-million loan last Thursday from the Ohio Higher Educational Facility Commission, a governmental group that issues revenue bonds to colleges and universities. A significant portion of this money will be used to pay for the Philips gym expansions, the renovation of Carr Pool, an addition to Hall Auditorium and other building renovations on campus. According to outgoing Vice President for Finance and Administration Mike Frandsen, the College will take on $25.3 million in additional debt. This brings the College’s overall debt to about $228,908,000 for this fiscal year, according to a report by Moody’s Investors Service. Moody’s — a financial research company that ranks the creditworthiness of borrowers and measures the risk to investors — has assigned the College an Aa3 credit rating. Moody’s website states that credit scores

Hall Auditorium is scheduled for an addition in the future. The College created $25 million in debt by issuing bonds to help fund the addition and other renovation projects across campus. Photo by Rick Yu, Photo editor

“provide investors with a simple system of gradation by which future relative creditworthiness of securities may be gauged.” An Aa3 rating is considered “high quality and very low credit risk” and is the fourth highest rating available. Moody’s justified the rating in their report by citing the College’s “sizeable wealth with sound financial flexibility, solid

reputation as a selective liberal arts college and very strong fundraising,” referencing President Krislov’s impressive Illuminate campaign, which collected $317.85 million between 2012 and 2016. The College will use the $25 million in bond revenue to fund its capital projects and the rest of the $41 million loan to pay off its 2009 series bonds. The

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Faculty Seeks to Build on Partnership Program Model Melissa Harris News editor The Student-Faculty Partnership Program is looking to expand next semester. The program seeks to engage students and faculty members in a semester-long collaboration to improve teaching quality. As different groups at the College have recently grappled with questions of transparency and structures of hierarchical governance, several of the program’s participants believe the partnership program models how dialogue and trust among groups on campus can spark collaborative and productive developments. Former History Professor and Co-Director of the Student-Faculty Partnership Program Steve Volk first started the program spring 2015 through the Center for Teaching Innovation & Excellence. Paid, participating students are paired with a faculty member and attend one of their partner’s courses a week. The student is not registered for the course but rather takes observational notes on the class. Once a week, the two meet to discuss takeaways from the class and how to improve the teaching process. “It’s not intended [for students] to oversee the faculty, make sure they’re doing things right or help them in the sense that students know better than teachers of what the pedagogic process is about,” Volk said. “It’s to allow faculty this sort of deeper reflection that comes with continual dialogue about what’s going on in your class.” The program has had 16 partnerships since its

College junior Naomi Roswell and Associate Professor of Economics Ron Cheung meet in Cheung’s office in Rice Hall. They are partners in the Student-Faculty Partnership Program, which engages faculty and students in a collaborative effort to improve teaching quality. Photo by Bryan Rubin, Photo editor

founding, engaging students and faculty from both the College and Conservatory. Volk said that the program has been overwhelmingly beneficial for its participants. “What faculty get from it at the end of the day is a regular, structured ability to reflect on their practice in the classroom, and — if needed and called for — to change practice,” Volk added. “But it does give them the opportunity to talk about it, which we rarely have and never with students. … For students,

Tackling Taxes City Council resists Governor John Kasich’s budget proposal to centralize income taxes.

College is projected to have the bonds repaid by 2048. Frandsen, who is scheduled to leave Oberlin at the end of the year to become the president of Wittenberg University, explained the administrative procedures that led to the bonds, which included discussion with the Board of Trustees. “Any bond issuance by the College requires the approval of the Board of Trustees,” he said. “Various board committees reviewed the transaction as part of the process. My office made a recommendation to the board for consideration and handled the execution based on the board’s direction.” Despite the positive rating, Moody’s did note that enrollment had decreased this year to 2,894 students and that “there was a dip in freshmen retention below 90% and a significantly increased freshmen discount rate for the incoming class.” This presented a possible risk to the credit rating as the

Softball Sluggers The Review sat down with Emma Downing and Tori Poplaski to talk about their season.

Spring Back in Action Annual dance showcase impresses in performances.

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INDEX:

Opinions 5

This Week in Oberlin 8

Arts 10

Sports 16

I think, everyone who’s come through has come out with the same thing, which is that teaching is a lot of work … and that the great majority of faculty think a great amount about how they’re teaching.” College junior Naomi Roswell, one of three students participating in the program this semester, got involved, in part, because of her interest in education. She observes her faculty partner Associate See Student, page 4

on the

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SPIDIE Issues Reccomendations on School Diversity Louis Krauss News editor Looking to revamp the College’s policies on diversity requirements, the Strategic Plan Implementation Committee for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or SPIDIE, will present its recommendations to general faculty for approval Wednesday. The hope is that administrators will begin discussing the recommendations if general faculty groups respond positively at Wednesday’s meeting, but SPIDIE members remain unsure if that will happen. This early draft of recommendations outlines, in broad terms, how the school can increase compositional diversity in the student body and faculty in upcoming years, as well as how to better support marginalized groups on campus. Some significant changes proposed include hiring a chief diversity officer as a part of the new president’s senior staff, as well as administrative monitoring of all department hiring and the ability to intervene if diversity standards are not met. In addition, the recommendations state there should be an increase in financial aid to students. Student senator and College junior Jesse Docter said he was impressed with the document but was also unsure how the policy of monitoring department diversity would work. “I asked [Associate Dean and SPIDIE member] Pablo Mitchell how we would do this, and he said we’d prioritize voluntary ways for faculty hiring processes to incorporate diversity,” Docter said. “That’s great,

but I don’t know enough about Oberlin’s constitution to know if the administration will be encouraged to make those changes happen.” This lack of specificity extends to many of the recommendations, which give deadlines for policy implementation, mostly by fall 2018 with some by 2019. Although the document will be presented by SPIDIE members to the general faculty committee on Wednesday, the next steps for implementation remain unclear. “The next step will be to kind of approve it, but not really,” said junior Thobeka Mnisi, Student Senate chair and SPIDIE member. “It’s going to just sit there unless somebody wants to discuss it. We’ll consider it passed unless someone says otherwise.” Earlier in the semester, SPIDIE had planned to send out diversity reports to show how much some departments lack diversity, but instead decided to write recommendations as a preliminary measure. Mnisi believes these types of reports could still happen down the road. “We wanted to start by getting diversity reports from all the different departments,” Mnisi said. “It is important and I think will happen, but now we have recommendations. The idea is that we’ll see how bad it is, and departments will see how bad their diversity is, and they will do something about it. So it’s a very soft nudging-you-inthe-right-direction type of approach. “ Mnisi is unconvinced that the document in its current state would have much

of a foothold and believes that the committee would most likely be disbanding after distributing its recommendations throughout the community. “I’m not confident that the document, as it stands, without any support from someone pushing it, will achieve anything,” Mnisi said. “That’s not because of a lack of specificity in the document, but there’s no work that will just do itself, and this needs someone enforcing it.” With the notion that a new diversity officer would work with senior staff, Mitchell suggested that once the new College President is hired, they could take up the document and put it into action. “I’m proud of what we’ve put together here and obviously will be disappointed if it doesn’t go anywhere,” Mitchell said. “Besides the General Faculty, I think the primary person to pick this up and move forward with it will be the new president.” Docter, also one of two student members of the Presidential Search Committee, said he saw this as an opportunity to shape the profile for finding the outgoing Marvin Krislov’s replacement. “I intend to use it in the Presidential Search Committee to frame the task of the next president of Oberlin as implementing a pretty radically progressive diversity policy, since there’s an expressed community desire for it,” Docter said. For Mnisi, however, the lack of clarity in future steps to achieve the committee’s suggestions is still difficult to ignore. “Specificity was what we wanted from

the beginning,” Mnisi said. “Even though it’s up to admissions to decide what those numbers should be, [SPIDIE members] literally don’t. There’s still nothing in this document that anyone can be held accountable to, even though it is generally a strong document.” Comparative American Studies Professor Shelley Lee and Africana Studies Professor Meredith Gadsby abruptly resigned from the committee in November. Lee had similar feelings on the document, pointing out that the suggestions lack weight unless there is a clear way to know that they will be taken seriously by administrators. “It has good suggestions and an important underlying vision, and, as the authors note, much remains to be worked out,” Lee wrote in an email to the Review. “A skilled, enlightened administration can certainly help to ensure excellent and diverse candidate pools, but the 'how' matters as much as the 'what'.” Since SPIDIE completed the document in early March, the group has held six listening sessions to gauge response from students and faculty, though attendance has been sparse with around five students and 10 professional staff members showing up. Following the presentation Wednesday to General Faculty, the committee may continue meeting to discuss how to enforce the policies and push administrators to work it into actuality, but Mnisi said it seemed more likely for the group to simply disband.

Alan Norton Named Interim Vice President of Finance Johan Cavert With the departure of current Vice President of Finance and Administration Mike Frandsen set for July 1, the College announced last week that Dr. Alan Norton will fill the position as interim vice president until administrators select a permanent replacement. Norton has considerable experience working as a financial administrator and executive in higher education. From 1996 to 2014, Norton served as vice president and treasurer at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. He has also held several interim positions, including interim president and CEO at Emeriti Retirement Health Solutions and, most recently, interim vice president for finance administration and treasurer at Ohio Wesleyan University. “I'm very pleased Alan has agreed to serve as interim vice president for finance and administration,” President Marvin Krislov wrote in a statement announcing Norton’s selection. “His deep experience will greatly benefit Oberlin during this transitional period.” Norton is scheduled to begin May 1 as a special assistant before assuming the interim position to ensure a smooth transition. He was not available for comment and was “traveling on personal matters,” according to Frandsen. Frandsen’s decision to step down after three years of service was somewhat of a surprise. His brief time here was especially notable given the 37-year tenure of his predecessor, Ron Watts, who retired June 2014. “I came to Oberlin hoping to move to a presidency and a great opportunity came along at Wittenberg,” Frandsen wrote in an email to the Review, referencing his recent appointment as the 15th president of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. “I notified President Krislov and Board Chair McGregor

in early February. I will be here through the board meeting in June.” According to Frandsen, Norton is not interested in the permanent position and his role will be up to the new president. Frandsen added that he had been familiar with Norton before he was hired to fill the position. “I got to know Dr. Norton a little bit during his time serving Ohio Wesleyan University in a similar interim role,“ Frandsen wrote. “From what I know and from what I've heard from people at OWU, I know he will be very good replacement.” Norton will take on his new role as Oberlin faces mounting financial difficulties. Increasing debt has challenged the administration to lower costs and work toward continuing fiscal viability while operating under the Strategic Plan’s mission to increase financial accessibility and compositional diversity — an especially difficult challenge in light of the high percentage of revenue generated from tuition. “I think any incoming vice president of finance is tasked with creating a financially sustainable future for Oberlin, which we are not currently on track for,” said Jesse Docter, College junior and student senator, detailing the role he hopes Norton will take in addressing campus finances. “The way that this job is being described right now in the administration is since it’s an interim position … they are supposed to maintain administrative inertia and not bring their own vision to this job.” Frandsen agreed that Norton would hold an important position in the administration. “The role of vice president of finance and administration is involved, to some degree, in aspects of everything at Oberlin,” Frandsen wrote. “He will be an important provider of information and counsel to the President and board as Oberlin implements the Strategic Plan.”

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April 7, 2017

Published by the students of Oberlin College every Friday during the fall and spring semesters, except holidays and examination periods. Advertising rates: $18 per column inch. Second-class postage paid at Oberlin, Ohio. Entered as second-class matter at the Oberlin, Ohio post office April 2, 1911. POSTMASTER SEND CHANGES TO: Wilder Box 90, Oberlin, Ohio 44074-1081. Office of Publication: Burton Basement, Oberlin, Ohio 44074. Phone: (440) 775-8123 Fax: (440) 775-6733 On theOn web: thehttp://www.oberlinreview.org web: oberlinreview.org

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However, Docter was critical of current financial management at the College, stressing the need for changes in the future. “I think the Strategic Plan lays out pretty clearly that Oberlin needs to make major shifts in both our revenue generation and cost model,” Docter said. “It doesn’t seem that there is any clear administrative direction about what those shifts will be except for the cost-cutting measures which Frandsen has been taking in recent months.” Frandsen agreed with Docter’s assessment. “Oberlin’s situation is not financially sustainable going forward,” Frandsen wrote. “Oberlin, and many colleges and universities, cannot sustain the ways they have operated. All will need to make choices; there are many needs and wants and limited resources. Oberlin is in a strong financial position and has many choices — more than most — but there will have to be choices among competing priorities.” Frandsen’s departure aligns with those of other senior administrators, creating a noticeable vacuum in the administration. Krislov will also leave this summer for Pace University, while the retirement of Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Debra Chermonte leaves another prominent administrative position vacant. Krislov has appointed a search committee to find a new dean of Admissions. However, the College’s future president will decide who will be the permanent replacement for the position. Frandsen said these vacancies “will present both challenges and opportunities.” “I think they are trying to maintain some consistency within the administration,” Docter added. He said that even though Norton is new, “they are trying to make it so that it doesn’t go in a radically different direction and make it so it reflects previous administrative governance processes.”

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Off the Cuff: Kevin Bruyneel, Babson College Professor of Politics Kevin Bruyneel is a politics professor at Babson College who currently studies the relationship between colonialism, race and collective memory. He recently published a book on these issues called The Third Space of Sovereignty. Bruyneel is currently researching the role of white settler memory in American politics and race relations. He led the lecture, “‘What Do You Mean We?’ — White Settler Memory, U.S. Race Politics and the ‘Faint Trace’ of Indigeneity” at Wilder Hall Monday afternoon. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. What’s your book The Third Space of Sovereignty about? What I sought to do was to understand the modern — by that I mean [the] 1870s on — relationship between the U.S. government and indigenous peoples' politics, and from a position of indigenous people not being wiped out or indigenous people being assimilated, but to understand that there were complications of understanding what an indigenous political claim is in the U.S. context. The “third space” really means that indigenous people were neither moving toward assimilation nor toward full statehood — that sovereignty has always been about, in some sense, challenging the dominant U.S. claim over their territory and over their citizenship, and also starting to negotiate their positioning. An example is that in 1924, the United States government basically conferred citizenship onto the Native Americans, saying, “Whether you want it or not, you are now citizens.” Some Native Americans said, “That’s great. We’re happy to be citizens.” A number of Native Americans, like from the Haudenosaunee and Iroquois Confederacy, said, “No thank you. We’re citizens of our own nations, and we’re not interested in being assimilated.” I was interested in this back and forth, seeing a more complicated view of seeing that not all indigenous people think the same way, that there’s different forms of politics; but also, how do you understand a claim for sovereignty in the midst of a dominant United States settler colonial regime? I trace it [from] post-Civil War to the Citizenship Act, through the 1960s and then challenging the dominant notion of what sovereignty means, [which is] a large state with a military that has a clearly defined space. What indigenous people are challenging is that it neither means to be inside nor outside, but sort of on the boundaries and challenging the boundaries of settler colonial regimes and really emphasizing, as much as I can, the voices of these indigenous people making these arguments. Can you explain what settler memory is? Settler memory calls to the practices, functions and rules of memory for a collectivity. How a collectivity tells the story itself — from past,

present to future — how people don’t just tell the story in active recollection, but how people live it. In my work I look at things like … the Washington Redsk*ns team-name controversy, the controversy in our discourse of using language around words like “Geronimo” or different names of indigenous people within telling the story of America. I call this the settler memory because it’s a way in which people who are settlers, who are not native, both acknowledge but see and do not see indigenous people at the same time. We can see a way in which indigenous people did exist in the more imaginary, and how they do not exist now. It’s interesting to also engage in what is the relationship between settler colonialism and white supremacy. There’s a lot of discussion in the U.S. about white supremacy and racism. There’s very little discussion about settler colonialism and the status of indigenous people, so I want to talk about the relationship between them. Settler memory is how people who are of the settler identity as a nation both remember and forget indigenous people. Have you specialized or focused your research in any particular indigenous groups in the U.S.? What have you learned from them and their attitudes toward settler colonialism today and over the course of history? I haven’t really. Within the book, there are people from many different nations. I write about the really preeminent. One of the most preeminent political science and Native American authors is Vine Deloria Jr. I also write about the Iroquois Confederacy in terms of their resistance to citizenship. I write about the California tribes in terms of their resistance to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campaign in the 2000s, so I don’t focus on one. … I’m not an anthropologist or an ethnographer. I try to think about indigenous politics as both being diverse unto itself but also similarly dealing with settler colonialism. I like to have different examples of things, so the reader can see that you can’t say the Cherokee or Iroquois speak for everybody. Their politics are their own politics that speak for their particular nations, but similarly dealing with settler-colonial regimes that are dispossessing them of property and also undermining their self-governance. How does settler memory play into American politics today? My dream would be, because it’s a dream at this moment, to figure out a way in which I can get — especially in U.S. race studies, discourse, classes and other things — figuring out a way that people who are setting the topic can take indigeneity and settler colonialism seriously as active presences. And what settler memory is, is a way in which people see and do not see indigenous people. I want to call out settler memory as a way in which indigenous absence is reproduced, and

Kevin Bruyneel, professor of politics at Babson College.

hopefully in calling that out engage people seriously with indigenous politics as an ever-present part of contemporary life. The fact of the matter is that Standing Rock has helped that in many ways because the Standing Rock conflict has pushed this into the public eye. What I want to be able to say is that indigenous politics has always been part of the American political realm, and if you want to understand American politics, you have to talk about settler colonialism, in the same way you have to talk about white supremacy and slavery. If you don’t talk about it, you don’t really understand American politics. It would be my hope, but what I need to provide people are different concepts and analytics and ways to intervene so they can enter the conversation. How do you see the political relationship between indigenous people transforming in the coming years with the Trump administration’s actions and attitudes as of now? I’m not indigenous, so I don’t speak for any indigenous people. I’m from a white settler background from western Canada, so I can’t speak for anybody else. My own assessment of things, and talking to people who are indigenous activists, is that things were bad under the Obama administration. … Trump is bad, but I have not seen among indigenous activists the notion that settler colonialism wasn’t around before that. In an odd sort of way, though I certainly wish Trump weren’t in office, his actions have actually mobilized activists in many ways to do something, and Standing Rock has been one of the ways in which people who are looking for something to do have sort of connected to. Now that can be problematic if people start to speak for indigenous people — that’s why I wanted to be clear that I wasn’t — but I do think, and the people I talk to think,

that while right now the Dakota Access pipeline is going through, that Standing Rock has forced the public to know that indigenous people are here, they’re making claims for territory, are politically engaged and are not going away. I’m not sure what this holds for the future, but I do think it’s mobilized amongst indigenous nations who work in alliance a sense of agency in some sense that people are in the public eye. For non-Native people, there’s more awareness. And maybe with Trump, to be more authoritarian means more people will be willing to stand with, not speak for but stand with, indigenous people. That would be my hope. In the same way, you see people who are concerned with the Trump administration standing up for immigrants and refugees in a way they weren’t before. Maybe in response to the administration, those who have not been activists might say, “I want to do something, so I’ll stand with people who are more vulnerable.” What made you interested in indigenous peoples in the first place? It goes to my background. I was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, and in Canada — while the situation for indigenous people is bad, settler colonialism and dispossession and all sorts of crappy stuff going on — the one thing is that indigenous political activism and indigeneity are public and present. ... Growing up in British Columbia, I wasn’t an activist. I wasn’t politically engaged, but you just grow up and know about notions of treaties, blockades and indigenous politics. It’s an ever-present thing, and when I finally went to [college] ... I studied environmental politics a little bit, which then starts to get into seeing indigenous dispossession and land claims. When I went to grad school in New York, I was interested in indigenous politics. I wasn’t sure what to do with that, but then in grad school you have to figure out what you want to write about. Talking to advisors in U.S. politics, there’s almost no discussion of indigenous politics, so I kind of met my own political and personal interests and curiosity with something that needed to be talked about in political science. I had a wider project of a U.S.-Canadian American comparison, but that got too big, so I decided to do a project looking at understanding indigenous politics in a U.S. context, so it came out of my own background of feeling comfortable with the language. I’d have to say a lot of U.S. students know very little, and I had learned just enough in Canada to give me a sense of a background, and indigenous people weren’t invisible to me, so I knew something about the politics. But I still had a lot to learn. I realized there was a gap in political science to talk about it, and that’s sort of where things met, and I got into the dissertation. Interview by Melissa Harris, News editor Photo courtesy of Kevin Bruyneel

Review Security Notebook Thursday, March 30 1:16 a.m. A Safety and Security officer on a routine security check of Finney Chapel encountered four students inside the building. The students said that they didn’t think they should be in the building but found a door unlocked and entered. The students were identified and asked to leave the premises. 2:24 a.m. An Asia House resident reported hearing a noise in the hallways outside of their room. When they checked the hallway, they found glass from a ceiling light shattered on the floor. A responding officer cleaned up the glass, and a work order was filed to replace the bulb. 2:05 p.m. Officers assisted an ill student on the second floor of Peters Hall. The stu-

dent was transported to Mercy Allen Hospital for treatment.

Friday, March 31 1:45 p.m. A student reported the theft of their jacket, which contained gloves and a wallet, from Wilder Hall sometime between 11:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. Wednesday, March 29. The wallet contained miscellaneous cards but no cash.

Saturday, April 1 3:01 a.m. A resident of South Hall requested officers to assist a student ill from alcohol consumption. The resident said they also contacted 911, and an ambulance was dispatched. The ill student declined

transport to the emergency room. An emergency room doctor determined that the student could stay in their room for the night.

Sunday, April 2 6:48 p.m. A student reported that an unknown vehicle struck their car while it was parked in the Gray Gables parking lot. The left taillight was broken, and there was a dent above it.

Monday, April 3 8:20 a.m. Officers assisted a student who passed out at the Science Center. The student was transported to Mercy Allen Hospital for treatment.

8:21 a.m. A resident of Barnard House requested transportation to the emergency room after experiencing severe pain in their leg. An officer responded and transport was provided. 9:15 a.m. Facilities staff reported vandalism in the Knowlton Athletics Complex locker room area. Four ceiling tiles were dislodged in the baseball locker room, a ceiling fan blade was broken off in the men’s lacrosse locker room and an exit sign was removed. The damage occurred sometime over the weekend. 9:19 a.m. An ill student residing in a Cedar Street Village Housing Unit requested transportation to the emergency room. The student also called 911 and was transported by ambulance to Mercy Allen Hospital for treatment.

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The Oberlin Review, April 7, 2017

City Resists State's Income-Tax Collection Jenna Gyimesi City officials are staunchly resisting a recent proposal by Ohio Governor John Kasich that would give the state centralized control of each city’s business income tax. Local officials fear the program is a stepping-stone to state regulation of local matters, leading Oberlin City Council to pass a resolution in opposition to the proposed program at Monday's meeting. The city receives $7.5 million in income taxes each year, but only about $250,000 comes from business

income tax. The tax money goes into the General Fund and Income Tax Capital Fund. Income tax makes up about 58 percent of the total General Fund. The General Fund goes toward public works, police and parks, while the Income Tax Capital Fund helps with things like street repair, vehicle replacement and sewer work. Oberlin City Councilmember Sharon Pearson views the plan as just another step toward more state control of the cities. “The plan is eroding away local rights and hurting our residents,

City Council President Ronnie Rimbert speaks at Monday’s City Council meeting. Council passed a resolution opposing Governor John Kasich’s proposed 2017– 2018 budget, which proposes centralized collection of business income tax returns. Photo by Bryan Rubin, Photo editor

because that means we are going to have to make up that money somewhere else,” Pearson said. Councilmember Bryan Burgess is similarly wary of the state’s increasing effort to supersede local government. “This is our community,” Burgess said. “Who are they to tell us how to run our town? It bothers me. The recent resolution by City Council states that they strongly oppose the proposal, specifically because the proposal would “hamper municipalities’ ability to audit and correct municipal income tax business returns and to equitably enforce the municipal income-tax laws, as they have been crafted as a vehicle to control the administrative process of municipal income tax to the benefit of specific taxpayer interests.” According to Burgess, the city has lost more than $1 million each year due to state involvement in city finances but was unsure this proposal would cause a net loss in city revenue since there is fluctuation based on Oberlin’s net profits tax. City Finance Director Sal Talarico worries that this could be just the beginning of larger state plans to take centralized control of city finances and operations. “The first step was when they forced municipalities to standardize

tax revenues," Talarico said. "They said if you don’t, you won’t be authorized to collect tax. Talk about putting a gun to your head. So, we did it. Now they are taking the second step.” Communications Director for the Ohio Department of Taxation Gary Gudmundson pointed out that the proposal is only for the collection of income tax from city businesses, which makes up a small portion of the overall income tax revenue. “The plan is a centralization of the collection of the municipal income tax on business net profits,” Gudmundson said. “It is the smallest percentage of bill collection. The largest percentage comes from employer withholding and individual municipal income tax fundings. Municipalities would hold on to those aspects of the municipal income tax.” The tax proposal, if passed, would go into effect in the 2018 fiscal year. Gudmundson argued the tax reform would help the economy and support advertising to out-of-state visitors. “It would make the economic and business climate in Ohio greatly improved,” Gudmundson said. “We would have a better chance at attracting business to the state and making in-state business more profitable. It’s a no-brainer.” Gudmundson estimated the proposal would save Ohio municipali-

Student Faculty Partnership Program Seeks to Expand Continued from page 1 Economics Professor Ron Cheung’s Urban Economics class, and her testimony echoes Volk’s observations of the partnerships. “This is a cool way for students to engage in dialogue about teaching with teachers without there being any power dynamic of risking grades or teacher’s opinions,” Roswell said. “It’s the part of the week that I look forward to most, and it’s definitely the work I look forward to most. I feel like it’s taught me not only how to look at teaching differently and to understand the different nuances of teaching, but also to know what I can expect from my teachers and what to ask of my education.” Cheung noted that one of the important aspects he wants to improve upon in his classes is expanding student engagement. He said that Roswell has been responsive in developing ways for him to make changes in pursuit of that goal, such as arranging a diagram of student participation in class and discussing what would help all students engage. “Naomi has been really instrumental in providing me a diagram of all the students in the class and who’s doing a lot of the speaking,” Cheung said. “I can see by looking at the graph what parts of the room I’m calling on, when I’m calling on students, who’s asking me the questions, providing me that really hard data. I’m really finding it useful in figuring out how to include more students in the class discussion.” One of the changes that Cheung said he and Roswell have tried is taking longer pauses after asking a question. He admitted that in the past, he tended to answer his own questions when students were not responsive, and since changing that behavior, student engagement increased. Cheung added that the continuous dialogue with Roswell is more effective in improving his teaching than having teacher evaluations at the end of the semester — something that he said ultimately makes improving teaching difficult. “I think that type of continuous conversation is representative or reminiscent of … this collective conversation that faculty and students can have together about how to best approach learning, as opposed to at the end of the semester, reading the evaluations and me … trying to figure out what

was going on in the class that led to these types of evaluations so that four months from now I can try to remember how to address them,” Cheung said. Another participant, College junior Nina Afsar, said that she became a student partner after being a chemistry tutor for the OWLS program last semester, adding that the neutral power dynamic between her and her faculty partner, Assistant Musicology Professor James O’Leary, has been a valuable component of the program. Afsar also said that participating in the program has allowed her to explore new areas of Oberlin. As a neuroscience major, Afsar said that it can be difficult to meet new students and explore the full scope of academics and social spaces at Oberlin. “I’m engaging with a very different student population ... and seeing other students I normally don’t see,” Afsar said. “I’m learning so much more about the teaching and education opportunities that Oberlin has that I didn’t know existed, and I’m meeting other students from completely different backgrounds. And that’s really something I’ve been trying to do, especially as a science major, where I feel a little bit constrained sometimes in my own classes. This gives me a broader vision of Oberlin.” O’Leary shared that working with Afsar has pushed him in his teaching in novelways. “Nina [Afsar] has encouraged me to take risks in the classroom that I would normally be intimidated to take,” O’Leary wrote in an email to the Review. “I can tell Nina an idea about something or an anxiety about a certain part of the course design, and she can offer her perspective. ... Often we brainstorm together. Then I can try it out with her there watching, and she can report back to me about how it went and what we might tweak next time. Maybe it failed, maybe it succeeded, but the dialogue is really remarkable.” Volk also commented on the ways the partnership program could set a precedent for addressing issues of transparency and governance on campus — a problem that the College has been experiencing especially with decision-making around budgetary measures this year. “I think only by creating trust among various sectors can you get to transparency, and trust

comes from actual practice of talking to each other in smaller groups,” Volk said. “From trust to transparency, [you go from] transparency to work, which means if we define this as a problem, how do we solve it? There is a reality that always encompasses who and what we are, which is financial. Without money we can’t go on. Without knowing where the money comes from and how it’s used, it’s hard to make any decisions. But knowing those things without trust and discussion, you can’t do anything either. This program, in a very kind of small and granular way, tries to build trust in practice.” Volk added that creating dialogue is also important on the students’ end in understanding institutional functions. “If students don’t know what Oberlin’s history actually is, which is that element of transparency, then they can’t react to it,” he added. “They’ll sort of just be angry that we can’t live up to the utopia that has been set up before us, as opposed to saying, ‘This has always been a struggle. If you come here, we invite you into this struggle, but we don’t have the answers for it.’ That’s the transparency that comes through work — studying, figuring it out and working with each other.” While Roswell agreed that the horizontally collaborative nature of the partnership program sets a model for greater productivity on campus, she was skeptical that the administration would adopt it in its functioning. “I do think it’s a little tricky to recreate on an institutional level because part of the StudentFaculty Partnership setup is elimination of hierarchy, so it’s important that I’m a student, and it’s important that Professor Cheung is a teacher, but we take away the power dynamic in that,” Roswell said. “I can’t really foresee the administration being willing enough to let down that guard and be open to observations — and sometimes criticisms — and for that to be a productive discourse.” Volk said that he hopes more people on campus will participate in the Student-Faculty Partnership Program next semester, as Roswell, Afsar and double-degree junior Charles Ryan are the only three participating this semester. Volk added that if students wish to get involved, they should contact him at CITE by the end of April.-

ties $9 million per year by more efficiently processing tax returns, and believes that the centralized plan will benefit Ohio taxpayers, pointing to criticism of Ohio’s current local income tax system, which allows each city to design its tax laws. “The national Tax Foundation has called Ohio’s municipal income tax the worst local tax system in the country,” Gudmundson said. “They all have their own rules, their own requirements. It’s completely fragmented and a huge burden on business taxpayers in Ohio.” However, Talarico believes there shouldn’t be such a reinforcement of power at the state level. “Over time the state is concerned with collecting more dollars for the state," he said. "They receive a percentage of collections for this privilege. If they charge municipalities for federal income-tax collections, that’s more money for the state government. Frankly, we need less state government. We know how to spend the money so that the people of Oberlin see it. We are experts at that. In local government, you can see where your dollars are going. In federal you see it, but not as much, and in state government, even less.”

Construction Adds to Debt Continued from page 1 report states that the College is highly reliant on student tuition as a source of revenue. The report cited the importance of increasing revenue from other sources and keeping expenses low as the solution to this problem. “Given management's indication of more moderate net tuition revenue growth, increasing revenue from other sources or more aggressively containing expenses will be critical to carry out its plan to improve operations,” the report stated. Moody’s report also referenced the high-cost operating model that the College employs, particularly in the Conservatory, and stated that this model would “continue to pressure its ability to balance operations.” The College had unusually high expenses this year, according to the report, resulting in a drop in cash flow. The $8.4 million Voluntary Separation Incentive Program — the faculty buyout plan initiated in May last year — largely caused the spike in expenses, according to the report. Bond issuances are fairly common among universities and colleges, but the Aa3 rating stands out among the College’s neighboring institutions, who tend to have much less favorable ratings. Kenyon College, The College of Wooster, Xavier University and Case Western University all received A1 ratings, which are characterized as “upper-medium grade and low credit risk.” Wittenberg University received a B1 grade, which is characterized as “not prime” and a “speculative and a high credit risk.” Frandsen was unavailable for comment on how the debt created by the new bond issuance could affect potential budget cuts.

Opinions The Oberlin Review

April 7, 2017

Letters to the Editors

RECs Resolution Not Based on Compromise To the Editors:

As a former member of the Oberlin City Council, I appreciate the effort of The Oberlin Review to report on local community issues, such as last week’s article headlined “Local Petitions Challenge REC Choice Fund Options” (March 31, 2017). However, both the headline and the story miss the point of the petitions. The issue the petitioners want to put on the November ballot is whether 85 percent of the money the City earned from trading its renewable energy certificates should be used for “ c o m munity-based, utility-related, environmentally-friendly initiatives,” as City Council determined in passing the Sustainable Reserve Program Ordinance in 2007, or instead diverted into an artificial reduction of electric rates. This diversion would fool rate-payers into thinking electricity is cheaper than it really is. It would also deprive the city of money to accomplish the goals of Oberlin’s Climate Action Plan at the very time when both federal and state funding for environmental sustainability is severely threatened. I have no problem with forming a Community Choice Fund that would accept donations for beneficial purposes. But I think it is foolish to credit Sustainable Reserve Program funds to rate-payers in a way that — in the words of the Review article — “allows residents to donate their share of the city’s Renewable Energy Credits back to the city to further sustainable energy projects.” All the REC money is already designated “to further sustainable energy projects”! Why give it away and then pay a PR firm to try to get it back? The quotations from Finance Director Sal Talarico and Councilmember Sharon Fairchild-Soucy are very misleading. Contrary to what Mr. Talarico said, the REC money can indeed be used for private homes — that is exactly what Providing Oberlin with Efficiency Responsibly, which is largely financed by RECs, is being used for: to make private homes more energy-efficient and more comfortable, lowering utility bills and helping the environment. Ms. Fairchild-Soucy said, “The people who want to keep it all, all have made the statement that $10 doesn’t make a difference in the lives of citizens.” To the contrary,

the petitioners know that $10 can make a big difference, so doubling that in monthly utility bill savings through programs like POWER is really important. I am baffled by her statement that “the hard work and months of discussion that went into the compromise would be negated and all efforts to turn REC dollars into active programs would be stalled.” There never was a compromise; the 85/15 split was forced through council on a surprise motion. And council, which just voted continuation of funding for POWER — a very active program indeed — can continue to fund such efforts. The utility bills issued to Oberlin College students who are registered voters in the city are reminders of the fact that students are the College’s actual rate-payers, so the use of the REC money is a legitimate student concern. The other members of the petition committees and I welcome the Review’s ongoing coverage of this issue.

However, as we look at the actions taken to increase the sales tax, I would implore them to consider the commissioners’ disregard for the spirit of a representative government. Is this commission truly representing Lorain County residents? My position will continue to be that of providing voters the opportunity to choose how they want to live and how they want to manage their property. If the tax is in fact necessary and county residents agree, let’s have that discussion and vote on the issue. The Libertarian Party of Lorain County will stand behind this lawsuit, as an action that looks to lower residents’ tax burden. As the lawsuit moves forward and the petition drive to place the issue on the November ballot begins, I hope all voters will continue to help us stand up to the county commissioners. – Brandon Michael Bobbitt Oberlin resident

– Charles Peterson Oberlin resident

Career Center Lorain Libertarians Supports Sue to Stop Forced Entrepreneurship Tax Increase To the Editors: To the Editors: On Wednesday, April 5, myself and a group of fellow Lorain County residents laid out our objections and plan to halt the recently imposed sales tax increase. The lawsuit being brought by Gerald Phillips, to which I am a plaintiff, contends that not only did the commissioners violate procedural rule but also Ohio’s public meeting laws. The people emphatically denied the request for increased revenue at the ballot box in November by a 74–26 percent margin. As a Libertarian, I have many practical and ideological objections to the tax increase. As a matter of principle, I am opposed to any group of people using force to claim another’s property. In this case, we have public servants purposefully ignoring the will of the people and taking more of their money by force. Residents work hard for the money that they earn. To contend that another has a claim to said property is reprehensible. I realize all residents may not have an ideological opposition to taxation, such as myself. Many hold that taxation is necessary and proper for a civilized society.

I write in response to Katie Lucey’s article last week (“College Lacks Opportunities to Study Business”). As a recent graduate and staff member of the Career Center, I wish to clarify some additional opportunities to study business and entrepreneurship and speak to Lucey’s insight into a fear of failure among students. First, Lucey argues that Oberlin’s lack of major in business or entrepreneurship is a sign of limited opportunities to study these subjects. Oberlin actually created a program 13 years ago to help fill this gap: the Business Scholars program, which trains 12 students in business, finance and leadership fundamentals before sending them to learn firsthand from prominent alumni in a variety of industries. Previously a Winter Term project, Business Scholars was piloted for the first time as a first-module course culminating in travel to New York City over spring break. Two of this year’s scholars participated in LaunchU, reflecting institutional shifts to maximize student access to a range of resources for See Letters, page 7

Submissions Policy The Oberlin Review appreciates and welcomes letters to the editors and op-ed 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 that week’s issue. Letters may not exceed 600 words and op-eds may not exceed 800 words, except with consent of the Editorial Board. All submissions must include contact information, with full names and any relevant titles, for all signers. All writers must individually confirm authorship on electronic submissions. Op-eds may not have more than two authors. The Review reserves the right to edit all submissions for clarity, length, grammar, accuracy, strength of argument and in consultation with Review style. Editors will work with 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. Headlines are printed at the discretion of the Editorial Board. Opinions expressed in editorials, letters, op-eds, columns, cartoons or other Opinions pieces do not necessarily reflect those of the staff of the Review. The Review will not print advertisements on its Opinions pages. The Review defines an advertisement as any submission that has the main intent of bringing direct monetary gain to a contributor.

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The Oberlin Review Publication of Record for Oberlin College

Editors-in-Chief Tyler Sloan Oliver Bok Managing Editor Kiley Petersen Opinions Editor Sami Mericle

Ohio Must End Death Penalty, Torture Editor’s Note: This article discusses the death penalty, rape, and murder. The last time the state of Ohio ended a life with capital punishment, Dennis McGuire choked, gasped for air and writhed in agony for 26 minutes before finally dying. Unable to procure reliable lethal execution drugs — the Danish company that produces them now refuses to sell to the U.S. government — Ohio decided to experiment with an untested drug cocktail that had never been used in an execution. Doctors told state officials that McGuire might suffocate to death; they decided to run the risk and suffocated him anyway. As the old adage goes, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” McGuire’s crime — raping and murdering a pregnant woman — was horrific, but so was the state of Ohio’s. Torturing someone to death violates fundamental moral standards at its most basic level. What the state government did to McGuire was an obvious case of “cruel and unusual punishment” prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. Outrageously, Ohio is now preparing to engage in this criminal undertaking again. What’s even more sickening is that the state will claim to do it in our name, on our behalf, as the people of Ohio. This evil practice stains us all. Since the state still cannot procure reliable execution drugs, it is trying to experiment again for several executions scheduled in May. Fortunately, a federal court rejected the state’s plans yesterday, upholding a January 26 ruling that the state’s proposed drug cocktail “creates a substantial risk of serious harm.” However, the state looks set to appeal. Shame on Governor Kasich, who drapes himself in Christian moralism when politically convenient and casts it aside when it’s not. Even if Ohio could kill incarcerated people without torture, applying the death penalty would still be a travesty. In Ohio’s history of executions, nine people have been found innocent while sitting on death row, begging the question: How many innocent people has our government killed? Aside from extreme — and extremely rare — cases of self defense, killing is obviously wrong. If our society believes in that principle, instead of just paying it lip service, then the death penalty is an absurdity. Killing someone because they killed someone else makes no sense. It’s the “they-started-it” argument that kindergarten teachers reject every day in the schoolyard. The death penalty is revenge dressed in the guise of justice, and people of moral conscious should reject it. Not only is the death penalty a moral atrocity, it’s an act of financial idiocy as well. Since the state brought back the death penalty in 1981, less than 20 percent of those sentenced to death have been executed, according to Attorney General Mike DeWine’s 2016 volume of “Capital Crimes Annual Report,” published last Friday. More prisoners have been exonerated or have had their sentences reduced than have been executed in that time. This exorbitant legal wrangling costs the state far more than housing prisoners indefinitely. The death penalty is a revolt against moral law and basic logic. Ohio’s practice of torturing prisoners to death verges on the kind of depravity that would, in a just world, end with state officials in the docket at the International Criminal Court in the Hague. In Ohio and across the country, let the death penalty get the death penalty.

Editorials are the responsibility of the Review Editorial Board — the Editors-in-Chief, Managing editor and Opinions editor — and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the Review.

Opinions

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The Oberlin Review, April 7, 2017

Libertarian Economics Crudely Misguided Jordan Ecker Contributing writer Jacob Britton’s “Wealth Distribution Fails to Invigorate Economy” is a five-paragraph rehashing of key libertarian talking points (The Oberlin Review, March 31, 2017). It may prove heuristically useful, then, to offer a step-bystep rebuttal of each argument to demonstrate the overwhelming inadequacy of libertarianism as a political philosophy. Britton poses three questions: What justifies wealth redistribution, what would redistributed wealth look like and is wealth redistribution good for the economy? Arguing on avenues paved by libertarian thinkers like Robert Nozick and Friedrich Hayek, Britton says that the state is justified in taxation only for the purpose of “essential government functions like national security and the justice system.” This implies that taxation for any purpose beyond the “essentials” is immoral and violent. Britton says any demand for state intervention in a democratic society to redistribute wealth is beyond the “essentials” and is “subjective” and “mob rule.” This argument is nonsensical. Britton provides no criteria for distinguishing essential state activities from non-essential state activities. His two examples suggest that the state is justified only so long as it protects some set of individual rights. But can we imagine a consistent and worthy conception of individual rights that includes security from foreign invasion but does not include security from poverty? If the question isn’t one of maximizing individual rights, but of minimizing violence, then Britton again fails: Violence is implicit in a capitalist economy where the worker is faced with the decision to accept a contract or starve. Coercion and violence always exist in capitalism. The state can work to minimize it or it can do nothing. In my view, one of those options is clearly more just than the other. Britton’s next argument is that wealth distribution without a targeted goal of equality (e.g. the wealthiest have only 10 times as opposed to 100 times more than the poorest) is unprincipled. He says that without an explicit goal, we are left only with the implicit goal of “radical equality.” He seems to think radical equality is a bad thing, but offers no arguments for that view. I think radical equality is actually a fantastic political value, and if he wants to argue the opposite point, it would be at the very least entertaining to read his effort. Britton next states that because we are a “supply-driven” economy, capitalist spending is better for the economy than working-class spending because capitalists invest with an eye to the “long-term.” Where to begin? Capitalists do not invest with an eye to the long term. The economy is neither clearly supply nor demand-driven: It is healthiest when demand is equal to supply, but sadly, as Karl Marx demonstrated and the latest 2008 crisis reminded us, capitalism cyclically causes demand and supply to fall out of sync with one another. Only democratic and deliberate intervention in the market maintains its functioning. Britton’s gloss of economics is so crude as to be comedic if it weren’t being used to justify the continuing domination of the many by the few. Finally, Britton says expropriating the ruling class is not a viable strategy because the CEO of Walmart makes only $19 million a year, which redistributed to Walmart employees comes to only $9. Happily, the CEO is just a petit-bourgeois middle man. Marxists advocate for the expropriation of the capitalist, properly bourgeois class. In the case of Walmart, this is the Walton family, whose wealth cautious estimates peg at $149 billion. This comes out to about $70,952 for every Walmart worker worldwide. Sounds good to me!

Melissa Harris, News editor

Census More than Identity Title Marissa Maxfield Contributing writer The U.S. Census Bureau released a version of its plans for the 2020 census last week, and for the first time, it proposed tallying gender identity and sexual orientation. Shortly after, Census Bureau Director John Thomson announced that the question was a mistake that was never meant to be included. While same-sex couples have been counted in the census since 1990, this is the first indication that gender identity and sexual orientation would be considered, despite years of LGBTQ advocacy groups pushing on this issue. The bureau’s continual refusal to tally LGBTQ people is an attempt to erase us from government consideration and deny us resources. The census is more than just a tally of people. It is a determinant for quality of life as controlled by the government, used to measure the needs of each community and distribute funds and resources accordingly. Local communities in particular use census reports to properly implement support programs like food stamps, housing accommodations and other protective services, as well as for research in health and

education. Without data on queer people, the government cannot adequately assess our needs or devise policies to protect us. For instance, it is believed that the LGBTQ community is particularly affected by homelessness, but that issue cannot be properly addressed without hard data. Further, the bureau’s actions reflect the general queerphobic attitudes of the American people that still persist in our so-called advanced society. Queerness may seem more visible than ever in certain subcultures and facets of consciousness, but there’s still progress to be made. Exclusion of the queer community in the census is unfair and pejorative. Somehow, LGBTQ recognition made its way onto the draft and was rejected. It seems like the government knows we exist but doesn’t want everyone else to find out. The Trump administration, of course, wants to reclaim as much power as it can from susceptible groups of Americans, and thinks that because we’re perceived as vulnerable, the queer community is an easy target. People who oppose normalization of gender nonconformity are mainly just scared. They’re scared to embrace something that goes against

what they’ve been taught is normal. Their apprehension is, in a way, just as natural as our queerness. But people are not going to stop being queer. We are not going to see a decrease in the number of individuals diverging from the gender binary. We will continue to act, to make ourselves known and to resist compromise. We will continue to thrive. If anything, this decision should encourage us to be more active and vocal about our existence and right to be counted. Queerness is not a decision or a trend. It’s really not a big deal if someone is different — it’s the denial of human rights that’s the problem. That’s why we have to fight to be understood. It’s not fair, but the mistreatment of minorities is not going to go away on its own. With all the intolerant homophobes and conventional naysayers out there, we must be even louder than before. Let’s make them regret thinking they could simply cast us aside like some spurious millennial trend, but let’s do it in a way that manifests our humanity. Our ability to transcend boundaries and go beyond tradition in our queerness is a beautiful thing, and once people see that, they’ll want to celebrate it too.

LA Legislature Misses Mark on HIV Jackie Brant Columnist In a fight to end the stigmatization of HIV and AIDS, Democratic lawmakers in Los Angeles are seeking to pass legislation that would reduce the charge for not telling your partner that you have HIV before engaging in unprotected sex from a felony to a misdemeanor. This law would also apply to situations in which HIV positive individuals donate blood or semen. While the stigmatization of HIV and AIDS is an issue that needs to be addressed, the lawmakers’ proposal is not a suitable answer to the problem. Proponents of the bill argue that with the advancements of modern medicine, HIV is treatable. Currently, there are 18.2 million people worldwide on medications for the illness. These medications are generally effective, cutting down deaths from AIDS from 2 million in 2005 to 1.1 million last year. The daily drug PrEP may decrease this number

even more in coming years, as it can prevent HIV infection for those who do not already have it if taken daily. Further, the lawmakers argue that these laws are discriminatory because HIV is the only illness that has legislation like this passed against it. There is still an unfair stigma that greatly affects HIV positive individuals. For instance, many people assume that HIV is only associated with homosexuality, drug use and infidelity. These stereotypes can severely impact individuals with the illness in ways such as job loss, divorce or separation, poor health care options and damaged reputation. While it is undeniable that HIV stigma needs to be addressed, I find it difficult to justify taking action in the way that these lawmakers are proposing. One of the responsibilities of government is to protect its citizens lives to the best of its ability. This goes for both the quality of See HIV, page 7

Opinions

The Oberlin Review, April 7, 2017

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HIV Law Undermines Importance of Consent Continued from page 6 life and the length of life, and HIV can affect both. When people who are aware of their HIV engage in unprotected sexual activity without telling their partner, they knowingly impact their partner’s life. Ultimately, this is an issue of consent. Without knowing the ramifications of sexual activity, lack of communication amounts to a violation. Another issue is the expense and effectiveness of HIV and AIDS treatment. HIV treatment plans typically span from about $2,000 to $5,000 per month according to the Los Angeles Times, and the typical lifetime cost of treatment nowadays is

$379,000 according to healthline.com. Further, HIV still remains a deadly condition, as treatment does not guarantee a typical lifespan and many people still die from the illness worldwide. These individuals must figure out how to pay for their treatment plans and manage their illness every day. When HIV positive individuals knowingly do not tell their partner before engaging in unprotected sex, their actions pass on a significant and lifelong financial burden to their partner. Though other illnesses affect individuals in similar ways as well, the transmission of HIV in these cases could have been prevented by open and honest discussion. Though I find the lawmakers’ approach

to be a potential threat to public health, there are other essential steps that should be taken to fight the stigmatization of HIV. One of the biggest improvements needed is education about HIV. Before coming to Oberlin, I knew so little about the topic that I did not even know that HIV and AIDS were not interchangeable terms. As a college student, I have never been formally educated about HIV at any level. Currently, in Ohio, it is left up to each school district to manage sex education, which includes HIV education. This essentially means that every district in Ohio can decide whether or not they want to offer sex education in schools or not.

The fight to end the stigmatization of HIV needs to start with formal education. Education about the subject should include ways that HIV can be transmitted, HIV prevention and treatment options and their effectiveness, and ways to emotionally and legally support individuals who have HIV. The national recommendation for when kids begin learning about HIV is fifth grade. All schools should be required to follow this national recommendation. This would be a huge step in the right direction toward ending the stigmatization of HIV, could help stop its spread and hopefully help lead to the end of HIV altogether.

Letters to the Editors, cont. Continued from page 5 experiential learning. In addition, I would suggest online platforms, such as LinkedIn, TAPPAN and Switchboard, to reach out to Oberlin alumni and learn more about postgraduate pathways in business, entrepreneurship or any other field. Information on Business Scholars and online resources can be found on the Career Center website under the lefthand tab “Set: Programs and Resources.” You can also schedule an appointment with a member of our staff or come to our drop-in hours, 3 to 5 p.m. Monday through

Friday, for more information. To Lucey’s second point, I also view a reluctance to take risks and potentially fail as an obstacle to success at Oberlin and beyond. Having worked hard to enter a top-tier college as a gateway to a better future, we often feel real pressure to maintain unblemished transcripts and stand out on paper for the sake of future competitiveness in the workforce. In reality, the resilience developed through experimentation and potential failure is the most valuable asset you can develop in your undergraduate career. If you looked at my resumé,

you would see a number of prestigious internships and scholarships, but you would not see the dozens of rejections and failures that eventually made those experiences possible. Lucey is absolutely right that the Creativity and Leadership Program and its stellar work is, in many ways, isolated. Those who have seen Oberlin from different perspectives know such disconnect is a hallmark of this place. However, many students, faculty and staff are hard at work redesigning our educational model to foster creativity, cultivate experimentation and synergize student

services and learning outcomes. In other words, there are prime opportunities for enterprising students to engage in institutional change and develop skills critical to business and entrepreneurship. Whether you’re interested in this work or simply looking for guidance in your own education, I invite you to contact me at tscanlon@oberlin.edu or stop by my office in the Career Center. – Taiyo Scanlon-Kimura OC ’15 Student Engagement Fellow, Career Center

Technology Breaks Barriers to Music To the Editors: I’ve said it before, and I say it again: Many thanks to those who make the Conservatory webcasts possible. For those of us who have difficulty getting out to all the wonderful concerts in person, these webcasts make it possible to enjoy many events which would otherwise pass us by. Kudos to those who are so faithfully behind the cameras. – Robert N. Roth Oberlin resident

Assemblies Committee Presents...

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Wednesday, April 12, 2017 Finney Chapel

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TICKETS AVAILABLE AT WILDER DESK, HALL CTS, OBERLIN.EDU/TICKETS, AND ETIX.COM

Helping Hands : A Guide With all the community service opportunities in Oberlin and the greater Lorain County community, it can be difficult to know where to start. This guide can lend a hand in identifying some of the innovative volunteer options both on and off campus. From tutoring students to helping out at Kendal at Oberlin, follow this simple guide to find a volunteer project that is right for you!

to Community Service Free Clinic Outreach

Kid’s Activities Supervisor

Help the Lorain County Free Clinic spread awareness and information about its services to vulnerable populations in the community. Volunteers will also identify health care gaps and areas for improvement within the county. Go to lcfreeclinic.org/volunteer-services to find volunteer applications.

Work with Family Promise of Lorain County to engage with children of various ages in activities focusing on leading a healthy lifestyle, including arts and crafts, cooking and sports. This commitment is once a month on Saturday morning from 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Call (440) 774-6743 for more information.

Assisted Living Programs

Oberlin Community Services

South Lorain Youth Tutors

Bonner Center

Kendal at Oberlin and Welcome Nursing Home are looking for energetic volunteers to participate in a variety of activities with their residents, such as music appreciation, Jeopardy!, political discussions and more. Contact welcomenursinghomefriends@gmail.com and kao. kendal.org for more information.

On the second Saturday of every month, OCS hosts a food pantry to distribute goods to those in need of assistance. Other ways to get involved include outreach, gardening and working with marginalized individuals to manage their finances. Visit oberlincommunityservices. org to learn more.

Volunteer to help children living under the poverty line overcome barriers to academic success. Students are in grade levels from kindergarten to 12th grade. While one day a week is required, more is encouraged! Contact Steven Whitely for more information at swhitely@lorainelcentro.org

There are numerous community engagement options at the Bonner Center for Service and Learning — both longterm and one-time events. Visit the center on 145 West Lorain Street or online at serve.oberlin.edu to find detailed information about these opportunities.

Calendar Oberlin Friendship Festival Wilder Hall Saturday, April 8, 4–6 p.m. This event includes student performances, food from Aladdin’s Eatery, spoken-word poetry from artist Meeko Israel, a raffle and friendship-bracelet making.

Layout and text by Izzy Rosenstein, This Week editor Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art Craig Lecture Hall Monday, April 10, 4:30–6 p.m.

Hillel’s First Night Passover Seder Knowlton Athletics Complex Monday, April 10, 7:45–10 p.m.

American author and journalist Virginia Heffernan will speak about the diverse ways that the internet can be used as an art form.

All are welcome to celebrate the first day of Passover with Oberlin Hillel. A delicious dinner will be provided; please RSVP at oberlinhillel.com so the appropriate amount of food can be made.

Rajeev Taranath Finney Chapel Tuesday, April 11, 8 p.m.

Shadia Mansour with Hypno The ’Sco Tuesday, April 11, 10 p.m.

Taranath will perform improvised melodies on the sarod, a fourstringed lute widely used in classical northern Indian music. He will be accompanied by percussionist Udayraj Karpur on the tabla. The duo have been widely celebrated for their melodies.

Shadia Mansour is a London-born Palestinian rapper and activist. Passionate about Palestinian liberation, she is considered the “First Lady in Arabic Hip Hop” and raps predominantly in Arabic.

Chemistry and Biochemistry Seminar Series: Mandë Holford Science Center, Room A255 Wednesday, April 12, 12:15 p.m. Mandë Holford, associate professor of Chemistry at Hunter College, will discuss the medical uses of venom found in various marine creatures.

to Community Service Free Clinic Outreach

Kid’s Activities Supervisor

Assisted Living Programs

Oberlin Community Services

South Lorain Youth Tutors

Bonner Center

Layout and text by Izzy Rosenstein, This Week editor Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art Craig Lecture Hall Monday, April 10, 4:30–6 p.m.

Hillel’s First Night Passover Seder Knowlton Athletics Complex Monday, April 10, 7:45–10 p.m.

American author and journalist Virginia Heffernan will speak about the diverse ways that the internet can be used as an art form.

All are welcome to celebrate the first day of Passover with Oberlin Hillel. A delicious dinner will be provided; please RSVP at oberlinhillel.com so the appropriate amount of food can be made.

Rajeev Taranath Finney Chapel Tuesday, April 11, 8 p.m.

Shadia Mansour with Hypno The ’Sco Tuesday, April 11, 10 p.m.

Shadia Mansour is a London-born Palestinian rapper and activist. Passionate about Palestinian liberation, she is considered the “First Lady in Arabic Hip Hop” and raps predominantly in Arabic.

Arts The Oberlin Review

Page 10

April 7, 2017

Colors of Rhythm Highlights POC Performances Julia Peterson Production editor Student artists of color took the stage in Finney Chapel for the 21st annual Colors of Rhythm showcase last Thursday night, showcasing languages, instruments and dance traditions underrepresented in Oberlin classes and campus life. This year, the event featured spoken word performers, singers, OCTaiko, the Filipinx American Students’ Association Band, a dance group from the African Students Association, Descendants of the Dragon, Movimiento and a variety of other groups. One band performed in Tagalog, the majority language of the Philippines. Another group performed an Afro-Peruvian song, and audience members were invited to dance in the aisles during the performance of a Dominican piece. “I was amazed by [the] audience’s enthusiasm toward [my] and Hengxuan’s performance,” said College sophomore Skyler Yin, who performed “Dance of Yi People,” a traditional Chinese piece. “This piece is about celebrating the beautiful life of Yi people, a minority group in China. … Colors of Rhythm strives to gain recognition for minority groups around campus, which made it a perfect platform for us to perform.” For two decades now, Colors of Rhythm has created a space for POC performance and protest through performative art. “This event began as a constructive protest against what the curriculum and academic departments at Oberlin do not cover,” the mission statement reads. “By addressing issues such as lack of resources for and the recognition, valuing [and] visibility of certain cultural dance forms by the mainstream culture on campus, CoR is a form of cultural activism and protest.” “I did not think much about Chinese traditional music before the event, since Oberlin is mainly surrounded by Western musics,” Yin said. “But after the performance, I was very proud of

Students from ASA perform in Colors of Rhythm last Thursday, an annual showcase of artists and performers of color on campus organized by the Multicultural Resource Center. Photo by Clover Linh Tran, Staff photographer

our Chinese traditional music and of how everybody was enchanted by it.” For College first-year Kyndelle Johnson, a programming associate at the Multicultural Resource Center and one of the organizers of this year’s event, the motivations behind the creation of Colors of Rhythm in 1997 are still relevant today because a great deal of the programming on campus is still centered on white traditions and performance. She was thrilled by how Thursday’s event went but wished that more students had shown up to support the performances by student artists of color. “I think it’s an awesome event, and I wanted to see a lot more Obies and students in Finney that night, because it wasn’t jam-packed,” she said. College junior Andre Cardine, who performed with the dance group Kinetique and sang both individually and with others, reflected on what makes Colors of Rhythm an important event to

have on campus. “Colors of Rhythm is a moment where a lot of student-led groups that are organized by people of color get together and have the opportunity to share the same space and same platform,” he said. “It’s a safe space for POC. It’s a creative space. It’s a performance space, and it’s a place where we can share our stories and perform. … It was fun to have the opportunity to showcase the things I can do and also showcase myself as an artist.” OCTaiko, one of the larger groups to perform, presented a piece called Minna Ikimashou. The spectacularly coordinated performance, which physically shook the chapel, was an exhilarating opening to a night that would maintain these high levels of energy from beginning to end. “Having the space allows students of color … to express themselves and also show the community what we have on campus on a larger scale,” said College junior and member of OCTaiko Jenny Pham. “Not only do we have this community,

… but we’re able to show it to others so that people can see what we’re all about. … For me personally, it’s probably one of the most highlighted events of the whole school year.” One of the ways in which the impact of Colors of Rhythm lasts beyond the hour-and-a-half showcase is through ticket sales. Proceeds have historically been donated to organizations including the Yakubu Saaka Memorial Scholarship Fund, a scholarship for citizens of any African country who are applying to Oberlin, and the Oberlin Community Youth Scholarship Fund, which provides financial support toward higher education for college-aged students residing within the Oberlin school district. This year, proceeds from the show went to the Undocumented Students Scholarship Fund, which is used for tuition and emergency funds to support undocumented students. “Especially under the new administration and in today’s political atmosphere, it’s a community that deserves a lot of support and spotlight in terms of funding,” Johnson said. From the moment the show began, the audience was encouraged to be more than passive observers. The hosts gave a crash course in call and response for audience members who might not be familiar with this aspect of POC performance art, and the audience responded by cheering and encouraging performers throughout every act. Standing ovations punctuated the evening. College senior Ashley Suarez, who has attended Colors of Rhythm every year since she came to Oberlin, was especially enthusiastic about the variety of performance types represented on stage this year. “Sometimes in the past, there was a lot more dancing or a lot more singing, but this time was [more] even — and from a variety of groups, so that was really cool,” she said. “Every time, I just love seeing people doing the things that they love to do. It’s really inspiring and gets me really pumped up and excited.”

OSTA’s Bright Half Life Explores Intersectional Identities Katie Lucey Staff writer Victoria Garber Arts editor Cascading baubles of multicolored lights and hanging photographs of the cast and crew border the walls of a cozy South Hall studio, creating an intimate setting for Bright Half Life, an Oberlin Student Theater Association production exploring the trials of love. The non-linear narrative is centered around an interracial lesbian couple’s nearly 50-year relationship, jumping between milestones like their first breakup, first child and first date as well as smaller, quiet moments that capture the intimacy of an enduring relationship. While the set is simple — consisting of the lights, photographs and three old-fashioned trunks — the various stage elements come together to help solidify the theme of the play: the evolution of a relationship from its onset to its eventual end. With the display of photographs and focus on seemingly insignificant moments, the audience is invited to reconsider the little things that may not stand out in our memories but make all the difference nonetheless. The relationship between Vicky and Erica, played by College sophomores Imke Heart and Hanna Shykind

respectively, begins in 1985 and ends in 2031, spanning reality’s past, present and future. The audience is with the couple throughout — from their introduction, to their twin daughters’ first steps, to the moment they realize separation is inevitable. At one point, Vicky asks Erica, “Do you look forwards, or backwards?” Bright Half Life does both. In moments delineated by a stomp of the feet, a prolonged gaze or a quiet musical interlude, the relationship between Erica and Vicky jumps between a range of sometimes unpredictable emotions a couple might go through together. Though it makes for an intriguing production, at times the complexity of the non-linear storyline can be somewhat confusing. Then again, confusion often comes with the territory of looking back and wondering where the years have gone. “I think people should come in ready to take a ride,” said College senior and director Alex Bernui. “It’s a non-linear story, so at first it’s not going to be like what they have seen before. If people just come in ready to let it happen, ... it’s a great time.” The production runs about an hour and 20 minutes, just enough time to encapsulate the duration of a decades-long relationship. By jumping back and forth in time, OSTA’s production of Bright Half Life explores

what it means to really love someone. Scenes range from funny to sad to serious — and yet, they all seamlessly weave together into the fabrics of the relationship and the show. This interweaving of humor and tragedy creates an interesting dynamic. On one hand, this is a production about how a deep love between two people evolves over 50 years, built on a foundation of the assorted little moments that sometimes outweigh the larger, more dramatic ones. On the other, however, the play invites a broader discussion of race, gender, sexuality and the way these identities shape certain dynamics not only in intimate relationships, but also in the larger context of society. The play fills in a narrative often left out of central plot lines, exploring a lesbian relationship that, apart from exterior politics and prejudice brought to bear on it by society, looks a lot like everyone else’s, both in its periods of stability and those of turmoil. “Before I read this play, I had never seen a piece of queer theater that celebrates queerness and queer love,” Bernui said. “Not only does it show how beautiful love is, but it also shows the work that goes into a relationship.” Though both Vicky and Erica face oppression as gay women, they stand on unsteady footing on the subject of race, culminating in the moment that Vicky says, “I don’t want to educate

College sophomores Imke Hart and Hanna Shykind perform in OSTA’s production of Bright Half Life, directed by College senior Alex Bernui, which opened yesterday in South Studios and runs through Saturday. Photo by Rick Yu, Photo Editor

you on your whiteness.” During one scene, Vicky argues that while her gayness is an invisible identity she can choose whether to outwardly express, her identity as a Black woman is immediately obvious to everyone around her no matter what space she occupies. Erica, a white woman, has trouble truly understanding this. She feels her sexuality has always marked her out. This ideological divide is a major source of contention between the two, resulting in conflicts not easily or completely resolved. There are many ups and downs to this relationship — in addition to race and sexuality, the two disagree

over how to raise their children, also grappling with the difficulties of impending death and inconsolable grief. Throughout it all, however, it’s clear that above all, Erica and Vicky care deeply about one another. One motif that appears throughout the production is skydiving, suggesting that love is as risky as jumping out of a plane. Whether it ends on a positive note or in bitter conflict, the sensation of free fall is thrilling. Performances are scheduled for Friday, April 7 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 8 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. in South Studios. Tickets are available for $3 in advance in Wilder Hall and $5 at the door.

The Oberlin Review, April 7, 2017

Arts

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On the Record with Ed Helms, OC ’96, and Daniel Radosh, OC ’91 Ed Helms, OC ’96, and Daniel Radosh, OC ’91, hosted this academic year’s final convocation Sunday night, “What’s the Point of Comedy? (And other pointless questions).” Helms, whose most iconic roles include an outlandish Andy Bernard on The Office and an equally obnoxious but fun-loving Stu in The Hangover trilogy, is an actor, comedian, producer, writer and musician. After graduating from Oberlin, Helms’ multifaceted skillset led him to a job as a correspondent for several years on The Daily Show, where Radosh is currently the senior writer. Radosh has won three Emmy awards for his work with former host Jon Stewart, a transition from his journalism career writing for publications including The New York Times and The New Yorker. The comedic duo discussed political satire in the age of Trump and the evolution of comedy writing at Sunday’s event, and sat down with students beforehand for a conversation about their work. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Tyler Sloan (Oberlin Review): So, a tad cheesy, but for the people who won’t get a chance to hear your answer, what’s the point of comedy? Ed Helms: Well, you can find out in Daniel’s and my book, which is coming out … Daniel Radosh: News to me [laughs]. EH: What’s the point of comedy? Chuckles. Is that right? It’s not a complicated thing. DR: That was a very short convocation [laughs]. OK, bye guys! EH: I think we’re just going to have a very joyless conversation of satire. A deconstruction of kind of where comedy fits into the cultural landscape, and as purveyors of comedy how we approach it and how we think about it. And to be honest, I don’t know all the answers to those questions yet because we haven’t been asked them in the convocation yet. DR: I’ll point out that the subtitle of the convocation is “and other pointless questions” because that is the kind of question that as soon as you ask it, it prevents you from answering it in any real way. The point of comedy is comedy. The laughter and the enjoyment and the performance of it is the point of it, and once you start talking about it, which we’re going to do, it kind of all falls apart. We’re hoping to deflate expectations with that title. EH: We’ll be giving a tour of the comedy sausage factory and it will be unpleasant. DR: So those people are lucky they aren’t coming. Moira Peterson (WOBC): Especially in this new, autonomous regime that we are in presently — sort of my own political subjectivity coming in that question — I’m just curious as to the role of comedy in politics, and if it is used as a subversive tool in the way that you implement comedy or if it’s an easement into our situation? Or the ways that maybe it’s a combination or conflation of the two? EH: I think that comedy is usually a Trojan horse into some pretty complex issues, and a way to take power away from hypocrites, wherever they may be. I think satire, I guess by definition, is about hypocrisy, and it’s just not hard to find no matter where you are in the political spectrum, who you oppose — it’s so ubiquitous. Comedy is a way of being able to attack that hypocrisy with very little responsibility. DR: The tricky thing now that makes this era different from before is that usually comedy can deflate the pompous facade of politics to point out the ridiculousness underneath it, and now the ridiculousness is on the surface. Donald Trump never

Ed Helms, OC ’96, and Daniel Radosh, OC ’91, returned to campus Sunday to give a convocation titled “What’s the Point of Comedy? (And other pointless questions),” which featured a frank discussion of satire, its boundaries and its current role in American society. Photos courtesy of Office of Communications

pretended to be a serious-ideas person with a coherent ideology. He was always a showman, but you can’t point out that he’s just a showman and say, “Yep, I’m doing it great!” In a way, I think to give Donald Trump his due is that he is almost a standup comic; he performs. When he talks, even when he’s not telling jokes, he has the rhythm of a comedian, and he’ll do impersonations. Not so much now that he’s trying to be presidential, but certainly during the campaign he would riff, he would do crowd work, he would have his jokes that killed every time and even though you see them coming people are like, “He’s telling that joke that I love!” And it is bizarre to have those tools that we have used against politicians kind of used against us. EH: It neuters comedy in a way. The classic comedy tool — one of the ways we think about writing comedy — is to heighten something, and you find something that seems a little bit ridiculous or a little bit hypocritical, and the way that you call it out in a funny way is to heighten it and go to an extreme example of it, which is so ridiculous that it becomes silly and then it becomes funny. And what Trump has done is to embody the heightening; he’s already behaving in a way that is so heightened that it’s mathematically difficult to heighten it even further because when the thing that used to be so extreme that it was silly and funny becomes normalized, how do you go beyond that to be funny again? DR: We’ve literally done jokes on the show thinking, “What can we heighten this to?” and then he does it a week later. When he picked a fight with the Pope, we did a joke about, “And next, he picked a fight with a baby!” And son of a bitch, a week later there’s a clip of a baby crying and [Trump yelling], “Get that baby out of here! Who brought that baby in here?” That was our bit, he was doing our bit. It has made it more difficult at the same time that it’s become kind of more essential. I think the idea of, those are the two ideas, is it a way to do something politically or does it help people get through the politics? But I don’t think it needs to be on that spectrum at all. I think that it is OK to just say, “I just need to laugh at this.” Then there are people who say, “But if people are laughing at it, it makes them more comfortable than they should be, and then they won’t fight.” To which I say, well look, if somebody is going to be scared out of a political fight, if somebody’s will for a political fight is so weak that it’s like “Well I already laughed about it so now I’m not going to do any activism,” I don’t think that’s on me for making them laugh. Liam Oznowich (Teaching assistant for

Humor Writing course): Looking back at your time at Oberlin and thinking about the role that the Oberlin comedy scene and also the increased visibility that [politically correct] culture has gotten in recent years and how that’s been heightened at Oberlin recently as well, in terms of trigger warnings or content warnings or whatever, is there anything that’s ever not funny or shouldn’t be funny? Where is the politics in that? Where is the barriers that you guys see in what should be joked about? EH: I really believe comedians can say anything they want, and if you don’t think it’s funny then that’s OK, too. It’s a little bit of “know your audience,” and I think a lot of times people might say they’re trying to be funny but they’re really just trying to be provocative or offensive and that kind of shouldn’t be counted against comedians. At the same time, I think a lot of comedians catch an unreasonable amount of heat for really trying to push people’s comfort zones and push the envelope. Every single person is going to have a different answer for that — what’s funny, what’s not; what’s over the line, what’s not. I think it becomes problematic when we start trying to define it for everybody else. And also really take a hard look at the consequences of what someone says, and if muzzling that person is worth the sacrifice of expression. DR: The question almost starts from a wrong premise because it’s not really like what are the topics maybe you shouldn’t talk about or the things you maybe shouldn’t joke about. I look at who is the target of the joke and what is the point behind the joke? What’s the point that the comedian is trying to make? For instance, both Trevor Noah and Jon Stewart when I have been on the show have made a lot of jokes about police shootings of unarmed Black men, which is a terrible subject. You could see how those could be terrible and offensive jokes that nobody wants to hear, but I think it’s a matter of well, is your target the victim, like are you making fun of the victim? Or is your target the system which creates this thing that can happen? Because then if your target is correct, if your target is one that really needs to be hit and the joke is funny, then I don’t think there is a line. I don’t think there’s too far that you can go to make that point. Now there will still be some people who will say, “But you’re talking about real people who are being killed,” which is true, so you better be really damn funny to sell that joke. That’s the thing, if you try a high-risk joke like that and you’re not funny, that’s on you. But as long as it’s clear to everyone listening that this is not a joke about this person dying, this is a joke about a system

which allows this person to be killed and for it to be overlooked and it to be treated as OK, then there’s no line that you can go over that’ll be too far. I think what makes for bad comedy is just trying to provoke people, and “What can I get away with?” Because then you’re just being a dick, you’re not being funny. EH: You can say anything as long as you take responsibility for the consequences, and that might mean that no one ever will put you on TV again or even if you say something that’s hateful, you could even get in legal trouble. But we’re a nation of free speech and what really bugs me is when somebody says something offensive, there’s a lot of outcry and then that person says, “Stop trying to muzzle my free speech.” No one is trying to muzzle your free speech, they’re just angry at what you said, and that’s fine. They have just as much a right to be angered by you as you do to say the thing that you said. It’s all just this sort of ebb and flow of idea, emotion and knee jerk. I sort of feel like all of that is healthy. DR: I go back and forth between rolling my eyes at the people who say, “How dare you [tell] this joke that made me angry” and then the people who say “How dare you get angry at the joke that I told.” EH: They’re both wrong. DR: You told the joke, they got angry. That’s what happens when you tell jokes. Zoë DePreta (Office of Communications): I really like what you said about Donald Trump almost being like a standup comedian now. With that in mind, what do you think the future of comedy is and what direction is it headed? EH: I definitely am aware of styles of comedy that kind of come and go. This is kind of interesting, in the ’80s and ’90s it was a time of great excess for the country and I think that there was sort of this swagger to comedy at that time. Seinfeld, who’s one of my all-time favorites, and Andrew Dice Clay, and there was this very kind of macho thing going on. I think an offshoot of that was almost sort of a mean-spirited thing that emerged with Ali G, who I also think was pretty great, but at times to me was uncomfortable, Borat and all that. DR: It’s interesting because you were talking about the mean-spiritedness, and we’re kind of in a period when roasting has become popular again and now I don’t know that it’s going to be less appealing now that the people in power are basically roasting the country. Maybe there’s going to be less appetite for that, it’s not as edgy and more just like, “Oh right, we’re living through this.” EH: I think you’re right, and I think that we might start to see a lot more slapstick. There was a time before your time, movies like Airplane and Top Secret, like really broad silly comedies are not happening right now. That’s a little bit of a clinging to fantasy when you’re comfortable enough that you can just get super silly like that. Because of the negativity around politics and the news and the cultural civil war going on there may be a sort of revert to silliness. I don’t know, I sort of hope there is because I miss that stuff. DR: It’ll be interesting to see if and how the kind of internet comedy makes that leap off the internet. The dense layers of irony that is every meme on Instagram where it’s like you have to know 12 different things to understand why this is supposed to be funny, and the fact that it’s not funny is what makes it more funny. I don’t know how that transmits. Transcribed by Tyler Sloan, Editor-in-Chief

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The Oberlin Review, April 7, 2017

OSCA Prioritizes Accessibility in Iron Chef Rachel Mead Staff writer Daniel Markus Arts editor Led by head cooks College junior Sunshine Figlio and College first-year Nikhil Villani, Fairchild co-op emerged as the champion of OSCA’s annual Iron Chef competition on April 1. Inspired by the television game show series of the same name, OSCA Iron Chef is an annual cook-off competition among Oberlin’s dining cooperatives featuring a “secret ingredient” that must be included in their dishes. This year, the ingredient was basil, which provided a refreshing twist compared to the secret ingredients of previous competitions. “We were tired of co-op staples,” College sophomore and OSCA Education and Training coordinator Kira Zimmerman said. “Last year was squash, which folks are already used to eating on the regular [in OSCA], so we wanted something that could add more of a savory rather than just a starchy flavor. Basil came up as one of the most versatile options that could be a savory accent flavor, but could also serve as the base for a dish or [ flavor] a dessert.” That versatility was apparent in two of Fairchild’s main dishes — Figlio’s basil and orange marmalade sweet rolls and a tofu and vegetable curry infused with ginger, lemongrass and basil created by Villani. The ingredi-

ent choice seemed popular among many of the cooks that were competing. “You can really play around with it. I’m impressed that a lot of people deviated from pesto and traditional things,” said College sophomore Michelle Chu, who helped lead the team from Keep co-op. She and her fellow head cook, College senior Julian Cranberg, had a positive experience despite not placing in the top three co-ops in the competition, with Tank and Pyle co-ops coming in second and third respectively. Harkness and Old Barrows co-ops also came away with full stomachs but no accolades. A four-judge panel of OSCA’s officers — College senior Bridget Menkis, College junior Tara Wells, double-degree junior Rory O’Donoghue and College sophomore Emmanuel Navarro — scored the food on a 10-point scale for overall taste, presentation, degree of difficulty, creativity and the quality of the food that was provided for those with dietary restrictions. “It was all delicious, but it was really hard to judge the quality of the food out of 10 because there [were] so many different components on every plate,” Menkis said. The incorporation of a specific category for dietary restrictions was part of a broader focus on improving accessibility of the event after the experiences that many students had last year. “Last year, there were huge, snaking lines. It was a seating disaster, and there was a loud band playing,” Zimmerman said. “Seating,

spacing and dietary restrictions were the main areas we wanted to address.” Emphasis on dietary restrictions made basil, to which allergies are uncommon, an even more attractive choice for the secret ingredient, and the event featured several other changes that attendees from last year’s event may have noticed. The event was staffed by several volunteers wearing orange armbands, dubbed “accessibility point people,” that were available to address any accessibility concerns that arose from attendees during the event. Additionally, instead of separate lines for each co-op’s table, this year’s event featured a single line for all the food available. Organizers also implemented a “pre-line” for those with accessibility needs to get food earlier and avoid the crowd. Although the event was much more accessible than previous iterations, it was not without issues. With no speaker system, directions from OSCA staff and event organizers was often difficult to hear and understand, something which created a great deal of confusion when the preline was opened. It was also difficult for teams to gauge how much food to make — many who elected not to use the pre-line found that some dishes were empty by the time they reached the serving tables, while other dishes had large amounts of leftovers, which were later donated to a local food bank. “I think [the organizers] were really trying to make it way more accessible. They had it all

planned out and it wasn’t a mob like it usually is,” Cranberg said. “I remember going to Iron Chefs and missing all the best stuff and getting the ‘gruel’ options … but still our food was gone halfway through. I don’t know if it was better or worse, but it was well-intended.” Zimmerman conceded that OSCA still has a lot to learn about communication, consistency and accessibility. “We’re trying to reform a lot of the ways OSCA addresses its institutional memory and improve communication between individual co-ops and all-OSCA, because there’s such a detachment,” she said. “We’re also trying to unravel OSCA apathy. A major theme recently has been membership becoming discouraged and detached from the mission of OSCA as a cooperative social justice association with a major presence on campus.” Despite the event’s snags, the changes OSCA is trying to make in terms of increased accessibility and engagement were clear and well received, and there was an air of pride and generally high spirits among OSCA members that attended and participated, perhaps best exemplified by Figlio and Villani’s excitement about their victory. “This is historic for Fairkid. It’s the first time we’ve ever won,” Figlio said. “People think that just because we’re a vegan co-op, the food is bad, and we wanted to show that’s not true.” “And clearly, we have,” Villani concluded.

Students Get Hyped for Princess Nokia ’Sco Show Sam Spacassi Staff writer

“My name is Ms. Destiny / I go hard in everything / I bring out the best in me / And do what is best for me,” Destiny Frasqueri raps in “Excellent,” the eighth track from her 2016 mixtape titled 1992, her first release under the name Princess Nokia. Frasqueri is one of the most refreshing and eclectic artists in modern underground hip-hop and has a devoted fan base in Oberlin, one that has only grown since a scheduled performance at the Cat in the Cream last spring had to be cancelled due to a missed flight. That concert, originally organized by College sophomore Sky Davis, was expected to be packed and would have been a highlight of last year’s concert season, so Davis and Cat in the Cream staff tried to book Princess Nokia again last semester. “We wanted to bring her for Earth Day,” Davis said. “She sent us this really sweet message: ‘Let’s do

an Earth Day concert! That would be so cute!’” Unfortunately, due to a mixup with Frasqueri’s agent and the Cat’s programming schedule, she couldn’t perform on that date. Student Union Programming Committee advisor Sean Lehlbach and College junior Rayna Holmes orchestrated a move to the ’Sco, where the show is finally set to happen tomorrow night. “The Cat staff is pretty bummed that it’s not going to be there, but because [putting the show together] was a collaborative effort, they’re all going to be coming to the show,” Holmes said. Students are clearly excited for the show — tickets sold out within a few hours of going on sale. Holmes is excited that the concert sold out so quickly, but also expressed reservations about the possibility that some students who don’t feel well represented in campus music and art, spaces that are typically white-dominated, may not be able to attend.

“Part of me is like, ‘Sick, awesome,’ but part of me is hoping that everyone who wants to come is able to,” she said. “I hope there will be able to be a lot of POCs and femmes of color feeling like they have access to the show. That was a major thing [the bookers] were concerned about.” Davis suggested that those who don’t know much about Frasqueri try to become familiar with her music before the performance. “Watch her documentary on The Fader,” she said. Attendees that do so will find an artist with a deep, multifaceted catalog of releases that stretches beyond the hip-hop for which she’s currently known. Frasqueri started making dance and club music under the name Wavy Spice in 2012, releasing tracks like “YAYA” and “Versace Hottie.” In 2015, she released the funk and soul-inspired album Honeysuckle under the name Destiny. As Princess Nokia, Frasqueri’s style is one that references all as-

pects of her identity — everything from race to video games. “She raps about her hair. She raps about Mortal Kombat. She raps about being from Harlem, [ femme skate crew] Brujas, being part of the Latinx community and about having African descent,” Holmes said. “I find her music so unbelievably unique and beautiful. It’s fun, but not mindless. It’s music that validates all of those identities that come from what she’s talking about.” “There’s something about Princess Nokia — she has this ability to bring women of color and femmes together and make them feel good about themselves. Her identity goes into everything she does,” Davis added. In addition to her signature writing style, Frasqueri is also known for her no-nonsense attitude towards misogynistic behavior at her shows. In February, she allegedly punched a white audience member attending a performance at Cambridge University after he mouthed

obscenities to her while she was performing as part of a charity fashion show. “I think the whole Cambridge thing is awesome,” Holmes said. “It’s so powerful that she does something like that, because people who go to her shows know that situations like that could be potentially coming to you.” More than anything, however, the bookers are excited for the connection between Frasqueri and her audience. “I wanted to bring her because I know how many of my friends, or people who look like me, love her and know those lyrics — they feel that energy and good vibes. They love their melanin when they listen to her,” Davis said. “I can’t wait to see what kind of energy she brings into the space and how that’s going to uplift everyone I know and care about.” Princess Nokia will perform a sold-out show at the ’Sco tomorrow at 10 p.m.

The Oberlin Review, April 7, 2017

Arts

Page 13

Lorenzo’s Jazz Night Connects Conservatory, City

Kiley Petersen Managing editor

When Conservatory senior Jared Hochberg arrived in Oberlin from Chicago and realized there were few outlets in town for jazz jam sessions, he decided to create one. Jazz Night, now a monthly event at Lorenzo’s Pizzeria, was born. Hochberg plays a 90-minute set with double-degree sophomore Ari Smith and Conservatory sophomore Matthew Frerck to start each show, followed by an improv jam session open to musicians of all skill levels. Four years after establishing the series, Hochberg will perform at his last Jazz Night on May 6. Hochberg, a Jazz Performance major with a concentration in saxophone, said that the jam sessions he attended prior to coming to Oberlin were integral to his development as a musician. “I felt that a big part of how you learn to play music is by playing with people much older and better than you [and] being exposed to a wide variety of people and performance experiences,” Hochberg said. What originally began as a performance opportunity for Hochberg has morphed into a more inclusive, communal night, where Conservatory and College musicians can play with community members of all ages, including jazz students from Oberlin High School. “The music is not the important aspect,” Hochberg said. “[It’s] just the tool so 40 people can come to the room and feel connected

to each other. … [Originally] we played jazz songs, and you needed knowledge of jazz to play, modeling the Chicago jam sessions. Now, the people who attend might not even play music. It’s really more [a] community night — even if you only know how to play one note on your instrument, it’s really not about musical excellence.” Since returning home from his restaurants in New York City to take over the family business from his father last March, Lorenzo’s owner Michael Cariglio has grown fond of Jazz Night. He sees it as part of a larger effort to increase student patronage at the restaurant. “We’re just starting social media outreach to share posts and events like Jazz Night and [have added] new items, … appetizers [and] craft beers,” Cariglio said. “We’re next to a very cool college. [Jazz Night is] a way I can get some of the college students here to eat, [and] of course I would totally be down for a younger crowd to come down here and play to help out the community [and] help out the college.” In addition to being a boon for Lorenzo’s, Jazz Night intentionally pushes back against a jazz scene that can feel highly exclusive to some at times. Camille VogleyHowes, a double-degree sophomore and violinist in the jazz program, appreciates how the event functions as a bridge between College, Conservatory and community. “I think [Lorenzo’s] is a nice environment, because it’s one of the very few environments to encourage non-Jazz majors to perform jazz

Conservatory senior Jared Hochberg, double-degree sophomore Ari Smith and Conservatory senior Orion Krause perform at Jazz Night last Saturday. Photo by Clover Linh Tran, Staff photographer

publicly,” they said. “The general atmosphere of the department can be … not very welcoming, which is antithetical to what jazz should be about. I don’t think people do this intentionally, but it just is how it is. Ever since I first met [Hochberg], something that was really different with him in comparison to other jazz majors was he really readily accepted me as a musical peer.” In creating Jazz Night, Hochberg sought to create a more inclusive jam session environment compared to harsh ones that he had experi-

enced in the past. His openness and acceptance over four years of hosting Jazz Night appear to have paid off. “A lot of the people in the jazz department don’t take [it] seriously,” Vogley-Howes added. “But this year, we’ve seen a lot more firstyears coming and participating, … and they’re more eager to connect with other musicians outside the department. They’re not thinking [in terms of] ‘us vs. them’ or ‘real music’ or ‘real jazz’ or ‘bad music.’” Despite the fact that Cariglio

wants Jazz Night to continue, with Hochberg graduating at the end of the semester, its future is uncertain. “The hope is that someone will continue it and the responsibilities of promoting it,” Hochberg said. “The important thing is that the community continues. I just hope that somebody in the Jazz program will keep it going, but it’s really not about the gig or the money — it’s about the community.” The final Lorenzo’s Jazz Night of the semester will be on Saturday, May 6 from 8:30–11:30 p.m.

Dancers Impress at Spring Back Showcase

Student dancers took the stage for the Spring Back dance showcase yesterday evening, filling Warner Main Space with the eclectic energy that many have come to look forward to from the Dance department’s annual event. Dance Professor Alysia Ramos directed this year’s performance, which featured fan-favorite aerial movements along with other impressive stunts. The spring semester sister showcase to Fall Forward, Spring Back largely highlights choreography by students in the Dance department. This semester’s show features performances and choreography by Ramos, College first-year Georgie Johnson, College juniors Michal Schorsch, Gabrielle “Teddy” Ment, Niya Smith-Wilson, Gloria Lewis, Marquis Junior, Tian Yoon Teh, College seniors Karsten Jurkiewicz, Kat Geber, Maddie Klein, Visiting Professor of Dance Holly Handman-Lopez and guest artist Sydnie Mosley, an artistactivist whose work often centers the experience of Black women. Performances are scheduled for today and Saturday in Warner Main Space at 8 p.m. Tickets are available for $5 at the Central Ticket Office. Text by Victoria Garber, Arts editor Photo by Bryan Rubin, Photo editor

Sports

Page 14

The Oberlin Review, April 7, 2017

In the Locker Room This week, the Review sat down with sophomore center fielder Emma Downing and senior pitcher Tori Poplaski to discuss the recent success of the softball team. The team broke the record for wins on spring break, earning six victories over the course of the week. After dropping their first two conference games to Kenyon College last Saturday, the Yeowomen split with Allegheny College on Wednesday, winning the first contest 6–1 and dropping the second 8–2. Downing currently boasts the best batting average on the team at .443, and was named North Coast Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week following a spring break in which she hit .500. She also tallied 16 hits, two doubles, two homeruns and a slugging percentage of .750. Poplaski leads the team in RBIs with 19, is hitting .373 and is tied for the team lead in home runs with four. The Yeowomen will travel to Granville, Ohio, to take on the Denison University Big Red in a double header tomorrow. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Tell me about Spring Break. Tori Poplaski: I think we just went into [spring break] with a completely different vibe compared to the past. It was obviously really cool that we set the record for wins on spring break. I don’t think we were going into it trying to do that. I think we’re just a different team this year, and that lent a totally different atmosphere to the spring break trip. Emma Downing: I think it

Softball has just helped tremendously. ED: I think also we’re learning from each other a lot more this year. I think we’re getting really good feedback from both our coaches and each other, throughout everything that we’re doing.

Emma Downing (left) and Tori Poplaski also goes back to how our season ended last year. No one was happy with our record or how we played, and I think that feeling plus the incoming freshmen being really talented — those two things combined to give us a really good team this year. I think spring break was good because it’s the one time of year that we can focus just on playing softball. We were able to really grow as a team throughout the week. How’s the start of your conference schedule going? TP: We just played Kenyon, and those have been our only conference games. Those

were really two tough losses to swallow, but we still have a lot of conference play left, so I think we’re excited to get back into it. We bounced back really well on Sunday after playing our first conference games and pulled out a win and lost 1–0 [against Defiance College.] I mean, that’s fantastic. It doesn’t sound good, but that [loss] was still a great game. ED: I think we’re playing better now than we were at this time last year. Kenyon is also a really good team. We started off playing really tough competition. I think some of the games we have later in the season will seem a little bit

easier in comparison. But it also serves as motivation. We lost to our rivals, both games, so it’s about bouncing back after that. What do you think makes this year’s team unique? TP: We added a lot of really great freshmen. They have totally bought into the ideas of winning and not accepting failure. I think everyone on the team has just grown so much from last year. Last year was a transition year. It was hard. We had a new coach, [and] we were adding new people. This year, everybody is the same except for the freshmen. I think that

Your motto is “Expect More.” Tell me about that. TP: It goes from expecting more of ourselves, to expecting more of each other, expecting more out of every single outcome of practice, of every single game — just never settling. We never want to be happy. It’s a motto now, but I think it’s going to be a motto going forward, to constantly expect more and keep pushing forward in the long run. ED: I think it’s also holding each other accountable, calling each other out when we know something’s not going well and when we can improve on something. I think that’s something that has changed between last year and this year. I think it’s also not settling. … We don’t want to be OK with doing better this year than last year. We want to win every single game. We want to take two from Kenyon. We don’t want to be OK with [playing] two wellplayed games. It’s about being mad about that and using that as motivation going forward.

Interview by Jackie McDermott, Sports editor Photo courtesy of Emma Downing

Men’s Lacrosse Looks to Bounce Editorial: Online Player Platform Gives Athletes Autonomy, Voice Back as Season Nears Finish Continued from page 16 rentis chalks the loss up to a young team’s rocky start, as more than half of the team’s 30 players are underclassmen. “I think we just need to start working better as a group,” Parentis said. “We’re pretty young, and it takes a lot of time to build chemistry, especially with a lot of young guys, but we’re getting better every game.” The narrower loss against Wooster is an improvement for the Yeomen, who had much more disparate results in previous games against conference rivals. In the past few weeks, Oberlin lost 20–8 to Wittenberg University and 21–6 to Ohio Wesleyan. Despite the most recent loss, some players shone. Rosnow came out on top for the Yeomen with a team-high three goals, 15 ground balls and an impressive 18 out of 25 face-off wins, bringing his season win percentage for face-offs to 71 percent. First-year goalkeeper Calvin Filson also showed up for the Yeomen, totaling a career-high 15 saves and bringing his save percentage for the game to 54 percent. Sophomore midfielder Jay Messina and junior attacker John Sutherland also snagged a couple of stats, adding two goals each to the scoreboard. Before this game, the Yeomen had just ended their losing streak in conference play by crushing a non-conference matchup against the Washington and Jefferson College Presidents 14–11. As the last regular-season

Continued from page 16

game of the year, the Yeomen hoped to use the win to gain momentum for upcoming matches. Sophomore midfielder Elie Small said he hopes the team can improve some of their playing strategies in conference play to bring home a winning record. “Our biggest problems have been playing a consistent 60 minutes, having continuous communication on defense and possessing the ball on offense,” Small said. “I honestly believe we can beat any team in the conference if we play to our potential. We have great leadership, great coaching and a talented group of players. We’re ready to start executing, win games and finish the season above 500.” Rosnow echoed Small’s sentiment, adding that consistency will be key for the Yeomen as the season winds down. “I want to win every game,” Rosnow said. “I just want to see consistent play from here on out. If we can show that we can consistently play for 60 minutes, I will have done my job as a leader.” The Yeomen hit the field again tomorrow at 1 p.m. to play Denison University, currently 8–1 overall and 3–0 in conference, in Granville, Ohio. Last year, the Yeomen were able to keep Denison within three points the entire game and came close to upsetting the high-ranked team. “We’re playing one of the best teams in the nation this weekend,” Parentis said. “It’ll be a good test to see how much we’ve improved throughout the season.”

letes have also used The Players’ Tribune to explain their personal experiences in sports. New York Liberty players such as Swin Cash, Essence Carson and Tanisha Wright described their experiences with race and gender in the WNBA on the site. Not only have professional athletes made contributions in this publication, college athletes participate too. With the Final Four wrapping up, college basketball players turned to The Players’ Tribune to share their experiences playing in the pressure-filled NCAA Tournament games. Moe Wagner, a forward for the University of Michigan’s men’s basketball team, wrote about his squad’s adversity-filled journey to the Sweet 16. On March 8, when the team’s plane skidded on the runway trying to take off en route to the Big 10 Tournament in Washington, D.C. Wagner said he knew his life was in jeopardy. “I’m pretty much running for my life. We evacuate onto the wing, while the plane is still moving,” Wagner wrote in his article. The players and all other passengers were safely evacuated, and the Wolverines became even closer as a team, winning two games in the NCAA Tournament to make the Sweet 16. Because The Players’ Tribune published this

story, college basketball fans across the globe have a better understanding of what helped unite Michigan and lead them to success. In women’s college basketball, Mississippi State University made history last Friday, defeating the University of Connecticut 66–64 in the national semifinal. The victory ended UConn’s 111-game win streak, the longest in college-basketball history. The game, which ended in dramatic fashion as Morgan William made a buzzer-beating basket in overtime for the win, will always be remembered. In her article titled, “The Reason I Play,” William talked about how the loss of her father impacted her performance on the floor. “My dad had taught me so many things, about basketball and about life, but he’d never prepared me for dealing with death,” William wrote in the article. William, who refers to herself as a “pretty quiet person,” was given the opportunity to share her life story through The Players’ Tribune. Since its release, over 1,200 athletes have contributed content to the publication. These stories will spread throughout the world. Though the distance from the bleachers to the field will always separate athletes and sports fans, this publication serves to bridge that gap.

The Oberlin Review, April 7, 2017

Sports

SAAC Promotes D-III Week at Trivia Night

Page 15

Home Games Friday, April 7 5:30 p.m. Women’s tennis vs. The College of Wooster at Heisman Field House

Saturday, April 8 9 a.m. Men’s tennis vs. The College of Wooster at Heisman Field House 1 p.m. Men’s tennis vs. Wheaton College (III.) at Heisman Field House 1 p.m. Women’s lacrosse vs. Denison University at Knowlton Athletics Complex 11 a.m. Track and field Bob Kahn Invitational at Kahn Track Oberlin Athletics took over Slow Train Cafe’s Trivia Night last Tuesday, as Delta Lodge Director of Athletics and Physical Education Natalie Winkelfoos hosted the campus-favorite quiz competition as part of D-III Week. Organized by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, D-III Week is an annual celebration of athletics on campus and the opportunities it affords student-athletes on and off the field. Junior SAAC Officer and softball player Dana Goldstein said the committee sought to make this year’s programming open and inviting to students who do not play sports. “We wanted to do things in public, in spaces that are not traditionally athletic, so that we can share what we’re up to on the field as well as get other people involved,” she said. “Trivia night was a cool way to take athletics off of north campus.” Today’s event is “Coaches Go to Classes.” Athletes are invited to bring their coaches to their favorite class, “to reiterate that we’re students before we’re athletes,” Goldstein said. Tomorrow, SAAC is promoting key contests, or “Hype Games,” for track and field and women’s lacrosse. Spectators can enjoy coffee and bagels courtesy of SAAC at 10 a.m. as both track and field teams compete in the Bob Kahn Invitational. Nearby in the Knowlton Athletics Complex, SAAC will host a cookout at noon prior to the women’s lacrosse team face-off with North Coast Athletic Conference foe Denison University Big Red at 1 p.m. Text by Jackie McDermott, Sports editor Photo by Bryan Rubin, Photo editor

Tuesday, April 11 3:30 p.m. Softball vs. The College of Wooster, game one at Dill Field 5:30 p.m. Softball vs. The College of Wooster, game two at Dill Field 7 p.m. Women’s lacrosse vs. Allegheny College at Knowlton Athletics Complex

Wednesday, April 12 7 p.m. Men’s lacrosse vs. Kenyon College at Knowlton Athletics Complex

Cool or Drool: NBA’s Newest Basketball Dad on the Block Dan Bisno Columnist For many basketball fans, March Madness and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is an annual rite of passage. While rumor has it that Pisces and Aries fans tend to have more successful brackets, March is generally a bloodbath in a sudden-death style tournament. Media coverage typically

focuses on the basketball, but former NFL player LaVar Ball has caused a departure from usual coverage and seized the opportunity to launch a massive campaign to make millions, if not billions, of dollars off of his sons’ success in youth basketball. LaVar and his wife Tina are the parents of three rising stars in high school and college hoops. Their oldest son, Lonzo, just declared for the NBA

draft after finishing up his first year at University of California, Los Angeles. Many expect him to be the No. 1 draft pick for his unique combination of size, scoring and passing ability. Lonzo’s younger brothers, LiAngelo and LaMelo, both play for the Chino Hills high school team and have committed to UCLA at remarkably young ages. LaMelo has already added a 92-point game to his repertoire this season. There is no question that these are three great talents, but no fan or critic is looking to tactlessly embellish the future of these three young boys — that is, except for LaVar. When LaVar first came on the media scene, he had a series of humorous, egotistical comments that led to some harmless banter on popular sports commentary shows. Then in early March, he began to leverage media attention to demand that one of the major shoe-marketing brands give him and his sons $1 billion for a lifelong marketing deal — approximately the same amount that Lebron James signed with Nike for a lifelong deal. He made it explicitly clear that this was for him and his sons. Still, Nike co-founder Phil Knight expressed interest this past week in a less costly arrangement. With no time to waste, LaVar stepped into the limelight, accepting interview after interview and shocking the sports world with his confidence and disrespect. Among the many outlandish remarks that he has made in March, some of the highlights include that he could have beaten Michael Jordan in a game of one-on-one, and that his children are in far better shape than Lebron James’ for the future. Lebron responded, “Keep my kids’ names out of your mouth. … This is dad to dad — it’s a problem now.” LaVar jumps at every opportunity

to get under people’s skin. While the media could shun him and return to talking about basketball, there is something infectious about LaVar’s comments. They challenge the prowess of others, resulting in hypermasculine feuds on First Take and other shows. LaVar has repeatedly stated that Lonzo is better than the twotime reigning MVP point guard Steph Curry. He has also said that Lonzo is better than all-time greats Magic Johnson and Jason Kidd. As brash as his comments sound, he is not joking. He appears to believe every bit of nonsense that comes out of his mouth. Over-the-top sports parents are nothing new. Richard Williams, father of tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams, also had an unusual role in his children’s successful careers. Like LaVar, Williams believed that he deserved financial rewards for his role in their success. Similarly, LaVar has been selling expensive basketball apparel under the name “Big Baller Brand” since his sons became recognized in the basketball community. This past week he has begun shopping a reality television show. LaVar has proudly stated, “The main setup is basically for my boys to be wealthy. I want their kids’ kids to be trust-fund babies.” LaVar’s mission, as he describes it, is more than commendable. The basketball branch of the NCAA, a largely white organization, reaps major rewards from their players, mostly Black, without compensation. In a sense, Big Baller Brand is LaVar’s loophole through the greed of the NCAA. But Lonzo and his brothers are not allowed to profit from LaVar’s sales. Instead, LaVar gets more media time than his sons and more financial compensation for their hard work on the court.

The Los Angeles Times recently featured a column examining the impact that obsessive sports parents have on their children. Sports dad Mark Cullen pushed his son to participate in an excessive amount of athletics. As a result, his son developed a painful neurological disorder called Central Pain Syndrome. Cullen tried to live vicariously through his son, which ultimately ripped apart his family and caused his son a lot of pain. LaVar is not too different. He averaged 2.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist at Washington State, yet he boasts of his unparalleled athleticism. Stephan Gilling, coach of the Chino Hills basketball team where LiAngelo and LaMelo currently play, has complained of LaVar’s incessant demands and contradictions to his coaching. LaVar reportedly refuses to leave the locker room when asked and tells players to make plays that complement his children’s success. As much as LaVar may be a loving dad with the best intentions for his boys’ future — and maybe his own — his media campaign has gone too far. Instead of focusing on his children, he twists narratives to insult famous athletes. With LaVar’s comments regularly discussed on sports commentary shows, the actual sports are being ignored and these shows are beginning to look like TMZ. Many critics fear that LaVar could even be detrimentally affecting Lonzo’s draft stock, as no NBA franchise wants such a controlling parent invested in their team’s management. However, LaVar’s three sons ensure that we may be hearing about him for decades to come. Despite his hopes, LaVar’s March 2017 campaign was a drool for the unnecessary insults and mockeries that made him famous.

Sports The Oberlin Review

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April 7, 2017

— baseball —

Oberlin Goes 1–3 in Wooster Series

Michaela Puterbaugh

Baseball had its hands full with a four-game series against the College of Wooster Fighting Scots last weekend, dropping three of four games to the nationally sixth-ranked team. Coming off of a 9–1 non-conference loss against Otterbein University earlier in the week, the Yeomen hoped to hit the ground running against Wooster but could not muster the hits. The Yeomen started the weekend off with a bang, scoring four runs in the first inning off of Wooster’s ace Michael Houdek. Showing their resiliency, however, the Fighting Scots plated two in the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead in half. By the end of the seventh inning, Wooster had tallied a game-changing 10 runs to end the game early with the mercy rule. “The biggest challenge about playing a nationally ranked team is slowing the game down and not allowing mistakes to compound,” said senior co-captain Mike Masella. “We had a real chance to win three games this weekend, but we got away from our brand of baseball.” The Yeomen led in games one, two and four but were only able to take away a win in the 10th inning of game two. Sophomore pitcher David Gaetano brought energy back to the Yeomen as he started game two off strong, allowing zero runs until the seventh inning. First-year Amari Newman put Oberlin on the board with his RBI single to bring senior Brian Carney home. Junior Quin Butler also contributed one run to the Yeomen’s lead as he registered his second home run of the year. With the score tied 3–3, the battle continued into the 10th inning. Sophomore pitcher Noah Gear finished up the last three and a half innings without allowing a single Scots run and ultimately earned the win. The Yeomen scored a total of four runs in the tenth inning off of a two RBI doubles from Ian Dinsmore and RBI singles from Derek Martin and Carney. “Wooster is a tough team and taking a game from them over the weekend will definitely help us

Darren Zaslau Sports editor

First-year outfielder Amari Newman rounds the base during a game against the Luther College Norse on March 19 on the team’s spring break trip in Tucson, AZ. The team will head to Granville, Ohio, tomorrow to play the Denison University Big Red. Photo courtesy of Peter Morgan

at the end of the conference season when we are making our playoff push,” Masella added. “That being said, I don’t think any of us are content with winning one game against them. We all want a chance to play them again in the conference tournament.” Day two of the series fared well for the Scots as they mercied the Yeomen 10–0 in the first game before a rebound 9–6 victory in the second game. Junior pitcher Sean Kiley went five innings with two strikeouts and two walks, allowing nine hits and six earned runs in the first game. Kiley now sits at 3–2 on the season. “Going into the games I thought we had progressed a lot from last year,” Kiley said. “We kept almost all of our starters from last year, and that extra year of experience has made us that much better. We knew going in that Wooster was No. 6, but that made me that much more excited to see what we could do against them.” The Scots’ offense continued its success in the fourth game when power hitter Jamie Lackner

launched a two-run home run. From there, they would go on to score six more runs off of sophomore pitcher Zachary Steer. Steer pitched seven innings for six strikeouts and two walks and allowed 10 hits and eight runs. The final game of the series ended 9–6, but Kiley said the Yeomen are looking to use this opportunity to grow as a unit. “I’m looking forward to keeping our plan of attack going into the next few conference weekends,” Kiley said. “Our pitchers are doing a better job throwing strikes and keeping hitters off balance, and our offense has taken a much better and more aggressive approach to hitting this year. It’s good to see us taking quality at-bats even against good pitching. [I’m] hoping we can keep this up and put ourselves in a position to make the playoffs.” The Yeomen took on John Carroll University Wednesday, falling 6–1, and Thursday’s matchup against Capital was canceled. Oberlin hits the road tomorrow to face conference rival Denison University in a doubleheader starting at noon.

— Men’s lacrosse —

Yeomen Gear Up for Final NCAC Games

Senior captain Kinori Rosnow maneuvers past a University of Mount Union defender at a home-field game March 11. The Yeomen are hoping to bounce back from last weekend’s loss in their away game at Denison University tomorrow at 1 p.m. Photo courtesy of Peter Morgan

Sydney Allen Production editor The Yeomen are fighting tooth and nail for a winning season as they edge closer to their final games with an overall 4–6 season and 0–3 conference record. Most

Tribune Bridges Divide

recently, the College of Wooster Fighting Scots set the team back with a 13–8 loss last Saturday. “The Wooster game was an example of us not putting together a 60-minute game,” Head Coach Topher Grossman said. “Mental lapses in the second quarter put us in a

hole that was too big to climb out of. We need to run the table if we are going to gain a berth into the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament.” The Scots, currently ranked second in the NCAC to the Yeomen’s seventh, held a solid lead

throughout the game. Leading 3–2 in the first quarter, Wooster sealed the deal with a five-goal barrage in the second quarter, shutting the Yeomen out entirely. Down at the half 8–2, the Yeomen still came out strong in the second half, keeping the score an even 3–3 in the third quarter and ending the game with a winning 3–2 ratio in the fourth. But it was too little, too late for Oberlin as the Fighting Scots clung to an early lead to secure the win. Senior captain Kinori Rosnow, midfielder and face-off specialist, said the loss is part of a larger pace-of-play problem that the team has been facing all season. “[The Scots] are a very run n gun, fast-hitting team — they just always attack, and we seem to handle that sort of pressure well,” said Rosnow. “What happened was our offense didn’t move [the ball] quite quick enough, and so we didn’t attack the goal as effectively as we could. A lot of the chances that we had were also kind of lost to misplaced shots and things like that.” Sophomore attacker Jake PaSee Men’s, page 14

Athletes are generally viewed under a microscope for their actions on and off the field. As a result of the public criticizing their every move, a large divide exists between the fan and player. Recently, The Players’ Tribune has bridged that gap. Founded by former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter in 2014, this new media platform provides sports talk and personal stories written by the athletes themselves. With the creation of the The Players’ Tribune, athletes’ voices have the potential to be heard across the globe. “It’s a trusted place, a place where they can speak freely and not have to worry about how their words are twisted and turned,” Jeter said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. This publication is great for sports, because it allows athletes to communicate more easily with the sports community and their fans. As players directly share their own personal experiences, people will gain a better understanding of their favorite sports heroes. Athletes who have caused controversy with their opinions may be more accepted as people learn more about their background. The Players’ Tribune has increased in popularity over the past year given the numerous athletes who have used the publication to share important information. David Ortiz, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant all used it to announce their retirements. Andrew McCutchen wrote an article about his experiences in baseball after dealing with poverty. Women athSee Editorial, page 14