November 1, 2013

The Oberlin Review

NOVEMBER 1, 2013 VOLUME 141, NUMBER 23

Outside the Bubble News highlights from the past week New York City Adopts New Tobacco Law: On Wednesday, lawmakers in New York City adopted a new, more rigorous limit on tobacco.

Following a bill written by the City Council, the legal age for buying tobacco, including cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and cigarillos, will increase from 18 to 21. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said that he will sign the bill, and the new law will accordingly take effect six months after he does so.

Most states have maintained the more standard 18-year minimum, but certain counties, like Nassau and Suffolk on Long Island, have imposed an age limit of 19 years.

Senator Accused of Plagiarism: The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, has been accused of plagiarism. Mr. Paul allegedly pilfered words from a Wikipedia page about the science fiction film Gattaca. The senator delivered a speech on Wednesday and referenced the movie in tandem with the eugenics movement, quoting two lines of plot summary almost verbatim from the online article. “In the nottoo-distant future,” Mr. Paul (and the anonymous Wikipedia affiliate) proclaimed, “liberal eugenics is common, and DNA plays the primary role in determining social class.”

Sources: CNN and The New York Times

Campus Divided over Tobacco Ban Louie Krauss

Despite its reputation as an exceptionally tolerant campus, Oberlin is in the midst of beginning a College-wide policy that will ban something that many students have accepted as the norm — smoking tobacco.

According to Associate Dean and Director of Wellness and Health Promotion Lori Morgan Flood, this plan originated three years ago when the Oberlin Tobacco Subcommittee — a group of six, including Flood, members of Safety and Security,

Student Wellness and Lorain County — was formed and noticed more schools adopting a smoke-free policy.

“We saw a national trend for colleges to better address tobacco as a health concern.

The number of schools to go tobacco-free has risen to over 1,182 and has doubled from July 2011 to 2013,” Flood said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, approximately 40.1 percent of all non-smoking Americans have been found to have nicotine in them, and an estimated 440,000 Americans die each year due

Ballot Measure Prohibits Oil Waste

to smoking, including close to 50,000 deaths solely due to secondhand smoke.

According to Flood, “The CDC is very clear — more deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides and murders combined. That’s a hard concept to wrap your mind around, but it’s true. Perhaps it is difficult to think about as a student because the future seems so far off when you’re smoking at 18 ... but it is a reality.”

Although the administration seems to have

made up its mind, a recent referendum showed a split in student opinion, with 41 percent of students voting for the ban, and 41 percent against. Flood also mentioned that the town of Oberlin is trying to limit smoking, and City Manager Eric Norenberg has been supporting Oberlin as the Lorain County health administrator.

At a Student Senate forum the week before fall break, Senate Liaison and College sophomore Machmud Makhmudov said that the main reason the Senate wants this to happen

is a combination of health concerns, and the fact that many separate groups of friends are formed around those who smoke and those who don’t.

“One thing that happens at every college is that people come in feeling insecure and they want to make friends, so they naturally congregate towards groups of people who are already together. And for one reason or another we have a lot of smokers here, both those who begin smoking here and those who have been See Tobacco, page 4

Feature Photo: Obies at Powershift

Elizabeth Kuhr Staff Writer

In opposition to the state of Ohio’s decision to permit hydraulic fracturing, residents and College students hope to reclaim the legal ability to prevent pipeline installations throughout the Oberlin municipality.

With several resolutions of support from the Oberlin City Council, the Committee for Safe and Sustainable Energy (a group of community members) drafted and proposed the Community Bill of Rights and Obligations, also known as Issue 16 on the Nov. 5 ballot.

The bill, which CSSE spent several years collaborating with a local law group to write, prohibits corporate oil and gas drilling, as well as the transportation or disposal of waste within city limits. Many who helped author the bill — which is committed to preventing the environmental hazards caused by fracking — discuss its goal within a larger political framework: the right to local self-governance.

“The bill recognizes the overreach of corporations and their influence on the governmental process,” said Committee Member John Elder.

“They deprive communities of their right and responsibility to the health of their community.”

This issue of self-governance is a “hot topic,” according to Elder. Just a over a month ago, the Oberlin City Council reluctantly agreed to allow guns in public parks after several pro-gun-carrying Ohioans fought it

Oberlin students pictured joined several other protesters to advocate against PNC Bank’s funding of mountaintop removal mining at a gathering that splintered from Power Shift. The conference, which took place Oct. 18th in Pittsburgh, PA, is a forum for environmental youth activists to hold and attend different workshops and panels centered around campus-wide activism and organization as well as general environmental education.

Courtesy of Jacob Firman

and the state law won out.

“Since the gun issue, all the City Council members have spoken in defense of home rule and have asked the state to return to us local control,” said Elder.

Oberlin College Anti-Frack, a group founded by College students,

has also supported the CSSE’s efforts to write Issue 16 into law. Although they educate and organize students and residents in preparation to canvass, going door-to-door informing residents about the bill, Anti-Frack does not actively support Oberlin College students to register

Men’s Soccer

Alumnus Talks Politics Ben Wittes, OC ‘90, discusses his road to becoming a political journalist.

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ONLINE & IN PRINT

Stereocure Takes Brooklyn The student-run label put on an artist showcase in New York over Fall Break.

See page 3

See page 16

See page 10

INDEX:

Opinions 5

Men’s soccer clinched a playoff spot on Thursday.

It is the men’s first NCAC tournament bid since 2006.

This Week in Oberlin 9

Arts 11

Sports 16

here and vote on it.

“It’s an assertion of local rights and should not be passed by students,” said College sophomore and group member Daniel Goering.

The Bill of Rights and Obligations

from the

See Issue 16, page 4

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News

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The Oberlin Review, November 1, 2013

Students Request Transparency at Trustee Forum Rachel Weinstein Staff Writer Oberlin students painted Craig Lecture Hall red at the Board of Trustees forum, held on Thursday, Oct. 10.

The vast majority of attendees sported red apparel and stood in solidarity to push a list of student demands that have been in progress since last spring.

At the forum, which was hosted by the Student Senate, students issued their grievances to the Board.

“The events of March 4 and the occurrences of last semester definitely sparked further discussion,” said Student Senator and College junior Peter Arden.

This past May, the campus community was forwarded a document of student proposals for institutional change surrounding diversity, inclusion and social justice.

“A coalition of various groups on campus such as students of color, LGBTQ students and other radical groups on campus formed in response to the events last spring,” explained doubledegree junior Arianna Gil. According to the proposals, over 300 students in

the College and Conservatory communities took part in the initiative.

“The coalition of students that presented the demands are currently organizing as students, not as representatives of student organizations,” explained College junior and member of La Alianza Latin@ Ana Robelo.

“Though we each bring the perspective of our various communities, we are not speaking for any student group in particular, but rather what lines up with our ideals and hopes for this school.”

Although not every student group involved in the larger coalition has submitted specific proposals to the trustees, nearly a dozen communities on campus have members that support the demands presented at the forum.

“The entirety of the demands expressed by the coalition are supported by many members of Anti-Frack, but the organization as a whole has not officially endorsed them,” said College senior Alice Beecher, a member of Oberlin College Anti-Frack.

The proposals published last spring urged the use of working

groups in the Conservatory, departments in the natural sciences and within the athletics community to promote and embrace inclusion and diversity. This emphasis includes the incorporation of diversity within specific curricula, the implementation of student representatives for their respective department or domain and the diversification of faculty.

But the list published in May was only the beginning.

Student organizations like Students for a Free Palestine and Oberlin Anti-Frack have more recently joined the student coalition in listing their expectations to the Board.

“We are looking for greater opportunities to have a dialogue with the Board of Trustees to discuss solutions before the institution carries them out,” College junior and member of Oberlin Anti-Frack Jackson Kusiak shared.

Since May, the list of proposals has expanded significantly. Specific student demands at the forum included the transparency of the institution’s financial allocations, divestment from corporations that benefit from Israel’s

involvement in Palestine, reform of Oberlin’s policy on undocumented students, the creation of the AsianAmerican Studies Program and the ban on fracking on Oberlin College land.

“The list of student demands that included several issues was only one of many matters included in the forum’s agenda,” explained Student Senator Ziya Smallens. “Unfortunately even with the extension of time, we were not able to address every issue written on the agenda.”

Other points students included in the forum’s lengthy agenda were the allocation of funds in the Conservatory, Oberlin’s relationship with its history and the construction of an athletic facility in the southern region of campus.

While a staggering number of students stand in strong support of the demands presented at the forum, many do not agree with the response of the Board. Some present at the forum remain baffled by the “hostile” and “indirect” response to student demands.

When asked about the response

of the Board, a trustee wrote, “The Board and the administration are deliberating on the recent student requests. [We] would prefer to defer a conversation with the Review about these issues until after our deliberations have advanced further.”

Many communities on campus are simply striving for more transparency from the Board and its decision-making. Communities within the coalition wish to see greater student involvement and input in these decisions.

“Ideally, select students would have the ability to vote on decisions prior to the Board making them,” suggested Gil. All involved in the coalition plan to continue to fight for the Board’s willingness to increase transparency and have their demands met.

“The root of many of the concerns and demands is a plea for transparency. Students and organizations need more dialogue with those who make the big decisions,” says Arden.

“And that is something that I strongly believe can be very easily achieved.”

Polled Students Split Evenly on Smoking Ban Continued from page 1

and I think of people in my grade and your grade that have come up to me and said they want to quit smoking, but they can’t.”

Makhmudov believes that these social groups, along with the health concerns that come with smoking, make this a primary issue at Oberlin. He also noted that this change would lead to classes that “attract students who don’t want to be in a campus filled with smoke.”

In contrast, College sophomore Bill Derrah says that exclusive groups of friends would still exist.

“That happens with marijuana, with beer,

with playing an instrument or being in a certain major. People will find excuses to be in smoking. So those people hang out their first social groups and banning smoking won’t year, and people trying to make friends start change that.” hanging out with them and start smoking.”

Along with social groups, others question Makhmudov said. whether tobacco should be the correct drug to Makhmudov added that he also noticed be targeting. College junior Sofie Ghitman says these smoking groups during his freshman that while she won’t be affected by the change year, and believes getting rid of smoking would in policy, alcohol makes more sense to target. help eliminate these cliques and make stu“I am a cigarette smoker. I started in 10th dents more inclusive. grade, so it wasn’t an Oberlin produced habit.

“Last year a lot of my classmates said their I’m curious because other forms of substance experience at Oberlin was very different than abuse cause much bigger problems. Alcohol what they expected it to be. I think about why, abuse here seems much more serious and scary than the smoking that I see here. Alcohol has much more long term effects. I’m concerned about regulating behavior among people,” Ghitman said.

Another relevant concern is the likelihood of the potential policy to deter students from applying.

“It’s definitely something we’ll be discussing,” said President Krislov.

Some students strongly oppose the idea and say that turning away smokers would be depriving Oberlin of good people who happen to smoke. College sophomore Colin Seikel said at the Senate forum that discouraging smokers is a bad idea.

“Something that crossed my mind is that targeting smoking is like targeting rebellion.

There are going to be smokers in high school who say, I can’t go there because it’s a tobacco- free campus. Also, people are going to feel like there are no resources. It seems a little sticky to me, because by becoming a tobacco free campus you’re pushing away valuable Students adhere to the 30-ft rule outside of Mudd Library. Although the regulation is thought of people,” Seikel said.

“As far as the people who want to stop as a compromise, the administrations is pushing for an even stricter rule — a ban of all tobacco from campus.

Arcadia R om-Frank smoking, class really plays a big role. If we’re

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pushing away as many people as we’re pulling in, it’s unfair to the lower class students who don’t have an option to kick tobacco.” Seikel said.

Although many of the current voices are that of opposition, there is still a strong presence of support for the ban. According to College freshman Emma Snape, it’s important to keep in mind what students want.

“I’m in favor with [the] provision that it’s a gradual ban, and that it takes into account students’ actual opinions on it. If it’s not popular with the students then it’s not really fair,” Snape said.

According to several deans and Makhmudov, the ban on tobacco is inevitable, as it is a nationwide trend, and many students have asked for it. According to Flood, it’s also important to do it sooner rather than later and that in the long run the nationwide trend of this change will also influence Oberlin.

“It’s going to happen anyway. I think it’s important to make sure that Oberlin is not the last. Because of that we have to move quickly for it to happen,” Flood said.

But Liaison Makhmudov is confident that this is something the majority of people want, and alleges that the many smokers who have voiced their challenges with smoking say that the ban is a good idea.

“I think it’s going to happen because this, beyond anything else, is what people have been asking me for. Not just students — faculty, past students. Future students who don’t have a way of saying so, they demonstrate they the fact they don’t want smoke on campus by the choice that they don’t attend Oberlin.”

Student and Senate voting for this plan will happen around March of next year.

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Corrections The article “Meridian Experiments with Percussion” Corrections (October 11, 2013) incorrectly identifies percussionists Nick Hennies and The Review is not aware of Greg Stuart as students at the University of any corrections this week.

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The Oberlin Review, November 1, 2013

Page 3

Off the Cuff: Ben Wittes, author and political journalist Ben Wittes, OC ’90, has written for The Legal Times, The Washington Post editorial page, The New Republic, Slate, The Atlantic, The Wilson Quarterly, the Weekly Standard, Policy Review, and First Things.

He has published many books about policy and government and is a senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institute. He sat down with the Review to discuss his legal sensibility, serendipity and Yogi Bear.

You’ve written extensively about the law, but you’ve never been a practicing lawyer. Is there any particular reason that you chose the more journalistic route?

I never chose the more journalistic route; I just kind of did it. I never went to graduate school, I never went to law school, and I found myself writing about law — and that took on a logic of its own, professionally. And by the time it was absurd that I had never been to law school, it was way too late in my career to think about it, and so I just never did. I’m a total fraud, and I try never to be dishonest about that. I’m generally the only nonlawyer in the room, and it’s a quirk of my particular history. But since I don’t have clients, and I don’t practice, it’s a quirk of no particular significance.

And do you think that Oberlin shaped your legal sensibility, or did you develop it elsewhere?

Both. So, Oberlin had nothing to do with my legal sensibility, which developed because I started to write about law as a reporter and found certain ideas more compelling than other ideas. Oberlin had a lot to do with my more general political sensibility in the following sense: For a lot of people who come to Oberlin — and it’s probably true today as it was when I was here — who are not caught up in the left politics of the school, Oberlin forces a certain choice. It forces you to ask the question: How attracted are you to neoconservatism? And for me, the answer was not.

away. But I get up in the morning wanting to write things and wanting to produce stuff, and when I finish something, I never have trouble letting go of it, because I have the next thing I want to work on. I used to live in fear of the career-ending mistake. My friend Kate and I lived in the same building, and she was at the Post with me for a number of years, and we would come home and have a drink, and I would be in terror of the mistake that I imagined would be in a story or an editorial. And she had a name for this, which she also experienced, which is the “career-ending” mistake. And I have learned over time that the career-ending mistake doesn’t actually end your career.

You make mistakes. Bad things happen.

So I don’t have a problem letting things Ben Wittes, OC ‘90, accomplished political go. But I don’t take vacations either. journalist and senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institute

So then you’re left without a home.

You’re not part of the general cultural ambience of the institution, but you’re also not in the hardcore rebellion against it either.

So what I developed was a kind of a contrarian centrism that is resistant to political movements in general, that [later in my career] found a home in the editorial page of The Washington Post, which is not a political movement, but is the closest thing to a political party I’ve ever had. I think [I] find institutions like that attractive, which are philosophically uninterested in political movements, and more in questions like what’s the right answer to a discrete problem that you have in front of you … I showed up at Oberlin fashioning myself as a leftist and would never have described myself as one by the time I left. Some people come here and rebel against that.

A lot of people derive power or motivation from being told no — as in, someone who can’t take no for an answer.

How do you handle the affirmative, as opposed to the negative? I wonder how you’ve dealt with your success, and how you stay motivated. Can you take yes for an answer?

That’s an interesting question. I have a certain drive that I can’t quite explain.

It’s just there, and maybe someday it’ll go

Sunday, Oct. 27

Thursday, Oct. 24 5:49 p.m. A student reported the theft of his locked bicycle from the concourse area at the football stadium; the bicycle is a onespeed black and orange Schwinn.

Friday, Oct. 25 8:41 a.m. A custodial staff member reported a full-size couch missing from the firstfloor lounge in Barrows Hall. The couch is patterned with blocks of blue, rust and brown and has three cushions.

9:45 p.m. After they returned from fall break, several students reported that the heat in their dorm rooms was not working. The facilities manager on call was contacted, and a heating plant technician responded.

Monday, Oct. 28 2:21 a.m. During a routine patrol of Dascomb Hall, an officer observed vandalism to several chairs, which had been overturned on the north side of the dormitory. The officer also observed a shed with a broken door, and the stakes and rope attached to the door had

You wrote a book titled Law and the Long War: The Future of Justice in the Age of Terror. What do you think is, not the most important element necessarily, but maybe a critical element of justice?

How would you classify your justice?

Nobody has ever asked me that question. In a funny way, Law and the Long War isn’t really about justice. It’s about where power comes from and should come from in long-term counterterrorism efforts. The basic argument of the book is that one of the three branches of government had substantially underperformed in being the source of power for counterterrorism, and that’s Congress. And that two of the branches, the executive and the judiciary, in different ways we had relied on too much. And so the sense in which I used the word “justice” in that title was to try [to] make an argument that the future source of power for the things we were going to do in the name of justice really ought to be legislative power. The book doesn’t try to define justice, and I don’t know that I have good enough political theory to do it.

Last night during your talk, you emphasized the importance of serendipity in your career. Can you speak a little to that idea?

Serendipity does not mean, “It’s all luck so you wait around and maybe lightning

been pulled out of the ground.

A work order was placed for repairs.

9:30 p.m. A student called to report a strong odor consistent with burnt marijuana on the third floor of East Hall. Officers made contact with the occupant of the room in question. A glass bong containing burnt marijuana residue was observed in plain view on the desk, and the smoke detector was covered. The bong was confiscated and turned over to the Oberlin Police, and the covering was removed from the detector.

10:36 p.m. A Firelands Apartments resident reported a strong odor of cigarette smoke on the fourth floor. Officers responded and made contact

strikes you and maybe lightning strikes the person next to you, and if it strikes the person next to you, you’re shit out of luck, and that’s the end of it.” It means you do everything that you know how to do, you work every angle you know how to work, and then something happens that you did not anticipate that creates opportunities in a somewhat different direction than you were anticipating. And you notice those, and you avail yourself of them … I ended up as a 27-year-old writing editorials for The Washington Post — that doesn’t happen. That was not a job that you applied for, exactly. It came about because I was doing certain kinds of work, and the woman who had that job for more than 30 years, since the late ’60s when I was born, retired. And the job stayed open for nine or ten months, because Meg Greenfield couldn’t find anyone she wanted to put in it. And one of my colleagues told her she should talk to me about it, and I ended up on the phone with Meg, who was very ill at the time, and she said to me — it was the first time we ever talked — “Ben, Stuart Taylor tells me that the only problem with you is that you’re 27. And I can imagine that’s the kind of problem that takes care of itself, given enough time.” And I said to her, “Yeah, if I look both ways before I cross the street.” And she thought that was incredibly funny, for reasons that probably are not apparent in retrospect. If you had asked me two days before that conversation, do you aspire to be a Washington Post editorial writer, I would have said, “Huh?” But sometimes things just kind of drop into your lap, and being able to notice something’s dropping into your lap and respond in real time with the line that just happened to be charming to the person you’re interacting with — Yogi Bear’s line is when you come to the fork in the road, take it. There came to be a fork in the road, and I took it.

Never underestimate the value of “insert your word here.”

I’ll be tempted to just use... well, I’ll resist. Good prose.

Interview by Kate Gill, News Editor Photo courtesy of Brookings Institute

with the resident of the room in question, who admitted to smoking in the room. The student was advised of College policies regarding smoking in buildings.

Tuesday, Oct. 29 1:44 a.m. Officers were requested at Johnson House after residents reported a possible gas odor. The stove, pilot lights and heating registers were checked and did not indicate any leaks. The Oberlin Fire Department also responded and obtained negative results on meter readings. A work order was filed to check the boiler system.

2:05 p.m. A staff member

reported a possible unauthorized entry to her office in Rice Hall. Officers responded and nothing appeared to be missing. A follow-up investigation will continue.

5:46 p.m. Officers on routine patrol observed two cable locks used to secure patio chairs outside Bailey House that had been torched off. A work order was filed to have the chairs resecured to the patio.

Wednesday, Oct. 30 5:05 a.m. Officers were requested at Dascomb Hall to assist an ill student. The student was transported to Mercy Allen Hospital for treatment.

News

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The Oberlin Review, November 1, 2013

New Food Serving Policy Creates Waste Issue 16

Opposes Fracking

Kristopher Fraser Dascomb Dining Hall opened its doors in 1998, providing students with another on-campus dining option. When students returned for the 2013-2014 school year, Dascomb had reduced its portion sizes, which potentially creates more food waste on campus, since less food is being served to students. Many students have been upset over this new policy, and many CDS employees declined to comment on this issue.

According to Michele Gross, director of Business Operations and Dining, all dining halls follow the same basic serving policy: four ounces of meat, one cup for an entrée, three-fourths for a cup of starch, and one cup for vegetables. Even in “all-you-can-eat” facilities like Stevenson Dining Hall and Lord Saunders servers are advised to follow these guidelines as part of the “well-being indicator” programs.

In February of 2013, some Oberlin students formed a program called Oberlin Food Rescue to resolve these food waste issues caused by Dascomb’s limited serving size policy. College senior William Passannante and Senior Colin Wulff joined forces when they realized that CDS had excess food that was going to waste, while there is a concurrent demand in the community for food.

“Approximately 15-20 percent of households in Lorain County are food insecure, and CDS throws away enough food that it can donate that food to places that need it,” Passannante said. “[Employees] are not allowed to season the food,” an anonymous Dascomb employee said, “I have not been told the reason for this, I don’t know if this is for people with allergies or not. They also implemented a calorie-sensitive regimen. They have the number of calories with every meal. They are also giving smaller portion sizes, which I think is a terrible idea; they are totally disregarding people with eating disorders.”

Despite these very strict food policies in place, the Dascomb employees do not always obey them.

Continued from page 1

Students dining in Dascomb Hall wait in line behind the cash register. Dascomb has recently attained a reputation of being stricter with food portions — a status that has proved disagreeable among a number of students.

Rachel Grossman

When asked how employees handle this policy, the anonymous employee elaborated, saying, “Most of the employees will try to season food without the manager knowing, especially if it is being prepared in the food without people knowing. They will also give you more food if you ask for it and the managers aren’t looking.”

Given the College’s capacity to afford so much food and the high rate of poverty and unemployment in Lorain County, many students have also dubbed this new policy classist.

Junior Kendra Farrakhan who is an employee of CDS said, “I definitely find this policy classist: a lot of the people who work there are from lowincome backgrounds and could definitely benefit from taking some of that food home.”

Given the College’s history of social activism, it is no surprise the student body finds the prospect of food waste to be problematic.

But Passannante is optimistic that Food Rescue and CDS will reach a compromise.

“Oberlin Food Rescue is currently working with CDS to make a case to Oberlin College’s General Counsel that a CDS-supplied food recovery initiative would not expose the college to unacceptable liability. They have been extremely cooperative and we are currently trying to start a pilot program in Stevenson to see how this program will work.”

While Oberlin does have a successful composting program, it is unclear how much, if any, of this leftover food at Dascomb is composted.

Gross also declined to comment if any of these dining issues can be attributed to financial strain. While the issues between the dining hall the student body, and Oberlin’s Food Rescue program endure, Passannante has long-term goals.

“By the time I leave Oberlin,” he said. “I want there to be a protocol by which student volunteers, or anyone else for that matter, people move excess food to food pantries and other related organizations.”

joins a larger movement permeating the country with its model. According to fellow committee member and College Senior Sam Rubin, anti-frack groups are proposing similar legislations in four other Ohio cities.

“It holds us to a stricter standard that then bans fracking,” said Rubin, who argues that the bill expands human rights.

However, opinions on the matter are hardly homogenous. Both Lorain County’s ChronicleTelegram and the Oberlin News Tribune have published opinion pieces in opposition to Issue 16. In a letter to the Tribune by town-resident Aliza Weldenbaum, describes the bill as “a poorly thought-out idea.”

Those in support express hope for the bill to pass and thrive. According to an unofficial OC Anti-Frack recent poll, approximately 40 percent of residents reported that they plan to vote in favor of Issue 16 while 4.5 percent said that they would vote against it.

Although she noted the some potential legal risks, Rubin remains confident. If the bill, which contradicts the state, passes, Rubin predicts that neither the state nor corporations will put up a fight.

“There has been a real reluctance to challenge these bills,” said Rubin. “It would be like saying, ‘Our right to make a profit and control your community is greater than your right to democracy, clean air and water, and a flourishing community.’”

Because no formal survey has been administered, the outcome of issue 16 in next week’s election remains uncertain.

Touring Poets Work to Create a Safer Space at the Cat Nora Kipnis “We have an uncensored microphone and if you come up here, you can say whatever you want because it’s freedom of speech. But if you say something that hurts somebody, then please be prepared to have a non-defensive conversation with them.”

This is how Greg McKillop began the slam poetry session of the Safer Space Tour on Oct. 14 at the Cat in the Cream. The Safer Space Tour was organized by College senior Alyssa Civian and sponsored by Lambda Union, a safe space for LGBTQ students at Oberlin. Three poets from the organization, Gregory McKillop, Arwyn Sherman and Matthew Wellman, came to Oberlin on their way to a poetry slam in Spokane, WA, to run a workshop and performance.

The Safer Space Tour is an offshoot of Rhythmic Cypher, a Portland, Maine, slam poetry association that offers creative face-to-face conversations and performance art collaboration in order to help young people connect not only to their own words but also to their voices.

“Slam poetry has this ability to convey in very sharp light strong issues, and also with the art of your poetry add other content that is important to your point,” said Civian, giving the example of rhyme schemes that link concepts that would otherwise be difficult to convey.

For Rhythmic Cypher, safe space is defined as an open, uncensored dialogue in which one should feel secure

in their expression, and gentle confrontation is expected if someone is offended by what’s said. This dedication to noncensorship is different from many other definitions of safe spaces here at Oberlin and elsewhere.

“It was a formula that could do a lot for Oberlin,” said Civian, who is still an advocate for all other kinds of safe spaces, which are as pluralistic as the many ways in which people can feel safe.

The poets from the Safer Space Tour have been performing for a year, and part of their goal is to bridge the gap between performer and audience.

“I like to think that the impact that I’m able to make on a community when I perform is to let them know that I’m just some guy. And everyone else is just some person, and anyone can perform,” said McKillop.

To encourage expression, the group held a workshop beforehand in which students and community members had the opportunity to write, perform and critique difficult stories from their past.

“It was an attempt to empower students and open up dialogue, give people more resources to express themselves, particularly when they’re dealing with material that could render them unsafe from the inside,” said Civian.

The slam poetry event was an opportunity to open up the lines of communication about safe spaces and make safe spaces a part of the artistic community at Oberlin. Civian said she thought the Tour was a great idea for

Oberlin.

“Dialogues around safe space still need to happen here,” she said.

For McKillop, who has performed here in the past, Oberlin feels like a safer space than other places he’s performed, though he noted, “a safer space for me doesn’t necessarily mean a safer space for someone else,” While safe space is a buzzword on campus, many who aren’t directly involved with one find it hard to understand what a safe space is and how it functions. Even among individuals in safe spaces, there is some debate as to what makes a space safe.

However, there is at least one link between all the different definitions of safe spaces: They are often discussion groups or physical spaces in which individuals who identify with some kind of characteristic can autonomously address certain dangers of oppression and set ground rules within the space for preventing said dangers. Jan Cooper, John C. Reid associate professor of Rhetoric and Composition and advisor for Lambda, said that a definition of a safe space usually includes an aspect of why people need to feel safe.

“People who feel marginalized feel that there’s a lot to be gained from working and talking together, away from people who don’t share their experience,” she said. Alyssa Civian mentioned a controversy in Fairchild co-op about making it a safe space for vegans, and whether or not the safe space rhetoric can apply to groups not subject to systemic oppression.

Internal conflict about what it

means to be in a safe space was also expressed at the event. According to College junior Pauline Schwartzman, the treasurer of the Lambda Union and an attendee of the Safer Space Tour, “one of the people on stage made a really good point about how they feel like the safest space for them is on the stage performing, but also it can be the unsafest as well depending on what kind of reaction they’re getting from their listeners. That, I think, was a really interesting concept of a safe space.”

Essential to the creation of a safe space is the establishment of ground rules. While the Safer Space Tour had an uncensored approach with an expectation of open dialogue in the case of a trigger — many safe spaces ban individuals or speech that may trigger others to feel unsafe.

“Whether or not it’s a safe space is determined by the trigger as well as the response to the trigger,” said Dio Aldridge, another Community Coordinator at the MRC. “It should never be assumed that if you call something a safe space that you might not be triggered,” added Gomez.

Exclusion does comes up in safe spaces, and is often a reason why some people might disapprove of them.

However, there are many reasons why exclusion might be necessary.

“It’s a more productive place in which to have conversations,” said Schwartzman.

Even in safe spaces, it’s possible to feel unsafe. Civian said of her experience living in Baldwin, “I don’t feel like the idea of safety was critically engaged

with quite enough to live up to the commitment of a safe space for me.”

Adherence to ground rules as well as continual engagement with changing ideas of safety and oppression is essential in creating effective safe spaces.

Both mob mentality and approbation of triggers by a group can make an individual feel uncomfortable. Civian recalled being in a poetry safe space similar to Rhythmic Cypher in which the poet based a piece on a metaphor that identified gender categories with biological sex, a rhetoric that made her uncomfortable. She thought she could mention it in private conversation with the poet, but at the end of the piece, the audience was on its feet in applause.

“I was the only one sitting,” remembered Civian. “There was this moment of unsafety that became magnified.”

Despite the issues that sometimes arise around safe spaces, many people find them necessary. For those who want to show their support, Gomez recommended working on building community across the boundaries of identity and culture.

“Showing support in ways that’s allowed… [and] going to events that you’ve never gone to — those are the best ways to support those groups,” he said.

And he urges patience on the part of those who are in a position to educate others about safe spaces. “Every student who does know what a safe space is or thinks they know should always be open with compassionate language or with compassion in their heart to be able to talk about it,” he said.

THE OBERLIN REVIEW, November 1, 2013

Opinions The Oberlin Review

Letters to the Editors Critique of the Laffer/Bernstein Coverage To the Editors: One of the most effective tools of political persuasion is to convince an audience of one’s neutrality. One of the most important things that media outlets can do is to expose partisanship and subject it to criticism. Unfortunately, the reporters covering the Laffer/Bernstein debate failed to do this because they dangerously confused civility with nonpartisanship. Laffer and Bernstein “amicably shook hands,” and they “don’t hold any animosity.” That’s very nice. But they also offer fundamentally conflicting and thoroughly partisan views of the role of democratic governments in market economies. Bernstein advocates a limited welfare state. Laffer believes in a much smaller role for government including generally reduced taxation. These are not neutral positions.

They presuppose fundamentally different views of the relationship between government and citizens. If we do not recognize these debates as political ones, we cannot make reasoned judgments about them, as befits a democratic citizenry.

–Jade Schiff

collaboration. City taxation issues include funding for the Oberlin Public Library, the collection and services of which are open to all College students. Issue 16, a proposed ordinance to establish a Community Bill of Rights, would prohibit “most corporate oil and gas extraction as well as the storage, transportation and depositing of oil and gas drilling waste product within the city of Oberlin.” This issue is of utmost importance to all residents of the city and its environs.

In short, voting locally is both your privilege and right. As current residents and future alumni, you have a long-term interest in the welfare of the city and the College. The two are completely intertwined, and helping to determine their future direction is your prerogative. So be prepared and vote with full assurance of your ability to cast a well informed vote. The LWVOA Voter Guide online is a good place to start.

Sincerely, –Alison Ricker Science librarian

How to Join the Fight For Carbon Neutrality To the Editors:

Students Encouraged to Vote in Elections To the Editors: I am writing as a board member of the League of Women Voters of the Oberlin Area to encourage all registered voters to participate in Tuesday’s election. The issues and candidates are all local in importance — only two issues have any impact beyond the Oberlin community — but this should not deter any registered voter from voting locally.

Why? Students are an integral part of our community, and your voice deserves to be heard. Oberlin City Council candidates will potentially enact ordinances that directly affect students as consumers and residents of the town, and Oberlin School Board candidates may oversee changes in curricula and programs that impact College-school

Oberlin College is about to shut down its coal plant after 65 years.

This, in combination with the city of Oberlin’s 90 percent renewable electricity portfolio, will get us 50 percent of the way to our goal of carbon neutrality by 2015. Wow! That’s an accomplishment to be proud of.

I applaud the commitment of the trustees and the city of Oberlin — in the face of resistance, criticism and short term financial cost — for taking these huge steps forward.

But that’s the easy 50 percent of our carbon footprint. The next 50 percent will take more effort and more planning. It will come in bits and pieces from a variety of strategies and will occur in what will feel like frustratingly small incremental improvements. It’s time to get started. Now. This is where you come in. Please join me for the From Coal to Carbon Neutrality Community Workshop, an all-campus event for brainstorm-

ing solutions to making our campus carbon neutral: Saturday, Nov. 2, 1–4 p.m., in the Science Center.

This event will be fun. In true Oberlin fashion, the arts will be well represented. We will have Dance Diaspora start things off, a locally grown afternoon snack with live jazz in the background and lots of thoughtful, interactive conversation.

The improv groups Primitive Streak and Kid Business will cap off the day by reporting back small group results via improv comedy skits.

But it will also be useful. Students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to identify options for moving us toward climate neutrality and make sure their voices get heard in the process. This event is not just for those who are concerned about climate change: It’s also for people who like their hot showers and electronic devices.

This event is sponsored by the Office of the President, the Committee on Environmental Sustainability, Student Senate and the Office of Environmental Sustainability.

–Cindy Frantz Department of Psychology Chair, Committee on Environmental Sustainability

Ashenhurst’s Letter Requires Clarification To the Editors: I am a bit confused by David Ashenhurst’s letter in Oct. 11’s Review (“Petition Aims to Restrict Right to Carry Arms,” The Oberlin Review, Oct. 11, 2013). He refers to Oberlin City Council’s recent action to amend the city ordinance permitting one to carry firearms in city parks, to bring it into compliance with state law, and mentions something about a magic “get-out-of-this-lawsuit-free” card.

I’m not sure what he means by this — perhaps the same gun organization (Ohioans for Concealed Carry) that won a similar court case against Cleveland is going to bow down before Oberlin because of its long activist history? Maybe it would settle for something other than everything it wanted in the first place and more?

The very day Mr. Ashenhurst and See Letters, page 6

SUBMISSIONS POLICY The Oberlin Review appreciates and welcomes letters to the editors and column submissions. All submissions are printed at the discretion of the editorial board.

All submissions must be received by Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at opinions@oberlinreview.org or Wilder Box 90 for inclusion in the following Friday’s Review. Letters may not exceed 600 words and columns may not exceed 800 words, except with the consent of the editorial board. All submissions must include contact information, with full names, for all signers. All electronic submissions from multiple writers should be carbon-copied to all signers to confirm authorship.

The Review reserves the right to edit all submissions for content, space, spelling, grammar and libel. Editors will work with columnists and contributors to edit pieces and will clear major edits with the authors prior to publication. Editors will contact authors of letters to the editors in the event of edits for anything other than style and grammar. In no case will editors change the opinions expressed in any submission.

The Opinions section strives to serve as a forum for debate. Review staff will occasionally engage in this debate within the pages of the Review. In these cases, the Review will either seek to create dialogue between the columnist and staff member prior to publication or will wait until the next issue to publish the staff member’s response.

The Review will not print advertisements on its Opinions pages. The Review defines an advertisement as any submission that has the main intent of bringing direct monetary gain to the author of a letter to the editors.

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

Page 5

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

Editors-in-Chief Rosemary Boeglin Julia Herbst Managing Editor Taylor Field Opinions Editor Sophia Ottoni-Wilhelm

Obies Shouldn’t be Fairweather Fans of Sex and Body Positivity Since its inaugural year in 1990, the rules of Safer Sex Night have taken various forms (save a few constants: sweat, glitter, butt cheeks — but no nipples). The College banned the once infamous “Tent of Consent” in 2005, along with booze sales at the actual event in 2001. The educational aspect of the event has been taken more and less seriously over the years. Safer Sex Week itself — which includes a variety of educational workshops, including this year’s classes on topics such as STI Stigma and a panel discussing alternatives to monogamy — was started in 2009.

But this general shift toward incorporating more information about sexual health and consent along with the festivities has not come without some resistance on the part of attendees. One year, when Sexual Information Center staff members attempted to perform educational skits at the ’Sco, they were booed off the stage for trying to pull the spotlight away from the booty-popping.

Today (and perhaps since the night’s inception 23 years ago), most Obies would acknowledge that the drunken evening of scantily-clad debauchery that is Safer Sex Night is not in practice about verbalizing consent more loudly or clearly or remembering to wear a condom. In fact, some have argued that it encourages quite the opposite by combining nakedness, copious amounts of alcohol, sultry jams and the ’Sco’s inherently sex-laden ambience.

But that’s not to say that Safer Sex Night doesn’t have a productive, positive place in Oberlin culture. In fact, it has a very positive place: a sex-positive one. Perhaps the SIC should discard its lightly veiled premise of promoting safer sex — a mission it implicitly abandons by making the themes of most of the Safer Sex Week classes required to obtain a ticket center on maximizing pleasure and exploring different types of intimacy — and place the real stars of the show, body and sex positivity, at the forefront of the event’s purpose. Due to the fact that the event is perennially comprised of wasted first-years wearing band-aids over their nipples, this shift might help to limit some of the event’s conceptual irony.

And Obies might indeed need a refresher on these very lessons. Although Safer Sex Night is indeed a venue for being sexy and knowing it, Oberlin students seem to be fairweather fans of these concepts in practice. Last night and throughout the weekend, college students across the country will celebrate Halloween in various stages of undress.

But here, girls dressed up as naughty nurses or sexy sailors are often subject to peer slut-shaming. Of course, more creative and comical costumes are preferred, but if feeling and looking sexy is empowering next Thursday night at the ’Sco, there’s no reason it shouldn’t be equally empowering this weekend. Instead of slut-shaming, let’s remind ourselves of the message of Safer Sex Night, and channel our collective peer-pressuring efforts on shaming those college students who have mistakenly decided they’re too cool to don a Halloween costume at all.

Editorials are the responsibility of the Review editorial board — the Editors-in-Chief, managing editor and Opinions editor — and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the Review.

Opinions

Page 6

The Oberlin Review, November 1, 2013

Letters to the Editors, Cont.

Continued from page 5 others turned in petitions to undo what City Council had been forced to do, I heard him say at the candidates’ night event essentially that Oberlin couldn’t stand alone in the face of state law and the gun lobby, but would have to work with other communities across the state to change the law. So which is it, Mr. Ashenhurst, did City Council do what it had to do to bring the city’s ordinance into compliance with state law, or did it give in too easily to the gun lobby? –Ellen F. Broadwell Oberlin College Library

Context Must be Considered in the Review of Campus Events To the Editors: When cultural events are critiqued, it is vitally important that the critic is familiar with the culture and context surrounding the event. This applies to drama, music, visual arts, dance, anything. Without context, it is easy to miss the point entirely and do more harm than good. It is clear to me that the theater reviewers are often unfamiliar with campus theater and theater arts at large. These articles are doing a disservice to your publication as well as to Oberlin theater in general.

Last week’s article panning the Oberlin Student Theater Association’s Fall Showcase was inappropriate. The author accused the show of being inconsistent, un-unified and disorienting. The OSTA Showcase is a tradition that provides a forum for students to experiment with acting, directing and writing. It is intended to present whatever variety of ideas that students have. So, the author had no idea that they were criticizing the Showcase for being exactly what it was supposed to be. I have attended the show three years in a row and am happy to testify that the actors, writers and directors succeeded in creating a joyful and interesting show which was well received by audiences, as usual. It is a shame that the Review did not bother to talk to any participants about their perspective. Students participate in the Showcase to experiment and have fun, not to be harshly criticized. It is a low-key project that is often the first exposure that freshmen have to acting opportunities on campus. Hopefully this excessive critique does not discourage budding theater artists who are unfamiliar with the Review’s history of uneven theatrical reviews.

Allow me to briefly hearken back to just a couple of articles from last year. In December 2012, the Theater department produced Man of La Mancha, which was reviewed the same week as Into the Woods, produced by the Oberlin Musical Theater Association. Both of these musicals are well known and well loved in the American theater. Both reviews were generally negative, focused on a dislike for the writing

and story. Anyone familiar with the world of drama would have been entirely concerned with the directing, performance and technical aspects instead of retelling the plot and attempting to criticize Stephen Sondheim, the master writer and composer. Perhaps the reviewer could have investigated the reasons that both shows were sold out every night, as I recall, instead of giving the whole school a negative impression of the students’ and faculty members’ work.

The Review has a duty to understand the context and meaning of a cultural event before reviewing it or to give the assignment to someone who is familiar with the event. In particular, critiquing — and panning — the OSTA Showcase is akin to criticizing a jam or soul session: It’s uncool and a bit rude. Please take such misunderstandings out of the newspaper and tell the truth: The passion and dedication of theater artists on campus is infectious, and they continue to craft new ideas fearlessly.

Sincerely, –Madeline Cline College Junior

Demands for Divestment To the Editors: At the Trustee Open Forum three weeks ago, activists representing over 15 student groups presented a unified list of demands to Oberlin’s Board of Trustees.

Members of Oberlin Students for a Free Palestine were inspired by the energy and support we felt in the room. For many of us, this degree of alliance was unprecedented in our experiences at Oberlin College. The demands presented are as follows, in brief: 1. Increased institutional transparency and access to the communication with the Board of Trustees 2. The creation of a scholarship fund as well as efforts toward increased access for undocumented students 3. Divestment from six companies which directly profit from ongoing violations of international law and human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories 4. The creation of an AsianAmerican Studies department 5. The banning of hydraulic fracturing on College property The presentation of a unified slate of demands is exciting because it demonstrates that support for institutional change comes not only from a small group of dedicated students, but emerges from a vision of Oberlin College that is shared by a large portion of the student body. We envision an Oberlin that is accountable to the needs of all of its students and is a responsible member of its local and global communities. We believe divestment plays an important role in this vision, as we strive to see our commitments to anti-racism and anti-colonialism reflected in our financial practices. Each of these demands challenges our commu-

nity and this institution to take an ethical stance on issues of access, transparency and justice.

We understand that the inclusion of divestment in this list of student demands has been criticized as being “divisive.� Instead, SFP asserts that to say the demand for divestment divides the Oberlin community is to erase the ways that it unites those working against systems of privilege and oppression.

Borders and walls divide people all over the world: Israel from the Palestinian people, Mexico from the U.S., as well as invisible borders in Oberlin, including, but not limited to, policing through the use of the No Trespass list, and a lack of access for many marginalized people, including those who are undocumented. The call for divestment represents a challenge to the repeated and violent stifling of Palestinian voices in the discourse surrounding this issue, and is taken up in indivisible solidarity with other student groups and their demands for a better Oberlin.

It is never SFP’s intention to silence our peers. Rather, we intend to challenge the dominant narrative that depicts Israel as a state that deserves impunity for war crimes and other violations of human rights and Palestinians as responsible for their own colonization. This conversation is never finished, and it is a part of the mission of our organization to provide opportunities to continue it. In this spirit we invite you to join us for our Palestine 101 workshop on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. in King 323. We hope to see you there!

2. The banning of harmful environmental practices by Oberlin College with the understanding that such practices disproportionately affect low-income communities, communities of color and Appalachian communities, and a plan to ensure that clean energy alternatives center racial justice and do not contribute to environmental degradation in the Oberlin community and the region more broadly Oberlin College has a responsibility to live up to the ideals of social justice and progressivism we claim to hold as an institution.

The demands made by student leaders and activists call on the Board of Trustees and College administration to respect the voices and knowledge of marginalized students and to stand behind the student body in determining the future of the College. We support not only the demands themselves, but also the passion, anger and urgency with which they were delivered to the Board of Trustees. The attempt to silence the voices of student leaders and activists with rhetoric of respectability and civility undermines student power and agency, and further upholds the power structure at Oberlin College that serves to marginalize people of color, low income, first generation, immigrant, multinational, (dis) abled, queer and trans* students.

The ELC demands concrete results from the Trustees and administration with regard to the student demands, as well as transparency about the steps being taken to achieve these results.

In solidarity,

Sincerely, –The ELC Board –Oberlin Students for a Free Palestine

Support the Oberlin Library By ELC Board Express- Public Voting “Yes� on Ises Support for Student Coalition at sue 34 Trustee Forum To the Editors: To the Editors: The Board of the Edmonia Lewis Center for Women and Trans* People would like to express our support for the following demands made by the student coalition at the Trustee Forum on Oct. 10: 1. Increased transparency of the College’s administrative decision making and a transformation of the process of decision making to include the voices and active participation of marginalized students 2. Divestment from six companies profiting from the ongoing violations of international law and human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories and complicit in Israel’s ongoing apartheid policies 3. The active admission and support of undocumented students at Oberlin College and Conservatory The ELC also supports the following components of the additional student demands delivered at the Trustee Forum: 1. An Asian-American Studies program at Oberlin College with three tenure-track professorships

Did you know? r ĂŽF 0CFSMJO 1VCMJD -JCSBSZ IBT over 150,000 books, 13,000 DVDs, 10,000 audio books and CDs and subscribes to over 250 periodicals. r ĂŽFSF BSF BDUJWF VTFST PG the Public Library. With a service BSFB QPQVMBUJPO PG UIBU NFBOT UIBU PWFS QFSDFOU PG BSFB residents use our public library! r #BTFE PO BOE DJSculation data, each library user CPSSPXT CPPLT BOE ĂłMNT PS recordings each year. r #FUXFFO UIF -JCSBSZ BOE JUT satellite technology access center, The Bridge, the Public Library provides free computer access over 20,000 times per year.

In these difficult economic times, library use increases as more and more people turn to this invaluable public institution for all manner of resources. The Oberlin Public Library provides all this and more. And, it’s all FREE! But of course it costs money to provide these services. The Library’s annual operating budget JT BCPVU NJMMJPO "CPVU percent of library revenue comes through local property taxes. With

state funding shrinking and uncertain, it is even more important that our service area patrons support their public library.

Issue #34 is a 5-year renewal levy necessary to sustain current operations at the library and at The Bridge. This renewal levy maintains the current taxing rate which costs the owner of a home valued BU BCPVU QFS NPOUI KVTU QFS ZFBS Our Public Library Vote YES on Issue #34 –Jeff Baumann and James Peake (OC ’06) Oberlin Public Library Board Members

Vote “No� On Issue 16 To the Editors: *TTVF NBLFT OP TFOTF GPS UIF same reason that we don’t declare “no drunk driving on just certain roads.� Or actually, “No drinking the new whiskey on just certain roads... because we declare (in a local ordinance) a right to declare this!�

Or, say you have three kids. Say you have a four-bedroom house.

Would you let any one of your kids declare their bedroom autonomous with a “Community Bill of Rights� that lets them specifically either ban or allow building a campfire in their room?

Probably not.

Let’s use our time and passion appropriately and effectively.

Let’s decide as a “house� — as the state of Ohio — to vote for a statewide freeze on new and dangerous fracking processes.

6OJOUFOUJPOBMMZ *TTVF EPFT the opposite of what we need: a swift, statewide moratorium or an injunction, brought about by a single, compelling environmental lawyer. When it comes to watersheds, industrial practices and public safety — issues that inherently cross many county lines — decisions need to be clear, consistent and comprehensive, rather than a meaningless, time-wasting patchwork.

As a strong opponent of fracking, I will be voting “NO� on muchUPP MPDBM *TTVF 1MFBTF DPOTJEFS joining me.

Send the message that symbolism is unsatisfactory — and in this case, that it actually goes against effective, broad, logical prevention of water pollution.

Other states are freezing fracking statewide, and other environmental lawyers are going after companies and government agencies directly and effectively.

Fracking is not a long-term cultural issue such as gay marriage. It is the latest form of “point source� water pollution from a specific, relatively new industrial technique.

Rather than a long cultural battle (and rather than declaring new rights every time a new form of murder is invented), we can simply expect immediate enforcement — by our authorities, our environSee Letters, page 8

Opinions

The Oberlin Review, Novermber 1, 2013

Recent Events Have Defined Our Government’s Limits Sean Para Columnist

Use of Drones Highlights the Need for Better Journalism Sam White Contributing Writer

The American government has not been doing very well recently. Extensive failures of the government’s online healthcare exchange, HealthCare.gov, served as a sad backdrop to the budget and debt crisis. Millions attempting to buy health insurance under the health law were frustrated by long delays logging in or were simply unable to purchase health insurance. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sibelius’s public apology for the problems is little compensation for the government’s failure in implementing a crucial element of the healthcare reform. Republican critics have recently turned to another seeming failure of the law — those who have been turned away for coverage because they do not meet the law’s requirements.

The American government was recently caught spying on millions of European phone calls. The American government itself caught the Afghan government attempting to seal an alliance with the Pakistani Taliban, a depressing reminder of the lack of progress in building an effective and trustworthy Afghan government. Despite all these setbacks, we should not simply write off our government; it is the only one we have and we would be better served trying to fix it rather than focusing on its multifarious failings.

The government does a lot of things right. Many of its successes are taken for granted, but America’s justice, law enforcement and transportation systems, for example, do not function by happenstance. Although the state governments do handle many of these duties on a day-to-day basis, the federal government’s ability to coordinate with the states allows the entire nation to function. These statements may seem gratuitous, but many seem to forget how crucial the state is to their lives. The federal shutdown earlier this month highlighted the important role the government plays in our society. The gross failings of the government, in terms of providing social justice to millions that are economically disenfranchised, allowing major corporations to exercise undue influence over the electoral process, or any of its many injustices, do not negate its many successes.

These recent debacles, as well as the many long-held problems of our state, simply give reason to having more government, not less. Anarchists — and their prominent conservative analogues in government — are wrong. Washington’s exposed spying, administrative failings or long-term failures to prevent great institutional injustices (such as racism, poverty and failures in education) in our country show the necessity for great improvements and reform. These failings do not, however, invalidate the governmental system as a whole. The government needs to become more transparent, less nefarious about spying and more effective in implementing the healthcare reform law, but we should not do away with it as a whole.

Page 7

On Tuesday, members of Congress had a one-of-a-kind opportunity to hear firsthand from victims of U.S. drone strikes in northwest Pakistan. In a briefing organized

by Representative Alan Grayson, D-Fl., schoolteacher Rafiq ur Rehman and his two children recounted their well-rehearsed tale of the day when, a year ago, a pilotless plane attacked their village in the country’s North Waziristan region.

Nabila, nine, spoke of working in the fields with her grandmother, Momina Bibi, when the missile exploded, hurling Momina to her death and blocking out the sun with smoke. She ran, scared, an injury on her hand bleeding uncontrollably. Her 13-year-old brother Zubair, nearby, tried to do the same, but shrapnel had badly damaged his leg. When Rehman arrived at the scene shortly thereafter, neighbors would not let him see his mother’s body; the injuries, they told him, were too gruesome.

To Rehman’s knowledge, Momina Bibi, a local midwife and a grandmother of nine, was the only fatality.

Also in attendance at Grayson’s briefing was filmmaker Robert Greenwald, whose new documentary, Unmanned: America’s Drone Wars, features the Rehman family alongside others affected by the United States’s drone program. An array of staffers and other audience members were also present.

And five lawmakers.

Five of the House of Representatives’ 535 voting members. Less than one percent.

For those well-versed in American government, perhaps this dismal turnout is no surprise. Our elected representatives are busy;

they have committee meetings to attend and policy decisions to make. Briefings like Grayson’s, which was not affiliated with any particular committee, aren’t always easy to fit into hectic schedules. And it’s no secret in Congress that few Americans consider foreign policy a priority.

None of this, however, justifies Momina Bibi’s death. Nor does it justify the United States’s failure to respond to her family members’ pleas for explanation as to why a drone would target a family of schoolteachers, or to offer them compensation for the crippling medical costs resulting from their injuries. And it does not justify silence from Congress as the Obama administration’s controversial drone program continues unabated.

Grayson’s poorly attended briefing is, if nothing else, a reflection of the fact that members of Congress don’t think drone strikes matter to Americans. This needs to change.

It is true that not many Americans openly care about drone strikes occurring in faraway corners of the world. In large part, it’s because they don’t hear about them. President Obama’s drone program has been shrouded in secrecy from the outset, and what few words and statistics his administration does release are carefully measured, vague and generally uninformative. And America’s mass media, for the most part, does little better: If Americans hear about drones, it’s the occasional short and to-the-point story of the death of a high-profile terrorist, stripped of context and accompanying details.

The nature of investigative journalism, however, is aptly summarized by the founding mantra of Al Jazeera America: “There’s

more to it.” Indeed, the newly launched, New York–based cable news channel devotes an entire section of its website to the topic of combat drones, and it was one of few U.S. agencies (save for unabashedly left-leaning companies like The Huffington Post and MSNBC) to feature its own interviews with the Rehman family, gaining contrasting perspectives and covering the Tuesday briefing in substantial depth.

Global news agencies, meanwhile, have not hesitated to put the U.S. government’s conspicuous silence on the issue in perspective. The Guardian, for one, included in its thorough coverage of Tuesday’s hearing an emphasis on the mysterious denial of the U.S. State Department to grant a visa to the family’s lawyer, a respected diplomat. Echoing this focus was Russia’s RT, which, along with Qatar-based Al Jazeera English, publishes frequent op-eds condemning U.S. drone strikes, citing the intensifying anti-American sentiment they are fueling in northwest Pakistan among other factors. And even these perspectives miss details uncovered by international non-governmental organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, whose most recent estimates at civilian casualties due to drones suggest that the U.S. is likely guilty of war crimes.

The reality that America’s mainstream media often fails to emphasize is that stories like the one told by the Rehman family on Tuesday are not unique; they are indicative of grave problems that Americans — and the politicians they elect — need to hear. If the United States government is to be held accountable for its actions, journalists must do their part.

Sunny with a Chance of Cynicism: The Three Albums You Missed Over Midterms Libby Salemi Columnist Since the entire campus has let out its usual giant sigh of relief after midterms ended, we can now focus on everything that really matters in college, like all the music I illegally downloaded when I went home for break. While everyone was busy studying away, we missed three excellent albums that came out practically one on top of the other. I finally had the time to listen to them, and lucky you, reader: Now you get the inside information on some sounds your ears need to experience. You’re welcome in advance.

For starters, we’ve got Panic! At The Disco’s fourth studio album Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die. I bet you forgot these guys even existed. Half of the members of P!ATD bailed on the band a few years ago, so in a way they only half exist, but with Brendon Urie carrying the weight of the band, they seem

to be doing just as well as they were in the beginning. Urie sings lead vocals for the band, plays all the instruments except drums and writes the songs. Having basically all creative control over the band seems to be working for him, because this album was decidedly a success. Once again, the newest album is of a different flavor from the last; it carries a much more modern pop feel than any album they’ve had before. The album was inspired by Urie’s experiences in Las Vegas (the title of the album itself is a line from the book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), and he admitted to wanting to make a feel-good album that’s reminiscent of a great party. All in all, it’s a pretty decent pop-punk album, especially since the genre has been pretty dry as of late.

I also spent some time over break checking out Miley Cyrus’s new album Bangerz. If you were questioning whether or not she and Liam broke up, listen

to just about any song on the album and your question will be answered. They’re all pretty much about baby Miles living it up in Heartbreak Hotel. Also if you’ve been through some sort of agonizing heartbreak yourself recently and need someone to sympathize, you may want to pick up some Ben & Jerry’s and rage/ dance/cry to this album. Other than that, it’s pretty hit or miss as far as the quality of the songs and lyrics go. But the album at least redeems itself with “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball,” and there are some other pretty excellent pop ballads on this album that are probably on their way to topping the charts.

Last but definitely not least, I recommend checking out Ariana Grande’s debut album Yours Truly. This incredibly talented little lady plays the idiot friend of Tori Vega in their Nickelodeon show Victorious, and now plays the idiot friend of Sam in Sam and Cat. However, her tal-

ents extend further than being able to play one character in two TV shows. As it turns out, she has an incredible, spellbinding voice that’s capable of making me gayer than I was before listening to the album. She’s channeled this into her own R&B style with songs that are (much to my dismay) about the men that have been and are currently in her life, which makes it a fantastic album to listen to immediately after becoming depressed and hopeless about love from Miley Cyrus’s album.

So there you have it. If you’re looking for a few new albums to check out, these are some I’d suggest keeping in mind. I’d start by bumming out to Miley’s Bangerz, regaining hope about your love life with Ariana’s Yours Truly, and going out to find the person or cat or bagel of your dreams with Panic! At The Disco’s Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die. Do whatever it takes to get the taste of midterms off your tongue.

THIS WEEK LEARN THE DOS AND DON’TS First-Years

Sophmores

Juniors

Seniors

DO

DO

DO

DO

-Explore different departments.

-Befriend students outside of your dorm hall.

-Put diluted alcohol from IGA in the freezer.

-Go to Safer Sex Night.

-Acquire a bike.

-Memorize your T-number and mailbox combo.

-Hole-punch your student ID and get a carabiner (or steal one from Dascomb).

-Check out events on campus.

-Befriend people with cars.

-Discover the Arb. -Fear the senior girls.

-Shower.

-Take fashion risks.

-Get close with the upperclassmen.

-Research study away programs.

-Start focusing on what major(s) interest you.

-Prepare youself to declare next semester.

-Stay on top of fulfilling course requirements.

-Sign up for intramural softball. Booze and balls!

-Put a towel under your door.

-Get a campus job.

-Stay for commencement.

-Shower.

-Go abroad.

-Find a mentor. Get close with a professor or College staff member who is working on a topic that interests you.

-Pick classes based on the professor.

-Join a gym class like aerobics or yoga.

-Being in your third year at Oberlin most likely means you are out of shape.

-Go to the Doggie Doo Parade.

-Learn how to cook basic recipes.

-Go out to dinner in Cleveland.

-Make sure all of your friends aren’t graduating this year.

-Find a summer internship with a company or organizaiton you admire.

-Shower.

-Throw house parties.

-Go to the Feve whenever you can.

Wednesday should be Feve-’Sco-Feve.

-Your homework. It could be the last year you ever have to do it, and it might be nice to learn something.

-Attend class. All your classes are only once a week anyway.

-Make a plan for after graduation.

-Get in contact with possible employers.

-Travel during Winter Term. Who knows when you will have that much time off again?

-Advance your cooking skills beyond pasta and the microwave.

-Shower.

DON’T DON’T -Hesitate to join co-ops, groups or ExCos. -Sit in front of your lounge’s TV all day.

-Try to drink at the Feve.

-Stock your room with junk food. The “freshmen 15” is very real.

-Crash every party you hear of. Especially if it is a birthday party or smaller event.

-Buy all your textbooks at the bookstore.

-Only hang out in your first-year dorm.

-Wear your ID card around your neck.

-Travel in packs.

-Wait until the last minute to submit your study away forms.

-Smoke before going to the ’Sco, unless you want to feel awkward.

-Think because you are no longer a first-year you are an upperclassmen.

-Commit to a specific career track. Be open to changing your mind.

-Overwork yourself. Don’t pile on the classes, jobs and extracurriculars.

-Make impulsive hairstyle decisions.

DON’T

DON’T -Skip too many classes.

-Complain about Oberlin once you return from abroad.

-Refer to your abroad program as “When I lived in ____.”

-Rely on your advisor to tell you if you’re on track for your major. Check the requirements on your own.

-Wait until the last minute to double check if you have completed your graduation requirements.

-Worry. Life after college is going to be great! ...Just kidding. You should worry.

Surviving college is no easy task. Each year involves it’s own ups and downs. Based on experience, the Review staff has complied a list of Oberlin dos and don’ts to make the most of every stage of your college career.

CALENDAR

This Week Editor: Olivia Gericke

From Coal to Carbon Neutrality Community Workshop Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m.

Pumpkin muffins, improv comedy and climate neutrality will be at the From Coal to Carbon Neutrality Community Workshop, located in the Science Center.

OCircus Fall Show Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 2–3 (at midnight on Saturday, at 8 p.m. on Sunday) Come to the Cat in the Cream for a burlesque-style circus featuring acrobatics, juggling, magic and comedy.

Handcrafts Night! (In Spanish) Monday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Spanish House is hosting a night where students can learn fun and creative ways to make crafts with recycled materials.

Disability on Stage: Toward an Aesthetic of Experience Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 4:30 p.m.

Brazilian artist Carolina Teixeria will give a talk at Spanish house on her experience working with people with disabilities in dance and theater.

Hansel und Gretel Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m.

LaunchU Info Session Thursday, Nov. 7 from 4:30–6 p.m.

The Oberlin Opera Theater and Chamber Orchestra bring Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel to Hall Auditorium. The opera will be performed in the original German with English subtitles.

Drop by Slow Train for an informal info session about LaunchU, Creativity and Leadership’s Winter Term funding opportunity.

Comics and Collaborations: Graphic Narratives Today Thursday, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m.

Hillary Chute, OC ’98, assistant professor of English at the University of Chicago and author of Graphic Women: Life Narrative and Contemporary Comics, will give a talk in Nancy Schrom Dye Hall ( formerly know as West Lecture Hall).

Opinions

Page 8

The Oberlin Review, November 1, 2013

Letters to the Editors, Cont.

Continued from page 6 mentalist watchdogs and ourselves — in doing the equivalent of preventing a drunk driver from getting behind the wheel of a Greyhound bus. We don’t accept a whole new scale of risk, either of crashing a full passenger bus or of poisoning our farmland.

If our police can confront the drug-crazed and the gun-bearing, surely we can have firm conference table talks with CEOs. If Issue 16 were a harmless onespot simple ban, I would not oppose it. And if it were a statewide proposal, I would not oppose it. But a single-city declaration of rights promotes the wrong approach to the broad, regionwide protection of our water and farmland.

Issue 16 is a well-intentioned manifesto, but it is unfit as local law and inadequately aimed as a way to stop fracking. Let’s insist on effective action and say “NO” to Issue 16.

–Aliza Weidenbaum Oberlin resident

An Explanation of Issue 16 To the Editors: Though this is an off-year for state and federal elections, there are still several elections and issues that are on the ballot for Nov. 5. Students who have updated their voter registration have the ability to influence the City Council and School Board, as well as several issues. It is important that students act as responsible guests in the community that hosts them, and only vote on issues that they are educated on. The League of Women Voters has an impartial Voter’s Guide, and it is also important to ask long-time community members about their feelings on issues to give yourself a broader perspective.

I write to explain Issue 16, the Community Bill of Rights and Obligations. Though this ordinance is very complicated in its technical language, its goal is very simple.

In 2005, the Ohio State Legislature took away the right to zone natural gas development from local communities. Cities and towns no longer have the right to decide as a local democracy where they want to allow fracking and toxic injection wells to be located. All control was placed in the hands of the Department of Natural Resources, which has led to fracking wells being placed next to trailer parks, elementary schools and water reservoirs.

In response, communities such as Broadview Heights (which has over 90 frack wells), Youngstown, Athens and many others have passed or are working to pass Community Bills of Rights, which assert that local community democracy and our collective rights to clean water, healthy lives and the freedom from toxic chemical trespass supersede the power of corporations to drill wherever

they want. Voting Yes on 16 bans fracking and related infrastructure in Oberlin because our rights are more important than those of corporations. Over 150 cities across the country have passed similar bills, and voting Yes on 16 is participating in a statewide movement demanding that the state ban fracking and toxic fracking waste to protect our rights and our health.

This local effort is an act of support for communities like Youngstown and Broadview Heights, where fracking is already well established.

It is important to emphasize that this initiative was conceived, written and put on the ballot by community members. Students can play a support role, but this is not our bill to pass. A key component of the Community Bill of Rights and Obligations is that it empowers community members to enforce the law through personal action — we will also not be the ones who make sure Oberlin remains protected. Members of Oberlin College Anti-Frack have helped with canvassing, advertising and other projects, and we encourage every student to help protect Oberlin, even if they won’t be voting. Talk with community members about this issue — there is a diversity of opinions on what should be done, and ultimately fracking will not be stopped unless we have better economic alternatives, which will require all of us working together. We encourage you to support Issue 16, support local community democracy and join this exciting nationwide movement to assert community sovereignty and human rights.

–John Bergen College senior

Vote This Tuesday All elections matter. Even-year, odd-year, primary, general. Presidential, statewide, county, and local. Issues and candidates ( for every office) every time. All elections matter — every one — no exceptions.

Oberlin has five candidates (no incumbents) for three school board seats, nine candidates ( five incumbents) for seven City Council seats, two countywide tax measures and three local issues ( four if you live in the fifth precinct on the south side of town). Many of you have heard about Issue 16, the Community Bill of Rights and Obligations; when you go to the polls to cast your ballot on that measure, please stay long enough to vote in every contest about which you have an informed opinion. And if you don’t yet have informed opinions, spend some time this weekend acquiring them.

The election issue of the Oberlin News-Tribune is out. The League of Women Voters of the Oberlin Area Voter Guide is circulating in print and available online (lwvoberlinarea.org).

(Full disclosure: I’m one of those on the ballot as a City Council candidate. Please consider voting for me.)

There are people who don’t want some of you to vote here. Please don’t make it easy for them, un-

less you agree. And if you do agree, please ask yourself: Why is that?

You may hear some people say you should vote “back home.” Why should you (unless you’d rather)?

You live here! It’s a little like you have dual citizenship; just remember, you’re only allowed to register and vote in one political subdivision of one state.

Don’t be talked out of voting in Oberlin because “you won’t be here” (next year, or in four) — because, first of all, you very well might be here — and if you’re not, your space and place are likely to be occupied by someone very much like you. Truth be told, you’re part of the largest and most stable demographic the Oberlin electorate has.

You’ll sometimes hear, from some natives, that you shouldn’t vote here because you don’t pay the property taxes you’ll sometimes be voting on. What’s it to them, anyway? Is every other dwelling here owner-occupied? (Nope.) Besides, this year you can vote on a sales tax you (and your visiting parents) will pay, and if it passes, there will be a rollback on those property taxes you (allegedly do not) pay.

Renters to local landlords pay that landlord’s property tax as a pass-through. Renters to “absentee” landlords pay that property’s tax in the same way.

Long ago, there were property qualifications to vote. Long ago, like before that Civil War we’re hearing so much about these days.

(And in some places, like before that pesky Voting Rights Act of 1965 we’re hearing so much about these days…)

Should an elderly widow’s property taxes help pay for the schools?

What about a middle-aged bachelor’s? Should a student renter’s property taxes (actually paid by someone who votes in Connecticut) help pay for street salt if s/he doesn’t own a car?

Hey, what are common, public goods, anyway?

Follow the rules. Take proper ID to the polls. Know your street address; a dorm name and room number will not be enough (matter of fact, they won’t help you at all). Between now and Tuesday: Listen. Read. Investigate. Ask questions. Give your citizenship some exercise.

Please vote in every race, on every issue, for which you have developed an informed opinion. And if you don’t have an informed opinion, and only if you don’t — well then, no, please don’t vote Tuesday, here or anywhere else.

–David R. Ashenhurst

Tony Mealy for City Council On Nov. 5 Oberlin citizens will be asked to elect a new City Council and I ask you to vote for me.

I’ve been a resident for 48 years and I am fully familiar with our local issues. I am retired from responsible positions as a correctional counselor/supervisor, immigration inspector, air traffic controller and I am a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

I am free to devote as much time as necessary to perform the duties as your Councilman.

I have years of governmental experience beyond the above duties, having served on the Zoning Board, the Community Improvement Corporation, Oberlin Underground Railroad/Park and Ride project, Oberlin City Council in 1986–1987 and 2006–2007 as well as being actively involved in many local civic organizations.

I am a candidate because I enjoy public service and believe I could help provide leadership our local government needs. My main concerns remain adequate public services, facilities and maintenance by responsible spending, sensible economic development and planned future growth.

I would like to see completion of the Oberlin Underground Railroad Center/Park & Ride Facility and support additional job creation in our Industrial Park. These goals include making needed investments in stormwater management and promotion of efficient power use throughout the city. The city must continue an aggressive push for energy efficiency as we shift to more carbon neutral power sources to abate global warming.

On Election Day, please cast your vote to elect Anthony J. Mealy for Oberlin City Council.

–Tony Mealy

Consider Sharon Pearson for Council On Tuesday Nov. 5, citizens of Ohio have the opportunity (some would say responsibility) to vote on a range of important local issues. Oberlin College students who are registered to vote in Ohio often ask themselves the question, “Is it appropriate for me to vote on local issues?” During your time at Oberlin, you live here, study here and contribute to the local economy.

According to our Bonner Center for Service and Learning, in any given year a majority of Oberlin College students engage in some sort of community service to this community; you are a part of the Oberlin community.

In the last several years the city and College have coordinated their efforts to set ambitious goals and engage in comprehensive planning to lead on the issue of environmental sustainability. These goals build on our history in the sense that they move us forward on addressing the key environmental issue of our time — climate change — while simultaneously addressing the social and economic dimensions of sustainability. How can a city and college in the Rust Belt work together to build a vibrant and resilient economy that addresses poverty and inequity, promotes sustainable agriculture and local business and ultimately weans us off of dependence on fossil fuels?

Politics and education are central to addressing this question, and the candidates and issues on the ballot this year present citizens of Oberlin, including College students who are registered to vote

in Ohio, with important choices.

On Tuesday, citizens will vote for the members of the Oberlin City Council. During the last several years, City Council has provided critical leadership on environmental sustainability, and there are a number of fine individuals running this year. But I would like to highlight the candidacy of Sharon Pearson. Sharon embodies many of the principles that exemplify the best of what is Oberlin and the kind of town-College collaboration that we should take pride in. A lifetime member of the Oberlin community, for 25 years Sharon worked for the city of Oberlin. During that time she received several awards, including a Community Pride award that recognized her work in coordinating the 150th anniversary of the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue, in which Oberlin citizens marched to Wellington to free captured slaves who were imprisoned there. For the last several years, Sharon has served the community as a program coordinator for the Oberlin Project — a town-gown collaboration designed to promote “full spectrum sustainability.” In this capacity we have had the pleasure to work with Sharon on developing the “Community Voices” component of Environmental Dashboard, a feature designed to celebrate the ways in which the full diversity of our community is engaged in thought and action that move us forward on all dimensions of sustainability. Sharon has been a tireless advocate for sustainability, with special interests in promoting transportation alternatives, local economic development and social justice.

In addition to the City Council election, there are a number of elections and issues that are critical to strengthening education and the environment in our community. For example, a yes vote on #16 would prohibit fracking in Oberlin, #34 supports the public library and #2 supports Lorain County Community College. Many of you volunteer within the public school system. Several of the candidates running for the Oberlin School Board this year, such as Albert Borroni, advocate for an integrated school system that would enhance educational and environmental opportunities within the public schools.

I urge you to inform yourself on important issues by visiting the League of Women Voters website where you can read candidate statements, as well as nonpartisan information about ballot initiatives: lwvoberlinarea.org/pages/ guide.html. It is quite appropriate to abstain from voting on issues on which you are not informed or that you feel you do not have a stake in.

However, as a registered voter, you have a responsibility as well as a right to exercise your franchise on the issues that affect your life and the community you are living in.

–John Petersen Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology, OC ’88 –Nancy London Grant writer and citizen activist, OC ’90

November 1, 2013

Arts The Oberlin Review

Page 11

Label Showcase Runs the Musical Gamut Oliver Levine Staff Writer

October marked the beginning of the Stereocure showcase, a multi-show road trip demonstrating the label’s talent and creative diversity. Stereocure, an LA-based label, boasts more than 10 acts from several different locations along the East Coast and in the Midwest and is currently operated by Oberlin College senior Gabe Kanengiser, College senior Adam Hirsch, Conservatory senior Myles Emmons and New York University student Jordan Alper.

The acts traveled from Oberlin to Clark University, Bard College, Vassar College, Wesleyan University, Philadelphia and Brooklyn, where I caught them toward the end of the showcase. The sounds of Stereocure’s artists range from sun-dazed, jazzed-out rock epitomized by Peaks, to A Sol Mechanic’s hip-hop, to the avantgarde, with artists like Kuh-Lida and Novelty Daughter taking the audience on a ride to sonic wonderland.

On Oct. 24, the Stereocure showcase arrived at the Williamsburg concert venue and coffee shop known as Muchmore’s.

Four of the acts played to a full house: Peaks, Novelty Daugher, A Sol Mechanic, and Kuh-Lida — all of whom shared the spotlight with Real Boy Digital, a video projection team composed of Emmons, Double-degree senior Devin Frenze and College senior Dan Friedman, who provided mesmerizing responsive backgrounds and ceiling projections. The diversity of the label’s lineup had an interesting effect on the audience, pushing them to adapt to the constantly changing sonic aesthetic.

At a Stereocure event, one can expect to sway, freestyle, try out some footwork or even twerk, all in one night.

As Peaks warmed up the crowd at the Williamsburg event, people were still flooding in. Composed entirely of Ober-

lin students, Peaks’s jazz, folk and rockinspired sound has had a strong presence on campus, and their performances have successfully fused these different musical elements into a collaborative and progressive style. Lead singer and College senior Rachel Ishikawa, whose voice adds a unique dreamy quality to the music, and other band members — College senior Tom Kearney, College senior Peter Hartmann, Double-degree senior Nate Mendelsohn and Duncan Standish, OC ’13 — use their different influences to create original grooves and truly heartwarming music that held the Muchmore’s audience captivated.

As Novelty Daughter, Wesleyan’s Faith Harding combined beautifully textured keyboard and piano progressions with compelling and creative beats, topping off these effects by layering her powerful voice over the tracks. Watching her perform alone, with only a synth and a soundboard onstage for company, was a lot of fun; an incredibly animated singer, Harding never showed an ounce of self-doubt, while at the same time pushing herself vocally with every performance. By fusing her jazz-like singing with simple, yet soft and poignant synth textures, Novelty Daughter evokes memories of ’90s triphop, calling to mind bands like Zero 7 and Massive Attack, while at the same time infusing that classic and nostalgic sound with a contemporary sensibility that reverberated throughout the room.

Mid-show, the Brooklyn crowd migrated outside for a cigarette break before returning to the venue for David Blazer’s set, the one-man machine known as A Sol Mechanic. A West Coast artist, Blazer’s instrumentals tore down the house with their essential West Coast textures, like deep sub bass and heavily reverberating samples. Vastly different from Novelty Daughter’s ballads, A Sol Mechanic got the

The members of Peaks serenade a Williamsburg crowd with their jazz, folk and rock-inspired sound. The five-piece ensemble combined their diverse musical backgrounds to warm up the crowd for the Stereocure showcase.

Courtesy of Regina Larre-Campuzano

crowd moving. At one point, a few freestyle cyphers even broke out, when people were so inspired by the luscious hip-hop instrumentals that they just had to spit a verse over them.

Last but certainly not least, Kuh-Lida, a.k.a. Emmons, took the stage to play his jaw-dropping avant-pop set. Kuh-Lida’s sound leaves you wondering how someone could possibly make this kind of music and sometimes prompts you to ask yourself whether you’re tripping or being consumed by your computer as you experience it. His hectic and sometimes overwhelmingly busy tracks combine elements of hip-hop, footwork, R&B and his own production style, while at the same time completely embodying the idea of the glitch aesthetic. His tracks meld into one another, constantly breaking down and rebuilding as if each note was a Lego brick in the construction of every song.

While the Stereocure family gave Brooklyn a taste of their music, the Real Boy Digital team doubled down with the visuals.

Acting as a ribbon that tied together the different musical acts, Real Boy’s dual projection setup created a vital link between visual and musical aesthetics by inventing a system of synchronized, highly responsive visuals. The projections changed with every sonic peak and trough, constantly shifting in color scheme and arrangement. Paired with different musical acts, the visuals tied together the performances of a folk group to a hip-hop artist and to avant-pop chaos. In this sense, Stereocure is not just a music label, but a highly collaborative and creative group of individuals who seek to push their own abilities, while at the same time contributing to their own unique genres of sound.

Performance Artists Preach to Choir on Inequality Aria Dean

Cleveland-based artists Corrie Slawson and Elizabeth Emery print imitation currency to address wage disparity in their performance piece “Making Money the Harder Way.” Efrata Kline-Salamon

A small group of students and faculty members gathered in Tappan Square on Monday for “Making Money the Harder Way,” a performance art piece by Cleveland-based artists Corrie Slawson and Elizabeth Emery. Donning elaborate 1950s housewife costumes, the artists made their way from the square to Wilder Bowl, printing “77-cent dollar bills” on a mobile letterpress machine and handing them out to passersby.

The bills were symbolic of the current disparity in legal wages in the United States, since a woman is paid 77 cents to every dollar a man makes doing the same job. The bills also featured the face of Lilly Ledbetter, the woman who sued her employer, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., in 1998 for paying her less than her male counterparts.

“We’re showing people what it takes to make money, literally,” Slawson said when asked about the intent of the piece. In the talk that followed the performance piece, Slawson and Emery spoke in greater depth about their process and intent, noting that their use of Ledbetter’s specific story was intended to be an access point for a larger conversation about wage disparities extending beyond the simple “77 cents to a dollar.”

Unfortunately, “Making Money the Harder Way” struggled to achieve this goal in its Oberlin iteration. Slawson and Emery have performed the piece multiple times as an exercise in community-based, political art in public spaces in Cleveland. But on Monday, the performance took place in areas primarily occupied by Oberlin College students. In this context, where discussion of gender inequality is somewhat routine, the message of the piece was a stating the obvious. One student, upon being offered one of the freshly printed bills, sarcastically responded, “Yeah, sure. I am a woman, after all.”

Slawson and Emery’s gesture aimed to draw attention to an issue that is already at the forefront of many Oberlin students’ minds. For many, rather than opening up a discussion about contemporary American labor and gender politics, the performance prompted questions about the importance of audience and context in community-based, participatory performance art. One has to wonder what impact the performance might have had if, instead of being staged in front of Mudd library, it had been taken to a location like the corner of College Street and Main Street, where it might have reached a wider, more diverse audience.

The performance further exempli-

Arts

Page 12

The Oberlin Review, November 1, 2013

Conservatory Unveils New Graduate Program Daniel Hautzinger Staff Writer The New York Times has dubbed Oberlin Conservatory “a hotbed of contemporary players” and an “experimental haven” with good reason. Innovative groups like eighth blackbird and the International Contemporary Ensemble were created here, and most Conservatory students are involved with new music at some point in their studies. To continue to expand upon that forward-thinking tradition, the Conservatory is launching a new graduate degree program, the Master of Contemporary Chamber Music.

The two-year, full-tuition scholarship program is for an existing ensemble rather than an individual focusing on contemporary performance, according to Tim Weiss, the

director of Oberlin’s Contemporary Music Ensemble. One ensemble of three to seven members with any instrumentation will be accepted per year. Weiss, one of the main professors involved in the program, emphasized that Oberlin wants to maintain a high quality program, and thus will not accept any group if the candidates do not meet the faculty’s standards.

“We want great artists both in their commitment to themselves as a group, but also individually as well,” Weiss said. To ensure that, members of an ensemble must audition both on their individual instruments separately and as a group. The audition also includes an ensemble interview by a committee made up of Conservatory faculty members from a range of departments, and applicants must submit examples of academic writ-

ing about music. These requirements help ensure that the ensemble is not only musically talented but also possesses entrepreneurial and outreach skills.

For an ensemble to be successful and connect with the public today, its musicians must be able to explain and market their craft, especially with newer works, Weiss said. The MCCM program will develop these skills by helping ensembles create interesting concert programs, write program notes and engage with an audience. All of that will be put into practice in the program’s three required recitals, one of which must be off-campus.

The ensemble’s musical talent will be further developed through individual private study and ensemble coaching. Since there will be only one ensemble accepted per year, the program is flexible and

can adapt to a group’s particular needs based on instrumentation or repertoire focus. MCCM students will not play in large Conservatory ensembles such as the Oberlin Orchestra to prevent distraction by other performances, avoid the loss of opportunities for undergraduates to play in large ensembles and allow the group to grow as a cohesive unit.

The program will “help groups incubate, and give them a launchpad,” Weiss said. He also said the relative isolation of Oberlin is actually an advantage: Living costs are fairly low, musicians don’t have to take the subway to rehearsal, there are fewer distractions, and ensembles will have their own designated practice space where they can maintain their setup.

A Conservatory press release says the MCCM program is “de-

signed to launch chamber music ensembles of exceptional artistic and creative potential toward careers of innovative distinction.” It will aid in jumpstarting those careers through faculty and alumni mentoring, high quality promotional recordings and providing access to financial resources for touring and competitions. After receiving a degree, ensembles may also apply for startup grants through Oberlin’s Creativity and Leadership Project.

“Oberlin has had success [in producing contemporary ensembles] before,” Weiss said. “I think small ensembles will represent a very large part of the future contemporary classical music landscape.

They’re malleable, transplantable, they travel easily, they have low overhead, and they have proven to be very successful in the market.”

Tree Project Film Serves as Reminder of Hiroshima Bombing Anne Pride-Wilt Staff Writer

Hiroshi Sunairi is no stranger to disaster. Born in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1972, the artist, filmmaker and New York University professor grew up in an environment saturated with the memory of the city’s atomic bombing in 1945. But to him, the most interesting part of the bombing is not the lives lost or the destruction. As he demonstrated in his lecture and short film Tree Project Film, screened in Hallock Auditorium Monday night, Sunairi is touched most by the hibaku, or “A-bombed,” trees that survived the bombing and still live today. Sunairi’s film is brief but touching, a fitting tribute to the trees. It also manages to address not only the tragedy itself, but also the resilience that has allowed the people of Hiroshima to heal and grow.

The first slide of Sunairi’s presentation was a jarring image of the World Trade Center billowing smoke on Sept. 11, 2001. He explained that he had been stuck on the subway on the way to an immigration appointment that day and had emerged to see the image projected behind him on a screen.

Following the attack, Sunairi gave his students an assignment to create a piece of art on the theme of peace. When he set out to complete the assignment himself, the connection of the attack to the Hiroshima bombing was clear. The bureaucratic difficulty of acquiring materials rendered his original project — a wireframe elephant filled with objects salvaged from the Hiroshima bombing — unfeasible until, while still in Japan, he happened to attend a lecture given by a tree doctor.

The lecture Sunairi attended, on the subject of the care of the bombed trees, inspired him to give his art project a new direction. The elephant frame, which he chose because of its traditional connection with memory and “never forgetting,” was eventually filled with pruned branches. It also led to the creation of his short film, the straightforwardly titled Tree Project Film, that Sunairi screened for the Hallock audience.

The film, approximately 20 minutes long and in Japanese with English subtitles, is a dialogue-light documentary pieced together primarily from images of the resilient trees of Hiroshima. The camera slowly and lovingly pans over the trees, accompanied by a voiceover from the tree doctor, Dr. Chikara Horiguchi, who explains the immediate effect of the

bombing on the trees. The attacks did not stunt the trees but spurred rapid growth for three years after in an effort to heal the damage from the blast. Sunairi also included shots of workmen pruning the trees to make their branches lighter and, in the most affecting shot of the film, a long shot of an enormous camphor tree in the playground of a Hiroshima elementary school surrounded by children playing. Children, Sunairi seems to imply, will never understand the full import of the bombing.

As suggested by Sunairi’s choice of an elephant for his project, combatting the decay of the tragic memory is of particular importance for him. Fortunately, the hibaku trees that are Sunairi’s focus provide a poignant medium for the perpetuation of the memory: their seeds. Sunairi closed the evening by inviting audience members to take not only a cut piece of branch for themselves as a memento but also a seed of a hibaku tree. The seed could be planted, he explained, and would perhaps sprout. The metaphor was clear: By dispersing the seeds of the damaged trees and allowing the trees to propagate the memory, we are affirming the city’s resilience and ensuring that future generations will recognize it as well.

Feature Photo: Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra

The Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra performs its Fall Concert in Warner Concert Hall on Sunday. Based at Oberlin Conservatory and training young musicians since 1969, the orchestra provides opportunities in music education for musicians aged eight to twenty-two. Its three ensembles — Philharmonia Orchestra, Symphonetta Strings and Rhythm & Brass — perform three concerts at Oberlin annually.

Courtesy of Tabassum Hague

Arts

The Oberlin Review, November 1, 2013

Page 13

TV Ghost’s Live Show Fails to Match Recordings Nora Kipnis Staff Writer The lead guitarist of TV Ghost crouches down to the ground, listening to a spooky sound coming from the speaker.

Then he jumps up again in time with the harsh tones of a jarring guitar and howls incomprehensibly into the microphone as if to issue a harsh warning. The vibe of the band is encapsulated in his emphatic dancing and the headbanging of the other guitarists, their ethereal and haunting guitar sounds rolling over the beat.

This was Tuesday night at the ’Sco. The Lafayette, IN, band calls its music a “sludgy and punishing brand of artpunk,” and they are not afraid to experiment with different filters and psychedelic effects. The band’s music has evolved to a more polished sound since its first release, 2007’s Atomic Rain, which brought the band some attention. Before that, their music was harsh and rough while developing its dark feel.

The group has progressed from garage rock sensibilities to a more sinister sound, heavy on synths and less so on the screaming and fuzz. In 2008 they played at South by Southwest, and their first full-length album, Cold Fish, was released in 2008 by independent label In the Red, placing the band in the company of the Black Lips and Vivian Girls.

The band stopped in Oberlin as part of their two-month tour behind the release of their third album, Disconnect, released

in September. Unfortunately, their performance, while enthusiastic, left something to be desired. The group failed to show off their dynamic approach to doom and gloom that shines through on their records.

The opening act fit the description of TV Ghost just as well. Reformers, a student group with an alternative-punk sound, features an Alice Glass-ish vocalist who sings about damaged goods and her inability to “take it” any more. They were a great introduction to the headlining act, although for many in the audience, they seemed to be the main event.

Still, a small and loyal crowd gathered to listen to TV Ghost, who came on around 11:30 p.m.

The music was definitely high-energy in a familiar, late ’70s way. Singer Tim Gick al-lowed his voice to quiet down into a deep, haunting sound not unlike Ian Curtis’s of Joy Division. The basslines, too, developed an ominous, new-wave sound in their repetitiveness, and the songs from Disconnect didn’t jump around as much as the band’s older material. The majority of the songs performed were from TV Ghost’s newer repertoire, but the manner in which they were played was more reminiscent of the band’s earlier style — circa 2007, when the youngest member was only 14.

It was fascinating to observe the contrast between the band’s early recordings and newer songs they performed. Disconnect’s “Five Colors Blind” was far less

TV Ghost performs this past Tuesday night at the ’Sco. The band’s noisy art-punk had plenty of variety but failed to surpass the intensity of their studio recordings.

Simeon Deutsch

jarring and intense but somehow more emotionally resonant in its eeriness than a studio track like 2007’s “The Amputee,” which, unfortunately, the band did not play. Their sound transitioned from industrial and jarring to ambient to experimental — almost supernatural sounding, which was appropriate for a show a few nights before Halloween. “Elevator,” from Disconnect, was a well-executed highlight that best showcased the band’s abilities.

At certain points, however, TV Ghost

Art and the Internet: Eler Talks Branding and Integrity

Matthew Sprung Staff Writer

Alicia Eler, OC '06, gave a lecture titled “Internet Ruined the Video Star” on Wednesday that was advertised as an examination of “how the internet has changed art production, consumption and criticism.” Beginning with famed performance artist Marina Abramovic’s “The Artist Is Present” and ending with a popular Tumblr about white, privileged teenage girls, Alicia Eler’s talk analyzed the idea of performance and how that concept has shifted over time, breaking the barrier between art and the everyday.

Eler, former writer for the Review, now contributes to Artforum.com and is a staff writer for the increasingly popular art “blogazine” Hyperallergic.

Her recent article on Marina Abramovic, titled “The Artist Is Not Present But the Brand Sure Is,” explored the moral and aesthetic integrity of one of the world’s most well-known performance artists.

The article was shared 1,800 times on Facebook, a point that was relevant to the lecture. Whereas the idea of a performance used to be reserved for professionals with specific goals and direction, today the definition is being broken down by social media and the ability to present constructed identities.

Eler’s focus on Abramovic portrayed the artist sacrificing her artistic integrity in her “shift into a brand. I’m more interested in how the art or performance is affected or devalued in a way,” she said.

In an increasingly digital world, artists and everyday people have been lured into the accessible public domain of social networks such as Facebook. This has enabled artists to focus more on branding than creativity. In discussing Abramovic’s work, Eler points to the artist’s creation of art that is not meant to raise questions or bring about change but to be “liked” through online videos.

Eler questioned the grey area between artist and celebrity, as well as the sacrifice of art for the sake of promoting one’s brand name and recognition.

“I think she crossed a line,” Eler said, before asking, “Is she a performance artist or a celebrity? I

think it’s important to explore what it means for an artist to come into this space.”

The space that Eler went on to illuminate is one that “suggests the individual is the center of their own network rather than participating within the community.” Particularly problematic is the fact that the art community is moving from a defined culture into the universally encompassing internet. In this context, where artists must compete with images of cute cats to engage an audience, the need for accessibility may make some aim for art that appeals rather than challenges. Eler pointed to what was coined a “performance piece” earlier this year by rapper Jay-Z, in which the rapper sang one of his songs for six hours and danced with spectators. Abramovic showed up at the gallery and acted as a feeble stamp of artistic approval. The event brought a cringe-inducing effect that showed artists using different media to elevate their name recognition as a brand, while lowering the quality and power of the art itself.

Eler went on to tie the sacrifice of artistic integrity with that of moral integrity. Paralleling the notion that big corporations are not the most caring employers, Eler told the story of one of Abramovic’s helpers. After going through an intense audition, a potential participant in an event to raise money for Abramovic at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles decided to turn down the opportunity.

In an open letter of protest, the applicant said that, “I was expected to lie naked and speechless on a slowly rotating table, starting from before guests arrived and lasting until after they left (a total of nearly four hours).” Most alarmingly, she also recounted, “I was expected to ignore (by staying in what Abramovic refers to as “performance mode”) any potential physical or verbal harassment while performing.”

The question of ethics, and what Eler specified as “the objectification of bodies, female bodies and labor practices on any level,” is something she implored the audience to question, saying that it “must continuously be asked of the artist or brand.

They need to be held accountable.”

could have benefitted from branching out more in terms of rhythm and exploring different ways to express a feeling of doom without the gothic, ethereal sound effects and metal-on-metal crashes. Whether it was technical skill that was lacking or instrument levels, the less-than-an-hourlong set didn’t fully capture the abilities and strengths of the band that are evident in their albums.

Performance Art Falls Flat Continued from page 11 fied the difficulty that artists often face in balancing artistic vision and political message.

“Making Money the Harder Way” effectively handed the audience its message on a silver platter, perhaps even beating them over the head with it. Today’s audiences have been conditioned to expect to have to work to extract meaning from a given piece.

We expect to meet the artist somewhere in the middle.

Arguably, without this silent contract between artist and audience, art runs the risk of losing us entirely. Slawson and Emery came unfortunately close to this. Their attempt to make their message accessible and immediately impactful worked in reverse, render-

ing it fairly low-impact to this particular audience.

At its core, Slawson and Emery’s effort was valiant, and their message remains an important one. Gender inequality in the workplace is a very real issue, and one that our society at large easily overlooks. As performers, the two women were committed and intense, and their aesthetic presentation was well constructed. However, the simplistic presentation of the obvious effects of gender inequality on women made it impossible not to take issue with the two-dimensionality of their depiction of the point where second-wave feminism meets economics.

Interested in journalism?

Looking to improve your writing and build a new set of skills?

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WRITE FOR THE REVIEW! Contact edsinchief@oberlinreview.org

Sports

Page 14

IN THE LOCKER ROOM

The Oberlin Review, November 1 , 2013

Creg Jantz and Natalie Winkelfoos

This week the Review sat down with Director of Athletics and Physical Education Natalie Winkelfoos and Senior Associate Director of Athletics Creg Jantz to discuss fall season highlights, mascots and pick-up lines.

What has been your favorite fall sports moment?

Natalie Winkelfoos: Hmm. Obviously men’s soccer is garnering a lot of excitement. We are very happy for them. It was really awesome when the football team beat Case Western [Reserve University] earlier this year. Honestly, anytime we claim a victory is my favorite moment. I love winning; it is so fun. There are definitely valuable lessons in losing too, however; winning is the coolest.

Creg Jantz: Winning is the coolest. Another great part of the fall was seeing all of the fun experiences our athletes had, especially women’s soccer.

NW: I mean night and day different [in their performance].

CJ: What a great hire by Natalie. The girls have truly enjoyed their season and experience and that is what is most important. They have a good time, they respect their [new] coach and have progressed all season.

NW: It’s always fun to watch the progress of our teams. Last year volleyball had a good season, but this year they are having a great season. It is fantastic to see everything starting to come together; it’s a lot of fun.

What’s your best pickup line [ for recruits]?

NW: Oberlin is an easy sell. You are going to get great academics, and on the athletic front we are building new facilities, we have great coaches and great players. It’s the promise of being a part of something special.

CJ: The funny version: “Try it, you’ll like it.” The serious version: Oberlin is the true student-athlete experience. The life skills that you learn being a student-

sional team to feel that sense of playing for your country.

NW: It would be amazing to be on the Olympic basketball team and be coached by Coach K. CJ: Exactly, I would rather be a part of that experience than professional sports. The atmosphere is awesome. You walk out onto the field and there is red, white and blue all over the stadium. It’s amazing.

Creg Jantz (left) and Natalie Winkelfoos athlete are irreplaceable.

We used to have a saying at Case [Western Reserve University] — when teams would lose a game, the fans would cheer, “That’s alright, that’s OK, you’ll be working for us someday.” We want every athlete to be as competitive as possible on the fields, we want them to win games, but we are also preparing them for life after college; we want all of our athletes to be successful and professional.

NW: It’s legit.

If you could work in another department on campus, where would you work?

NW: Nowhere. This is the department for me. I think that being the athletics director allows me to work closely with a lot of different departments. I work very closely with development and Eric Estes, student life and admissions.

In a way, I get to do a little bit of everything. When you work in athletics you have to wear so many different hats. You don’t just get to be a coach; you’re a counselor, an academic advisor, and you’re everything. But if [President] Marvin Krislov told me that I could not

work in athletics anymore, I think I would want to be the president.

CJ: Shoot for the top, I agree.

NW: High ambitions, go for the gold.

CJ: I think that I want to be the chief of staff then.

Natalie and I will take this place over.

NW: Creg and I just can’t be separated, we’re like Velcro. He’s the mac to my cheese.

CJ: I think the quick answer would be to work with students, but every department in the College gets to work with students. Any department would be great because we work with students, and the students are the ones who keep us young.

That is what we are here for.

If you could play under one coach in the department, who would you play for?

CJ: Wow, that is a great question.

NW: Dang, let’s skip that one. [Laughs]. All the coaches have their benefits. I think it would be fun to play under [Head Women’s Soccer Coach] Dan Palmer so I could hear all the jokes at practice. I like to laugh, and I like to kick things. I would

play for [Head Field Hockey Coach] Anna Baeth because I would be taller than my coach.

CJ: I like them all.

NW: We like them all, and we would both play for every single one of our coaches.

CJ: I would play for [Head Softball Coach] Mimi Mahon because it would be a lot easier hitting a yellow ball than a white ball.

NW: And playing for Mimi is a guarantee to get some muscles. Hashtag Mimi muscles. It would also be fun to play for [Head Men’s Soccer Coach] Blake New because you might get to be in a cool music video the team makes.

CJ: If you play basketball for [Head Women’s Basketball Coach] Kerry Jenkins you get a lot of cool t-shirts.

We would all love to play for Columbus.

NW: That’s [Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach] Lynda McCandlish. We call her Columbus. Why? Because we can.

CJ: She is a two-time national champ and a state champion coach.

NW: I also would like to play for [Head Baseball Coach] Adrian Abrahamowicz because I would enjoy

his references to himself in the third person.

CJ: I can’t imagine that dugout would be anything but fun.

How do you feel about being the Yeomen and Yeowomen?

NW: I love being the Yeomen and Yeowomen because we are the only ones in the world. There are a lot of Tigers, there are the [Kenyon College] Lords and Ladies, the [Denison University] Big Red, the [Wabash College] Little Giants. I want to be a Giant Giant.

CJ: I would not want to be a [Ohio Wesleyan University Battling] Bishop either, leaning on [the letters] O W U. He belongs on a cereal box.

NW: I do think we need a mascot. We need something, and we are working on it!

CJ: Our lips are sealed at this point.

If you could be part of a professional team, which would it be?

NW: Not the Browns. Or the Vikings.

CJ: I think I would like to be involved at the national level. An Olympic, U.S.-type team instead of the profes-

What are you excited for in the winter season?

NW: Watching how our teams have progressed. I think we have a lot of talent on our basketball teams. We also have a new swimming and diving coach. I am really excited to see how the team grows under him. Track and field is always fun to watch.

It gives you another opportunity in a different arena to watch our student-athletes excel.

CJ: It will be my first winter at Oberlin. I am looking forward to seeing the winter student-athletes and getting to know them because you do not truly get to know the athletes until they are in season. It will be really exciting to watch our swimming and diving team.

NW: I love hearing the warm-up music in my office. It blasts, and I’m like, “OK, it’s game time!” as I am in here finishing up all my work and getting excited. All I want to do is run into the gym and watch them play.

CJ: Plus, Natalie is really excited to see the ball shot from a Marriott bed at halftime.

NW: And tater tot tosses at halftime.

CJ: We are going to be shooting basketballs from a Marriott rollaway bed! Fans will have the opportunity to win a one-night stay at the Marriott hotel or win a Feve burger for tossing tots.

NW: We have a lot of things cooking in here. It is going to be great.

Interview by Sarah Orbuch, staff writer Photo by Jodi Helsel

The Oberlin Review, October 4, 2013

Sports

Page 15

Fantasy Football Causes Real Life Problems Continued from page 16 an October matchup with the Minnesota Vikings. The fan later apologized to Jacobs on Twitter, but the incident indicates that the NFL may have a huge problem on its hands. Is it possible that someone might actually act on an irrational impulse to physically hurt a player if that player didn’t adequately perform for a fantasy team?

For now, I say no, but the mere fact that this question needs answering presents an issue.

The problem has come to light recently, since forums like Twitter are making it easier than ever for fans to interact with players. While this helps keep fans closer to the game, it means fans also have a direct route to criticizing players. Those who wish to downplay the issue might argue that players are asking for criticism by having an online presence, but comments like the ones Jacobs and Johnson have

received are more than just critical.

They’re hateful and unwarranted.

With large bets often being placed on fantasy football teams, a lot is at stake, and the situation is ripe for unpleasant exchanges between fans and players. Fantasy sports players spend an average of $111 on league-related costs per season. Many owners wager far more than that amount, and emotions inevitably run high.

Since football is a team sport, that so many fantasy footballers care only about how their players perform and not about the outcome of the games has irked real players. If NFL players develop a distaste for fantasy football and those who play it, I’d completely understand, but, as an avid fantasy football player, I’d hate to see a few irrational fans give the majority of good ones a bad name.

My one piece of advice to those rogue fantasy footballers: keep it real.

Lineups Shift due to Injuries Continued from page 16 been his most successful campaign during his tenure at Oberlin. New has led the team to success with the aid of Assistant Coach David Wilson. The two have been forced to experiment with different starting lineups due to various injuries and suspensions that have sidelined key players.

Yeomen faced challenges after sophomore Louis Naiman broke his collarbone in a match on Oct. 19 against DePauw University. Ingham sat out for the subsequent match against Denison University, the Yeomen’s only conference loss, due to suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card in the DePauw game. Junior center midfielder Santiago Gonzalez fractured his ankle in two different spots after a harsh collision with a member of the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops on Saturday, Oct. 26.

However, after a rough patch with a number of influential players missing key games, the Yeomen have had extremely successful results this season.

Oberlin pulled off a scoreless draw with number one nationally ranked Ohio Wesleyan.

First-year midfielder Nick Wertman, who has started the last 17 games for the Yeomen, attributes the team’s success to a number of reasons.

“It’s roughly 10 percent luck and approximately 20 percent skill, but definitely 15 percent concentrated power of will,” Wertman joked.

Both Ohio Wesleyan and DePauw have qualified for the NCAC playoffs. The Yeomen could potentially face either of these opponents again depending on the seeding taking place on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Looking forward, the Yeomen will face the Kenyon College Lords in their regular season finale on Saturday, Nov. 2. Since the Yeomen have already secured their place in the NCAC playoffs, most of the pressure to defeat the Lords has been removed; however, there is still a lot riding on the game.

“Kenyon is the most important game of the season,” Rentel said. The away game will determine if Oberlin will host the first round of the NCAC playoffs. If the team can pull away with a win against the second-place Lords, the Yeomen will earn a home-field advantage. The kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Kenyon.

Volleyball Improves Record Continued from page 16

The home game against The College of Wooster Fighting Scots was also a landmark victory for the team. “We now have won games against more than half our conference teams, which is really important,” said sophomore Maddy Dunn. “Wooster was really important — we hadn’t beat them in eight years. We’re such a young team, our potential is finally starting to show. Hopefully next year, we can start beating some of the top-runners in our conference while we continue to build.”

The Yeowomen made some impressive moves against the Fighting Scots, as Tyburski continued to impress, racking up 15 kills in the win.

Antonsen added 10 kills, while Dunn completed a trio of Yeowomen in double digits with 11.

Dunn was the most efficient of the trio, hitting one third of her shots for kills.

Stanek noted the team’s competitive nature has helped it improve this year. “Last year, the team started to build again. We just began to have that competitive drive again and not be so passive about losing. That’s probably how we are growing the most — it’s not okay if we lose. We want to win, and we sure as hell will fight to do so.”

The Yeowomen will take that attitude into their next home match against the Olivet College Comets at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Fall Break Sports Round-up: Cross Country, Soccer, Volleyball, Field Hockey Rose Stoloff Sports Editor Cross Country: The men’s and women’s cross country teams hosted more than 30 teams at the annual InterRegional Rumble. Amid mud and rainstorms, and supported by Oberlin’s Taiko drummers, the men and women finished 13th out of 31 and fifth out of 34 respectively.

Sophomore Joshua Urso crosses the finish line at the Inter-Regional Rumble on Oct. 19. He finished 29th out of 288 runners in the men’s varsity 8k.

Simeon Deutsch

Men’s Soccer: Men’s soccer continued its impressive charge toward the playoffs, defeating the DePauw University Tigers 0–1. Despite a disappointing loss to Denison Univer-

sity, the Yeomen came back to tie with the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops last Saturday, unseating the Bishops from their number one seat in the country.

Women’s Soccer: Despite achieving less than satisfactory results, the Yeowomen worked hard over break and played three games against DePauw, The College of Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan.

Volleyball: The Yeowomen had two exciting victories over break. They began the week by defeating the Kenyon College Ladies

and ended it by hosting a tournament in which they defeated The College of Wooster Fighting Scots. First-year Hannah Tyburski was honored for her performance by being named the North Coast Athletic Conference’s player of the week.

Field Hockey: Field hockey began fall break with a bang by handily defeating Earlham College 1–4.

The Yeowomen kept busy playing four more games against DePauw, Bethany College, Wooster and Kenyon, though they were not able to achieve any more victories.

Sports The Oberlin Review

Page 16

November 1, 2013

— Men’s Soccer —

For Some, Fantasy Becomes Reality

Yeomen Advance to the NCAC Playoffs

Nate Levinson Sports Editor

Junior defender Josh Wilkerson traps the ball against the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops. The team tied 0–0 after a drawn-out match.

rip from 18 yards out.

The half closed with Allegheny inching its way back into the match when Paul Teufel managed to sneak the ball past senior goalkeeper Brandt Rentel. However, the Yeomen quashed any hope for the Gators when Ingham tucked away his second goal of the game in the last two minutes of play.

Ingham’s 15th goal of the season secures his position as the top goal

scorer in the conference as well as ties him at third place for the goal-scoring record at Oberlin College, untouched since 1977.

“It feels fantastic to be one of the best teams in the history of Oberlin,” said Ingham.

This is also a momentous season for Head Coach Blake New. This has See Lineups, page 15

— Women’s Volleyball —

Women’s Volleyball Stays Strong Over Break

See Fantasy, page 14

recent loss. With a victory against the Kenyon College Ladies, the Yeowomen snapped a four-game skid while improving their NCAC record to 4–3.

Overall the Yeowomen are now 10–16, just one win

shy of last year’s total.

At Kenyon, the Yeowomen won despite adverse circumstances.

“This big win happened on their home turf during their senior night, and we still beat them. It’s up

in the air who wins when it comes to Kenyon, and it depends on how we’re playing,” said Stanek. “We weren’t completely sure if we were going to win, but ended up coming out on top,” she added.

t this new t pu sp o a n

Junior Christine Antonsen spikes the ball against the Adrian College Bulldogs. The Yeowomen’s record is now 10–17 on the season.

Yvette Chen

the trash — r in e r p

e or compost ycl it ec

The Yeowomen volleyball team has been getting mixed results lately.

Most recently, the Yeowomen came up short to the Adrian College Bulldogs, falling 0–3. During that same week, however, the team managed to beat some major competitors, such as The College of Wooster and Kenyon College.

Against the Bulldogs, the Yeowomen lost 26–24, 25–19 and 25–19. Still, that defeat did feature some skilled Yeowomen play. First-year Hannah Tyburski kept up her aggressive offense with 13 kills, while junior Christine Antonsen chipped in with six. Sophomore Molly Powers registered 11 digs in the loss, and first-year Meredith Leung added nine digs and 30

assists.

“What [that loss] really was is that it was a long fall break, it was the fourth game of the week, and we were starting to fatigue. We lost our competitive drive in that moment, especially in the third set,” said sophomore Shavonne Stanek.

“Overall, I’m proud of the season we’ve had so far, especially what our freshman have brought to the table.”

Powers pointed out how Tyburski was just named North Coast Athletic Conference player of the week. “Hannah, as well as the rest of the freshmen, does a really good job giving us the competitive edge that we need. [The first-years] add so much to the team, on and off of the court.”

The team managed to have a good week in competition despite that

o

Sarah Kahl Staff Writer

ead! Please d

The men’s soccer team clinched its spot in the North Coast Athletic Conference playoffs after defeating the Allegheny College Gators in a 3–1 victory on Wednesday, Oct. 30. This is the first time since 2006 that the Yeomen have advanced this far in conference play.

The Yeomen are currently 13–2–3,

matching the wins of the 1988 squad with a 13–3–1 record.

The Yeomen set the pace within the first 15 minutes of play when sophomore John Ingham netted his 14th goal of the season off an assist from senior captain Joe Graybeal. Graybeal struck again when he combined with rookie first-year Adam Chazin-Gray, allowing Chazin-Gray to tally his third goal for the Yeomen this season with a

t ins

Tyler Sloan Staff Writer

Simeon Deutsch

Since its online inception in 1997, fantasy football has changed the way many fans watch NFL games. The virtual game has given meaning to games where there was none before. Fantasy football team owners can watch games of players they own in cyberspace with keen interest, even if the game is a blowout or the teams don’t interest them.

The Fantasy Sports Trade Association estimated that over 33 million people were playing fantasy sports in 2013, with the majority playing the football variety.

Mainly due to the NFL’s shorter season, fantasy football has caught on in a way that its baseball, basketball and other sport counterparts have not. Many fans have accepted the online game as an integral part of the NFL season, with fans following the players they draft as closely as the teams they root for.

Unfortunately, the impact of fantasy football hasn’t been all positive.

Recently, a number of highprofile players have spoken out against it, saying owners’ passions have gone too far.

In the midst of a lackluster 2013 season, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has been chastised by the people who drafted him for their fantasy teams. Early in the season, Rice took to Twitter to say that he was no longer a fan of fantasy football because of “spiteful and hateful” words he was receiving from fans.

Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans and Brandon Jacobs of the New York Giants have had similar issues.

Jacobs even received death threats after an injury kept him from taking the field for