The Oberlin Review Feb. 3, 2023

The Oberlin Review

Tyre Nichols

He was 29, a dad to a four-year-old son, and loved skateboarding and photography. May he rest in peace, and may justice be achieved in his memory.

City Prepares for Next Phase of Oberlin Crossing Shopping Center Development Following ALDI Opening

The grocery chain ALDI opened a new location just outside Oberlin City limits Jan. 19. The store, located at 14885 State Route 58, is the first development in the planned Oberlin Crossing shopping center. The 120,000-square-foot property is being developed by Carnegie Management and Development Corporation and will eventually host retail, restaurant, and office spaces.

Oberlin Business Partnership Director Janet Haar is excited about the opportunity for Oberlin to benefit from region-wide patronage of the ALDI. Before the Oberlin store opened, the closest ALDI was 6.5 miles north of town. With a closer option, Haar expects the new site to draw customers from Norwalk, Wakeman, Wellington, Grafton, and LaGrange.

“A positive way to look at the presence of ALDIs in Oberlin is that people who might not have visited Oberlin will visit ALDI because of ALDI’s name recognition and promotions,”

Two Electric Cars Added to City-College Fleet for Resident, Student Rental

Cal Ransom Alexa Stevens News Editors

The Office of Environmental Sustainability will be making two new electric vehicles available to students and community members on Monday. The City of Oberlin has offered two vehicles for use by City residents and College students since April 1, 2021. During the first year, 280 students and 59 residents used the electric vehicles.

Electric vehicles have been available at charging stations at the Oberlin City Hall parking lot downtown and the George A.Abram Memorial Pavilion in the southeast corner of the City.

According to OES Sustainable Materials Management Intern Naomi Friedman, the new vehicles will be available at charging stations in the Grey Gables parking lot northwest of the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies.

“My understanding is that the first two are purchased by the

City and the second two are purchased by the College, but they’re functioning as if they’re all through the same system,” Friedman said. “So there isn’t, as a user, a separation between the two.”

Friedman hopes that the vehicles will be used by both College students and City residents.

“I think the hope with having some more on campus is that it is more accessible for everyone so you don’t have to walk as far,” Friedman said.

Prior to the addition of the new vehicles, it was often difficult for some who hoped to rent cars to do so.

“I’ve noticed people that have been trying to rent them and they’ve been taken,” Friedman said. “So [the] more cars that they have, the more people that can use them at once, which is very useful. You can rent them ahead of time, but sometimes if it’s more last minute then it can be harder.”

However, availability of vehicles is not the only barrier

to use. Jules Lieberman, a second-year College student, said that they had considered using the electric vehicles, but they didn’t have a clean driving record and found the vehicles too expensive to use.

“I wish instead there were more public transportation available here,” Lieberman said. “I wish the College provided shuttles more regularly, and I wish they were free. If I used the electric vehicles, I definitely would have needed friends to augment the price somehow, by splitting through Venmo or something.”

Beyond cost and driving record, users also must have had their driver’s licenses for at least two years.

Although the vehicles may not be accessible to everyone, Friedman believes they offer a good solution to some.

Kushagra Kar Editor-in-Chief

Haar said. “Therefore, we can use social media and other platforms to invite people who visit ALDI to come downtown — only a short distance away — to visit our other stores and dine in our restaurants.”

Senior Director of Oberlin Shansi Ted Samuel has been shopping at ALDI for decades and, prior to the Oberlin location’s grand opening, carpooled to Amherst for his shopping. He is excited by the availability of avocados for $0.49, noting that this price point is much cheaper than other places nearby. As an Oberlin resident, he is glad for the convenient store location — but noted that people without cars may have difficulties getting there.

“I am lucky to have a car,” Samuel wrote in an email to the Review. “I feel for people who can’t get to the new ALDI because it’s fairly inaccessible by foot or bicycle.”

The City recognizes this inaccessibility concern and is currently working to develop a

solution. Last year, City Council allocated $717,566 to the Public Works Department to develop, design, and construct a means for residents to walk or bike to the shopping center. The project, “State Route 58 South — Active Transportation Improvements,” is currently in contract negotiations with Toole Design Group.

The contract would require the firm to navigate zoning laws — a matter that is complicated by much of the development existing outside City limits. It would also require that the firm find opportunities for grants to subsidize the development cost, research, propose, and design options for safe pedestrian and bicycle access — among various other tasks once the construction begins. Public Works Director Jeff Baumann expects the first phase, “Alternatives Analysis,” to begin in March and construction on the project to start in 2024.

“We don’t know that the best solution is to essentially just build a sidewalk on the east side of [State

“If you have a few little appointments outside of Oberlin, I think it’s a really great option versus having to have a friend always drive you,” Friedman said. CONSERVATORY

Oberlin Opera Theater

Excavates History in World Premiere of Alice Tierney

Men’s Basketball Ends 35-Year Drought Against Wooster | 16

Photo courtesy of NPR

A 17-year-old Tyre Nichols skates at a Sacramento park.

June 5,

College Reinstates Recycling, Composting in Dorms

Walter Thomas-Patterson

The Office of Environmental Sustainability is working to reintroduce a commingled recycling program for most buildings on campus. Slated for an official rollout at the end of February, the program will also introduce specific locations for glass waste and personal hygiene products, which must be kept separate from general recycling.

The planned rollout of the recycling program follows the addition of composting locations in Dascomb and Barrows Halls, which were introduced this past Wednesday. For students living off campus or in Village Housing, OES also plans to reintroduce a recycling partnership between Village Housing and the City of Oberlin.

Recycling in the City of Oberlin was initially paused in March of 2020 due to public health measures, and when it was reintroduced in November of that year, it was on an optin basis. The College did not opt in, and therefore only students living off-campus and in Village Housing could opt into the program.

Heather Adelman, director of the Office of Environmental Sustainability, explained in an

email to the Review that these new initiatives follow a broader plan set by the College, which calls for a significant reduction in waste by 2050.

“The Oberlin College Environmental Policy Implementation Plan, approved by the General Faculty in 2015, discusses a goal of zero waste by 2050,” Adelman wrote. “Zero waste is defined [in this plan] as ‘diverting at least 90 [percent] of materials from the landfill through reusing, recycling, and composting.’”

Contamination of recycled waste with non-recyclable material remains a concern for Adelman, who emphasized that students should remain cautious about when to use recycling.

“We are really focusing on quality over quantity,” Adelman wrote. “Contamination is a big deal, and if we have too much of it, we risk losing service and/ or paying large contamination fees. I like to say, ‘When in doubt, throw it out.’”

Specific indicators, including the chasing arrow symbol, do not necessarily mean that the item can be recycled.

“Only the following items will be recyclable in Oberlin’s relaunched recycling program: plastics #1 and #2 (and only those with necks and/or

handles, no clamshells), mixed paper, cardboard, and mixed food metal and aluminum cans.”

During the College’s previous time with recycling, Professor of Psychology and Environmental Studies Cindy Frantz described many people as engaging in what she called “aspirational recycling,” or disposing of waste in recycling that would normally go to trash. This trend led to the College frequently having to pay costly contamination fees.

“The plant would say, ‘This is way too contaminated,’ and charge us a fee, and the waste ended up going to the landfill,” Frantz said. “The point of contamination is a real problem; it has ecological, social, and personal costs. Contaminated waste can gum up machines at the recycling plant.”

According to double-degree second-year Sophie Griffith-Oh, who works as an intern with the Office of Environmental Sustainability, the reintroduction of recycling and expansion of composting will present challenges for students, who have grown accustomed to seeing trash and recycling bins as identical. During the more than two years with no on-campus recycling, Oberlin converted blue recycling bins into additional trash bins.

“It’s going to be hard bringing it back because so many people have gotten used to just throwing their trash in the recycling bins,” Griffith-Oh said. “Each person will have to cultivate a habit.”

For Conservatory third-year Ethan Pound, however, the College’s return to recycling has left mixed emotions.

“As somebody who doesn’t know enough, and coming from a system where we were taught the three R’s — everything about the environment feels hopeless,” Pound said. “I have less motivation for recycling specifically because, as a kid, recycling was pushed as ‘this will save the environment.’ I keep on seeing headlines about how we’re f**ked and things are gonna go to s**t in seven years. It’s hard not to feel cynical about it all.”

However, Frantz reiterated that the kinds of decisions one makes on a personal level can have a broader influence.

“I say this as a psychologist: One of the things that gives me hope is that human beings have an almost unlimited capacity to change incredibly rapidly, and there are all kinds of things that people said were completely impossible that have happened,” Frantz said.

ALDI Presents New Grocery Option for Community

Continued from page 1

Route 58] down to ALDI. That doesn’t get one to Walmart or any of the other businesses,” Baumann said. “Not all of the project area is in the City limits. Some of it’s in New Russia Township, and some of it’s in Pittsfield Township. So there are jurisdictional issues to address. There are also potentially drainage issues to address and the relationship of any kind of sidewalk or path to the existing utilities. … We don’t want to build something that’s right next to the road because the road might need to expand. And generally speaking, pedestrians and cyclists don’t feel as safe if they’re walking right by the road. So there are a lot of administrative, procedural, and technical issues to consider.”

While Haar feels positive about the new development, some residents are worried about its potential impacts on local businesses and traffic. In 2021, City resident Mark Chesler and Oberlin Citizens for Responsible Development filed suit against the City of Oberlin in the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas over the risk of increased traffic on State Route 58. The case is ongoing as of now, and there have been no updates since Aug. 22, 2022.

Walmart and IGA have served the Oberlin community for

years, but with a third option to consider, the Review decided to conduct a price comparison between the three grocers. We selected several household goods including fruits, vegetables, meat, grains, and dairy products, and compared prices by the pound or per unit using the cheapest or store-brand products from each vendor. By building a mock shopping cart of one pound or unit of every item, we found ALDI is overall the cheapest of the three at $40.85, followed by Walmart at $44.90, then IGA at $55.84.

An important consideration is that several ALDI fruits and vegetables were only available in pre-packaged bags of two or more pounds, and were adjusted for a per-pound cost in this calculation, whereas Walmart and IGA generally had more items for sale by the pound. ALDI and IGA offer more variety in dairy-alternative products and organic goods, while Walmart has the largest selection of third-party brands.

Fig.1 represents the items and costs used in this calculation. Residents looking for locallyowned and -operated businesses can also purchase produce from the Oberlin Food Hub and City Fresh in addition to local farms.

Building the ALDI was phase one of the Oberlin Crossing

shopping center development and Carnegie Management and Development hopes to commence phase two in 2024. With regard to the next phase, Carnegie Vice President Rustom R. Khouri III explained that the company is considering a variety of uses for the remainder of the site to accommodate several economic developments that have occurred over the last couple of years. Still, he is looking forward to potentially opening a bank branch or quick-service restaurant and moving forward with the plan to create more retail space.

Khouri also spoke about the

1

firm’s hopes and ideologies in developing the property. He explained that Carnegie has a decades-long commitment to the properties they develop, and believes they have a responsibility to create an environmentallyconscious space that serves the long-term needs of the Oberlin community. He further explained that the company employs inhouse individuals dedicated to the management and upkeep of the property.

Oberlin residents can expect more information on the Oberlin Crossing shopping center in the coming months.

February 3, 2023

Volume 152, Number 12 (ISSN 297–256)

Editors-in-Chief

Kushagra Kar

Emma Benardete

Managing Editor

Nikki Keating

News Editors

Alexa Stevens

Cal Ransom

Opinions Editors

Emily Vaughan

Hanna Alwine

Arts & Culture Editors

Dlisah Lapidus

Juliana Gaspar

Sports Editors

John Elrod

Kayla Kim

Conservatory Editor

Delaney Fox

Photo Editors

Abe Frato

Erin Koo

This Week Editor

Eloise Rich

Senior Staff Writers

Ava Miller

Chris Stoneman

Celia Perks

Gracie McFalls

Maeve Woltring

Web Manager

Nada Aggadi

Production Manager

Lia Fawley

Production Editors

Addie Breen

E.J. LaFave

Gideon Reed

Isaac Imas

Jasper Swartz

Serena Atkinson

Sumner Wallace

Trevor Smith

Layout Editors

Erin Koo

Grace Gao

Katie Rasmussen

Molly Chapin

Illustrator

Molly Chapin

Distributors

Leah Potoff

Nondini Nagarwalla

Neva Taylor

Will Young

Correction: The Oberlin Review published an article titled “Title IX Legislation Has Protected Student Access to Education for 50 Years” in its issue on, Dec. 9, 2022 (Vol. 152 No. 11). The article included a quote from a document published by the Athletics Department implying that before 1972, the practice times for the Oberlin women’s basketball team were cut short; this was not the case. The Review regrets this error.

Published by the students of Oberlin College every Friday during the fall and spring semesters, except holidays and examination periods. For advertising rates, please contact edsinchief@ oberlinreview.org.

Second-class postage paid at Oberlin, Ohio. Entered as second-class matter at the Oberlin, Ohio post office April 2, 1911.

Office of Publication: Burton Basement, Oberlin, Ohio 44074. Phone: (440) 775-8123

POSTMASTER SEND CHANGES TO: Wilder Box 90, Oberlin, Ohio 44074-1081.

To submit a correction, email managingeditor@ oberlinreview.org

Photos courtesy of the Oberlin

Figure

David Fausnaugh

Newly Appointed Oberlin Public Library Director

Ava Miller Senior Staff Writer

Earlier this month, David Fausnaugh was hired to serve as the Oberlin Public Library’s new director. He chose to relocate to Oberlin for a variety of reasons, including proximity to family and appreciation for the City’s espoused values.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did your early experiences with reading and libraries influence your current career?

I grew up in Fremont, OH, and remember walking up the stairs at Birchard Public Library. It was an older library, and it felt like you could get lost in it. I really liked that feeling as a kid. Libraries are places where you can go visit the collection and dive into a new topic. There’s an excitement level that comes with finding new stories — that’s why I work in the library field. I started at the Bexley Library when I was still an undergrad at Capital University as a page, shelving books. I really like the environment of a library. I was offered a full-time position there and I accepted it. I eventually decided that I wanted to make libraries my career, so I went to graduate school while working full-time at Bexley. I

David Fausnaugh

graduated from Kent University with my master’s in library and information sciences. I worked my way up at Bexley and became the director of library support services. I was in that position for a couple of years. Then, I took an opportunity to become a director at Pickaway County Library in 2016. I was there for six years.

What projects have you worked on in previous roles?

At the Pickaway County Library, I helped launch a local syndicate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. It is a book-

gifting program where children receive one free book in the mail every month until their fifth birthday. There are resources for parents, and the program is a great way to build kindergarten readiness. We reached the top five in terms of enrollment percentage out of all of the counties in Ohio. Additionally, the library expanded its hours and implemented nontraditional collections like board games and puzzles. We put in a drivein window at the main library. My time at Pickaway was really rewarding.

Why did you decide to apply for this role?

I wasn’t looking for a new job, but Oberlin has a reputation as a community with values that I appreciate. The community cares about cultural experiences and education being inviting to everyone, and those are things that tie directly into the library world. It is closer to family. So, it seemed like a really good opportunity for me. I decided to apply and was lucky enough to be accepted. It felt like a good fit. The library is really valued by the community. There’s a passion this

community has for being inviting to everyone.

There was friction between the library board and Darren McDonough, former OPL director, over The Bridge, a community technology center nearby. How do you plan to address this issue?

This is the second time I have come into a community as a new director. The most important thing I can do is listen. I want to take the next three to six months to get information and observe. Having a new director is hope for a restart and a clean slate for things. I look forward to getting to know Stephanie [Jones, director] at The Bridge better and learning about the resources they have there. Any successful organization reevaluates what they are doing.

In your first few weeks in Oberlin, what do you hope to learn?

I’m going to be learning about the community for a lot longer than my first few weeks. It’s going to be a long process and a fun process. Over the past three weeks, everyone has been incredibly welcoming: staff, board members, community members. Everyone I meet seems genuinely happy to invite me into Oberlin, and I appreciate that so much.

Student Mail Delivered to Electronic Lockers Amid Renovations

Celia Perks Senior Staff Writer

As part of the ongoing renovations in Wilder Hall, the student mailroom package distribution system now includes a set of electronic lockers from which students can retrieve and sign for packages without staff assistance. The system allows students to collect their packages at any time during Wilder Hall’s hours of operation. The lockers pop open automatically when a code is entered to allow students to collect their packages.

Earlier today, the College announced its decision to permanently eliminate OCMRs. As a result, some mail formerly distributed via OCMR will now be dispensed through the locker system, while paper checks can be claimed at the mailroom window.

According to a press release published by the Office of Communications, the system went live Jan. 17, 2023 during Winter Term but, as of now, it services only letters and small packages. Due to the current size restriction on the lockers, larger parcels must be picked up at the mailroom window.

Because this system will run six days a week and permit students to pick up their packages electronically, many students have been excited about the opening.

“While I believe there is nothing wrong with the old mailroom, I hope that the electronic lockers will allow me to pick up packages based on my busy schedule,” College first-year Shea Cheney said. College first-year Walker Johnson, however, is hesitant to embrace the new system.

“I was originally excited by this new installation that will make student life easier, but I am not sure how I will pick up my mail that is in the lockers,” Johnson

said.

Aside from the mailroom, the ongoing Wilder Hall renovations will include construction of a green room, an additional stair tower, and new offices that are more accessible to students.

While the in-progress renovation aims to improve student life, it has limited the current accessibility of Wilder Hall, which serves as the campus’s student union. During the current phase of construction, renovations have closed the previous mailroom entrance, limited the new space to collect packages, and blocked a student exit in the basement that leads to Wilder Bowl, Mudd Center and King Building.

According to Associate Dean of Students Thom Julian, the renovations will transform Wilder Hall into the type of student union that the Oberlin College administration envisions.

“Wilder is such a historical building that has functioned as a student center, but I don’t think it’s meeting the current state of the arts that we would like it to bring,” Julian said.

Director of Capital Improvements and Deputy Chief Facilities Officer Joe Comar and Business Manager Kris Weber worked to oversee the Wilder Hall renovation process.

“The Facility Planning and Construction and Facilities Business office serve as the bridge between the teams doing the actual construction work and the campus community affected by the renovation work in Wilder Hall,” Comar and Weber wrote in an email to the Review. “Thus far, in addition to design and construction management, a large focus has been placed on implementing the mailroom modifications and relocation of offices in preparation for construction.”

Security Report

Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023

Campus Safety Officers and members of the Oberlin Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at a Goldsmith Village Housing Unit.

Officers and members of the Oberlin Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at a Union Street Housing Unit.

Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023

Staff at Philips gym reported items stolen from their office.

Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023

Officers responded to East Hall to check on a student who was not feeling well.

Monday, Jan. 30, 2023

A student reported their unlocked bicycle had been stolen from the bike rack on the east side of Wilder Hall.

Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023

Staff reported the theft of numerous items from their office in Philips gym.

Officers and Oberlin Fire Department members responded to a fire alarm at East Hall on the second floor.

Photo courtesy of Jason Hawk

Photo by Erin Koo, Photo Editor

Small packages and mail delievered to the student mailroom can be picked up via the new electronic locker system.

Starting this week, the Review is launching a series where it collects and publishes brief overviews of significant world news events. For more information about any of these topics and to visit the sources used, readers can click the hyperlinks in the online edition of this piece published on oberlinreview.org.

Russia Claims Territories Across East Ukraine, President Zelenskyy Calls for International Intervention

According to an article published by Al Jazeera, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russian forces have begun their “big revenge.” Following months of relative stalemate, Russia recently claimed a series of victories across the Ukrainian East.

“Every day they either bring in more of their regular troops, or we see an increase in the number of Wagnerites,” Zelenskyy told Ukrainian reporters.

M23 Troops Claim Kitshanga in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

After a failed November agreement for M23 forces to withdraw from seized areas in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, rebels took control of Kitshanga after

the Jan. 15 deadline to withdraw.

According to an article from Al Jazeera, Lawrence Kanyuka, political spokesperson for the group, accused government troops of killing civilians and claimed that the Tutsi-led group was “prevent[ing] a genocide.”

Civilians were seen fleeing from the area after M23 took control.

Israeli Forces Attempted Drone Strike Upon Isfahan, Iran

According to an article published by BBC News, American intelligence agents claim that Israel was responsible for a minor drone strike on a “workshop” in Isfahan, Iran. Israel has admitted to drone strikes against Iranian targets in the past, claiming they were an attempt to stop the flow of weapons to militants in Lebanon. This latest attack comes as Iran faces criticism for producing weapons used by Russia in drone strikes against

Oberlin Forms NSLS Chapter, Nominates Students

Ukraine. Israel claims that the attack was not related to Iran’s relationship with Russia. Iran claims that the attack was an attempt to “destabilize” Iran as the regime faces ongoing civilian resistance.

2022 Became Deadliest Year on Record for U.S. Police Violence

According to an article published by The Guardian, U.S. law enforcement officers killed at least 1,176 individuals in 2022. This is the highest number of annual police killings since journalists and racial justice advocates first began tracking this statistic in 2013. This year’s statistic marks a 24-person increase from 2020, which had previously been the deadliest year on record for police violence. According to the “2022 Police Violence Report” published by Mapping Police Violence, Inc., officers faced criminal charges in only nine of the 1,176 killings last year.

OberlinKids to Create Playspace in Prospect Building Classroom

Cal Ransom News Editor

OberlinKids, a newly-established nonprofit collaborative that supports early childhood education for Oberlin residents, is opening a community playspace in a classroom in the Prospect Building this spring.

The classroom is intended as a space for young children and their caregivers to engage in play with other families. Director of OberlinKids Jenn Keathley says the space will be a place for children and their families to build relationships and socialize.

Unlike a daycare, parents are expected to stay with their children while they are in the playspace. A certified supervisor will be present, but they will be there to provide guidance, not solely supervision. Keathley hopes that families will be able to use the toys as tools to connect with each other and build important skills in the space.

“Be the customer in the restaurant,” Keathley said. “I have paper and pencils in all the different areas to encourage kids in the kitchen area to make their own menus, or in the building area, to draw blueprints for the building.”

A grant from the Nord Family Foundation provided $28,000 toward toys, furniture, and supplies for the classroom. The toys include some messier sensory options, like Orbeez, which parents might not want in the home. There are also craft supplies including tape, scissors, and paper, for children to hone their fine motor skills. Dolls and stuffed animals live together in a corner of the room, and scribbles on the whiteboard are bracketed by colorful letter magnets.

Keathley is also inviting caregivers to fill out a survey on what programming for adults they would like to see.

Alexa Stevens News Editor

In January of this year, the College launched its chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success. NSLS worked with the College to nominate students for membership, and nominated students can choose to become a member for a fee of $95. Per the Oberlin College chapter page on the NSLS website, there are currently 76 chapter members.

Students can also selfnominate to join the program. Once nominated, students must complete the Steps to Induction, which take nine to 10 hours, per the “The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS) at Oberlin College” page on the College’s website.

NSLS Regional Director of Program Development Hannah Stoneburner worked with College administration to establish the partnership between the NSLS and the College.

“The NSLS works with each school to determine specific nomination criteria for their students,” Stoneburner wrote in an email to the Review. “This criteria is usually a combination of academic standing, class year, and/or special populations, such as first-gen college students or alumni.”

This partnership came about as a result of a longstanding goal of the Office of Student Life to build a partnership with a national honor society for leadership.

“I had originally met with Thom Julian, Assistant Dean of Students, and shared information about our program,” Stoneburner wrote. “[Julian] shared that a search was underway for a new Director of Student Leadership. When Jess Gorgas entered that role, I connected with her. [Gorgas] reviewed the program and decided to form a partnership with the NSLS.”

Director of Student Leadership

Jess Gorgas, who entered the role in August of last year, worked to consider a number of honors societies before selecting NSLS.

“I joined conversations with an NSLS representative, who introduced me to the NSLS program,” Gorgas wrote in an email to the Review. “Ultimately, our decision to create a chapter of the NSLS here was due in large part to the combination of honor society benefits

with leadership development opportunities.”

Gorgas expressed that there are a number of programs and opportunities accessible to members.

“First of all, they will join a cohort of fellow Oberlin students on the steps to induction, which is a foundational leadership program encouraging students to set and accomplish their leadership goals,” Gorgas wrote. “Membership also includes access to exclusive scholarships and awards offered by the NSLS every semester, an online job bank, networking opportunities with other chapters, and educational talks from prominent leaders around the world.”

Through this partnership, the College’s chapter became one of 748 nationwide. With 1,771,164 members total, NSLS boasts a “life-changing leadership program that helps students achieve personal growth, career success, and empowers them to have a positive impact in their communities,” per the “About” page on its website.

While the NSLS “Accreditation” page states that the organization is the “only accredited leadership honor society in the nation,” it is not accredited by the Association of College Honor Societies, which requires that the societies it accredits are non-profit organizations.

A for-profit organization, the NSLS charges members at least $95 to join — though opting into receiving various programs and merchandise can increase this cost. In the last three years, the NSLS has received 13 publiclyavailable complaints via its business page on the Better Business Bureau website, many of which allege issues receiving refunds for this fee or lack of access to promised goods and services.

According to Gorgas, though, this induction fee allows students to access a variety of benefits.

“The fee itself covers a membership welcome kit, including a t-shirt and other NSLS materials and all the other membership benefits for students including scholarships, job boards, and the leadership development programming hosted by their chapter,” Gorgas wrote.

Gorgas also stipulated that nominated students can request financial assistance to cover this fee through her office.

Photo by Abe Frato, Photo Editor

The Office of Student Leadership and Involvement worked to create an Oberlin chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Photos by Abe Frato, Photo Editor The classroom features toys, crafting supplies, and other activities for visitors.

OPINIONS

Editorial Board Tests ChatGPT Capabilities

Editors’ Note: The following responses were created by OpenAI’s ChatGPT in connection to this week’s editorial. They appear exactly as they were generated and have not been edited according to the Review’s standard production process.

How should we ensure the survival of historic downtowns in the new age of online shopping?

Ensuring the survival of historic downtowns in the face of online shopping requires a multi-faceted approach. One strategy is to promote the unique charm and character of these areas by highlighting their history, architecture, and cultural significance. Another approach is to adapt to changing consumer demands by offering a mix of traditional retail stores and modern experiences such as e-commerce pickup locations, co-working spaces, and local food and entertainment options. Additionally, it is important to foster a sense of community and place through events, public spaces, and community-led initiatives. By embracing new technologies while preserving the traditional qualities that make downtowns special, we can ensure their continued relevance and vitality in the digital age.

What should corporations do about global warming?

Corporations have a significant role to play in addressing global warming. They should adopt sustainable business practices such as reducing carbon emissions, conserving energy and water, and investing in renewable energy sources. They can also advocate for government policies that address climate change and collaborate with other companies and organizations to drive change. Additionally, corporations can educate consumers on the importance of sustainability and encourage them to make environmentally conscious choices. By taking these steps, corporations can not only help mitigate the effects of global warming but also create a better future for all.

What is the individual responsibility in ensuring effective union practices?

Individual responsibility plays a critical role in ensuring effective union practices. Union members must stay informed about union activities, attend meetings, and participate in decision-making processes. They should also provide feedback and raise concerns when necessary to help ensure the union is operating in their best interests. Additionally, individuals must uphold their end of the bargain by following the agreements made between the union and their employer, such as paying union dues and participating in collective bargaining. By being active and engaged members, individuals can help build a strong union that effectively advocates for their rights and works towards improving their working conditions.

What makes Oberlin College special?

Oberlin College is a special institution for several reasons. Firstly, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States and is known for its commitment to academic excellence and rigorous curriculum. Secondly, Oberlin is a leader in sustainability and environmentalism, offering innovative programs and initiatives that promote a healthy and sustainable future. Additionally, the college has a rich cultural history and is renowned for its diverse and inclusive community, attracting students from all over the world and fostering a supportive and inclusive environment. With its blend of academic rigor, environmental stewardship, and cultural diversity, Oberlin College offers a unique and special educational experience.

Write a break-up text.

Dear [Name], I hope this message finds you well. I’ve been thinking a lot lately and have come to the realization that our relationship is no longer working for me. I care deeply for you and cherish the memories we’ve made together, but I feel it’s best for us to go our separate ways. This decision is not a reflection of you or your character, but rather a decision made for my own personal growth and well-being. I wish you all the best and hope that we can both find happiness in the future. Take care.

SUBMISSIONS POLICY

The Editorial Board encourgages anyone interested in submitting an Opinions piece to email the Opinions Editors at opinions@oberlinreview.org to request a copy of the Opinions primer. Opinions expressed in editorials, letters, op-eds, columns, cartoons, and other Opinions pieces do not necessarily reflect those of The Oberlin Review staff. Submission of content to the Review constitutes an understanding of this publication policy. Any content published by The Oberlin Review forever becomes the property of The Oberlin Review and its administrators. Content creators retain rights to their content upon publication, but the Review reserves the right to republish and/or refuse to alter or remove any content published by the Review. It is up to the Editors-in-Chief discretion whether to alter content that has already been published. The Oberlin Review appreciates and welcomes letters to the editors and op-ed submissions. All submissions are printed at the discretion of the Editors-in-Chief. All submissions must be received by Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the Opinions email for inclusion in that week’s issue. Full-length pieces should be between 800 and 900 words; letters to the editor should be less than 600 words. All submissions must include contact information, with full names and any relevant titles, for all signatories; we do not publish pieces anonymously. All letters from multiple writers should be carbon-copied to all signatories to confirm authorship. The Review reserves the right to edit all submissions for clarity, length, grammar, accuracy, and strength of argument, and in consultation with Review style. Editors work to preserve the voice of the writers and will clear any major edits with authors prior to publication. Headlines are printed at the discretion of the Editorial Board. The Review will not print advertisements on its Opinions pages. The Review defines an advertisement as any submission that has the main intent of bringing direct monetary gain to a contributor or otherwise promoting an event, organization, or other entity to which the author has direct ties.

EDITORIAL

Advancement of AI Can Complement, Compete with Human Creativity

ChatGPT by OpenAI, a chatbot that replicates human conversation based on a given prompt, is a game changer for creators everywhere. The currently free-to-use program employs artificial intelligence to locate and composite relevant information to produce written responses to most prompts users can imagine. While ChatGPT was trained on a wide variety of internet-sourced material, the technology does not have access to the internet and cannot retrieve external information. However, if you ask ChatGPT to edit your cover letter, research a topic for class, or compose a sonnet in the style of Wordsworth on the most outlandish topic, it will deliver.

The technology’s seemingly limitless capabilities have sparked intellectual excitement with a healthy dose of apprehension. The world is enraptured by its potential practical applications. Access to this kind of free tool is of particular interest to notoriously broke college students. We can use it in classrooms, future work environments, or for creative hobbies. With this in mind, how will we choose to use ChatGPT? There is, of course, the adage of “just because we can, doesn’t mean we should,” but that hasn’t halted technological advancement in the past. Technology has always been developed to make tasks more efficient and streamlined. This technology has also always been met with fear and anxiety. The takeover of robots and artificial intelligence, the obsolescence of humanity, and the death of originality are all common fears expressed in our media and society. Throughout history, technologies now commonly accepted as harmless were at the root of widespread criticism. The transition

from manuscripts to bound and printed books in the late Middle Ages was a source of anxiety for people who feared a loss of human touch. ChatGPT is a tool just like any other and maybe with a similar cost.

From a human perspective, one must consider the potential AI has to exert control over our lives. Many AI systems have documented biases — for instance, the U.S. Department of Commerce found that facial recognition AI can misidentify people of color. Human beings choose the data that AIs are trained on, which means human bias is built into the foundation of the program. If a developer with a lesser emphasis on diversity were to create a popular AI system, the software could perpetuate our society's unconscious biases. A computer algorithm in Broward County identified African-American defendants as “high risk” twice as many times as it did white defendants. If AI is supposed to reshape how we conduct our lives, we have to ask if it can do so in a completely impartial way.

For academic institutions, the existence of ChatGPT presents a different set of problems. Higher education institutions — Oberlin included — often mandate student adherence to an honor code, which stipulates that all submitted content must be the student’s original work. Using an AI for class submissions would constitute a serious breach of academic policy but can be more difficult to catch than other methods of cheating. However, the uses of the application are more varied than simple plagiarism. Would it be inherently problematic to use ChatGPT to create a crash course ahead of a chemistry exam or to conduct a wide survey of a spe-

cific historical topic? To reject the legitimacy of this application outright in an academic setting, without exploring its potential positive applications, would constitute a dangerously reactionary rejection of the new and different.

With opportunity comes a cost, and ChatGPT is no different. The software can hyper-efficiently research and write content — significantly faster than a human ever could. Entry-level positions such as paralegals, copywriters, and social media associates may be rendered obsolete by the efficiency of ChatGPT. Despite this possibility, we must recognize that even as occupations disappear in the wake of new technological advancements, more will always emerge in their place.

In its current form, ChatGPT cannot generate new information or ideas, and the implicit context of a prompt is largely irrelevant to it, so humans are still needed to feed it the right information so it can best complete the task at hand. Human use also risks human misuse, but thankfully, in its current form, ChatGPT has certain embedded safety features: It refuses to answer questions that would help you do something illegal, generate hate or otherwise offensive speech, or generate content it deems as intended to be misleading.

As with all new technology, the question is not only what ChatGPT is now but what it may become in the future. As with all technology, the evolution of AI is inevitable, and we cannot and should not try to stop it. Instead, let’s try to talk about how to use it, consider how to complicate its applications, and understand how advancing artificial intelligence can compete with and complement human creativity.

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

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Contract Grading Democratizes Writing

I recently saw an opinion in the Review (“Contract Grading Detrimental to Oberlin Academics, Student Success,” The Oberlin Review, Dec. 9, 2022) that critiqued the use of contract grading in certain courses. Having had the opportunity to take "Re-envisioning Writing: Connection, Negotiation, and Empowerment" under the contract grading system, I feel compelled to voice my opinion on what exactly contract grading is and what it brings to the table.

To start with, contract grading is not an easy ‘B’ or above. It’s not a means to reward minimal effort with a passing grade. Professor of Writing and Communications Laurie McMillin’s contract reads, “[To get a] B+ you need to have 0–3 absences, no missed or ignored assignments, [and] all assignments completed fully and appropriately according to stated assignment guidelines.” The contract makes it explicitly clear that not only must students complete assignments on time, but submitted work must also meet certain

standards. In many respects, it is comparable to a standard grading system, which also rewards appropriate completion of work.

The main philosophy behind the contract grading system is to allow students to unlock creative potential in their work. In the standard letter grading system, with the fear of a negative grade on one assignment having an adverse impact on the overall course grade, students often opt for simpler, more straightforward ways to complete their assignments. They may be hesitant to explore a new topic or write using unconventional styles, anticipating a negative response from their instructor if they choose to do so. That’s where the beauty of contract grading lies: it lowers the stakes on assignments just enough so that creative expression isn’t stifled. The contract aims to allow students to take risks with assignments and go beyond what the conventional path dictates. Therefore, it is a means of democratizing writing — by re-

ducing the stigma and repercussions of not conforming to typical approaches to an assignment, contract-graded classes promote more inclusive styles and encourage the flow of creative thoughts. Sometimes risks don’t pay off, and that’s okay — the contract offers some protection in those situations. For example, in ‘Re-envisioning Writing,’ Professor McMillin allows students to redo assignments and resubmit within 48 hours if they do not meet a required standard. Furthermore, students get multiple opportunities to receive feedback on their work — from peer-reviews, course writing associate, or the professor — to push their writing to a higher standard. The contract is unequivocal. It rewards hard work but not at the expense of creativity. It’s a testament to the idea that there is no "correct" way of doing an assignment and that each approach will have its merits and demerits while allowing you the freedom to choose how you

College Should Pay Student Workers Higher Wages

Arrival of Aldi has Opportunity, Drawbacks

Hanna Alwine Opinions Editor

A new semester has started at Oberlin College and with it has arrived a new addition to theOberlin community. ALDI — with its strange deposit-based shopping carts and bulk produce — has set up shop right across the road from the Walmart in Oberlin. But does Oberlin need another big-box store?

The trend of big-box stores worming their way into small towns has made it increasingly difficult for local businesses to stay afloat. Their tendency toward mass production and outsourcing labor to other countries allows them to keep their prices and wages low. General merchandise big-box stores are particularly detrimental to small businesses because they carry such a wide variety of products, whereas small businesses, such as hardware stores, bakeries, and stationery suppliers, generally serve a more niche clientele. To the stereotypically overworked and underpaid American, bigbox stores have become an accepted and necessary evil, despite their reputation for lower-quality products and poor labor practices.

Cecily Miles

Columnist

Oberlin College asserts on its website that it has a “commitment to inclusion and academic excellence,” of which its financial aid policies are supposedly a reflection. These policies include student loans and money earned through student employment, in addition to grants. They are intended to make Oberlin more financially accessible by allowing students who are unable to meet Oberlin’s sky-high tuition cost or are otherwise in need of financial support to attend the College. Yet while the College markets its financial aid and other employment opportunities as the realization of its commitment to its students, inclusive ideals, and promises to meet “100 percent of demonstrated need for every student,” the low wages paid to student workers contradict that mission.

A quick scan of the current job postings on the student employment website reveals that most offerings hover either at minimum wage or slightly above it — presumably, the many that are listed at or below $10 an hour have not been updated to account for the recent statewide raise to $10.10. Many jobs, as noted previously by the Review, have high standards for applicant consideration and require either highly skilled or highly difficult labor despite their menial wages, perhaps giving insight into why they remain unfilled. The lofty required qualifications support arguments for greater employee compensation.

Regardless of what these jobs entail, an argument can still be made for better pay. Coupled with the rising costs of tuition and student expenses and the limited hours students can afford to work given their course schedules, the pay earned for the part-time hours students work is insufficient. It is reasonable to expect that such an outwardly progressive employer as Oberlin College would subscribe to the higher baseline standard that all are deserving of liveable compensation for their labor. The excessive work hours that many students must take on to compensate for their low hourly wages interfere with their academic lives and success, which

directly contradicts the standard of academic excellence that Oberlin promotes. By creating such a barrier for these student workers, the College heightens the disparity between them and their higher-income peers who don’t need to work, even as its employment policies purportedly facilitate inclusivity on campus.

There is an obvious fix for this, and the effect of Ohio’s latest minimum wage raise on student workers offers a case study for the College to raise its pay further. Past Review coverage of the raise found, in interviews with two students, that it was either insignificant or allowed for the possibility of fewer hours for the same fiscal result. In order to be universally and significantly impactful, a pay hike would need to be far greater than just 80 cents.

I will concede that this policy is not without complications. The extra wages will have to come from somewhere, and past measures by the College to account for wage increases have had adverse effects. Already, the Student Finance Committee, an organization that manages payment for select student positions from the Student Activities Fund, has instituted a freeze in creating new paid positions for student organizations for this semester.

Maintaining currently offered student positions and raising their pay will require a shift in the College’s budget to expand the allocation for student employment. This expansion will, ideally, encompass the pay for those positions that are no longer affordable to the Student Finance Committee. It should not come from fees charged to students, the very cost of which their employment is intended to offset. It will require the detraction of funds from other budgetary areas, some of which are surely overblown given the College’s enduringly large endowment and the comparatively negligible portion of it devoted to students’ — and faculty and staff — wages. Whatever sacrifice such a shift might entail is an opportunity to reflect the College’s expressed prioritization of its students’ well being. A true commitment requires going above the bare minimum.

claimed progressives, they are the first to denounce Walmart’s casual exploitation of workers and reputation for cheaply made products. Despite Walmart’s poor consumer reception – in a 2021 survey conducted through the American Customer Satisfaction Index, customers ranked it dead last – Oberlin students continue to shop there because of its cheap and accessible goods. ALDI, on the other hand, provides a seemingly ethical alternative. It exists as a wholesome, wholesale food retailer with reasonable prices and fresh food. It secured the number one spot in Greenpeace’s 2019 ranking of supermarkets based on their plastic reduction efforts, and the number two spot in 2021. It boasts produce sourced from local farmers and livable wages for both suppliers and employees.

and larger corporations that fill the same niche working together against ‘bigger evils.’ This relationship can be seen in local bookstores’ relationship with Barnes & Noble. Barnes & Noble was originally regarded by small bookstores and their patrons as the corporate enemy. However, as Amazon and other online retailers have risen to prominence within recent years, this antagonistic relationship has changed into something more akin to allyship. Barnes & Noble’s near-bankruptcy just a couple years ago was seen as indication of brick-and-mortar booksellers’ inevitable decline. Its resurgence after the pandemic has been a symbol of hope for local bookstores, which would’ve once seen Barnes & Noble’s success as detrimental to their own.

The practice of big-box stores entering small towns and driving out local businesses is a recognizable phenomenon, one so common that we have seen it become its very own rom-com genre. The plot is typically anti-corporation despite the majority of these movies being produced by Hallmark — once a greeting card company that has since expanded its multimillion-dollar enterprise into more and more markets. The existence of this media trope points to an interesting yet enduring American behavior — our readiness to condemn corporations and the corporate world as a whole while continuing to support them in our everyday lives. Walmart fills such a role in Oberlin students’ lives. Self-pro -

Despite this, ALDI is still a bigbox store. Its very existence represents the dissolution of other community-owned businesses, if not in Oberlin, then in other cities around the country and around the globe. However, it is not a general merchandise store, but a supermarket. It specializes in goods within a specific range. Unlike Walmart, it doesn’t cater to every market — hardware, books, consumer electronics, grocery, home goods. When an ALDI moves into an area, it doesn’t compete with every small business in town, only local food retailers.

Aside from the IGA, which is a part of a larger organization, there are few local food suppliers in Oberlin for ALDI to challenge.

In fact, ALDI fills a very specific need in the Oberlin community: fresh produce. Except for Stevenson Dining Hall’s brown bananas and Azariah’s Café’s sweaty fruit cups, there are few places on campus or in town where fresh produce is readily and reliably available. Which begs the question — does an ALDI in Oberlin really cause any harm?

In recent years, there has been an uptick in small businesses

EDITORIAL COMIC

Molly Chapin Staff Illustrator

ALDI’s presence in Oberlin may function in a similar way — it might be an unexpected ally of the Oberlin small business. Previously, Walmart served as a one-stop shop for everything a college student might need. Oberlin students’ Walmart food runs place them in close proximity to other supplies they might need – pens and notebooks and clothes and snacks that they might otherwise buy at Ben Franklin or Ginko’s Gallery or Ratsy’s. If instead, students go to ALDI for their produce, where they don’t have such easy access to these other products, they may be more likely to shop at Oberlin local businesses.

Small businesses are having a harder time meeting the growing demand for a larger variety of products at lower prices. The existence of specialty big-box stores may be their saving grace. Rather than working against one another, these two types of businesses can work together to prevent the monopolizing effect of Walmarts and Amazons. Whether Oberlin’s new ALDI will funnel business away from Walmart and towards Oberlin small businesses remains to be seen.

The Student Finance Committee oversees the allocation of the Student Activity Fund to campus organizations.

Photo by Erin Koo, Photo Editor

want to do things.

Moreover, contract grading aims to reduce the anxiety associated with overall course grades.

At any point in the course, students can use the guidelines in the contract to ascertain their performance in the course without having to reach out to their instructor or wait until final grades are released, at which point there is no opportunity for corrective action.

The previous article argued that contract grading inflates grades and underprepares students for the workplace. Contract grading is not a free-for-all distribution of ‘good’ grades, but rather an alternative approach to grading. It rewards hard work and penalizes lack of effort as much as any other grading system. Secondly, creativity is a valuable skill in the professional world; having the ability to give a fresh perspective to an issue or a problem is the driving force of innovation, which defines business. As such, contract grading does aim to better align course goals with the expectations of the workplace.

I was really disheartened when I read the piece in the Review that discussed contract grading in a negative light, and I hope that I shed some light on the topic. I see contract grading as an evolution of the standard grading system that aims to free students from conventional ways of approaching an assignment. When implemented correctly, it creates a less stressful environment for students and allows them to flex their rhetorical and creative capabilities. I expect some courses might have to be reorganized to better incorporate contract grading, but it is certainly worthwhile to do so.

Sampad Ghosh

Students Question Hazing on Campus in Advance of New Anti-Hazing Training

Nikki Keating Managing Editor

The Ohio state legislature passed the Anti-Hazing Act in October 2021. In accordance with that act, it is now mandatory for Ohio institutions to hold anti-hazing training.

“Each institution shall provide students with an educational program on hazing, which shall include information regarding hazing awareness, prevention, intervention, and the institution’s policy developed under division,” the act reads.

Hazing is any activity expected of someone joining or maintaining full status in a group that humiliates, degrades, or risks emotional or physical harm, regardless of the person’s willingness to participate.

In order to comply with the new law, the College has implemented mandatory hazing training for all students. This training will be conducted online during the spring semester. In response to this, the Review did a poll on its Instagram asking if students believed there was hazing at Oberlin College and Conservatory. 140 students voted no and only 29 said yes. In response to that, I talked to students across campus about their thoughts on hazing. Many reported that they haven’t experienced hazing, and some didn’t understand how the concept applied to the College. While puzzling, this strikes me as completely normal for Oberlin students because, while we can’t completely negate hazing, it could be a lot worse.

When we think of hazing, we think of students being harassed and bullied to a gruesome degree. We think of fraternity and

Accessible Language Software

Sahil Novetzke Columnist

It may seem irrelevant, but online language-learning softwares have begun to take over, with user statistics increasing rapidly. Cision PR Newswire suggests the industry will grow to $10.5 billion by 2025. It’s become clear: People are done with in-person language courses.

Online softwares offer several benefits, most notably that they are incredibly cheap. Most of the highest-rated softwares offer yearly subscriptions between $80 and $120. In 2022, the cost of a single college credit was approximately $367 on average. Of course, this number can be adjusted according to whether a college is public or private. This places the average cost of a language credit at a public four-year college at $110 on average. At a private four-year college, the average price increases to $625. In addition, online courses operate yearly, and can be completed whenever the student feels like it. College courses occur at a set time, and the learning is not selfpaced.

Additionally, online softwares can offer a more immediate, foundational basis for a language, as most college-level courses incorporate grammar, spelling, reading, and writing, as well as basic vocabulary learning at the same time. For traveling, online courses can provide quick and easy vocabulary. Online softwares also offer a multitude of languages. Rosetta Stone, a top

sorority pledges who go through rituals that humiliate them or, in rare cases, end in death. It’s a word that isn’t used lightly, making it hard to look at from an Oberlin perspective. We don’t have fraternities and sororities, and co-ops don’t require any trials or rituals to be a part of their community. While we do have sports teams, they live in a very different environment than other schools.

“I do not think hazing is a problem at Oberlin, but I should recognize the stance from which I am coming at this,” College fourth-year Liam Baxter-Healey said. “I transferred to Oberlin from a different institution that had a hazing culture, and it did not seem like hazing was a part of Oberlin’s community culture. It did not feel like an expectation that you’d sort of be thrown into a certain scenario in order to join a club or organization.”

I haven’t heard of an incident of hazing on campus, and there haven’t been any public claims in recent years. I don’t want to claim that hazing does not happen at all at the College, but compared to the statistics of hazing in America, it is not a major issue here. Statistics show that 22 percent of Americans believe they have been hazed, but 83 percent of our poll claimed that there was no hazing on campus at all.

“It’s hard to avoid hazing in colleges because they have a history of hazing, so it’s not like these traditions are going to get weeded out,” Baxter-Healey said. “But I also think there’s an appropriate context around what qualifies as hazing and what is hazing. I especially think Oberlin students seem to be hyper-aware of not

Provides

online language program costing just $96 a year, teaches 25 languages. Duolingo, another top program, is free but offers a premium subscription for $84 yearly, and teaches over 40. This sort of fast-paced, wide-spread exposure can only exist on an online format. The rapid dissemination of information that can be accessed virtually anywhere in the world is impossible to replicate in person. Duolingo and other such digital formats are ever-evolving and ever-changing. They are expanding to incorporate pronunciation guides and tests, reading and writing tests, and other practices that increase comprehension.

It’s also worth pointing out that many online language softwares are created by a broad range of experts and reflect an accurate portrayal of the language, while many language courses in the United States are taught by white teachers and professors, many of whom are not integrated into the culture that the language they teach belongs to. This can potentially lead to inaccuracies, biases, and missed nuances during instruction.

Still, there are some problems with online language learning.

Online courses can be isolating, and an important part of language is actual communication between people. During in-person classes, most teachers require speaking and communication exercises to strengthen comprehension. While online courses are being taught by programs and algorithms,

trying to make other people uncomfortable.”

I am proud that hazing isn’t a huge part of campus. It’s a testament to our dedication to being kind and making sure our student body feels safe on campus. I do wonder, though, if our confidence is misplaced, potentially covering up the hazing that could be happening in more private parts of campus.

“I personally haven’t ever met anyone who had a really negative hazing experience,” College second-year Maya Angles said. “You consider hazing to be doing something violent and bad, doing stuff that you don’t want to do to be initiated into a group, and that I haven’t experienced. I have experienced initiation rituals that are an opt-in basis, but I am always comfortable.”

A reason for the lack of hazing could also be because sports and private clubs at our school aren’t as popular as at other schools. While I’m sure someone could say that there has been behavior that fits the hazing criteria in their respective sports team or organization, it’s not considered a large issue on campus. According to the poll, many students don’t consider it a problem or recognize it exists.

“It’s hard to say because the only thing I can think of when thinking of hazing would be like the varsity athletes, and I purposefully distance myself from them,” College third-year Amelia Sterling-Angus said. “I could imagine hazing to be true. But I’ve also not heard any horror stories of hazing. So I’m not adamantly saying that they have hazing, but it could be a low-key possibility.”

Oberlin College is also a place

that puts stress on consent and a comfortable environment. The student body and groups, at the very least, acknowledge consent and stray away from peer pressure or making people uncomfortable for the sake of humor.

“I think Oberlin is a cool place in that we understand consent, maybe more so than other places,” Angles said. “I don’t know a ton of people on varsity sports teams, but I think I can speak pretty solidly for club sports to say that any forms of hazing would be gentle, kind, and with pretty well-informed consent by the people being ‘hazed.’”

Later this semester, College and Conservatory students must undergo hazing prevention training. This training will be administered in a brief online session. My first thought is that, of all the training Oberlin could mandate, hazing isn’t at the top of the list. I would much rather have training on diversity and inclusion as a stand-alone session instead of implemented in PRSM training. With that being said, I don’t negate the fact that it can never hurt to become more aware of the dangers of hazing.

“I feel like there should be more consequences and ways of learning about hazing,” College first-year Sydney Banks said. “It can be really harmful to other people. And it can happen a lot at parties, so I am glad that Oberlin is initiating this training.”

I am interested to see how the Oberlin student body responds to the training. I hope that, regardless of previous notions, people use the training to better familiarize themselves with tactics of hazing. Maybe after the training we’ll find that we, as a community, still have things to work on.

Alternative to Traditional Classes

the structured assignments and on-demand help that in-person classes provide can be vital to the language-learning process. Also, many in-person instructors incorporate lessons on the history and origins of the language. These sorts of assignments foster an inclusive community wherein students are more sensitive toward differences between people, particularly if they ever intend to travel abroad.

Perhaps most importantly, online language-learning courses represent yet another threat to teaching positions. While accessibility and ease are important, jobs and the livelihoods of some of the most underpaid professionals in the workforce are equally important. Not only that, but language softwares are indicative of a larger phenomenon: technologification.

Technologification, the effects of which have been increasing rapidly through the years, is the process by which technology becomes more ingrained into society, often subtly, and becomes a primary part of a person’s subconscious. The tendency to go on one’s phone when there is a sudden lull in a conversation is an example of technologification. The instinct to constantly be listening to music, watching a show, or texting are other examples. It’s rather unsettling to imagine how complacent society is in the face of these language-learning softwares. Language is how we communicate with one another, and with an online interface, we completely remove the essence

and nature of language itself.

While technology has brought numerous benefits, it has many proven health disadvantages, including lowering our attentiveness and perception and making us lazy. So while online language courses can be easy alternatives to intensive college classes, the in-person option is still important.

In my experience, language-learning softwares are incredibly effective. I have been learning Spanish on Duolingo for over a year, and the results have been great. Despite practicing for only 10 minutes a day, I was able to communicate in Spanish when I visited Mexico several months ago because the conversational language-learning features on the software had made it easy to develop a passable accent. Conversely, in my five years of learning French in school, I

retained little to no information year-to-year despite attending one of the top public high schools in my area. While this may not necessarily be comparable to a college-level language course, many high-school courses are structured based on material taught at the college-level. Though in-person language courses did not work for me, I don’t completely disregard their usefulness. Instead, I suggest a balance between the two. Taking college-level courses to provide a foundation for the language, skills and tools for comprehension, and an understanding of culture and history while using online softwares to supplement learning, especially during breaks and when classes are less regular, seems ideal. Technology has made so much possible, but it’s important not to discredit the advantages of non-tech forms.

The Cooper International Learning Center provides students with online and onsite tools to facilitate language learning.

Photo by Abe Frato, Photo Editor

Student Groups Reconstruct Campus

Traditions, Revive Institutional Memory

Although institutional memory is something that constantly adapts to adhere to the demands of the times, what happens when it disappears or, as has recently been the case, is greatly impeded by something like the pandemic?

“It’s really sad to think about all of the things that were lost, but I do think this year has been really great,” College third-year Remy Gajewski said. “People have a lot of drive and energy to try and bring things back. It felt impossible to try and get anything done, but now it feels more and more possible to try to get things started.”

Gajewski has been a part of SWAP book co-op since 2019. SWAP, founded in 2013 by a group of students including Jackson Kusiak, OC ’15, and Pablo Cerdera, OC ’15, was inspired by an ExCo called Co-Ops and Cooperation. SWAP encourages students to trade used books or exchange their labor for whatever the organization’s shelves hold, with a particular focus on keeping textbooks free and accessible for students.

“I think personally used books are really nice, especially for classes, because someone’s already annotated them or written notes — it’s very useful,” Gajewski said. “And, it reduces a lot of waste.”

When Gajewski returned to Oberlin in fall of 2021 after taking a year off during the pandemic, they were the only returning member with officership. The following semester, SWAP encountered issues with water damage to much of its stock but was still able to officially reopen in the fall of 2022 until the mold remediation process began in Tank Hall in the beginning of December.

“We kept having to update on our Instagram like, ‘next week we’ll be open, next week we’ll be open’ and there kept being more issues with [the building],” Gajewski said. “It’s like once they opened up the rabbit hole of all of the things that needed to get done to Tank as a building, it never stopped.”

Despite the setbacks, Gajewski looks forward to the future of SWAP.

“I think SWAP is an interesting experiment on institutional memory where we’re working on all of the blueprint given to us, but not with anyone who remembers how it worked,” Gajewski said. “SWAP definitely looks very different now, but at the same time, we’re doing the same kind of things. We’re just trying to take all of the ways it was run before and adjust for a very different scenario.”

Since the second half of the 20th century, Harkness House has offered the Harkness Nightclub, more recently known as Hark After Dark. The

tradition was not, in fact, impacted by the pandemic, rather having a coincidental revival around the same time as institutions like SWAP and Bike Co-op.

College second-year Olivia Wohlgemuth, a member of the Harkness co-op, first learned about the former nightclub when she put out a call last year for alumni to write love letters to their co-ops. One woman’s response was enough to jump-start the idea of bringing back the Harkness Nightclub.

“Knowing that decades later, the Harkness Nightclub is something she still remembers and can find pictures from speaks a lot to its importance and that it’s not just a frivolous party scene, but where

a lot of social experience and community are built,” Wohlgemuth said. “So that’s really encouraging as to why I and other people want to spend their time and energy on bringing something like that back.”

The first Hark After Dark event was a small and intimate jazz-themed lounge party, with covers of pop songs and a small lamp set upon the piano that people were invited to play. Harkness Nightclub events were themed throughout the ’70s and ’80s, with concepts ranging from the ’20s to cavemen courtships. For Wohlgemuth, it was important to keep this tradition flourishing, especially in the spring with more people back on campus.

“I think for a lot of college students — this might sound kind of artificial — but I think nightlife is really important when you’re a full-time student,” she said. “Part of the reason that OSCA as an institution has always been so important to Oberlin is because it creates those community spaces and social spaces that students want and need. Out of the pandemic, people are craving places and things that are reliably fun, where they know that they’re going to go there and be able to see their friends and have a good time and be around people in an environment that also feels safe and interesting. It seems like campus nightlife is not what it was, but bringing [Harkness Nightclub] back, even from that long ago, fills a space that needed to be filled.”

While Harkness Nightclub fizzled out for several years and only recently reemerged on campus this past Winter Term, the Bike Co-op remained functioning out of the Keep Cottage basement, though it did lose some traditions like the Bike Derby hosted in Hark Bowl and the Tour de Franzia, which involved a bike race around Oberlin during commencement week.

“We basically lost two years’ worth of membership [because of the pandemic] — two years worth of fresh, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed first-years,” College fourthyear and Bike Co-op President Zola Haber said. “People didn’t know we existed [or] people thought we shut down. [Plus], while I’m president, I don’t actually know that much about fixing bikes. I ended up in the position because I was willing to take on the work and I’m one of the few people who was in Bike Co-op before COVID.”

While the Keep Cottage basement began undergoing mold remediation in the fall semester, the mold has only worsened after the dehumidifiers being used in the process were moved to Tank Hall after its pipes broke during Winter Term. “I was really hoping that we would be able to have access to Bike Co-op again during Winter Term and get a jump-start on rentals and everything,” Haber said. “I would love to say that I have some grand idea for how [Bike Co-op] is going to be totally changed. … We’ll send out announcements when we reopen. When I put up posters about [Bike Co-op] existing, the number one thing people ask me about is rentals, which sometimes is a little disheartening, because, yes, you want to use the rentals and that’s totally understandable, but also we do need to run and wouldn’t it be great if you joined us?”

Eloise Rich

Students pose in Harkness Nightclub in the ’70s or ’80s.

Photo courtesy of Olivia Wohlgemuth

Photo courtesy of Olivia Wohlgemuth

Photo courtesy of SWAP

Photo by Abe Frato

Photo courtesy of Bike Co-op

Two students perform at Harkness Nightclub in 1977.

SWAP book co-op houses textbooks, circa 2013.

A bike undergoes repairs in Bike Co-op.

Cyclists joust during the Bike Derby in the early 2000s.

ARTS & CULTURE

Vogue Defines Fashion in Nordic Countries, Inspires Students

Andrea Nguyen

There’s a tendency for students studying abroad to change their wardrobe in order to adapt to their new environment. Crowds of influencers attending international programs will often create a lookbook for everyday clothes. Living in the U.S. I do not often have the opportunity to attend fashion shows — especially not Fashion Week in Europe, where the cultural difference in fashion is made obvious. Since beginning my term abroad in Copenhagen, Fashion Week in Europe has been one of the most exciting things I have experienced so far.

All brands showcased during Copenhagen Fashion Week must meet a set of specific sustainability standards reflecting Danish society’s concern about the climate. Single-use plastics are difficult to find here, hand dryers have replaced most paper towel dispensers, and there’s a bottle-recycling bin on almost every block.

Despite knowing little about fashion, I found myself at a panel hosted by Vogue Scandinavia’s Editor-In-Chief, Martina Bonnier.

One of 29 branches, Vogue Scandinavia covers Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and, of course, Denmark. This talk focused on reusable wear and how to style completely different outfits in winter and spring conditions.

As the Danish models came out, it came to my attention how Scandi culture influence their outfits.

The patterns and creative designs in jewelry got me thinking about the relationship between fashion and culture at Oberlin, and there’s no doubt that one influences the other. Over the past few semesters, I’ve realized that while fashion doesn’t necessarily define someone, it can tell you a

lot about them — not to mention that clothes don’t need to be the centerpiece of an outfit. At Oberlin, many students use fashion to express who they are because the school has built an environment that gives us the confidence to do so. In return, establishments such as the Free Store and Maker’s Market influence student culture to wear things we wouldn’t otherwise. Students can freely showcase their own creations in clothing or jewelry as well.

While some of the attendees at Fashion Week hailed from the Copenhagen area, a good majority came from elsewhere. It’s common for teens all over Europe to travel to see fashion weeks in action. Swedish School of Textiles students Lovisa Hillberg, Jenny Gustafsson, and Märta Huldén were in Copenhagen for the week to watch the shows. When I asked them about the ins-and-outs of 2023 fashion, sustainability was the first thing they said was “in.”

For Gen-Z Nordics, wearing secondhand and vintage clothing is a way of protesting waste in fast fashion industries. Vintage shops have become widespread in Denmark and Sweden, and it’s common for people of all ages to shop at them for affordable prices in an expensive country.

Buying second-hand has been a niche interest in many colleges’ resistance against fast fashion, but it’s become more popular among Oberlin students in recent years. In a way, it’s liberating to use garments with it’s own history to go against newer trends, making outfits on campus unique.

Huldén also expressed her eagerness to see a more feminine-presenting approach to fashion regardless of gender.

“[I like] skirts and silhouettes;

taking back femininity and not making it a weak point, but more like it’s actually strong to be feminine,” Huldén said.

Afterward, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Bonnier. She originally started out as a news journalist, but ended up pursuing her interest in fashion. Bonnier also writes about arts, culture, and design. During our discussion, she talked about her role as Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Scandinavia and about establishing a digital platform as a way to combat the paper consumption of typical magazines.

“Everything is a surprise; we

are kind of reinventing a lot of the industry the way we are because we are not just a print magazine,” Bonnier said.

“We are also very much the first [Vogue] to work on all these sustainability things. Not just writing about it, but actually living it and working with it in production and logistic distribution, even in our office. I think that is so important today, and in many ways, we’re the ones that the other Vogues are looking to and asking a lot of questions and so on. I think it’s very typical for this region to be thinking about it. We love sustainability, we

love nature, but we are also very tech-savvy.”

Bonnier, who showed up to the panel in a magenta-pink suit detailed with bedazzled gems, also expressed her enthusiasm for Copenhagen Fashion Week.

“I’m excited about everything,” Bonnie said. “I just want to, at the end of everything, see what’s happening, who’s doing more or less or so on. As a fashion journalist, you’re always interested in everything. There’s nothing you look forward to more than others; almost every show, almost everything because it’s so important for us to support.”

Students Explore Intersests, Develop Artistic Projects for Winter Term

Yasu Shinozaki

For many Obies, Winter Term is the perfect chance to finally sit down and get to work on that novel, screenplay, or short film they have been itching to create. While Oberlin’s Cinema Studies, Creative Writing, and Studio Art departments provide students with new ideas, skills, and inspiration, it is often hard to fully focus on the creative process during the semester. Winter Term is an opportunity for students to give artistic projects their undivided attention.

“I wanted to synthesize things that I’d learned in my first semester here,” College first-year Vivian Wolfson said.

Wolfson spent Winter Term at home writing a twenty-page screenplay and working on pre-production for a film she intends to make this summer. The film is a drama that revolves around the relationship between two mothers and their daughters, exploring themes of motherhood and femininity. Wolfson began to work on the concept before the start of Winter Term. She developed characters by writing fictional letter correspondences between the people involved in the story. During Winter Term, she

completed the screenplay, storyboarded the project, and made a visual style pitch deck — a keynote composed of stills from preexisting films intended to show possible investors what the finished movie might look like.

College first-year Sam Kennedy spent Winter Term working on his first novel, a “high fantasy romance with 20th-century technology.”

“[My] project gave me vital knowledge for the future of my career as a writer, reaffirming my passion for the craft and letting me know that I do, in fact, have the stomach to write very long things,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy wanted to finish a first draft, but ended up getting only a quarter of the way through.

“Loose self-discipline is my greatest obstruction to progress,” Kennedy said. “I was distracted too easily, lifted weights to feel productive when I should have been writing, took my dogs on walks with the intent of brainstorming and the result of daydreaming.”

However, Winter Term also gave writers opportunities to discover what worked and didn’t work.

“I’d wake up and make my

coffee and write for two hours and then go on with my day,” Wolfson said. “[Trying to write all day] never has worked for me … but giving myself a condensed period every single morning seemed to work out pretty well.”

College first-year Cole Mirman, who worked on a science-fiction novel about futuristic politics, had similar insight.

“The main thing I learned is that having a set schedule and keeping track of your progress is really helpful for letting you be consistent in the amount of work you get done and allowing you to stick with it,” Mirman said. “If you work every day, even if you don’t do that much each day, that will still add up over time and you can still get a lot done.”

Mirman also spoke about the obstacles he confronted.

“[Winter Term] did challenge my aspirations,” he said. “I definitely had some difficulties. There was one scene that just took me forever to figure out.”

Despite its challenges, the creative process is very rewarding.

“I think working on my project was a reminder of how deeply art can resonate with people,” College third-year Cecil Pulley said.

Pulley created a zine consisting of drawings, comics, collage, and

writings reflecting on their life.

“It’s about me and my transness, and transgender things in general,” Pulley wrote in the introduction. “At least it probably is. I’m writing this before I get started, so I can’t exactly be sure.”

Pulley said he was surprised when people responded so positively to his work.

“I wasn’t drawing or making things with the purpose of being relatable or even with any certain audience in mind, so it was really touching to hear that my peers connected with it,” Pulley said. “Being able to authentically create is really uniting, as is seeing yourself and experiences like yours in art and artists you admire.”

For some students, Winter Term has been an opportunity to immerse themselves in an art form they had no experience with. College third-year Creative Writing major Ale Jorge, for example, wrote and directed an audioplay despite having no experience with directing, recording, or producing.

“I have and will continue to describe this as the most ‘building-the-plane-as-I’m-flying-it’ project I’ve ever done,” Jorge said. “From auditioning actors to directing them and recording

scenes, nothing except writing the script was anything I’ve done before.”

The audioplay, titled W, for Wizards, tells the story of “three college-age wizards who face off against mysterious forces of evil.” Jorge came up with the characters last spring and started working on the script before postponing the project until Winter Term.

This January, he finished the script, then used microphones checked out from the Center for Information Technology and recording spaces in Mudd Center and Kahn Hall to record W, for Wizards. He learned a lot from people he collaborated with, especially his project partner, Double-degree third year Ryn Lazorchak, who edited and produced the audioplay. The production will be released on YouTube and SoundCloud soon.

All the artists I talked to agreed that Winter Term was challenging yet rewarding.

“If you’re reading this and you want to be an author, start writing that book you’ve been thinking about,” Kennedy said. “If this Winter Term has taught me anything, it’s that you can’t know if you can fall in love with something until you’ve spent enough time with it.”

Photo courtesy of Haripriya Jalluri

A model makes her way down the runway in a gleaming silver top and poses.

Cal Ransom News Editor

Lola Lorber, OC ’13, created a film on the Oberlin College Lanes during her senior year, titled Love of the Lanes. combining personal essay and documentary. The film explores the camaraderie built through bowling and the joys of having space for the College and community to come together at the campus lanes.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you end up getting into bowling?

I grew up in New York City and I would go bowling occasionally with my dad. We went to bowling alleys at Chelsea Piers — there was this fun place called Bowlmor Lanes in Union Square, and it was definitely something that I enjoyed doing with my dad, but I didn’t really have much of a relationship to it. I saw the bowling alley when I first toured and was like, “This is so cool.”

Director of Love of the Lanes

one on and you get so excited if someone else gets a strike, even if it’s not your team. The sounds, and the visuals, and the pins — how could you not make a movie about that?

I definitely see all that love for the alleys coming through in the film – can you walk me through your creative process when you were shooting it?

Well, I’m a huge fan of mockumentaries, but I wanted it to be true, I didn’t want it to be made up. I wanted to highlight the characters that are real people. I also heard these stories about people falling in love at the Oberlin bowling alley. A professor met her husband at a bowling alley. All these people are falling in love at bowling alleys.

When you came to Oberlin, what was your relationship with the bowling alleys? How did you end up getting involved?

I first went to the bowling alley my first year, some time in 2009. I went on a kind of friend-date. This guy I sort of knew from New York was like, “I’ll show you around,” and he took me bowling and said, “You should really sign up for Bowling I. It’s a really fun class and you’ll improve your bowling, but also the teacher is just someone you really need to meet.” So I signed up for it first semester of my first year. I don’t think I started working there until my second year.

Can you tell me about your experience working at the Lanes?

I really was completely mesmerized by Tom Reid. He was the head of the Student Union and he ran the Cat in the Cream and Wilder and the bowling alley. He’s an incredible bowler. Everything he does is ground-

ed in mindfulness and patience. His whole approach to bowling is his approach to life and his approach to life is his approach to bowling, and I was obsessed with that. Even though I never became that good of a bowler — I had some high scores that I’m proud of, but I didn’t really ever get that good — I just loved the community that was formed around the lanes. I met so many interesting people at the lanes that I would not have met in any other circumstance, I wouldn’t have formed a close relationship or performed with in any other circumstance and I thought the creation of those relationships was so beautiful. I feel like everyone that goes to Oberlin has a certain flavor of weird or quirk. I stuck with my crew and wouldn’t always mingle with a different flavor, but at the bowling alley, everyone was a freak and fun and would just get together and support each other. I just had never really understood the concept of sports and teammates, but you really are just cheering every-

I had heard, like, four stories in the last two months, I knew I wanted that to be the through line.

I wanted it to be kind of a personal narrative about my experience of wanting just to spend all day spraying the shoes. There was something spiritual about having these routines.

I knew that I wanted myself to be in it and a part of it because it was sort of a personal essay. At some point, in one of our film classes we had to use 16-millimeter film and I wanted to include some kind of true film aspect, and what’s cooler than the pinsetter machines? I was really excited to have that footage of the pinsetters and the end when I birth the bowling ball. I was in the Big Parade, and Laura, who runs the Big Parade, helped me build a life-size bowling pin. I knew that I wanted to have interviews with real people. My second year, I took an advanced documentary class with Professor of Cinema Studies and English Geoff Pingree. I had taken this life-changing documentary class, and it was super influential in why I wanted to have my

film be semi-scripted, semi-interview-based. He guided me through the process and helped me find the story. Everything just kind of fell together. I had all of these pieces and then I sat down, and I think I even wrote it out on cards and tried to do a puzzle of what makes the most sense. Like, love of the lanes is the through line — should there be a marriage? Should I marry a bowling pin? Should Tom Reid be a minister?

Can you tell me a bit about your career after Oberlin?

I almost minored in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies. I was just two credits away from that as a minor, and I’ve always been passionate about birth and newborn care. One of my jobs early out of college was assisting Abby Epstein and Ricky Lake, who are documentary filmmakers, in The Business of Being Born. When we were shooting interviews with different people, endocrinologists and acupuncturists and midwives and reproductive rights experts, that’s when I met a bunch of doulas and realized I want to be supporting people through birth. At first I thought it was gonna be a side thing and then I just started taking more and more classes. But it got complicated with the pandemic — and even before that it was hard to make a living. I felt the more I increased my rates, the more I was working with upper-class white people. Of course everyone needs care, but I want to be serving demographics that really need support. I couldn’t take on volunteer births unless I was charging even more for others. I worked at a fertility benefits company and now I am head of brand and partnerships at a period and moon tracking app. I do feel like I’m in the perfect place with my career because I’m using creativity and my passion for reproductive health.

Mainstage Production Ophelia: A Prism Expands on Femininity, Grief, Love in Hamlet

Nikki Keating Managing Editor

Editors’ note: This article contains mention of suicide, racism, and misogyny.

I’ve seen many different versions of Hamlet performed — from Hamlet set in a nuclear bunker to a Hamlet that debuted inside a food court. I’ve always loved the story, watching Hamlet’s facade of madness and need for revenge. Ophelia: A Prism, performed in the Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater, showcased a performance that not only spellbound me but easily became one of my favorite adaptations — and Hamlet isn’t even the main character. Instead, the focus is on Hamlet’s lover, Ophelia, or in this case, multiple Ophelias, as the character in this version of the play is split into three different essences. Ophelia eventually descends into madness from three different angles, which truly encapsulates the pressures of being a Black woman in a world that caters to men and those with fair skin.

I enjoyed the concept of splitting Ophelia into three versions of herself. I felt the rawness of the characters acting out Ophelia’s inner thoughts and feelings.

Each Ophelia represents different emotion or aspiration. Green Ophelia (College third-year Tseli Mathebula), the diplomat, acts as the balanced voice of reason who interacts most often with the other characters around them. They also represent the femininity and grace that a woman during this time period was expected to present. But behind this facade is Brass Ophelia (College fourth-year Karah Innis), the warrior who wants to fight dragons instead of playing the princess. Brass Ophelia represents the frustration that comes when dealing with the pressures of being the perfect woman; unable to rise above your status or speak for yourself. Finally, Orange Ophelia (College fourth-year Bianca Berger) embodies the raw anxiety that Ophelia feels, constantly worrying that she is not pretty, fair, wise, or good enough for Hamlet. The three stick together for the majority of the play, switching who speaks to other characters fluidly and acting as one body. No one Ophelia could exist without the others. When Brass Ophelia curses out her other selves, she curses herself as well. It creates a powerful image of what it’s like to constantly battle yourself on who you want to be, and more importantly, who

you can be.

Throughout the show, Ophelia is presented with many challenges, which makes the inner monologues even more powerful. I empathize with Ophelia’s struggles not only to be a woman in her world but to be a Black woman facing prejudice from the characters around her. The Ophelias are reminded throughout the play that they are Black women living in a world where royalty is fair-skinned, like Hamlet (College third-year Leander Chow) and his mother Queen Gertrude (College second year Lia Fawley).

The darkness of Ophelia’s skin is repeatedly commented on, and there are scenes where powder is applied to make them seem paler. The play makes it very clear that Ophelia not only has to fight as a woman, but also as a woman who doesn’t fit the beauty standard of the time. As a Black woman, I can say it was done well. It is consistent enough that you are frustrated with Ophelia’s environment and the unfairness of her situation. Ophelia’s journey resembles some of the everyday struggles that Black women are still going through.

I also really enjoyed the way Ophelia acts around different characters. Throughout each

scene, you not only get a sense of the person Ophelia is trying to be but the feelings of her counterparts. While Green Ophelia speaks with Hamlet the majority of the time, acting gracefully and keeping up a mature front to seem more appealing to him, you also see Orange and Brass Ophelias’ responses and reactions. This becomes even more apparent as Hamlet descends into his madness. As Green Ophelia becomes unable to keep up their polished appearance, Brass and Orange start to speak up more, with Brass Ophelia voicing her frustrations to the characters around her more often and Orange Ophelia growing more fearful of Hamlet and his visions. The ghost of the previous King Hamlet, murdered by his brother and seeking revenge, strikes fear in Orange Ophelia and starts her down her own path of madness, eventually dragging the others along with her to their eventual end. The story thoroughly describes and portrays Ophelia in all her complexities, distinguishing itself from the original play which uses her as an archetype of feminine essence instead of a person.

I think that’s what I like the most about Ophelia: A Prism. Here, Ophelia is a character in her

own right and not merely supporting Hamlet. We see Ophelia’s three selves being a large presence on stage. We learn so much about her as a person and who she wants to be, but the characters around Ophelia only see her as a woman whose value comes not from being an individual but from being a good wife and daughter. Ophelia is the loudest person on stage yet is not heard. When she succumbs to madness after trying for so long to be perfect for everyone around her, she is left alone. The silence of her death proves to be the most impactful moment of all. In the original play, audiences can see the characters left mourning her. Hamlet reminisces on his love for her, and Laertes (Cyril Amanfo OC’22) mourns the loss of his beloved sister. Queen Gertrude laments that she wishes to strew flowers around Ophelia and Hamlet’s marriage bed rather than on Ophelia’s fresh grave. After Ophelia commits suicide, she’s no longer the woman who was supposed to be the perfect lover and daughter. She’s just Ophelia, and the characters around her can finally start trying to see what the audience has seen the entire time and what Ophelia: A Prism is trying to portray: Ophelia in her entirety and all her parts.

Photo by Abe Frato, Photo Editor Oberlin College Lanes served as the set for Lorber’s short film.

Latest AMAM Exhibition Examines Ableist Barriers to Museum Access

Maeve Woltring Senior Staff Writer

To sit or not to sit — or rather, who is allowed to sit and who the chair excludes — is the question extant at the heart of the Allen Memorial Art Museum’s new exhibition, titled Like a Good Armchair: Getting Uncomfortable with Modern and Contemporary Art This title, though rife with multilayered significance, also refers to the exhibit’s very literal foci: the large, high-ceilinged Ellen Johnson Gallery is populated both by actual chairs and “chair-adjacent” work. Though this may strike you as a fairly specific focal point, chairs and the act of sitting constitute a throughline with ample room to expound a thorough and diverse examination of “the racial, ableist, gendered, and ageist politics of who gets to sit, when, and how.”

The lens of analysis deployed here seems to call into question the falsifiable construction of the Western universal museum itself, which purports a neutral exploration of non-Western visual culture but trends heavily toward the solidification of colonialist agenda through typified modes of representation. In the case of the AMAM’s new exhibition, the concept of the chair seems to likewise refer to a sort of universal chair, a systemically exclusive construction that can

be seen effectively disseminated through the exhibition’s rich and diasporic works and narratives.

Organized by Sam Adams, Ellen Johnson ’33 Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, and Fudi Fickenscher, OC ’23, the exhibition implements and recontextualizes a formidable array of works from the AMAM’s collection in order to forge an effective echo chamber between older work from prominent names such as Klimt, Segal, and Warhol, as well as newer figures whose work largely probes the economics and highfalutin’ aesthetic standards of the Western museum institution, positioning the history and power of the marginalized body at their forefront. The gallery is organized into a series of sub-sections titled “Wartime Anxieties,” “Ancestral Roots,” “Global Connections,” “Anthropomorphic Materials,” “Design and Identity,” “Postures of Power and Deference,” and “Sitting in One’s Power.” The latter of these categories contains a work that — in my viewing experience — is striking. Toward the center of a free-standing wall lies Titus Kaphar’s offset lithograph poster, “Analogous Colors,” which was on the cover of TIME magazine in 2020. The painting, which depicts a Black mother holding tight to an absent baby, a gaping space subtracted from the work’s center, was created by Kaphar in

response to the murder of George Floyd. The piece is accompanied by John Wilson’s 1956 lithograph “Mother and Child,” Burton Silverman’s graphite drawing “Bus Stop Downtown Montgomery” — an image from a series depicting the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955–56 — and an image from Civil Rights photographer Ernest C. Withers titled “First Desegregated Bus Ride: Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy on first desegregated bus, Montgomery, Alabama, December 1956.” These works constitute some of the exhibition’s most powerful explorations of the societal power and historical trauma encapsulated within the act of sitting.

On the opposite wall, “Postures of Power and Deference” presents images of female sitters from aforementioned old and famous names and asks the viewer to examine the psychological complexity ushered by the subjects’ subdued kinesthetic arrangements: “While stylistically progressive, many of these works reflect the misogynistic dynamics of gender and bodily agency of their respective social contexts.” The works are accompanied solely by labels rather than illuminating text, which seems to enact an apt refusal to canonize the famed artists who perpetuated such inanimate representations of the classical female body.

In contrast, a photograph within a separate section titled “Caprice, 55, Chicago, IL, 2015” from Jess T. Dugan’s portfolio To Survive on this Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults is accompanied by one of the longest wall texts I’ve seen. The text contains the transcription of an accompanying interview with the photograph’s sitter, Caprice. The interview’s first lines reads: “I’m a fifty-five year old woman of trans experience and a woman of color. And my life is amazing. I am the eighth child of twenty-three.” The space provided for her words, her insight, is a space that the museum institution should continually hold, but typically pushes to the margin. It was nice to note the curators’ tactics in clumping more antiquated work into breathless quarters while providing room and platform for newer works with more nuanced, potent, and anticolonial messaging. It should be noted that there are a few actually sittable chairs within the exhibition: cushioned, cube-like stools titled “Frank Lloyd Wright hassocks” and the inscribed “Shannon Finnegan bench.” The former exists in company with Robert Venturi’s 1983 “Queen Anne Side Chair in ‘Grandmother’ Pattern” — a piece of furniture constructed by the Museum’s very own con-

tributing architect. The latter, a large blue bench, proves more subversive. The bench, which sits within the gallery’s second enclave, reads: “This exhibition has asked me to stand for too long. Sit if you agree.” This imperative refers to museums’ classic dependency on compulsory able-bodiedness, a tenet which the field of disability aesthetics — totally and thematically engendered by the exhibition — serves to disassemble. According to many museum and disability studies scholars, the curator should act as an infrastructural activist, outfitting museum spaces with sitting areas so that the space is accessible not only to the classic able body. The bench thus provides literal respite for the museum-goer and suspends a subliminal critique of the museum institution’s ableist composition.

Shannon Finnegan, the bench’s creator and an artist who experiments “with forms of access that intervene in ableist structures with humor, earnestness, and rage,” will host a talk titled “Accessibility Dreams” through the Allen After Hours program April 6 at 5:30 p.m. On February 16 Chicago-based artist and designer Norman Teague, creator of “Africana Rocking Chair,” will also be hosting “A Conversation and Performance with Norman Teague.”

Photo by Erin Koo, Photo Editor

Like a Good Armchair: Getting Uncomfortable with Modern and Contemporary Art is a new exhibit in the AMAM.

Photo by Erin Koo, Photo Editor

A new AMAM exhibition invites visitors to sit with the art.

Photo by Erin Koo, Photo Editor

A piece featured in the new exhibit is displayed in the Ellen Johnson Gallery.

Embrace Weirdness To Fully Enjoy Everything Everwhere All At Once

Kayla Kim Sports Editor

I first watched Everything Everywhere All At Once the night of the citywide power outage last October. Though the movie was released eight months prior, I had miraculously avoided nearly all spoilers and summaries, only hearing glowing reviews and something about rocks. Naturally, I came in with high expectations.

The beginning was easy to understand — a Chinese-American immigrant named Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) is struggling to save her audited laundromat and understand three family members: her annoyingly happy husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), who is secretly seeking to file for divorce; her openly gay daughter, Joy (Stephanie Hsu); and her demanding father, Gong Gong (James Hong), visiting from China. As she goes to meet with an IRS agent, she is greeted by Alpha Waymond, her husband from an Alphaverse, who teaches her how to jump multiverses and save humanity from a villain named Jobu Tupaki, her omnicidal and interdimensional daughter created in the Alphaverse under stress and over-pressure.

After appearing as a promising action movie, the film transforms into… something. Epic fight scenes begin with people biting off a bar of chapstick or dry humping a pillar. There is a world where people have hot dogs for fingers, a moment when IRS inspector Deidre Beaubierdre (Jamie Lee Curtis) staples paper to her forehead, and another fight scene involving butt plugs. Jobu Tupaki is dressed in outlandish outfits fit for the Met Gala. As many have said, on paper, this sounds like a horrible idea for a movie.

Because of this, toward the 1.5hour mark, I was starting to get tired, confused, and even angry. I couldn’t keep track of the many, many multiverses and was annoyed at constantly seeing the IRS building in scenes. Where were the emotions that people promised?

And then, there was the everything bagel.

The everything bagel is a blackhole-like entity of Jobu Tupaki’s creation, a weapon of mass destruction for herself, and the reason she tried to find Evelyn throughout the multiverses.

“I was just looking for someone who could see what I see, feel what I feel,” she explained to her mother.

As Evelyn comes to terms with what’s happening — that her daughter feels so hopeless she would build a black hole to end her life — Waymond offers epiphanies within different multiverses: one states that his optimism and positivity is a survival mechanism for himself; the other pleads with Evelyn to empathize with everyone. With that, she literally fights back with love and saves Jobu Tupaki from destroying herself with a hug, and the intense climax ends with mother and daughter in a parking lot sobbing in each other’s arms.

An hour after I finished watching, the power outage rolled across town. Left in the dark, it gave me a chance to reflect on what I had just watched, and my feelings of astonishment that a movie with a knockoff Ratatouille scene made me cry. I wondered, “Were those weird special effects really necessary?” Given that Michelle Yeoh, well-known for her roles in martial arts movies, was the main character, maybe the directors could’ve added some realistic adversity that Evelyn had to

endure to prove the love she had for her family — add in a couple of tense scenes, and in the end, she could easily defeat the bad guys with a roundhouse kick. But a couple months later, I watched the movie again, and that’s when I fully realized the role of these special effects. In one of the first action scenes, Alpha Waymond explains the philosophy of multiverse-jumping — the whole idea is to be out of the ordinary. EEAAO follows the same philosophy — it showcases the unknown and the unimaginable, our greatest fears beyond our families, jobs, taxes even. We don’t always think about what lies beyond us in the solar system or what would happen if we just chose a different career path or first love to run away with. The movie doesn’t offer that luxury and forces Evelyn to confront her failures, rejections, and what-ifs as she searches for her daughter. Through the madness, meaning can be found in life and relationships. We learn that there is no law of physics, no artistic masterpiece, no alternate life that could come between the love Evelyn has for her daughter. She will chase Animal Control while manipulating a man’s head, tumble down a steep cliffside as a rock with googly eyes, or destabilize opponents with her super strong pinky fingers to prove it. Although she may not always understand everything about Joy, such as her sexuality, she will do everything in her power to make an effort to understand, to forgive, to heal.

In its purest form, EEAAO is a story of resilience and love. Through its quirks and oddness, it lets the viewer sit with their discomfort, fears, and anxieties about life and teaches that, in the end, nothing really matters.

CROSSWORD

However, that can be a good thing if we’re with the people who continuously work to find kindness and joy in emptiness.

“Maybe there is something out there, some new discovery that will make us feel like even smaller pieces of shit,” Evelyn says toward the end of the movie. “Something

ACROSS

1: Somali plunderers

8: Deep ravine

14: Imposing building

15: All-creating

17: Site of Chiefs victory over the Bengals (abbr)

18: Brooklyn Nets center

19: All the __ and outs

20: Confucian value of benevolence

22: Physical comedy

25: 19th century Dutch artist Adolf ___

27:__-ed, in a newspaper

28: “Trick __ treat!”

29: Pie __ mode

30: Text of a play

34: Help, assist

35: Creator of “Gangnam Style”

36: Just keep breathin’ this

37: Emerson’s floral poem, “The ___”

40: Psychics read this

42: “Three strikes and you’re ___”

43: Person living outside their homeland

47: Texter’s way to say “For sure!”

49: Fur from Crimean lamb pelts

51: 2023 Oscar nominee Michelle

54: Expression of disgust

56: Pertaining to area

58: Unit of specific acoustic impedance

60: Large ox

61: Very unpleasant

63: Strange

66: Hindu body and mind exercise

67: “Girl slay!”

68: Ruminant stomach chambers

71: Deaf dialect of the U.S.

73: Northern Italian river

75: Longest running live action

sitcom, acronym

76: Moby Dick author Herman

that explains why you still went looking for me through all of this noise. And why, no matter what, I still want to be here with you. I will always, always, want to be here with you.”

Here’s to hoping we all find that person who will bring us out of darkness.

DOWN

1: Jordan’s wonderful seventh

2: Freud’s primitive construct

3: Mirthfully

4: In debate, opposite of “Neg”

5: Involuntary movements

6: Ancient Greek assembly

7: Japanese video game company

8: Secret group plot

9: Purposefully leave out

10: Hooked part of brain

11: Lithium symbol

12: Nigerian ethnic group

13: Used to identify a business entity

16: Vittorio Monti’s most famous piece

21: Taylor Swift’s Next____ Tour

23: ___ favor

24: Network of Riverdale, The Flash

26: Italian pie, in slang

28: Spanish verb for “to hear”

31: Coagulated blood

32: Potential of hydrogen

33: Also

34: Manga about man-eating giants, abbr.

35: Quick look

38: Noble Standing

39: Matches

41: Wave between audio and infrared, abbr.

44: Superman’s vision

45: The man-eating piranhas, Pygocentrus ___

46: Say less

48: “__, myself, and I”

50: Your response to yourself

52: “Layla” guitarist Clapton

53: An auditory processing disorder

55: Triangle piece of cheese

57: To completely remove

59: What Benedict Arnold was not

Photo by Abe Frato, Photo Editor

The Apollo Theater screened Everything Everywhere All at Once last weekend.

Selena Frantz

CONSERVATORY

Oberlin Jazz Musicians Take on Manhattan

Oberlin Opera Theater Excavates History in World Premiere of Alice Tierney

Stephanie Manning

Archaeology provides little in the way of instant gratification. The work is slow, meticulous, and complicated — even as it builds to an eventual payoff. In many ways, creating an opera is the same. For the past two years, Oberlin Conservatory has become its own kind of archaeological dig site, hosting a number of workshops that allowed composer Melissa Dunphy and librettist Jacqueline Goldfinger to bring Alice Tierney to life.

rell has been involved with the project since its first workshop in fall 2020. She’s been singing the role of Alice 1 the entire time.

“It’s empowering, in a backwards way, to take on this stereotypically problematic image of a woman and really get to spell it out for the audience that this is wrong,” Harrell said. “Women are more than just bodies and more than just objects for men.”

upon hearing that his piece had moved audience members.

This January, Oberlin traveled to New York City to perform at some of the most famous musical venues in the country. The Oberlin Orchestra and Choir returned to Carnegie Hall — this time with R. Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses — Jan. 20, and the Oberlin Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble performed a double set at the iconic Dizzy’s Jazz Club at Lincoln Center Jan. 19. While in New York City, the Sonny Ensemble also toured New York’s Elisabeth Irwin High School, LaGuardia High School, Sunset Park Prep Middle School, Special Music School High School, and the Jazz House Kids in Montclair, NJ.

Founded on a commitment to service and a generous donation by jazz legend Sonny Rollins, the group prides itself on its mission to make community-based music. The ensemble visited schools ranging from elite arts high schools to schools in lower-income neighborhoods with limited access to music education. At each, the group played its repertoire, took questions from the students, and even performed with the students themselves. Second-year drummer Noah Nelson recounted that these school performances came with a unique and memorable energy.

“There was some kid who just got up and started to sing with the band,” Nelson said. “I think he was also this kind of shy kid but he just got up and started scatting and it ignited the rest of the kids in the audience.”

The group, composed of eight Jazz students chosen by faculty, then performed two sold-out hour-long sets with a program that featured both jazz standards and originals alike. One such original composition, titled “Homecoming,” was written by first-year alto saxophonist George Rogers. The lyrics, added to accommodate the vocalist of the group, are inspired by a short story about a knight in shining armor written by a high school friend of Rogers’.

“There’s a moment in the story when the knight takes off his helmet and it’s raining and he sticks out his tongue and drinks the rain,” Rogers said.

Rogers expressed his enthusiasm at the chance to have his piece performed at such an iconic venue and his initial surprise

“That’s, like, the best thing anyone can say to me, honestly,” Rogers said. “It showed me that it’s digestible to people who might not even be familiar with this kind of music.”

The Oberlin Jazz department performances also featured another performer, fourth-year vocalist Tyreek McDole, who made his Dizzy’s debut in a late night show and jam session following the Sonny Ensemble with two additional performances Jan. 20 and 21. Although McDole’s debut was originally scheduled for the fall of 2022 while he was studying away in New York City and interning with Jazz at Lincoln Center, the timing could not have ended up better.

“It was really cool because it felt like I’m just amongst my peers,” McDole said. “I was kind of inspired because it’s like I’m doing this in a professional sense and so are they, you know, we’re both coming from the same school. … You can’t get rid of Oberlin.”

Not only did McDole’s debut coincide with the Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble performance, but McDole also participated in the Oberlin Choir and Orchestra’s performance of The Ordering of Moses at Carnegie Hall.

“Carnegie Hall was really incredible,” McDole said. “I mean, the fact that I was in such a prestigious hall that so many of my heroes played in — like, John Horan played on that stage; Louis Armstrong played on that stage; Duke Ellington played on that stage. The list keeps going on, and now I’m a part of that lineage. It was a huge honor.”

When the concert at Carnegie ended, McDole headed over to Dizzy’s for the second night of his set.

“It was like night and day,” McDole said. “I would say two different cultural values were held in both of those spaces, but both have such a reverence for the music that’s being played in the artistry of that space.”

The Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble concert and tour, coupled with the choirs’ and orchestra’s performance at Carnegie and McDole’s solo debut at Dizzy’s, led to a weekend filled with Oberlin community, support, and music-making, concluding Winter Term 2023 on a beautiful note.

The duo’s collaboration culminated Jan. 27, 28, and 29, with performances directed by Assistant Director of Opera Theater Christopher Mirto and conducted by Benjamin Martin, OC ’22. The efforts to develop and stage the opera’s world premiere were made possible by the Oberlin Opera Commissioning Program, funded by Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting, OC ’71. While Alice Tierney wasn’t the first Winter Term opera to benefit from the program, it was the first to be commissioned from scratch, with Oberlin students and faculty involved every step of the way.

The opera’s connections to archaeology are more than metaphorical, as the story centers on four archaeology students excavating the former home of Alice Tierney. A real woman who lived in colonial Philadelphia, Tierney died under mysterious circumstances — found hanging by her own petticoats — yet her death at the time was ruled an accident. However, the group’s assumptions about who she was reveal less about Tierney and more about themselves.

Take Alice 1, the interpretation of archaeologist John, played by fourth-year Jon Motes, and the epitome of the male fantasy. Dressed in vivid red, fourth-year Mae Harrell brings Alice 1 to life by playing up her promiscuity — every bit the “dissipated woman” John imagines. Like the majority of her fellow cast members, Har-

Quinn, played by third-year Jordan Twadell, interprets Alice as the polar opposite of John’s portrayal. She imagines Alice 2, played by fourth-year Kylie Buckham, as a liberated, empowered suffragist. Ultimately, however, Quinn’s version is just as much of a fantasy. In their desperate search for certainty, the two researchers blur the lines between truth and fiction. Could someone create an Alice that still acknowledges what they don’t — or can’t — know?

That responsibility falls to Zandra, played by fourth-year Kayleigh Tolley, whose version leaves room for that uncertainty. A woman dealing with a lot of emotional baggage, Zandra is in the early stages of a relationship with fellow archaeologist Lyra, played by third-year Elizabeth Hanje.

“I don’t make any strong conclusions,” Tolley said of her character’s narrative journey. “I bring the point of view that we need to look at the facts and not put ourselves into our interpretation of Alice, because that’s what all the characters kind of do.”

Zandra’s, and by extension Lyra’s, interpretation — Alice 3, played by third-year Wooldjina Present — makes her entrance in dark clothes and a black veil.

“She’s the most mysterious because we’re not defining her,” Tolley said. “We’re making space for her in the unknown.”

Onstage, the three Alices spend a lot of time observing the dig site from above, perched on the scaffolding in the back of the stage. The careful thought behind their

silent reactions is one example of the transition from score to stage, spearheaded by Mirto, lead dramaturg Julia Bumke, and institutional dramaturg and Assistant Professor of Musicology James O’Leary.

“I really liked inviting everybody into the process of creation,” Mirto said. “Not being a dictator about vision and style, but rather allowing the best idea, the strongest idea, to kind of bubble up to the surface. That way, everybody has a lot of ownership over the story that we’re telling.”

Harrell spoke positively about the collaborative process, particularly working closely with the composer and librettist.

“It was empowering because a lot of the hierarchies that you find in a lot of classical music — and especially opera — were not present in those rehearsal spaces,” Harrell said.

Tolley agreed with Harrell’s assessment.

“It’s really nice to feel so respected, cared for creatively, and listened to, even though we’re young students,” Tolley said.

Workshopping and premiering a new opera is a big task for any institution — and it’s almost unheard of at the undergraduate level.

“No major undergrad institutions or conservatories that I know of are commissioning new work at this level, with undergrads fully engaged throughout the process,” Mirto said.

The journey for this cast extends beyond Oberlin, with plans to perform the work at Opera Columbus in April. No matter where Alice Tierney goes next, these seven Oberlin students will remain a permanent influence, as the creative team tailored the work to its original performers.

“It’s a female-driven cast, it’s short, it’s in English,” Harrell said. “The music is accessible, the stories are relatable — all things that I think opera needs and is exciting to see coming to life here.”

Gracie McFalls

Senior Staff Writer

The Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble played a double set at Dizzy’s Jazz Club in New York City over Winter Term.

Photo Courtesy of Chris Lee

Vocal Performance students perform within the makeshift archaeological dig site on the set of Alice Tierney in Finney Chapel.

Photo Courtesy of Yevhen Gulenko

John Elrod Kayla Kim Sports Editors

On Wednesday, Feb. 1., John Pont became the new head coach for Oberlin football, replacing Steve Opgenorth, who coached the Yeomen for two seasons. Pont came from Indiana University, Bloomington, as an offensive analyst and performance assistant and also worked in various positions at the University of Chicago and Case Western Reserve University. The Review sat down with him on his first day to discuss his vision for the football program.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What was your coaching role before you took the job at Oberlin?

I’ve coached football for about 15 years and most recently was at Indiana University Bloomington as an athletic performance assistant. I helped out on the offensive side of football as an analyst breaking down film, studying the next opponent, and helping the offensive coordinator and offensive staff develop a game plan. In the weight room, I was just an extra set of eyes, hands, and feet, and I helped out any way I could. I made sure that the student ath-

John Pont

Oberlin Football’s New Head Coach

letes were staying safe while lifting and using proper technique to make sure they didn’t get injured.

What were the most important things you picked up from your role with Indiana’s football program?

I think the most important thing I learned was to make the most out of the time you have with the kids. Being in the weight room, I had very short periods of time that I was able to be with the student athletes each session because they had many other responsibilities. In the weight room, you have a limited scope, but you still want to build the student athletes up physically, emotionally, and mentally while you’re in those spaces. That helped me become a better coach regardless of the division.

What made you decide to come to Oberlin and return to Division III athletics?

I actually interviewed at Oberlin a few years ago when the spot opened up after Jay Anderson left the school. I loved the interview, felt like it went really well, and was ready to come and be the head coach here, but that’s not how it worked out. I’ve learned a lot over these last couple years that has helped me become a bet-

ter coach and helped me professionally.

When I had the opportunity to become the head coach, knowing the College itself, knowing what it’s about, knowing the people that are here — like Natalie Winkelfoos and Mike Mancini — and knowing President Ambar’s vision for the program, it was a no-brainer. Athletics that value academics is something that’s near and dear to my heart. I believe in this model and that this program can be really successful, and I want to help lead it to another level.

What is your main philosophy for coaching and leadership?

Building relationships on the personal level and getting to know the individual is the most important thing. Especially in sports, the players often don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care about them. Players will play harder and learn more because they know that you care about them as a person and more than just as a football player. I also believe that coaching is education. It’s about teaching, and we do that by getting to know the kids — what their goals are, what they want to get out of the experience — and tailoring the experience to those goals.

Yeomen Optimistic For Remaining Games Following Victory Over Wooster

Continued from page 16

much better team when the scoring is spread out and we can all contribute.”

Players and coaches recognize the historic impact of Saturday’s victory.

“It’s really, really special, and I’m happy for our guys and what it means for our season,” Senthil said. “Our guys have worked really hard, and I’m happy they got this result because they really

deserve it.”

Okubo also appreciates the win and what it can do to motivate the team.

“It means a lot,” he said. “It’s huge for the program because it gives us confidence and the boost we need.”

The team’s 1–9 record in the NCAC going into the game may suggest that it is a rebuilding year. However, the victory over Wooster showed that Oberlin can compete with any team in

the conference. This is not lost on Otašević.

“We worked hard, we believed, and we achieved something great,” he said. “However, we can’t be satisfied with this because we still have a lot to do to secure the conference playoffs spot and have a shot at the championship. With the win over Wooster we proved that we can play with anyone and we just need to keep improving from here on out.”

How do you envision football contributing to the Oberlin community?

I hope that this program will continue to bring in people who want to become world-changers. I think Oberlin College, by its very nature, attracts people from all over the world that want to help make the world a better place. I think our football program should be in line with that vision and identity.

Oberlin had a rough season this year with some close games. What are you working to improve on for the 2023 season?

It’s again just about getting to know the student athletes — who they are, what they do really well — and putting them in position to do those things. Basing our schemes around who our student athletes are and not necessarily trying to fit them into a playbook or a set of rules will help them feel as comfortable as possible. Hopefully, through doing those things, they’ll have more fun. When we have fun, know what we’re doing, and use our talents to the best of our abilities, I think we can be very successful on the field. Thankfully I’m certified in strength and conditioning, so I can be in the weight room with our team

throughout the off season, help them develop, and get to know them.

Your grandfather, John Pont, has been a significant influence in your life. How has he and your family helped you in your journey to becoming a head coach?

My grandfather has always been one of my greatest role models in life. When he passed away, the line of people that came to visit and pay their respects went on for hours. So many of the people that I got a chance to talk to spoke to how great of a human he was and how great of an impact he had on their lives, far beyond the Xs and Os of football. As a young kid, I wanted to be a head coach because Grandpa was a head coach, and seeing the impact that he was able to have on people as a coach helped frame my mindset about it.

My grandfather’s brother, Rich Pont, was an assistant coach at Yale University for years and years. My parents both ended up coaching my high school as well. My dad coached football, field hockey, and women’s lacrosse, and my mom coached women’s lacrosse. They all have influenced me and always made me want to do the same for others.

Đorđe Otašević looks to make a move while competing against The College of Wooster.

John Pont was recently hired as the new head coach for Oberlin football.

Photo Courtesy of Thomas Hill

Photo Courtesy of Indiana Athletics

Oberlin Athletics Receives NADIIIAA Community Service Award

James Foster Staff Writer

Oberlin College Athletics was recognized for its community service efforts this past semester with the NADIIIAA Array of Projects Award, which is given each year to a school that interacted with and helped its community in many different ways. Over the 2021–22 academic year, Oberlin students participated in 10 events that raised funds and awareness for various causes. Teams and organizations carried on the tradition of events like Track or Treat and Helping Hands in addition to creating new events.

One event, the Shoes and Clothes for Kids raffle, was organized solely by teams. SC4K distributes shoe vouchers to children and families in need so that they can pick out their own shoes and have autonomy over their attire. They also distribute brand-new clothes including socks, underwear, and school uniforms. The softball and women’s basketball teams sold raffle tickets at a Cleveland Browns game, and all of the proceeds of the raffle were donated to SC4K.

Zoe Kuzbari OC ’22, the co-president of SAAC for fall 2022, said that community outreach has been something that SAAC has been working on since her time with the organization.

“When I got back to school after my gap year during COVID, I wanted to find a way to get SAAC more in touch with the surrounding community,” Kuzbari wrote in an email to the Review Track or Treat, organized by Oberlin’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, has been a staple of Oberlin’s community service engagement over the past decade. In October, every sports team on campus sets up a booth with can-

dy and an activity that typically pertains to that team’s sport. Kids and their families are encouraged to visit each booth to pick up their candy and have fun with the Oberlin student body.

Fourth-year and captain of the women’s tennis team Dina Nouaime has enjoyed participating in Track or Treat for the last four years.

“Track or Treat is honestly one of my favorite events organized by SAAC, especially because of its level of involvement with the greater Oberlin community,” Nouaime said. “There’s such a sense of camaraderie on the track, with the teams dressing up according to their own chosen themes and kids running around every which way. This past year, I saw a fair amount of familiar, returning faces throughout the crowds of kids, which was really heartwarming to see a prolonged interest in athletics. It’s such an incredible opportunity to be able to pass my team’s love of tennis on to what might be the next generation of tennis players.”

SAAC also put together Helping Hands. Before winter break, every sports team sponsors a family in need and purchases the gifts that they have requested. Oberlin athletes wrap new gifts — ranging from basketballs to scooters — in colorful packaging sure to brighten a child’s holiday season. Kuzbari greatly enjoyed working closer with kids this year and hopes that it can continue to be a long lasting tradition.

“Since I’ve been involved in SAAC for some time, I normally would ask to get the child who I knew I could pick a good gift for,so that they can really enjoy what our team was gifting them,” she wrote. “This past year though, I got to wrap my presents with the new assistant men’s basket-

ball coach’s daughter, Vivian. She is the sweetest little girl and that will be a special memory for me! I love kids and always hoped that we could do something in person with the families we get gifts for.”

Another event SAAC engineered that directly affected the Oberlin student body was the One Love workshops. One Love is an organization focused on raising awareness of unhealthy and abusive relationships and training people to spot and help those being abused in whatever ways they safely can. SAAC members who were trained by One Love held two workshops: one for men and one for women and non-binary people. These workshops started and promoted awareness of unhealthy relationships and successfully made Oberlin a safer campus and community.

Overall, 1,232 Oberlin athletes participated in over 2,000 hours of community service.

Australian, U.S. Open Night Sessions Detrimental to Players

to reporters. “I don’t think it’s amazing for the fans. It’s not good for the players.”

Night sessions are becoming more common for multiple reasons, including ticket sales. With this rise in popularity comes the assumption that the inclusion of women in these sessions would set a precedent for gender equality in the sport. So far, the US Open and Australian Open are the only two Grand Slams that schedule both men’s and women’s matches in both of the night sessions. In 2022, Billie Jean King advocated for more women’s matches in Roland Garros a year after they were introduced in the tournament and when Amelie Mauresmo said that women’s tennis had less appeal than men’s.

“You’ve got to put them when it’s prime time, and you have got to figure it out, and you want to give equal opportunity to both genders,” King said. “You always want to make sure you do the right thing by each person. They should have the same amount of women’s matches as they do men’s.”

Kayla Kim

Sports Editor

From top-seeded players getting eliminated before the quarterfinals to complaints about the quality of tennis balls in play, the 2023 Australian Open was riddled with surprise and controversy. Among these are the negative repercussions of night sessions, once again

playing a major role in conversations surrounding the Grand Slams since the 2022 US Open, when Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner at nearly 3 a.m. local time.

In tennis, the nighttime session is considered to be the most popular time. There are guidelines that require matches to start before midnight, but there is no time

limit as to how long these matches can go. In Australia, Andy Murray ended his match against Thanasi Kokkinakis at 4 a.m. local time — nearly six hours of playing. He offered several complaints in his press conference afterward about the effect the matches have on everyone involved.

“It’s not beneficial for the umpires, the officials,” Murray said

The same year, Wimbledon extended its matches until 11 p.m. The Australian Open had semifinals moved up to a night session for women in 2021, and in the official announcement, promoted this move as a huge step for gender equity in tennis.

However, multiple players have spoken up about the negative physical and mental effects that have come from staying up

so long and having to play less than 48 hours after, which puts them at a disadvantage against competitors in later rounds. In addition, it creates an extra hassle for fans, both international and local, who want to view the matches. This year, while attendance records were through the roof, TV viewership for the overall tournament fell by 40 percent.

“I was always last match, going on court at 10 p.m., finishing matches around 1 a.m., then doing media and treatment and eating,” Nick Kyrgios said of his experience in the 2022 U.S. Open. “I was not going to sleep before 4 a.m. every night.”

It should also be noted that wheelchair tennis has not gotten any night matches since its introduction into the Grand Slam and therefore has not been affected by the new changes for nighttime sessions. All wheelchair tennis players, regardless of whether they play for the men’s or women’s side, are still less recognized than able-bodied players, so the argument for equity will inevitably fall through until they are included in these changes.

If the Grand Slams truly wanted to promote equity for players, they would set hard regulations for nighttime matches or introduce other methods of equity, such as five-set matches for women. Otherwise, night sessions could become a significant problem for players and fans alike and decrease the quality of play.

Andy Murray competed in a nearly six-hour match in the 2023 Australian Open.

Kids and parents participated in Track or Treat, one of the community service events organized by SAAC.

Photo Courtesy of Reuters

Photos Courtesy of Thomas Hill

Men’s Basketball Ends 35-Year Drought Against Wooster

John Elrod Sports Editor

The Oberlin men’s basketball team made history last Saturday at Philips gym, defeating The College of Wooster — a peren nial powerhouse in the NCAC for the first time since 1988. The game went down to the wire, finishing with a 71–68 victory for the home team.

The Yeomen started out the contest on fire and got a 14-point lead by the end of the first half, holding the Fighting Scots to just seven made field goals. Oberlin’s Head Men’s Basketball Coach Shiva Senthil, who is in his first year of coaching the team, be lieves his squad had a mental edge early on.

“We set ourselves up with a re ally good mindset in warmups,” he said. “Our guys were locked in and we understood how big a game this was for our program. They executed to perfection and played really hard. When you do that, things start to bounce your way.”

Although Oberlin built a nice lead early, Wooster — which came into the game with a 9–1 record in the conference — was not going to go out quietly. They rallied in the second half and took a one point lead with 7:38 remaining. Senthil reminded his team to focus on what they could

and understand that good teams are going to make runs and how we react to those runs is going to determine the outcome,” he said.

Fourth-year forward Đorđe Otašević believes the first half performance gave them confidence they could retake the lead.

“We understood that we got up by 14 points earlier and that we could take the lead again,” he

Fans Anticipate Kansas City, Philly Super Bowl Faceoff

Chris Stoneman Senior Staff Writer

The biggest American sports game of the year is once again upon us. In less than two weeks, the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles will go head to head with the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs to determine the next kings of the National Football League in the 57th iteration of the Super Bowl.

This year’s Super Bowl is different from past Bowls for many reasons. For one, SB LVII stands as the first time that two Black quarterbacks will face off for the NFL championship: Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes. This is a great step forward for a league that has historically dealt with issues of race and leadership in the league.

This Super Bowl is also the first time two brothers will meet on the biggest stage in football. Philadelphia center Jason Kelce will compete against his younger brother, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, in what is sure to be a nail-biter of a game. Both brothers already have a Super Bowl ring under their belts, and as Travis Kelce told reporters after his AFC Championship win, “Mom can’t lose.”

In addition to these unique elements, the Eagles-Chiefs matchup itself is full of possibility.

Philadelphia’s air raid offense may prove problematic for the Kansas City defense, with deep threats like Dallas Goedert and A.J. Brown. The Eagles also have one of the strongest defenses in the entire League, with a stellar defensive line that amassed a franchise record 70 sacks throughout the 2022 season.

Second-year Oberlin tightend and diehard Eagles fan Josh Woznicki agrees that Philadelphia’s D-Line will be the most important part of the showdown.

“We’ve already seen what happens when guys like Haason Reddick and Brandon Graham take over games,” he said.

“When they stop the run early and force teams into dropback scenarios, it almost always works out in their favor.

The problem with the Chiefs is that they are usually able to get around this by Mahomes athletic ability. We’ll see if his injury limits him in this area at all, but I think either way, the game will come down to if the pass rush can put enough pressure on him to force mistakes and limit big plays.”

However, third-year Oberlin offensive tackle and fellow Eagles fan Danny Ben-Tal doesn’t agree with his teammate on what the key point of the game will be.

“The pivotal thing that the Ea-

ciples. We believed in each other, plus the energy from the bench was unbelievable.”

Defense was a critical factor for the Yeomen in their win. The team held Wooster to just 29 percent shooting from the field and racked up seven blocks and six steals. Second-year point guard Yuuki Okubo played a significant role, tallying three steals

ally good job of sticking to the game plan the coaches made for us,” Okubo said. “Everybody was locked in on a string and knew what the rotations were. For me, last time we played Wooster I didn’t have a good game so I just tried to come out with energy to propel us forward.”

Senthil agrees that it was a great defensive team effort.

“Every single person whether they were on the court or the bench understood their role to perfection,” he said. “They played incredibly hard and got to every single rotation and contested every single shot. It was the best execution of our game plan we’ve had all year.”

Offensively, the Yeomen attacked Wooster by getting all members of the team involved. Okubo led the way with 14 points, while Otašević scored 12 with efficient shooting, going five of six from the field.

“I was able to get the shots we work on every single day, and I played to my advantage,” Otašević said. “Wooster was adapting to our offense, but we were able to have good reads and my teammates were able to find me for open shots.”

Five other Oberlin players finished with at least six points, proving that it was a team effort offensively. Okubo, who has the second best assist-to-turnover ratio in all of NCAA men’s basketball this year and was recently named NCAC Player of the Week, centers his game around getting teammates involved.

“My job is to get everybody involved so I try to do the best I can to get everybody in their spots and get them good looks,” Okubo said. “I think we’re a

gles need to do to win the game is win the possession battle,” he said. “Most of their struggles this year have stemmed from their opponents beating them in time of possession.”

Maintaining control of the ball will definitely need to be a major part of the game if Philadelphia wants to stand a chance Feb. 12 However, the Eagles are only half of the equation.

Kansas City will bring a veteran offense into Glendale, helmed by head coach Andy Reid and a roster full of experienced play-

ers. Though playing through a high ankle sprain, having a quarterback like Mahomes, who already has a Lombardi Trophy under his belt, will undoubtedly prove extremely beneficial to the Chiefs’ offense. Kansas City’s linebacking core and defensive backfield are also bright spots on the roster, with studs like Willie Gay and Justin Reid locking up opponents on a frequent basis.

Former Oberlin quarterback and lifelong Chiefs fan Chris Allen Jr. shared a similar opinion about the Super Bowl matchup.

“I think the two most important parts to the game will be how the Chiefs’ DBs and LBs play against the Eagles’ WRs and the battle between both O-Lines and D-Lines,” he said. “I think that’s where the biggest disparities are between the two teams, and it will be interesting to see how each team sets up their game-plan.”

Whatever your prediction and regardless of who you want to win, Super Bowl LVII is set up to be another thrilling finale to the NFL season.

The Kansas City Chiefs will compete against the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Sunday.

Yuuki Okubo dribbles past an opponent.

Photo Courtesy of Steve Luciano

Photo Courtesy of Thomas Hill

See Yeomen, page 14