The Oberlin Review Feb. 17, 2023

Faculty Begin Conversations on Supporting Student Mental Health Amid Higher Course Withdrawals, Incompletes

The Counseling Center waiting room was crowded but quiet this past Tuesday morning. Just after 10 a.m., Executive Director of Student Health and Wellbeing Andrew Oni sat with the Review to discuss the current climate around student mental health.

“On average, almost 25 to 30 percent of [students] utilize the counseling services at Oberlin, which is almost double the rate when we compare with other similar institutions that are within the range of 15 and 20 percent,” Oni said. “That’s what we’ve had consistently for a number of years. Nationally, the rate among colleges and universities is about 11 percent.”

Oni explained that the rate of students seeking counseling services through the institution remained steady for several years before the pandemic. Since March 2020, however, there has been an increase in students requesting services, though at a rate that Oni considers reflective of a nationwide increase in

Kushagra Kar Editor-in-Chief

demand for mental health services in general.

President Carmen Twillie Ambar offered the Review additional context for other indicators of academic challenges since the beginning of the pandemic. According to data collected by the College, there has been an overall increase in the number of requests for incompletes, especially emergency incompletes. Additionally, there has been an increase in the number of course withdrawals completed for academic reasons. Notably, the number of students of color seeking these forms of recourse has remained largely unchanged as compared to pre-pandemic years. The average GPA in the division of Arts & Sciences also increased slightly. President Ambar further explained that the institution will continue to analyze data around medical leaves, suspensions, and withdrawals to assess if there may be ways to reduce the frequency of these events and simplify the processes surrounding them.

In response to a request to view this data, the Office of the Registrar and Office of Institutional Effectiveness explained that official data on incompletes and withdrawals was not available to them. Associate Dean of Academic Advising and Registrar Trecia Pottinger noted that once the data referenced by President Ambar is analyzed, the findings will be taken to faculty governance to decide how best to respond to the situation.

Even though the official data is unavailable, faculty have begun acknowledging the broader academic context of student mental health. A conversation that started during the December 2022 General Faculty meeting culminated this past Wednesday, when faculty engaged in the first of two workshops geared toward starting a conversation on the impact of mental health in classrooms. Angie Roles, associate professor of Biology, collaborated with colleagues to design and facilitate the topics for

FEATURE

Karthik Ranganadhan

The Board of the Oberlin Community Improvement Corporation met Feb. 8 to discuss a new draft report on how to improve Oberlin’s downtown. The OCIC had engaged an external company, Downtown Strategies, Inc., to provide recommendations on how the downtown area could be revitalized.

Janet Haar, OCIC board member and executive director for the Oberlin Business Partnership, explained the reasoning behind this collaboration.

“We needed somebody to look inside from outside,” Haar said.

“The thought was, we all feel engaged in our community — and too into the community — and someone that has the expertise and the experience of looking at small rural towns like ours could do a better job of looking at the possibilities and the potential.”

The report proposed several potential solutions for improving downtown, which would follow a five-year plan.

One of the main recommendations of the report is the creation of a Community Roundtable program.

“Each month, leaders of key community organizations should gather, with no formal agenda, to discuss current projects, opportunities for partnerships, shared resources, and visioning and planning,” the report reads.

Some of the partners mentioned include Oberlin College, OCIC, OBP, the Comprehensive Plan Committee, the former Downtown Business Stakeholders Group, and the Oberlin Heritage Center. Haar considers the roundtable one of the best recommendations made by the report.

See General, page 3 See City, page 4

“I think one of the most important things is that leaders of the different groups in town that are responsible for certain parts of the plan collaborate and are transparent,” Haar said. “The report stressed that if the City, OBP, Oberlin College, and nonprofit organizations or merchants’ organizations are working on a part of the plan, it’s important that

the heads of those organizations meet on a routine basis, perhaps monthly. They also suggested that, quarterly, all of the organizations working on all of the parts of the plan actually come together with the community to report out so that it is transparent from day one: what’s being done, and what the needs are.”

Jill Sawyer, chair of the OCIC, member of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee and owner of Mill on Main, thinks that the report provided much-needed support to stakeholders invested in Oberlin’s downtown.

“It has been gratifying to hear representatives of the town and the College voice their interest in and commitment to partnering on strengthening downtown Oberlin’s visibility and revitalization — recognizing that it takes town and College working together to succeed in achieving our shared goals,” Sawyer wrote in an email to the Review

The report also recommends that OCIC “establish a frame-

Downtown Strategies presented their findings to the OCIC Feb. 8.

Photo by Abe Frato, Photo Editor

Painting by Anya Loeffler

Oberlin High School student portraits of important Black historical figures are on display in the Firelands Association for Visual Arts.

Oberlin High School Students Create Art in Honor of Black History Month | 11

Builders, Citizens Arrested by Turkish Government After Earthquake

According to an article published by Reuters, damages in Turkey could range from $50 to $80 billion. The Turkish government arrested at least 113 builders, architects, and engineers connected to the construction of buildings that were leveled in the earthquake. The government has arrested 78 citizens for making “provocative posts” and has begun legal proceedings against 293 individuals accused of posting inflammatory content.

United Nations Secretary-General Declares Rising Sea Levels “Death Sentence”

For Some Nations United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, citing new data revealing that sea levels had risen rapidly since 1900, addressed the UN Security Council on Tuesday, warning of danger for those in coastal areas with particularly low elevations. “The danger is especially acute for nearly 900 million people who live in coastal zones at low elevations — that’s one out of 10 people on Earth,” he told the council, per Al Jazeera

Proposal by G20 Host India to Decrease Loan Burden on Developing Countries

According to an article published by Reuters, India is working on a proposal that would ask China to limit its loans to developing countries. China has funded infrastructure growth for many middle- and lower-income countries. According to an article published by BBC, this strategy has faced criticism from other countries as a “debt trap,” where countries who cannot repay their loans have to give China control of their assets. Finance ministers and central bank chiefs will meet in Bengaluru next week as part of India’s G20 host year.

Mystery Objects Identified in U.S. Airspace, Downed by Military

On Sunday, President Biden ordered the shooting of the fourth “mystery object” to be downed this month. The object shot on Sunday was shotdowned over Lake Huron in Michigan near the Canadian border. According to BBC, U.S. Northern Command Commander General Glen VanHerck could not rule out that the objects were extra-terrestrials. “I’m not going to categorise them as balloons. We’re calling them objects for a reason,” VanHerck said, per BBC. “What we are seeing is very, very small objects that produce a very, very low radar cross-section.”

Friday, Feb. 10, 2023

Center for Food Innovation Proposes Year-Round Agriculture to Bolster Local Farming

Cal Ransom News Editor

The Center for Food Innovation, a nonprofit organization started at Oberlin College in 2020, wants Northeast Ohioans to eat more locally grown produce. CFI aims to have 25 percent of the produce consumed in Northeast Ohio be produced in the area by 2026. According to Jeff Heinen, CEO of Heinen’s Grocery Store, about 70 percent of the store’s produce is sourced locally during the summer months. However, large purchasers that require consistent food volume year-round find it difficult to source from local farms.

Lisa Roberson, National Director of Wellness and Sustainability for Morrison Healthcare, spoke at a webinar titled “Getting Local — Why Do Groceries, Hospitals, Restaurants and Others Want More Local Food?”

“[Seasonality] is a big barrier for us in purchasing [local] in many cases,” Roberson said. “If they had a year-round and consistent availability, [so] that you could actually meet distribution volumes that are the minimum requirements on a consistent basis … you could gain access to distribution in some markets that require larger volumes or more consistent volumes.”

To increase the availability of local produce year-round, CFI is a proponent of controlled-environment agriculture, which includes hydroponics, aeroponics, and vertical farming. According to a 2020 report by Oberlin Research Group titled “The Economic Potential

of Vertical Agriculture in Northeast Ohio,” there are many viable properties for controlled-environment agriculture that have been zoned for agriculture or commercial use in our region, including abandoned malls and factories.

“Although deindustrialization had significant negative impacts on the economy in Lorain County, it is now presenting us with an opportunity to give new life to buildings and infrastructure that have been sitting empty for years,” the report reads.

Tyler Gogolek, owner of Tyler’s Farm, has been growing leafy greens in a 48-foot by 124-foot greenhouse since 2014. He received a $125,000 loan from the Farm Service Agency in 2014, but has found it difficult to secure funding for expansion since.

“Everything needs to be paid for upfront,” Gogolek said. “It’s not like growing in a field, where you till the field and go and just wait for nice weather. With controlled-environment agriculture, the biggest hurdle is the overhead.”

The high cost of creating a synthetic environment makes it difficult for entrepreneurs and farmers to afford hydroponic or vertical farming.

Bara Watts, CEO of CFI, said that, in addition to government funding, private investment and grants are necessary for the success of the agriculture industry in Northeast Ohio.

CFI created the Your Amazing Food Idea pitch competition in partnership with Lorain County Community College’s Small Business Development Center to help entrepreneurs in the food industry receive funding and consultation. The competition has two tracks: the On the Road Track for businesses that have been established for two or more years and receive $250,000 or less in revenue a year, and the Startup Track for businesses that are in their infancy.

Businesses that are accepted to the program will participate in

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February 17, 2023

pitch coaching before the actual pitch competition, in which they will compete for funding and consultation. Winners of the Startup Track will receive $2,000 in cash and $3,000 in services from SDBC and outside consultants. Winners of the On the Road Track will receive $10,000 in cash and $5,000 in services. Consultants from a variety of areas of expertise will be available for winners. Beth Gantz will provide consultation from her experience in the retail and food industry, while Tim Skaryd, president of Hospitality Sales and Management, will provide his expertise on food manufacturing.

Watts said that there is interest from investors in the agriculture technology industry, but that attracting those investors means working to de-risk an investment into Northeast Ohio.

“Investors are very, very cautious people,” Watts said. “You might think that they might be more into it because they go after things that are a little bit more new — cutting-edge stuff, but they are extremely cautious because they don’t like losing money.”

Investors and established companies considering moving their operations to Northeast Ohio must consider the cost of energy and the availability of purchasers in the area. CFI aims to attract large purchasers like hospitals and universities and encourage them to buy from controlled-environment companies.

“De-risking has to do with the cost of building and supplying,” Watts said. “It’s about having the talent that’s available. It’s about having some level of surety that they have customers that are gonna buy from them at the volume that they wanna produce.”

The knowledge required for controlled-environment agriculture includes traditional farming knowledge, but also integrated technology and biology. CFI has partnered with LCCC and The Ohio State University to begin building the educational pieces that will feed into the future workforce.

Volume 152, Number 14 (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

Yasu Shinozaki

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

Isaac Imas

Production Editors

Addie Breen

E.J. LaFave

Gideon Reed

Jasper Swartz

James Foster

Lia Fawley

Serena Atkinson

Trevor Smith

Layout Editors

Erin Koo

Grace Gao

Tyler’s Farm has grown leafy greens hydroponically since 2014.

Security Report

“A lot of farmers are losing their kids to technology and to other industries,” Watts said. “They’re leaving the farms. We would love more of these farmers to be hybrid, where they might have greenhouses or vertical farms on their land along with their crops that would give them year-round capabilities. We envision this being much more technology-driven, which is also a big skillset that we have in this region.”

A student at a Village Housing Unit whose window shattered when they attempted to close it requested assistance from a Campus Safety officer.

Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023

A student reported water coming through the ceiling in the lounge area of Asia House.

Officers responded to a report of an odor consistent with burnt marijuana in Robertson Hall.

Officers, Oberlin Fire Department members, and paramedics responded to a report of an unresponsive student at Price Hall.

Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023

Officers, members of the Oberlin Police andFire Departments, and paramedics respond-

ed to a report of a student unresponsive, due to alcohol consumption, in Goldsmith Lane.

Officers responded to a report of students congregating in the North Quad area being destructive.

An officer on patrol observed turfing on the tree lawn by Tank Co-op.

An officer on patrol of the groundshop area observed locks cut on a storage trailer.

An officer conducting routine rounds of Johnson House detected a strong odor of burnt incense.

Officers and the Oberlin Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at a Union Street apartment.

Monday, Feb. 13, 2023

Officers responded to a student report of a strong odor of burnt marijuana in Robertson Hall.

Officers and Oberlin Fire Department members responded to a fire alarm on the second floor of Fairchild House.

Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023

Officers responded to a report of a dumpster blocking a vehicle in the parking lot by Wilder Hall lot. Damage to the vehicle was observed.

Officers, Oberlin Fire Department members, and paramedics responded to assist an unwell student at Dascomb Hall.

Katie Rasmussen

Molly Chapin

Illustrator

Molly Chapin

Distributors

Leah Potoff

Nondini Nagarwalla

Neva Taylor

Will Young

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.

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Photos by Abe Frato, Photo Editor

Jocienne Nelson

OC ’14, Director’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Jonah Ordower

Dr. Jocienne Nelson, OC ’14, director’s postdoctoral fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, gave a talk on campus yesterday as part of the Physics and Astronomy Lecture Series. Nelson discussed atomic spray paint for renewable energy and energy efficiency.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you get into this?

I did research here at Oberlin and that definitely got me interested. I worked with Professor of Physics Stephen FitzGerald in his lab, which got me interested in working. I’m a condensed matter physicist, which is a broad category of physics. I think doing research here and seeing research is kind of messy. It’s a lot harder and you don’t have straightforward answers, but that’s pretty fun. Beyond that, you can work on theoretical, very idealized systems, or you can be an experimentalist like me and work on real materials that are super messy. I think doing research here made me realize that I enjoyed that. Solid state systems are kind of messy. They have defects and disorders and nothing is perfect. It’s a complex system you have to solve, and that’s how I got into condensed matter physics.

I went to Cornell University for my PhD after Oberlin. I was initially interested in very basic research. A lot of the goals in my PhD were to understand materials that are adjacent to high-temperature superconductors; asking how we can understand the behavior of electrons and understanding how materials behave. With that, I worked with other groups at Cornell. I think one of the really fun things about being a scientist is that you can’t really do anything on your own, right? You have to collaborate with other people. I found it really exciting to help these groups work on things that could be part of fighting cli-

mate change, and that’s how I got interested in moving more toward applied research.

What is it that you’re researching?

I am researching new materials that could be used for things like energy-efficient electronics or renewable energy. Our group grows thin films. We grow these thin film materials on a substrate, and that’s a necessary step to make any sort of electronic device that goes into a chip in your computer. Physicists do material discoveries where they essentially make small rocks, and that’s great for finding new materials, but our step is to take those materials that have been discovered as tiny rocks and figure out how to make films out of them. Then we can do a lot of new and interesting physics with those films that couldn’t be done as small rocks.

Are there any limitations to this study?

The limitation is Moore’s Law. All of our current electronics are based on silicon, and silicon is probably the most well-studied material in human history. There’s been a ton of work, money, and effort put in over decades to make computer chips out of silicon, but we’re soon going to get to a point where devices are essentially becoming too thin. You get more efficiency the denser and smaller devices are, and that’s worked for a long time. You can have a computer in your phone, whereas it used to be a big room. However, because we’re getting to a point where everything is so thin, it’s starting to approach a few atomic layers. That’s kind of a fundamental limit for silicon. So, we need to move to and understand other materials.

What kind of elements or materials do you think will be the next big thing?

There are a lot of different candidate systems right now. It’s an exciting time to be in the field

because there’s a ton of different things being studied. During my PhD, I studied transition metal oxides. Those are things like copper and oxygen, for example. Those systems are a push to create oxide electronics instead of silicon-based electronics. The systems are really cool because length skills are really short, so you can make ultra-thin devices out of them. Another aspect is that there are electrons in a chunk of copper, for example, and they don’t really ever talk to the other electrons, but in transition metal oxides, the electrons strongly interact with each other. That creates mini body physics, and it’s easy to understand the interaction of two particles, but three particles or more, it’s very difficult. It creates a lot of super interesting behavior that just comes as a result of collective behavior of electrons. Those are transition metal oxides.

What I’m studying now are topological materials. These materials are related to semiconductors, so we can grow them in the same chambers that we grow gallium arsenide, which is a very common semiconductor. They’re materials that like certain aspects of the electronic structure or the way the electronics interact, and they are very robust to defects and disorder. You can have a ton of disorder that is naturally occurring in any sort of fabrication process but still have really great metrics for material quality. Those are also pretty promising.

What are semiconductors?

I don’t specifically work on semiconductors, but you can think of semiconductors as the building blocks for electronic devices or the materials that we make to create devices like transistors. The physics description would be that you have an insulator, it has a large band gap, it doesn’t connect or conduct electrons very well. Or you have a metal where they conduct electrons very easily. A semiconductor is kind of in between

and ends up being a useful building block for devices.

Do you think that these new types of materials can help improve climate change?

I definitely hope so. I don’t think I have great metrics for that, but everything we’re working on will have that goal. However, it’s a big field and there are a lot of different problems to work on. Right now, we’re exploring different spaces and different material systems, but I really hope it will have an impact.

What do you think the next couple years of research will bring?

We have basically figured out how to grow the material that I’m talking about today — a prototypical example of a topological semimetal. I’m hoping that

we can start collaborating with a lot of different groups to make devices out of these materials. At the same time, we hope it further optimizes the growth and think about the other material systems we can work on. However, I think the really exciting thing is that we’ve grown it; what can we do with it and who can we send it to so they can do interesting science with these materials?

Another huge goal for us is to understand how defects and disorders caused by material growth impacts properties, because that has implications beyond this one material that we’re growing. We can apply it to a broad range of topological materials that could potentially be useful to a whole community of scientists who are trying to take these materials and apply them.

General Faculty Council Discusses Student Wellbeing in Academic Settings

Continued from page 1

these workshops.

“In the December ’22 [General Faculty] meeting, a faculty member raised their hand to talk about the fact that they had an extremely high number of incompletes that were requested for the fall semester, and that was concerning,” Roles said. “The person who initially spoke said, ‘What is the College going to do about this?’ Also, this is not just stressful for students, but it’s stressful for me. If I had a class of 40 people and 20 of them had incompletes, that’s a whole lot more work then, too, that I have to do when that work comes in after the semester. ... I was positing that the pandemic exacerbated existing issues to the point that they were extremely visible.”

These concerns from the General Faculty were then considered by the General Faculty Council, an executive committee composed of the President, both divisional deans, and an elected cohort of four College and two Conservatory faculty members.

President Ambar tasked Roles with creating a way for faculty to share their experiences and

strategies in supporting student mental health in academic environments without adding an extra burden to their schedules.

The General Faculty is scheduled to gather on the third Wednesday of every month, so the GFC decided to dedicate the Feb. and March 15 sessions to workshops focused on communication and pedagogy, respectively.

“Faculty are seeking a fuller understanding of the impact of mental health challenges on learning, and they are indeed consulting with mental health professionals,” Dean of Arts and Sciences David Kamitsuka wrote in an email to the Review “Faculty do not ‘treat’ mental illness or provide therapeutic interventions. Faculty members are working together to remove stigma surrounding mental health and are developing pedagogies that support students as learners.”

The meeting this week took place over Zoom and was divided into nine faculty-facilitated discussion groups, each dealing with a specific topic related to communication: active listening, cultivating a non-judgemental perspective, creating equitable discussion spaces, stereotype threats and microaggressions,

recognizing and managing student fear and anxiety, creating a sense of belonging, culturally aware advising, articulating and establishing boundaries, and supporting students in class. The second workshop will take place in person next month.

“The first workshop, I want us to focus on thinking about what we say, how we say it,” Roles said. “So focusing on that interaction and thinking about how we are interacting. Are there modifications that we can make that improve the situation, that contribute to people feeling comfortable, to reducing anxieties, to reducing fears, to giving people agency? I would say, particularly, this workshop requires you to try to be more aware and conscious of what you’re saying and how you’re saying it and what the impact might be on someone else. But I don’t feel like they actually require you to go off and redesign your course to be able to do this. The second workshop is gonna be about redesigning elements of your course.”

President Ambar mentioned the possibility of reconsidering current policies around academic assessments and grading, looking broadly at potential

approaches to reducing anxiety around midterms and finals. Mostly, she was excited to hear ideas from faculty on what these changes could look like. As it stands, several faculty members employ non-traditional grading policies in their classes, including Roles and fellow GFC members Jennifer Fraser, professor of Ethnomusicology and Anthropology, and Jan Miyake, division director of Music Theory. Fraser spoke to the Review about her colleagues’ approaches, as well as her use of specifications grading.

“I do specifications grading, and Professor Miyake is experimenting with ungrading,” Fraser said. “These systems cradle students to allow them to take opportunities and risks and to really learn and take accountability by getting rid of that subjective element of the grading system. … I haven’t used regular grading systems since I got tenure [in 2013]. Two years ago, inspired by colleagues, I tried specifications grading. ... It’s just spelling out very clearly what the specifications are: What do you have to do to get a D? What do you have to do to get a B? So students can opt in to where they want to engage and where

they want to work. It’s no value judgment about your intellect or your ability. It’s about your engagement.”

Reflecting on the first workshop this past week, Fraser observed that the meeting wasn’t as well attended as previous General Faculty meetings. She felt that those in attendance were likely already invested and willing to create time for this conversation. She also noted it was interesting to see who was in the room and who was not, though she acknowledged people may have been busy with other commitments.

“If you’re not open to learning or you’re not open to conversation, then what’s the point?” Fraser said. “I really do think the colleagues who were there … were there because they wanted to participate in this conversation. I know I certainly had some pre-conversations with colleagues and they were concerned it might be a little too preachy — that one group of faculty seemed to be telling other faculty what to do — but instead we hoped it was opening up space for conversation. … Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer for how to get everyone on board with this.”

Dr. Nelson’s research could increase efficiency in electronics. Photo courtesy of Oberlin College

Students, Staff Engage in Dialogue About ChatGPT

Amnesty International Report Alleges New Evidence in Mahallati Involvement in Cover Up of

1988 Iran Mass Political Killings

Ava Miller Senior Staff Writer

On Feb. 6, Amnesty International released a 17-page report condemning Professor of Religion Mohammad Jafar Mahallati’s actions as Iran’s former ambassador to the United Nations.

The report alleges that Mahallati played an active role in covering up the 1988 mass killings of political prisoners in Iran.

The recently released report claims that Mahallati worked to feed the United Nations misleading information in an effort to obstruct their investigation into the 1988 killings, which he continued to fend off in 1989 by slandering the victims of the executions. It alleges that Mahallati “undertook efforts in late November and early December 1988 to block the adoption of a resolution by the U.N. General Assembly that expressed concern about the mass executions.”

A faculty workshop series on the use of artificial intelligence in a college setting, particularly generative text models like ChatGPT, began Feb. 9. Sponsored by the Gertrude B. Lemle Teaching Center in collaboration with the Bonner Center, the series aims to explore opportunities for faculty to incorporate generative text models, such as ChatGPT, into their curriculum.

Interim Director of the Bonner Center Thom Dawkins was inspired to host a workshop series after a conversation with Writing Associates Program Fellow Ryo Adachi.

“I had been speaking with Ryo Adachi … and in our conversation, we were talking about how to teach with ChatGPT and how they’ve been using it,” Dawkins said. “I reached out to a bunch of the deans and to [Associate Professor and Chair of Africana Studies] Charles Peterson, [director of] the Lemle Center.”

According to Senior Instructional Technologist Albert Borroni, the Lemle Center connected him with Dawkins after they both expressed interest in hosting workshops on ChatGPT. During the first workshop, Borroni provided faculty with a general overview of how the technology functions.

“I thought we really [needed] to have faculty understand what this is doing and why it’s doing it,” Borroni said. “It was machine learning. It takes data that’s fed to it. It will then create something novel based on that.”

Borroni hopes that future workshops will help faculty explore how they can use ChatGPT as an educational tool. Dawkins and Borroni have already found ways to incorporate AI into their lesson plans this semester.

“One of the first days of classes this semester, we took a look at my writing prompts for the first essay and the final essay, and I said, ‘Try to find the best way possible to have ChatGPT write your paper for you,’” Dawkins said.

Borroni, in addition to exploring ChatGPT with his students, has utilized it for lesson planning.

“I asked it to create a syllabus for 12 weeks for a non-majors neuroscience course, and it went straight through and did it,” Borroni said. “I had to edit a little bit of it … [but] I looked at it [and] I thought, ‘Oh, this is great!’”

According to College fourth-

year and Hearing Coordinator for the Student Honor Committee

Olivia Bross, as generative text models have become more accessible, the Student Honor Committee has considered concerns about increased plagiarism.

“The honor committee has had a couple of conversations regarding the increased prevalence of generative AI,” Bross wrote in an email to the Review. “After talking with administrators, we share similar concerns since it is more difficult to find enough evidence to prove that someone has plagiarized using AI.”

However, Bross also noted that plagiarism was a concern before ChatGPT, and that the use of ChatGPT is a violation of the Honor Code as it currently reads.

“From what has been communicated with the Student Honor Committee, there have been no clear plans to change language or procedures to account for AI,” Bross wrote. “An honor code violation using AI still falls under current language that the SHC uses, such as ‘the use of unauthorized materials’ and ‘plagiarism.’”

Associate Professor and Chair of the Computer Science Department Cynthia Taylor sees the danger of AI as being less in its capabilities than in its limitations.

“I think the danger is, if you generate a lot of code using one of these systems and you put that into practice … you don’t know what bugs you’ve introduced,” Taylor said. “You don’t know what that code depends on [and] that is very dangerous, especially in terms of running code that people depend on … these black box systems [where] we can’t see what they’re doing inside … I would worry about students who would come to depend on these systems and not [have] to think critically about what they’ve generated.”

Despite concerns, Dawkins does not feel that generative text models pose a threat in the classroom.

“Coming from a humanities perspective, I think that we shouldn’t be as threatened by it because we’re not in the content production business,” Dawkins said. “We teach these disciplines, we teach writing as critical thinking, as ethical deliberation, as [a way] to explore how we really feel about an issue to connect with an audience.”

Borroni echoed this sentiment.

“If somebody wants to plagiarize, there’s paper mills all over the place already, so I’m not worried about it,” Borroni said.

ic Republic of Iran to the U.N. in New York claiming the individuals killed had “direct organizational contacts with … a treacherous espionage network.”

Additional evidence cited in the report indicates that Mahallati misrepresented the executions as “battlefield killings.”

In 1989, after substantial evidence of the July–September 1988 extrajudicial executions had been submitted to Iranian authorities, Mahallati denied all reports of the mass executions.

In December 1988, the U.N. adopted a resolution expressing “grave concern” about Iran’s targeting of political prisoners. According to international media reports, Mahallati tried to have the resolution “dropped” or “watered down.” In February 1989, Mahallati wrote a letter from the Permanent Mission of the Islam-

Since October 2020, family members of those killed have demanded the firing of Mahallati and an apology from the College for hiring him. In 2021, Oberlin College hired an unnamed third party to investigate allegations against Mahallati. Based on the findings of the investigation, the College concluded that there was no evidence to corroborate these accusations against Mahallati. The Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists protested Mahallati at the 2022 Commencement. In September 2022, Republican representatives announced their own investigation. Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Virginia Foxx of North Carolina released evidence about Mahallati’s involvement with Sepehr-e-Siasat, an Iranian newspaper accused of praising Lebanese Islamist militant group Hezbollah.

Amnesty International provided evidence that Mahallati continues to deny he was aware of the mass executions. In a 2022 interview with journalist Masih Alinejad, Mahallati said: “I had absolutely no information and in the office of Iran’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. in New York, there is not one telex or one document [indicating] that any information was given to the ambassador.”

During his tenure as ambassador for Iran, Mahallati represented Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic

of Iran. Camron Amin, a professor of Middle East studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn who researches Iran and Persian history, noted the violence of the regime Mahallati represented.

“Ayatollah Khomeini made a number of ruthless decisions,” Amin wrote in an email to the Review. “He purged many formerly trusted members of his inner circle, he tightened up the legal power invested in the office he held, and he ended a war that was draining resources the state could use to further suppress dissent. Khomeini’s successor, Ayatollah Khameneh’i, built on this bloody legacy with assassinations of prominent dissidents in Iran and overseas. 1988 was not a bug of the Islamic Republican system, but a feature.”

In response to Amnesty International’s new information, the Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists released a statement upholding their convictions against Mahallati.

“In light of this new evidence, we conclude with certainty that Mr. Mahallati was aware of the executions and was in a position to stop them from happening,” the report reads. “We find him negligent and complicit for failing to use his position at the U.N. to draw public attention to the Islamic Regime or Iran’s crimes against humanity, prevent further executions, and mislead the U.N. … We also condemn the college for continually defending a known human rights abuser and failing to meet with the victims’ families, look at their evidence and listen to their stories.”

City Explores Downtown Development Strategies

Continued from page 1

work of committees, known as Action Teams, under OCIC, and recruit volunteers and multi-disciplinary professionals to begin tackling specific programs and strategies within this plan and to expand the network of downtown development supporters.”

The report provided project mapping worksheets to assist these action teams in carrying out their duties. Another key recommendation was to better advertise Oberlin’s position as a destination for arts and culture.

“Oberlin is a cultural hub with excellent performing arts centers, music performances, art education, and the like,” the report reads. “However, this was not obvious to the Downtown Strategies team upon arrival and solo tour of the City and Downtown. There is an opportunity to incorporate this richness into the City brand and with physical installations, such as signage.”

When it comes to other improvements, the report proposes revamping sidewalks and intersections and improving Oberlin’s parking management to attract more shoppers.

The report further provides a roadmap for the City to encourage more businesses to set up shop in Oberlin and thereby attract more customers to the downtown area.

In order to make the space more physically attractive, it proposes creating a new facade grant program to replace the city’s facade loan program. The report defines facade improvement programs as “incentive programs created to encourage property owners and businesses to improve the exterior appearance of their buildings and storefronts.” The report

proceeds to describe how the proposed facade grant program would further the goal of downtown revitalization. “Although it may seem to be a minor aspect of an improvement program, design assistance enables and helps ensure that building modifications comply with any historic district guidelines or other design guidelines developed specifically to enhance buildings in the target area.”

When it comes to incorporating the recommendations with Oberlin’s Comprehensive Plan, Sawyer said there was opportunity for collaboration.

“I believe there is great synergy between strategic planning for Oberlin’s downtown and comprehensive planning for the City as a whole,” Sawyer wrote. “The fact that the two consulting firms, Downtown Strategies and KM Date Community Planning, chose to partner on these efforts right from the beginning is welcome and will be highly beneficial to both projects. The two firms created the shared Downtown Community Input Survey for the community, and the Comprehensive Plan consultant attended the

Strategic Visioning Workshop led by Downtown Strategies.”

Haar also stated that the report “definitely has to be part of the comprehensive plan.”

One contentious point in the report is the starting section on real estate investments in Oberlin. The section concerns real estate belonging to the Hotel at Oberlin, the Huntington Bank building, and the 141 S. Main St. property. It gives advice and proposes ideas on how to develop the properties in the future.

“I and other people don’t feel that they did enough research to know some really important things about those sites that they talked about,” Haar said. Sawyer defended the section, saying she felt that Downtown Strategies had done its research.

“Based on their market analysis, Downtown Strategies presented key areas in Oberlin that would benefit from a retail presence or from mixed-use development,” Sawyer wrote. “During [its] presentation, Downtown Strategies demonstrated an awareness of progress being made at certain sites as well as some known challenges.”

Emma Benardete Editor-in-Chief

Students ask ChatGPT questions.

Photo by Erin Koo, Photo Editor

OCIC is a city government committee. Photo by Abe Frato, Photo Editor

Sentiment of Indifference Toward Syria Must Be Addressed

Zane Badawi

I decided to visit my father in Akron during the first weekend of February to catch up with him. I hadn’t seen him since December, and I was looking forward to recounting my stories of Egypt, a part of the Middle East and North African region, which I had visited since our last meeting. As a Palestinian, he had his own tales to tell about the region.

Our conversation shifted to Palestine specifically, as it often does, and we recounted the hardships of the Palestinian people through the past eight decades.

We discussed the tragedies and the difficulties, then the conversation shifted slightly. “But Syria,” he said. “What’s happened there is unspeakable.”

We shared a silent moment in recognition, and continued. The next day, I woke to news of an earthquake in southeastern Türkiye that had reached parts of Syria.

At the time, the earthquake had a death toll in the hundreds across the region. A day later,

thousands. By Feb. 14, over 41,000 had perished, including nearly 6,000 in Syria. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake has devastated communities and families, turning buildings to rubble and leaving millions of people without homes.

Let me make it clear: By focusing on Syria in this article, I am in no way downplaying the severity of the recent earthquake among Turkish people. I write here on Syria specifically, and I was inspired to do so because of the recent disaster, but I am not writing per se about the disaster.

Syria’s numerous weaknesses make it a nation unprepared for a disaster like the Kahramanmaraş earthquake. This is not the first crisis the country has faced, and it is unlikely to be the last. According to the Fragile States Index, Syria is the third-least stable country on Earth, the result of a variety of factors including a fractured government and a feeble economy.

It’s easy to sympathize with the Syrian people. Their participation in the Arab Spring upris-

ings was characterized by a hope, especially among youth, that the Arab World would finally see an end to tyrannical, autocratic regimes and see a new dawn of peace. A democratic society was taking shape. Yet what came of it was a civil war that, after nearly 12 years, has shown no signs of stopping. According to the United Nations Human Rights Office, 306,000 civilians were killed in the first 10 years of fighting. It is easy to sympathize, but few take action. Modern Western powers, broadly speaking, are not interested in the well-being of Middle Eastern countries and their people. They participate in sending relief packages, but if they truly cared, the United States would not have invaded Iraq on false claims of weapons of mass destruction, nor would it impose sanctions that make delivering aid to Syria unnecessarily difficult, nor send military aid to Israel that is used, among other things, for aerial attacks on Syrian soil. Frankly, what has happened in Syria is a gross injustice. The peo-

Derailed Train Leaks Toxic Chemicals in East Palestine, Forces Residents to Evacute

Annie Castillo

On Feb. 3, a Norfolk Southern train traveling through East Palestine, Ohio derailed due to a mechanical issue, spilling hazardous chemicals and prompting the evacuation of residents until Feb. 8.

After more than 50 cars crashed, at least five of which contained the hazardous gas vinyl chloride, Norfolk Southern secured Ohio state officials’ authorization to start a controlled burn of the spilled chemicals in the hopes of alleviating the risk of an explosion.

According to Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Matthew Elrod, the health impacts of vinyl chloride exposure are potentially deadly.

“That’s a very, very acutely toxic chemical,” Elrod said. “If you’re exposed to enough of it, you can become sick on the spot, and you can potentially die from exposure to it. It’s also chronically toxic if you’re repeatedly exposed to it. It’s known to lead to cancer in particular.”

Following the burn, many residents were reportedly sickened and also observed the death of pets and wildlife.

“The air exposure [to vinyl chloride] was probably the thing that was most dangerous in the beginning,” Elrod said.

Amidst ongoing concerns from East Palestine residents and reporters, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said on Wednesday that the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency tested the municipal water and concluded it was safe to drink.

Based on the available reporting from East Palestine, Visiting Assistant Professor of Geosciences Kristen Welsh Unwala assessed that contamination of both surface and groundwater could be a serious concern.

“Once it gets into the surface waters like lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, it does travel downstream, and it will impact communities and states further down in the Mississippi and eventually make its way to the ocean,” Welsh Unwala said.

The soil contaminated by spilled chemicals also threatens the underlying groundwater.

“As it rains, water infiltrates through those soils and into the groundwater, creating a potential for impact to the groundwater table,” Welsh Unwala said. “This can continue over time, over the course of many years, to contaminate the groundwater as it flows through the soils. So there’s the potential for longterm exposure to the groundwater, but it will likely be at smaller amounts.”

The Environmental Protection Agency said in a Feb. 10 letter to Norfolk Southern that samples collected from several waterways confirmed that spilled chemicals were detected in five streams and the Ohio River. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources confirmed that an estimate of 3,500 fish were killed within the 7.5 miles of streams running south of East Palestine.

The situation in East Palestine is also amplifying calls for bolstered safety regulations and stronger rail worker unions.

“Union power could mitigate

ple who call the country home do not deserve to live in constant fear of death or displacement as unwilling expatriates or as refugees huddled into precariously assembled camps. They, as much as the people of Ukraine, the United States, or any other nation on Earth, deserve peace, stability, and fair treatment. Because they lack such fair treatment, though they have been left naked in the wake of a tragedy that has devastated their home.

Though the Syrian government is untrustworthy when it comes to distributing relief funds, there are non-governmental organizations — such as the White Helmets in Syria and the International Rescue Committee more broadly — that can make a difference. I encourage people to donate to organizations like these, but I don’t think that a donation is enough.

Syria is constantly the center of global attention as a “failed state.” Because of this, there seems to be a common sentiment that its salvation is a lost cause and that its people are destined to suffer for the rest of time. To sit idly by and

grow complacent to the suffering of others begets yet more suffering and injustice. This sentiment of indifference must be addressed if the world is to become a more habitable place.

Humanitarian activist organizations are important factors in achieving this goal, but development really happens on the ground. Tides need to change, paradigms need to shift, and individuals must take accountability as advocates for change. Do not forget that we at Oberlin live in the most powerful country on Earth, a country that, despite all its flaws, allows for free expression and democratic elections. Use your power and your platform to make a difference. Remember Syria like you remember Ukraine. Remember its people, whose tears and blood are shed side by side. Remember the hundreds of thousands of innocent people who have died in a war they had no part in. Remember the children who have no place to go when their homes collapse in on themselves. Remember — speak up, assist, and advocate.

Upcoming Events

Friday, Feb. 17 7:30 p.m.: REGENERATION: A Global Eco Drag Show in Wilder 101 Hosted by the Multicultural Resource Commons, this virtual drag show will feature performers from around the world.

[disasters] like these,” College fourth-year and member of the Student Labor Action Coalition Brandon Denton said. “Moving forward, there needs to be a broad movement so it can’t happen again, so that there isn’t so much forced understaffing and underpayment and overworking of employees across the board, especially in these sectors that have such a high risk, like transporting chemicals.”

The air and water pollution resulting from the East Palestine crisis is not expected to impact Oberlin. Oberlin Students received an email from Claudia Ferrini, the Environmental Health and Safety Manager, stating that the College would not be affected.

“Our partners at Lorain County Public Health have confirmed with us that there are currently no advisories affecting air or water quality that have been issued for Lorain County with regard to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio,” the email states. “There are no current public drinking water system advisories for the City of Oberlin.”

Oberlin is not served by any of the water sources in the East Palestine region and has its own water supply. Oberlin also has its own public water plant that works as a treatment facility for the water brought in along the Black River.

“There is no direct impact on Oberlin from this industrial accident,” Jeff Baumann, the public works director for the City of Oberlin, wrote in an email to the Review

Saturday, Feb. 18

7:30 p.m.: Woven, Worn, & Reborn:

A Sustainable Black History Month Fashion Show in the Carnegie Root Room

This year’s Black History Month fashion show is set to showcase creative clothing and accessories while celebrating Black beauty in all forms.

Monday, Feb. 20

8 p.m.: Nduduzo Makhathini Quartet at the Cat in the Cream

The Oberlin Jazz Society presents a performance by the quartet, led by renowned South African pianist and composer Nduduzo Makhathini.

Tuesday, Feb. 21

5–7:30 p.m.: Fat Tuesday at Lord-Saunders Dining Hall

This event will feature dinner and jazz performances.

Wednesday, Feb. 22

4–7 p.m.: Spaghetti Dinner at the Langston Middle School Cafeteria

Tickets cost $10 and proceeds go toward the eighth grade Washing-

ton, D.C. trip. Dine-in and take-out options are available. Email Amanda Kochmit at akochmit@oberlinschools.net for tickets.

Friday, Feb. 24

6–8 p.m.: Collaging and Storytelling Circle in the Allen South Dome

The quilting, knitting, crochet, and collaging circles and workshops are a collaboration between the Allen Memorial Art Museum and Africana Studies department that focuses on fiber and studio art across the African diaspora.

6 p.m.: Ukraine Vigil on Wilder Bowl

On the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, vigil organizers invite participants to engage in a minute of silence and listen to speeches from Ukrainian College students. There will also be a fundraising table and information about what Oberlin students can do to contribute.

Saturday, Feb. 25 2:30–4 p.m.: DEFEND THE LAND at the Oberlin Public Library

The Indigenous Peoples’ Day Committee of Oberlin invites participants to learn about land and water protection as it pertains to Indigenous culture and to honor the memory of the late activist Manuel “Tortuguita” Teran, who was killed in January while protesting the Atlanta area Cop City project.

East Palestine residents evacuated following health and safety concerns. Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

Oberlin Crossing Development Supports Land Use Plan Goals

Cecily Miles Columnist

In The Oberlin Review’s initial coverage of early-stage plans for a shopping center within the city of Oberlin in 2019, an Oberlin resident accused the project’s developers of seeking to “pervert” the City’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The “over-riding goal” of sustainability that characterizes the comprehensive plan, which the plans for the shopping center apparently violate, includes maintaining downtown Oberlin as the City’s “traditional commercial core,” as well as protecting other existing commercial areas, “growing sustainable industries,” and “promoting sustainable transportation.” A per-

haps secondary but nonetheless important interest of the land use plan is in sustainable, commercial development as a means of generating sources of “future tax-sharing revenues” that will, perhaps, facilitate further measures of sustainability.

I would argue that the Oberlin Crossing Shopping Center, as it has now been named, fulfills rather than violates these express goals for our City. Located at the intersection of Ohio State Route 58 and U.S. Route 20, the shopping center is far enough from the City’s downtown area so as not to challenge its central and uniquely convenient status. The ALDI grocery store, which was the first business to open in the shopping center, is similarly lo-

cated on the opposite end of the City from the IGA that previously held an especially important role in student grocery-shopping.

I doubt that the new ALDI location will substantively detract from the customer base of a business that, while significantly more expensive, has the benefit of being far closer to campus. It will, however, give students who are able to make the commute a far more affordable option to meet their needs.

Another project to be developed in conjunction with the shopping center, called “State Route 58 South — Active Transportation Improvements,” will heighten this impact by constructing a means for residents to bike or walk to the shopping area instead

of driving. Such an initiative will not only increase the accessibility of the shopping center to residents without access to cars, but will also expand the store’s market to a key demographic of the town. Even among those who do own cars, the measure will allow for the integration of a more sustainable mode of transportation into their routines. Rather than commuting 13 miles north of town to what had once been the nearest ALDI location or driving to other townships to seek alternatives to the severely limited options previously available in Oberlin, residents will be further encouraged to keep their business in town, resulting in a lower carbon footprint to boot. Such a measure should assuage concerns regarding traffic patterns, too. The option for residents to bike or walk to the location will certainly divert and possibly neutralize whatever increase in car commuters along SR 58 residents expect.

Those who must drive to the store will, therefore, primarily be residents of other townships who choose Oberlin’s location as opposed to others’ for the sake of convenience. The store’s opening will lessen their driving times — and their emissions. It should be noted, too, that these customers, while perhaps accompanied by the apparently unwanted cars that get them to Oberlin, will bring with them their business. This latter benefit is one that is particularly important to Oberlin economically speaking, given the City’s high proportion of tax-exempt properties. Profitable, tax-

able, commercial businesses such as ALDI — and the others that Oberlin’s City Council will surely be selective in choosing to join it at the shopping center — will be instrumental to the “diverse and stable tax base” that the land use plan seeks to develop. Rather than detract from the City’s other businesses, the success of Oberlin Crossing and the project along SR 58 will together facilitate and contribute to the maintenance of, and perhaps further improvements to, the City’s existing infrastructure.

Therein lies the contradiction of much of the criticisms of Oberlin Crossing, which seem either to presuppose that any new development is inherently threatening to the existing character of the town or to oppose this development because of the mere existence of unspecified alternatives. ALDI and its future neighbors fulfill a need for more affordable, convenient goods for Oberlin residents and encourage more sustainable practices in their shopping. The taxes garnered from these businesses, and from which properties such as those owned by the College are exempt, will support City and School Board operations and, potentially, the means for the very alternative sustainable projects that Oberlin Crossing’s detractors seek to advance. I encourage Oberlin residents to welcome this development as an investment in the town and a vital service that, with time, will fund the rendering of still more services to work toward a more sustainable and accessible town.

State of the Union Protests Have Lost Their Efficacy

Gautami Kunde

Last week, Representative Mary Miller, a Republican from Illinois, announced in an interview with Breitbart that she would not be attending President Biden’s State of the Union speech. She told Breitbart, “I do not plan to show up to and listen to him continue to lie.” Rep. Miller claims that Biden has lied about the security of the southern border and energy prices. While Rep. Miller was not in attendance at the event, she invited Mark A. Hurley — a veteran who left the military after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine as per military vaccine mandates — to attend in her place.

The Trump presidency brought an intensification of political polarization across the nation. Legislators who boycott the State of the Union today expect no change to come from their actions. Rather, motivations for boycotts frequently consist of rhetorical appeals and partisan politics, and the act of boycotting has turned into a show put on to please increasingly polarized constituencies. It stands as evidence of the political polarization that grips Congress and America as a whole.

Early boycotters of the State of the Union had solid reasons for their absence. The Congressional Black Caucus met with Nixon as a result of their boycott, and their act of protest saw some measure of success. In 1999, despite the partisan nature of the boycotts, there was a sense of bipartisan respect. The Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Hyde, said that he could not attend solely due to his old age. In making a statement to clarify his reasons, he showed respect for Clinton. In 2012, several dozen lawmakers of different parties sat together at the State of the

Union in a show of bipartisanship that would be unthinkable today.

Boycotting the State of the Union is a form of political protest that has precedent going back to the 1970s. In 1971, twelve Black members of Congress boycotted President Nixon’s State of the Union. Later that year, they would officially form the Congressional Black Caucus. Nixon had repeatedly denied meetings to discuss policy with the group, so the caucus wrote an open letter announcing that it would not attend the State of the Union that year. The boycott received a lot of media attention, as it was the first organized boycott by members of the House. Nixon granted the group a meeting, where it presented 61 policy measures that would further equality for all Americans. The CBC’s protest was intentional and effective with solid goals that it was able to realize.

There were no other political boycotts of the State of the Union until 1999, when Republicans boycotted President Clinton’s State of the Union. Clinton had been impeached by the House and was currently on trial in the Senate. The Republican members who took part in the boycott thought that Clinton should have waited until the trial proceedings were over to give his speech. Two Republicans explained in a letter to Republican colleagues that they found the President to be demonstrating disrespect for Congress by continuing with his address.

Thirteen years later, in 2012, Republican Representative Doug Lamborn boycotted President Obama’s State of the Union address. Lamborn believed that Obama would be in campaign mode and bash political opponents. The Congressman also stated that he did not support

Obama’s policies. This boycott received less attention than the two that had preceded it. While there is a consistent influence of partisan politics on boycotts of the State of the Union, Lamborn’s actions seem more partisan than previously. In the cases of Nixon and Clinton’s State of the Union, dissidents had reasons beyond disagreeing with policy.

After Lamborn’s boycott, instances of lawmakers boycotting the State of the Union became more frequent. In 2018, democratic lawmakers boycotted to protest comments President Trump made, as well as his travel ban. In 2020, democratic law-

makers protested Trump again, this time led by Alexandria Occasia Cortez and “the squad”, a group of progressive democratic lawmakers. Cortez took to Twitter, telling Americans that she did not want to legitimize the Trump administration. In 2022, a group of Republican lawmakers protested President Biden’s State of the Union. At the 2022 State of the Union, attendees were required to present a negative COVID-19 test to enter. Senator Marco Rubio did not want to present a COVID-19 test, which he cited as a reason for boycotting.

In the modern era, technology allows the President to make their

case in every American house with a televison. The State of the Union address has transformed from a letter to Congress to a very political opportunity to campaign for support for the President’s administration. There are members of Congress who do not support their current administration and take this event as an opportunity for that to be known. In 1971, the Congressional Black Caucus wrote in the open letter announcing their boycott. “Our people are no longer asking for equality as a rhetorical promise.” Today, similar acts of political protest are increasingly nothing but empty displays of partisanship.

The development of the Oberlin Crossing has sparked much controversy within the Oberlin community.

Photo courtesy of the Oberlin Public Works Department

President Joe Biden spoke to the nation in his State of the Union address Feb. 7.

Photo courtesy of CNBC

Legacy Admissions Hinder Diversity, Equity

Us

Emily Vaughan Opinions Editor

All faculty rightfully prefer that students forsake using all technology in their classes. Technologies that have internet access, like computers or cell phones, lure students into a distracted purgatory of Washington Post crosswords, doom scrolling on Twitter, and aimless window shopping for used clothes online. Who can stay focused on an 80-minute Tuesday and Thursday lecture when they could gaze longingly at vintage dresses instead?

Zachary Stout

It was surprising to learn that Oberlin College gives preference to legacy students in its application and admissions process. Though Oberlin has stated its commitment to equity through various statements and programs offered to students, legacy programs underemphasize hard work and merit while reducing diversity in the student body. Legacy preference in admissions gives an unfair advantage to students with family members who have attended the institution that a student is applying to. There is significant evidence that this aspect of the college admissions process unfairly favors students of wealthy and privileged backgrounds, regardless of their academic qualifications and merit.

Oberlin College should not consider the legacy status of prospective students and give an unfair advantage to the children and grandchildren of those who attended Oberlin in years past. It should solely focus on the merits and qualifications of prospective students, among other important factors such as diversity of the student body.

At many schools with legacy preferences in admissions, a significant portion of students come from the top income brackets. This can also be said about Oberlin’s student body.

“The median family income of a student from Oberlin is $178,000, and 70 percent come from the top 20 percent,” according to The New York Times. “About 1.2 percent of students at Oberlin came from a poor family but became a rich adult.”

While this study was conducted for the class of 2013, legacy preferences have been a part of the admissions process at Oberlin before and since. Several lawsuits have alleged that legacy preferences are inequitable and hinder diversity.

“A 2018 lawsuit against Harvard revealed that 77 percent of legacy admits were white, while just [five] percent were Black and [seven] percent were Hispanic,” a 2021 article by The Atlantic states. “At Notre Dame, the class of 2024 had five times as many legacies as Black students.”

This preference can lead to the admission of students who may not be as qualified as others simply because they have a relative who attended the school, which creates an unfair advantage for applicants coming from a white and privileged background. This preference is unfair to the many hardworking students who have great academic potential but may have not been admitted to a school such as Oberlin due to the preference towards legacy applicants.

Legacy preferences in college admissions have, however, been

on the decline. Many institutions have started to eliminate the practice. Nevertheless, it is still prevalent in many colleges and universities throughout the country. Legacy admissions may be widespread, but that does not make it necessarily a good practice.

Schools that have legacy preferences tend to have wealthier student bodies; a larger population of the top income brackets is more likely to be on campus. It is usually those who are wealthier who benefit from legacy preferences due to family attending prestigious and private colleges and universities before them.

Legacy preferences give an unfair advantage to those who are wealthy and their descendants. It hinders diversity on campus within the student body, and reduces the importance of merit and qualifications. Having a more diverse and qualified student body would greatly enhance the education of those on campus, including outside of the classroom.

Oberlin should emphasize the importance of hard work and merit. It should assess the experience, potential, and qualifications of individual students it is considering admitting, not whether their parents attended. Ending legacy preferences would further this important goal that would benefit the institution in many ways.

There are important considerations on the other side of this argument, such as legacy preferences making it easier to raise money for the college. Alumni may donate more to a school that gives an advantage to legacy students who apply. However, it is also worth considering, to some extent, the extra funds that may come as a result of scrapping legacy preference. The benefits, such as increased talent pool, would increase contributions from a more diverse and qualified population of alumni while benefiting the current student body and institution. This significantly outweighs the benefits that legacy preferences offer.

This is also not to say that merit does not play a role in admissions here at Oberlin — Oberlin is a selective school with high academic standards for admission. It would be impudent to deny that most students on campus are qualified and gained admission based on their merits. The elimination of legacy preferences would, however, serve to enhance and increase the admission of students based purely on talent and merit.

While Oberlin is not the only institution that considers legacy status in its admissions, it should still eliminate it — as should any school that considers it. The elimination of legacy preferences in admissions at Oberlin would serve the institution well.

Now more than ever, there are plenty of reasons for faculty to be skeptical over the usage of technology in their classrooms. The introduction of AI capable of creating texts similar to what a human could write opens up an entirely new can of worms. Clearly, we need a solution to this problem.

I see one very obvious option that we should encourage students to use — and no, it’s not taking notes with a pen or pencil on paper like a bunch of luddites. If the modern laptop is viewed as far too distracting for the classroom due to its ability to access the internet, we should return to the roots of technology in academia: the humble manual typewriter. Typewriters allow their users to have all of the speed and convenience of a keyboard without any of the distractions of electronics. Notoriously quiet devices, typewriters would not be distracting to other students. In fact, they would likely contribute to a positive and productive classroom environment by providing a small amount of background noise, similar to the effect of a white noise machine that many students use to help them sleep at night. In that sense, the calming clickety-clack

of several typewriters could help students prioritize what’s most important in long lectures: a good afternoon’s sleep.

It really is such a shame that this humble technology has fallen out of favor, not only amongst academics, but also in the general canon of 21st-century life. Newsrooms used to have such a vibrance to them, as dozens of journalists, writers, and typists all hammered away at their work, the combined tapping of typewriter keys almost morphing into a comforting background hum. One may argue that the machine is archaic and that we should be grateful to modern computers for “making writing and researching much smoother,” but even skeptics have to agree: modern equipment doesn’t carry the same weight as an old-fashioned typewriter.

Speaking of weight, typewriters are also famously portable. The average typewriter weighs around 25 pounds, meaning that they can be placed into their

EDITORIAL COMIC

Molly Chapin Staff Illustrator

handy protective cases and easily ferried all around campus. One of the Review’s production editors has even traveled on a plane with one! If they can haul a typewriter through the Denver airport and onto a plane, then it is completely possible to navigate the crowded hallways of the King Building with one. Think about it this way: 25 pounds is two or three cats, depending on their size, and who wouldn’t want to carry around a few cats everywhere they go? And consider — how buff will you be after a few weeks of hauling a typewriter around everywhere you go?

It’s clear that the needs of the modern classroom far surpass the capabilities of the technology we currently have, and we are in desperate need of a solution. In this moment of great need, turning to the pinnacle of form and function — the typewriter — just might be the answer to our problems. There is a reason for the saying “reject modernity, embrace tradition,” after all.

Eliminating legacy admissions would overall be beneficial to the College.

Photo by Tanya Rosen Jones

Photo courtesy of Simply Line

Finding Fresh Fashion in the Free Store

Eloise Rich This Week Editor

Just as winter was beginning last semester, I found myself wanting a pair of white boots. They had to be secondhand, not only for sustainability and cost, but because used clothes are imbued with history. My goal was a chic 1970s look, to act as an extension of the preceding trend of gogo boots from the ’60s. Naturally, I looked to Depop and found a lovely pair of Jeffrey Campell boots from the ’90s — square heels and all.

If I had been better acquainted with Oberlin’s Free Store, my search would have started there. Admittedly, though, I hadn’t set foot inside other than to briefly scope out Big Swap at the very beginning of the semester.

The concept of a free store feels quintessential to Oberlin culture. Tucked away in the basement of Asia House, just down the hall from the entrance to Pyle Inn Co-op’s kitchen, is an immensely valuable community resource stocked with an eclectic array of baubles, from kitchenware and dorm supplies to perhaps its most recognizable aspect: a myriad of clothing.

To me, there is no better means of self-expression than clothing. The combinations are effectively endless, and what the Free Store offers is an eternal cycle to create more and more possibilities. Fashion is a craft, requiring a collection of tools. These tools can of course be extravagant luxury items, but the Free Store proves that they don’t have to be — you don’t need to spend an hour and a half scouring Depop for something vintage when there’s a resource down the street actively combating the business of resellers overpricing goods that were originally designed to be accessible.

Although there’s a Goodwill two miles away, the Free Store is a resource that

can and should be utilized to an even greater extent than it already is. However, its location does raise questions of accessibility, particularly when it comes to the mission of serving the community outside of the student body — entering Asia House without swipe access isn’t an easy feat.

Founded in 2007 by the Resource Conservation Team, the Free Store is based on the ideology of sustainability, community connection, and anti-capitalism in order to establish an independent economy through the exchange of goods.

The concept of free stores extends far beyond this college campus, coming out of 1960s bohemianism through The Diggers, a group of radical activists in San Francisco set on confronting capitalism, classism, and systemic racism. Some of the earliest free stores in the area were particularly constructed for, as well as by, members of low-income Black communities.

Oberlin is ideal ground for a free store given the amount of turnover in students, from graduation to study away, with vast collections of possessions that they otherwise might just throw away. More importantly, though, the Free Store ensures the redistribution of wealth at an institution where much of the student body isn’t part of low-income communities. Plus, students bring fabulously unique pieces to the table.

The Free Store is open Monday through Thursday from 7–10 p.m. and Saturday from 3–5 p.m., with Monday’s hours reserved for people of color and low-income individuals. Additional RCT hours include open garden hours at the Johnson House Garden every Sunday from 2:30–4:30 p.m.

All Photos by Erin Koo, Photo Editor

ARTS & CULTURE

Obies Celebrate Valentine’s Day With Craft Night at Cat in the Cream

POETRY

An Opalescent Amalgamation

Sierra Jelks OC ‘21

Oh jubilant house!

Stabilized cerulean sea and its shore.

The sight of it makes me sing!

The temple listens and harmonizes with me. Its seaglass tones are so serene!

A beauty formed from battering.

All ancestral is amalgamation!

A conglomeration of seashells and concrete.

Oh opalescent abalone!

Luminescence cleanses my calloused soles.

Skies and oceans fuse!

Here all fractured heavens reunite.

House of honeyed air!

I prostrate myself on penny paved steps.

Yasu Shinozaki

Arts & Culture Editor

On Valentine’s Day, Obies gathered in Cat in the Cream to craft their own love letters to the important people in their lives — partners, friends, and family — or to make a personal affirmation to tape to their mirror or above their dorm room desk. Crafting is a great way to add a personal touch to a message. Letters carefully illustrated with intricate pen designs or boldly made with cavalier sharpie swoops speak so much louder than printed Hallmark remarks. For those who are

not skilled with meter or rhyme, collages of cut paper, hand-drawn hearts, and Elmer’s glue can form their own kind of poetry.

“Crafting someone a card is a nice way to show you care about them without participating excessively in consumerism, especially around Valentine’s Day, as it’s a holiday designed for people to unnecessarily spend money,” College second-year Emily Amenda said. “I made a cute little card for my roommate with a joke in it about how she should smile more. I made a slightly nicer card for my best friend and I kept one with googly eyes to give to my boy-

friend.”

College first-year Ida Rosenstein said she liked to use Valentine’s Day “as an excuse to be sappy and write overly sentimental cards to my friends.”

“Making Valentine’s Day cards reminds me a lot of elementary school, when they would have it as a class activity, so it’s partly nostalgia as well,” Rosenstein added. Communal crafting is also a great time to socialize with others. As scissors snip and colored pencils fill hearts, crafters can laugh, talk, and catch the latest gossip about this year’s Valentine’s Day drama.

Cobbled collection from cruel shores!

Your translucent roof only permits in truth.

After Ancestral Praise House (1996) by Dominique Moody

“An Opalescent Amalgamation” is inspired by “Ancestral Praise House,” a mixed-media sculpture created by Dominique Moody in 1996. Materials include cowrie shells, fragments of stained glass from firebombed Black churches, and found objects. Images are available online through Hyperallergic and Medium articles.

Sierra Jelks graduated from Oberlin College in 2021 with a major in Art History and a minor in Creative Writing. During her time at Oberlin, she served as a teaching assistant and research assistant for Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Chanda Feldman, whose poetry was featured last week in the Review. In 2020, Jelks received the Battrick Fellowship Prize for her poetry, and in 2021 at the College Art Association, she presented a poster titled “Black Ekphrasis as Art History” about the relationship between poetry, visual art, and Black history.

Student Life Thrives in Basements Around Campus

Lucy Parker

With recent renovations of Severance Hall and Wilder Hall, class meeting spaces have been reassigned to unconventional locations. Many of Oberlin’s major creative hubs operate underground, out of basements dispersed throughout campus. The Office of Spirituality and Dialogue was one such body subject to relocation. According to Barefoot Dialogue Fellow Shogo Ishikawa, the OSD’s new location in the basement of Bosworth Hall, the building that houses Fairchild Chapel, bears extra significance.

“[It] holds meaning as an office that supports religious communities around campus and promotes religious and non-religious pluralism,” Ishikawa said.

“It is true that me and my colleagues were feeling isolated and were worried that the challenges that the space offers could separate our office from the student body and the Oberlin community at large,” Ishikawa continued. However, the “events that we hold [every] month proved that students, faculty and staff members, and even alums are able to connect with each other in the basement of an underrepresented building.” Still, Ishikawa expressed concern about “the physical inaccessibility of the Bosworth basement as an office that advocates for disability rights.”

Recent moves like that of the OSD encourage us to rethink how our physical environment shapes our learning and living experiences. Home to the Rathskeller, DeCafé, the mailroom, and Dionysus Disco, the basement of Wilder Hall is the heart of campus. These establishments’ location in the basement of Wilder seems like a practical choice, given the building’s origins as a residence hall. However, the reasons for other organizations being confined

A few of Oberlin’s basement spaces (clockwise starting from

to the Oberlin underground are harder to imagine.

The office of The Oberlin Review is located in the basement of Burton Hall. The space resembles more of an enclosed hallway rather than a single room, and is forced to contend with pervasive humidity wafting from the adjacent Burton laundry room. The other end of Burton’s basement houses The Grape, Oberlin’s alternative student news and culture magazine that has been in publication since 1999. The office of The Grape is located directly next to practice rooms where, during most hours of the day and continuing into the night, students can be heard practicing the same portion of a song over and over.

While the subterranean nature of these spaces inevitably creates subpar conditions, it is clear that

a home and a history has been formed within them. The walls of the Review’s office are plastered with photos and words from past and present generations of Review staff, and couches line the narrow conjoined rooms. In The Grape’s office, plants are placed where they can reach the small amount of light from the egress windows. College second-year Jules Crosetto, layout editor for The Grape, is confidently “pro-basement office.” Crosetto explains that the magazine’s staff had been working out of Mudd Center during the COVID-19 pandemic, before learning that the previous staff’s office had been sitting unoccupied in a basement. After months spent as nomadic creatives operating in a public study space, The Grape was provided with a room that was uniquely theirs.

The TIMARA department has remained an integral part of the Conservatory since its establishment in 1973, and TIMARA’s studios are currently located in the basement of Bibbins Hall. TIMARA students benefit from the isolation provided by their cozy basement department. Their experiments with sound are often noisy and the basement studios must be properly soundproofed. The space serves as storage for extensive gear, from the synthesizers in the Analog Synth Studio to recording equipment, and as a venue for the TIMARA gallery in which students showcase their interdisciplinary projects. The TIMARA official website includes a subway-style blueprint map of the department, poking fun at their underground location. Savino Go, a double-degree first-year

in TIMARA, sees the basement location as “pretty central to the TIMARA identity,” noting that the TIMARA basement provides a stark contrast in design to the conservatory above it.

“It’s my understanding that in recent years, the composition department in the Con have taken an increasingly traditionalist approach to their music education, and have distanced themselves from the TIMARA department in doing so,” Go said.

These converted basements may feel claustrophobic to outsiders, but students and faculty using such unconventional spaces seem to view the constraints presented by their environments as vehicles for building community. In going underground, the outside world is shut out, and creativity, safety, and security remain.

Photos courtesy of Fern Anfinson

Students crafted valentine’s at Cat in the Cream this week.

Photos by Erin Koo and Abe Frato, Photo Editors

bottom right): The Rathskeller, DeCafé, The Oberlin Review office, and the TIMARA department.

Students, Faculty Discuss Pursuing Arts After Graduation

Maeve Woltring Senior Staff Writer

Imposter phenomenon, often colloquially called imposter syndrome, is a formidable yet common beast. The term also constitutes a hilariously relevant piece of Oberlin trivia: clinical psychologist Pauline Rose Clance coined the term on our very own Midwestern campus in the 1970s. A popular point of discussion during Peer Advising Leaders workshops, imposter syndrome is often closely associated with that invasive feeling of inadequacy many experience during their first year at Oberlin — a kind of involuntary upchuck of self-consciousness ushered by that inevitable period of destabilization inherent to entering a new phase of life. And then, four years later, there’s the second wave: graduation begins to loom on the horizon, and while some students seem to know exactly what they’re doing, many don’t have a clue. Imposter syndrome begins to rear its ugly head anew, and for students pursuing careers in the arts, conceptualizing next steps may strike as a particularly elusive undertaking. After all, what does a degree in the arts really mean? At Oberlin, the professional roles exemplified in front of us are largely tethered to the world of academia. What are the implications for those of us hankering to take a step outside of the academic world, to try on a new hat when we’re not even exactly sure what’s in our wardrobe? This week, with the help of Professor of Medieval Art History and Chair of Art History Erik Inglis, I found that the answer may lie somewhere in the question. In order to approach this lightbulb moment, however, I set out to see how students debating careers in the arts view their paths in relation to the crowded and imminent professional world.

College fourth-year Dina Nouaime has long flirted with the idea of law school, but, for the time being, has moved this plan to the back burner. She now fosters a burgeoning attraction to fields that merge the arts and social justice work, and though she has engaged in a diverse array of internships that have set her on this track, she wishes the application process could be a bit more straightforward.

“I’ve had moments of being like, maybe I should be a professor, because that is what we see modeled before us,” Nouaime said. “Aside from educational policy, if you’re talking about academic careers, that’s the only alternative to academia or maybe even administrator positions, but that’s less hands-on than the classroom. You know what’d be great, a quiz; so it’s like A, B, C, D — when I do art, it makes me feel this, or when I create art, I like to follow this process. This is how I like to share my art. And then you kind of click, click through the quiz, and hone some idealized list of potential career paths, you know, like ba ba bam: here’s what you’re gonna do. Kind of dystopian, but I’m for dystopia sometimes.”

Nouamie is right — a BuzzFeedstyle quiz titled “What You Should Be When You Grow Up” would be a comfort for many of us. She likely won’t need that tool for a while, though — a day after our conversation, she was awarded Oberlin’s esteemed Shansi AAPI Experience Grant, and will be spending the first two years of her post-college life learning and working through the Shanxi Agricultural University.

College second-year Max Andrejco, much like Nouaime, is “less interested in the academia side of the road and more interested in the way art history can be applied to public humanities.”

He has found that two tools have proved particularly indispensable in locating vectors of his academic and professional path, as they stand today: the Winter Term practicum in museum education offered by the Allen Memorial Art Museum and the counsel of his professors.

“I don’t have a lot of experience in different departments, but just from my experience within the Art History and Studio Art departments, there is genuinely so much support,” Andrejco said. “I feel like especially in arts, where it’s like; well, what are you gonna do with your degree? Look at art and appreciate it? Everyone can do that. This is just me acting as a cog in the capitalist system or whatever, but I feel more confident that there is a job for me in the future and I will do something I enjoy a little bit at least and have a life outside of college, which is always a concern for people going to a tiny liberal arts school.”

One of the professors Andrejco has received support from in the past two years is Professor Inglis. Inglis is a huge proponent of the AMAM’s Winter Term practicum, which beyond facilitating hands-on experience in museum education work, helps students exercise a muscle fundamental to any application process: writing a good cover letter. He recalled a moment in his own college career, wherein he asked his advisor to review a cover letter he had drafted for a job application and she replied simply: “This sucks.” According to him, this makes sense in retrospect: he “wrote a phonebook when the requirement was a sonnet.” Inglis stressed that it is okay if next-step planning feels like alien terrain, and it’s more than okay to ask for help from

professors and mentors. Above all, he encourages his students to just apply to things, to push past the spectral barrier of imposter syndrome and expand our views on what constitutes a suitable professional path for our field of study. After all, we spend 75 percent of our academic careers taking classes outside of our major. He provided the example of arts students pursuing positions related to performance; even if you have no theatrical experience, anything that looks worthwhile is worthwhile to apply for.

“There are hundreds of roles that make sense as a result of an art [history] education or an education in the arts more generally that we can’t model here,” Inglis said. “One of the ways I justify sending around an opening that I’m pretty sure no one on the list qualifies for yet, is it’s just a way of saying this exists. You know, this organization exists, it might be interesting for you to know about this kind of job. … Never take yourself out of the running; that’s the imposter syndrome. Never say, ‘Oh, I couldn’t get that, so I won’t apply.’ If it says PhD required, don’t apply when you’re graduating from Oberlin, but if it doesn’t say that … I just sent around this thing from performance, it says B.A. desired. You might think, ‘I don’t know much about performance, I’m not sure, but it’s really interesting.’ But never take yourself out — make the employer say no. You don’t have to be convinced you want something to apply for it. Just because you apply for it doesn’t mean you’ll get offered it; just because you’re offered it doesn’t mean you have to accept it.”

In my own experience, and those of many of my peers, the regular listserv that Inglis sends out — and has been sending out for over a decade — has proven one of the most useful tools for career exploration at Oberlin. These weekly emails disseminate

a huge amount of information and career opportunities that Inglis amasses through resources such as The University of Delaware Museum Studies email list, the Art Institute of Chicago job list, and alumni word of mouth. Inglis also provided me with a resource list loaded with hyperlinks, and a metrics sheet tracking the professional roles and grad school foci frequented by Art History majors over the past decade — as may strike as obvious by now, these roles comprise a huge, smattering variety.

“I would say, have a very broad definition — and recognize that others will have a very broad definition — of what’s relevant experience,” Inglis said. “Let’s say you’re an Art History major, but you wind up working with a theatrical organization; that might seem like a stretch, but the stuff you’re going to be doing there is going to be very, very relevant. I think it’s useful to be creative and open-minded when you’re looking at the first couple things you do after college. I think the other thing to recognize is that the first couple things you do after college are not destiny. That’s an-

CROSSWORD

44: Egyptian cat breed

46: A high official in some Muslim countries, e.g., in the former Ottoman Empire

48: “___ whiz!”

49: Sleep _____

50: Not the brightest lightbulb

51: “Darn!”

53: Make known

57:: Error causing Blue Screen of Death, for short.

58: Allergy pen

60: Titular Wizard

61: To time, in German

63: Armored Assault Tank in Star Wars

64: A luddite is ___-challenged

DOWN

1: A color, also a city partially in Lorain County

2: Before in time, poetically

3: Instrument frequently used by kids for drawing

4: Eight-sided

5: Sun god

other thing that we don’t model particularly well here; most of the professionals you come in contact with may appear to have been doing what they’re doing for eternity. The report about what people do five and 10 years after [graduation] suggests a real kind of scattering, I think in a good way.”

It is impossible to distill the wealth of wisdom Inglis offered me over the course of our conversation, but there was something he said that I found particularly comforting: it’s normal to graduate without a clue about what’s next, and to be stressed out about this. If you’re on the side of a mountain, Inglis says, you shouldn’t feel bad about being stressed. We should feel comforted by the fact that we are not in this alone, and that so many of our predecessors have ended up in professional roles they could never have expected. It’s even okay to move to a city and figure out what to do in that city once you get there: trust in your own capacity (with the helpful leverage of your degree), and shoot your shot even when it seems like a stretch. As Inglis’ metrics prove, life has a tendency to surprise us.

The Sound of Music

30: Nelson Mandela’s political party, for short.

31: The sun, Spanish

32: ___ Sheridan, Ready Player One

33: Spanish indefinite article

38: Combine or become combined chemically with oxygen

39: Degrees away from north in star-mapping astronomy

40: Tilled the garden

41: A lie, in slang

45: Fictitious

47: Neve ___, community settlement in Northern Israel

52: Product of a South American palm tree

53: ___ product (produces a scalar)

54: ___-Manuel Miranda

55: Living thing with artificially altered DNA, for short.

56: Unagi

59: Program at Oberlin for incoming students, for short.

62: ¬yes (logical notation)

ft. Bon Iver

ACROSS

1: Quantities with magnitude and direction

7: Victor over Australia

10: To the ___ degree

13: Make a mistake

14: Maniacal laughter

15: Bygone language of the Brits, abbr.

16: Fine Bros, Kids ______

17: In the year of our lord, abbr.

18: Dope

19: The _______, a 1980 sci-fi disco musical retelling of Adam and Eve

21: Song from the album Folklore

22: “___” x 5 = ABBA song title

24: Circular circus apparatus

25: Local dialect

26: Travel approximation, for short.

28: Drivers license, for example: abbr.

29: Word related to Greek myth about a man and his reflection

34: ___ Patchett, author of Bel

Canto

35: ¬ (logical notation)

36: It contains cones

37: Third floor Noah

42: Former partner

43: Affirmative gesture

6: A large species of grape native to the Southern United States Scuppernong

7: Spanish article

8: Gone, abbr.

9: “You ____________ my pow-

er” - Anakin Skywalker

11: “Double, double, ____ and trouble”

12: Straightness

18: Enzyme that joins together fragments of DNA

20: One of a group including sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and sand dollars

23: Do, past tense

27: “A drink with jam and bread”-

Answers to last week’s crossword:

Leah Burdette, Robert Lampher, and Shane Beckwith

Photo by Jennifer Manna

Erik Inglis provides advice for students in the arts.

Student Entrepreneurship Microgrant Supports Creative Business Projects

Dlisah Lapidus Arts & Culture Editor

Editors’ note: The author of this piece received a grant through the Student Entrepreneurship Microgrant Program.

How does one build a business? Does it start with an idea, or a strong business partner, or maybe just a grant to get the ball rolling? For some Oberlin students, the opportunity to bring their business concept to life was provided by the Student Entrepreneurship Microgrant.

The microgrant is a recurring opportunity for students to apply for financial support for extracurricular projects. The latest iteration of the microgrant offered students a range of financial support to develop their ap-

proved project over the Winter Term period from Jan. 3 to Jan. 25. Over the course of the project, students were required to record their budget, submit receipts and completed expense forms, and submit a final video report explaining the experience and planning for future development.

“I have made it a mission to take up as many opportunities that the school offers, especially financially, and seeing the opportunity for a microgrant inspired me to do this project,” Conservatory third-year Nik Divall said. “So I came up with this in response to that offering, and it turned out to be really helpful.”

While some people might think of technological development or financial businesses when they hear the word “entrepreneur-

ship,” many grant winners used the funding to develop creative projects and ways of expressing themselves. The grant money allowed some students to establish their artistic practices with tools they may not otherwise have had access to.

“I used my entrepreneurship grant to buy a microphone and record a bunch of repertoire,” Divall said. “I play classical guitar, and used the opportunity to record a bunch of pieces to audition for a competition back in Australia. I also just have them in the bank for auditions going forward.”

The microgrant was not only provided to students who were continuing their personal artform. For College third-year Bour Opoku, the grant offered the ability to expand an artistic

craft she had been developing for many years into a sustainable business model.

“I started Beauty by Bour, my makeup company, during the pandemic,” Opoku said. “I really wanted the opportunity to invest in my brand and myself, so I applied for the microgrant to expand my YouTube channel. I also used some of the funding to get started with more clients.”

Opoku has been able to grow a social media presence for Beauty by Bour, as well as reach more clients, since receiving the grant. In the week following the grant spending timeline, Opoku was able to see three clients. In all of her work, whether that is client work or social media representation, Opoku aims to encourage people to fall in love with their natural features. Opoku’s busi-

ness honors an often overlooked art form that helps to resist oppression and build confidence on a personal level.

“I was inspired by this project I once did to see how Black trans women resist oppression,” Opoku said. “For me personally, makeup is a way that I can subvert negative stereotypes that I see about myself. It is also a way for me to express my art form. Makeup as art is underrated in a lot of people’s minds; it is often seen as something shallow, but to me, it is on the same level as painting or any other art form that there is. I think especially for minority populations, specifically Black women, it is a great way to express yourself artistically and also to build your self-confidence. That’s what makeup has done for me.”

Oberlin High School Students Create Art in Honor of Black History Month

resources such as the 1619 Project. Some portraits are of nationally-known figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Jimi Hendrix, and Jesse Owens. Others depict people with connections to Oberlin or Northeast Ohio, including Mary Jane Patterson, the first African-American woman to receive a bachelor’s degree in the United States; Mary Burnett Talbert, civil rights activist and educator; and baseball trailblazer Moses Fleetwood Walker. All three of these individuals attended Oberlin College. Two students chose subjects who are currently important community members in Oberlin: Kurt Russell, an Oberlin High School teacher who was awarded National Teacher of the Year in 2022, and Farah Emeka, a prominent local lawyer and Oberlin School Board President. Russell personally visited his portrait in the gallery.

Both Jackson and Ramos hope this will be a tradition that continues into the future. The banners are reusable and will be hung again next year in other parts of Oberlin, while new banners created by next year’s OHS students will line South Main Street.

“We’re excited to use these types of platforms and our connections with the different organizations in town to support Black History Month, but also to support our local artists,” Ramos said. “So I hope that this becomes a new tradition and that we can keep building on these arts related projects.”

Oberlin High School student artists showcase their work at Firelands Association for the Visual Arts.

Yasu Shinozaki

Arts & Culture Editor

If you’ve recently walked down Main Street in Oberlin, you may have noticed new banners hanging from street lamps featuring portraits of important figures in Black history. These banners are the work of Oberlin High School students under the guidance of art teacher Mallory Tulcewicz. Students chose important figures from Black history, researched their lives, and created portraits of them. A jury consisting of local artists, community members, and educators was chosen by the Firelands Association for the

Visual Arts. The jury selected 12 portraits to be reproduced and displayed throughout the City. Additionally, three students were given the Juror’s Choice Award and won a combined total of $410 provided by local donors. All the students’ original artwork is displayed in FAVA’s South Main Street gallery, which is open to the public.

The idea of using Oberlin High School students’ artwork to celebrate Black History Month was originally proposed by Administrative Coordinator of Communications & Human Resources for the city of Oberlin Diane Ramos.

“Given that this is Oberlin and

we have a very rich Black history … I wanted to utilize those elements to celebrate Black History Month,” Ramos said. “I approached Kathleen [Jackson, director of FAVA] about the banner project. … She was very excited all about it. So from there I approached the art teacher at the high school. Everyone was excited, and we were able to get the project off the ground.”

High school students have painted banners for Oberlin’s street lamps in the past, but this is the first time the art has been printed on banners, or that the art has been related to Black History Month. The students were

allowed to choose what medium they wished to use. Some portraits were done in acrylic paint, others in watercolor or charcoal. One incorporates collage.

“Students were given a lot of freedom for the project,” Tulcewicz said. “With my Art I and II, we went over the basics of drawing each facial feature … then we used a grid technique where you can size up the image that you’re drawing.”

The subjects of the portraits include activists, musicians, and athletes. Tulcewicz said that she, Jackson, and Ramos compiled a list of important figures for the students to choose from using

FAVA Gallery Director Tirzah Legg added that drawing portraits of important Black historical figures had an educational value for the students involved. “A lot of artists go through their whole career painting portraiture, and … they don’t do Black figures and they don’t understand the process of how to address that,” Legg said.

Tulcewicz said she felt public art is a great way to showcase the work of young artists and show that their art is valued.

“It’s also important for [students] to see that art has more than just a purpose of sitting on a wall,” she said. “It can be shown locally, and public art gives people the opportunity who normally don’t have the ability to go to a museum or to travel somewhere.”

The banners will hang on South Main Street and throughout Oberlin until March 5.

Photos by Abe Frato, Photo Editor

Dlisah Lapidus Arts & Culture Editor

Norman Teague’s Africana Rocking Chair was recently acquired by the Allen Memorial Art Museum and is currently on display in the Like a Good Armchair exhibition in the Ellen Johnson Gallery. Teague is the co-founder of blkHaUS Studios and founder of Norman Teague Design Studios, and will be one of the artists representing the United States in the 2023 Venice Biennale of Architecture. His work ties together design, architecture, and hands-on craftsmanship to create storytelling objects.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Your work seems to toggle between art and design; is it important for you to maintain this fluidity?

I’ve never really wanted to be pigeonholed to one or the other. And I know there’s a long line of history that says design and art are two different things — I’m not trying to get into that argument. Other people can have that debate, and in the meantime, I just want to go and make another piece of this or that. It’s really up to the artist to decide whether they want to, say, design metal, industrial furniture, or loose things that are more sculptural but can sit in a design gallery. I think design galleries have also been a super helpful movement in saying [that] these things can be sold for atelier prices, yet made at a limited edition level, where you don’t have to sell or make as many but the price tag can be high enough to support a studio practice.

When did you start telling stories through designing?

When I was going to the Art Institute of Chicago, it was really difficult, because there were a lot of killings of young Black men at the hands of both young Black men and police. It seemed like a weekly thing. That was just a really emotional time for me and a lot of that was also part of the stories that I was trying to tell. I hung out with a couple of gangs, but I was never tough. But a big part of growing up was learning that I couldn’t go around looking too soft. They knew that I was a book-smart kind of dude and that I could draw. I did as much as I needed to do to survive, and I had a lot of really great friends that told me I should be doing something else.

Does your work aim to make deliberate space for and in your community?

I think when you have healthy opportunities within a neighborhood, and there’s a certain amount of space - physical space, as well as emotional, spiritual, and financial space - then you have the means to move something forward. There’s a certain amount of just sitting at the table. We all want to have a seat at the table now. But at that table, we also want to be able to make healthy decisions, have really healthy support. I think it has to be about finding longevity and continuation for that.

Do you see community building through art as an avenue for healing?

As I continue moving around the globe a little bit more, I have been seeing these amazing common spaces. Just down the street

Norman

here in Oberlin, Ginko Gallery has a little woodshop with studios in the back. That just makes sense, because everybody needs a studio, so why not put one in the back of an art store? We’re all just trying to find ways to be closer to people and make making more accessible as we all work through our own bit of trauma. There’s something therapeutic about making a piece of pottery, or being in a painting class, or even constructing a log cabin together as a group. These things just make human sense, so why fight against it? We are constantly looking for a way to make communities better, and we just need to give communities better outlets. These are things that we just deserve to have, just like they used to have in park districts. You could go to any park and take a woodshop class or a stitching class or quilting, and it all got snatched away. People need these kinds of habits. Of course you want to go to school, you want to better your life, but sometimes you just want to take a class because you’re slightly interested in it and who knows, maybe you’ll be really good at it. But so many people never get to try. This is just work that we need to do in our cities.

What narrative does the Africana collection tell?

The Africana collection is really me thinking about my Western upbringing. It also brings in my African upbringing or historical narrative into that. It questions how to work with contemporary or modern styles, while also using

Teague

Designer and Editor

traditional techniques of carving, stitching, or leather work. All of these combined when working with a piece of wood create something that can sit in a contemporary position, in a museum or in someone’s home. The narrative, for me, is the blending of the two in a very sexy way. A big part of it is also that it feels like there was little recordkeeping for people of color throughout history. I haven’t consciously been doing this, but I do ponder what it would be like if we were recorded, if alongside the Mies van der Rohe Farnsworth house, there could be an African roundhouse. I do think about what that history would look like had there not been such an unequal playing field. And part of my job is to improve upon the story.

How do you bring your identity into these stories?

It’s difficult because, when you’re a Black person, in some of these arenas I’m constantly thinking, “How do I keep it Black without without being too Black?”

Too Black then you’re just like, “Ah, yeah.” And then it’s also like, “Well, why not be too Black? I can be too Black.” There’s a push and pull. There’s a constant question of which story can or should be told in each work. But for me, I think I could talk to you about each one of my pieces and reference something from Africa or something from my neighborhood, or something I felt was important to associate with that particular piece.

Photo courtesy of Norman Teague Design Studio

Norman Teague’s Africana Rocking Chair is exhibited in the Ellen Johnson Gallery.

CONSERVATORY

Koi Pond Has Long Provided Sanctuary, Serenity to Conservatory

Gracie McFalls Senior Staff Writer Delaney Fox Conservatory Editor

The Conservatory reflecting pool, or koi pond as it is known by students today, is a scenic corner of Oberlin’s campus that has long been appreciated for its beauty. A key feature of this pond is not only its tranquility and natural appeal, but also its many multi-colored koi fish.

Originally constructed in 1964, along with the new Conservatory complexes including Bibbins Hall, Warner Hall, the Conservatory Central Unit, and Robertson Hall, by Minoru Yamasaki, who famously designed the World Trade Center, the reflecting pool and accompanying Japanese ornamental garden have served generations of students as an entryway into the heart of the Conservatory.

The new Conservatory buildings were created with future generations in mind. Dewey A. Ganzel Jr., associate professor of English at the time, expressed this sentiment in a music dedication program.

“What impresses me most about the buildings of the New Conservatory of Music is their human scale,” Ganzel wrote. “They suggest that life as it will be lived here will be complex but not hopelessly so — that it will be uniform but nevertheless have pattern.”

Given its location, encircled by Conservatory buildings and be-

side the walkway into the Conservatory Central Unit, the koi pond has become an important part of Conservatory culture. On warm days, you may see students practicing their instruments by the pond, or enjoying a meal on the stone benches that face the water. The Conservatory Lounge’s floor to ceiling glass windows keep the pond in view to students who often sit, chat, and do work on the Lounge’s many tables and couches. The pond is also a popular spot to take photos, whether to be featured on recital posters or to announce one’s commitment to the Conservatory on Instagram.

Double-degree second-year Lily Bronson reflected on the ways in which the koi pond provides a sense of the natural world for Conservatory students.

“We end up spending a lot of time inside practice rooms and classes, but even the fact that our classrooms have windows that look out onto the pond gives us a taste of the natural world,” Bronson said.

Bronson’s comments almost exactly replicate the sentiment found in the Oberlin Alumni Magazine inaugurating the opening of the new Conservatory buildings in 1965.

“The ever-present windows, looking out on grass, on sky, on trees, on changing colors in the pool, remind us always of man’s need to be a part of nature,” Norman Lloyd, Dean of the Conservatory of Music at the time of the

new Conservatory’s opening, said. While the reflecting pool has existed since the new Conservatory buildings’ construction, there weren’t always koi fish in the koi pond. In 1986, the pond was drained indefinitely due to a drain failure and the subsequent leakage of pond water into the TIMARA studios located in the basement of Bibbins Hall. For 12 years, the pond remained empty until the Oberlin grounds crew resealed the drain and installed overflow piping and liner.

It wasn’t until this renovation in 1998 as well as an aesthetic update to the Japanese garden itself that the pond finally gained its fish. Koi fish are a type of domesti-

IN THE PRACTICE ROOM

cated, vibrantly colored carp that are traditionally found in Japanese gardens as a decorative element. Aside from their beauty, koi symbolize longevity, as they are known to live for over 25 years.

In addition to the koi, the restoration also brought yew bushes and decorative boulders to the banks of the pond.

“When finished, [then Oberlin grounds manager Dennis] Greive said the garden will resemble an ‘outdoor room’ which can be used as a classroom,” an Oberlin News-Tribune article published on Oct. 6, 1998 reads. “It makes it a more peaceful and useable [sic] space, and a piece of art,” Greive said.

Inayah Raheem

Some students have come to gain a keener interest in the koi. Double-degree fourth-year Francis Wogaman has gained recognition for feeding the koi during the warmer months. He feeds them Omega One pellets and uses the small size so that all the fish, including the babies, can enjoy them. He cares about the fish and worries about their wellbeing.

“I never saw anyone feeding them aside from random Cheerios and bread and stuff, which is not good for them,” Wogaman said.

The koi pond holds decades of Conservatory history, continuing to provide a peaceful sanctuary that is central to the Conservatory experience.

Classical Vocalist and President of the Oberlin College Black Musicians Guild

these issues. That’s what we’re really trying to cultivate this semester with the Sunday dinners: a space where students can come and voice their grievances and talk about what they want to change in the Conservatory, and also, very realistically, a safe space where we can share things like, “My professor said this.”

What challenges does OCBMG face as an organization?

Nikki Keating

Managing Editor

Inayah Raheem is a double-degree third-year majoring in Classical Voice and Africana Studies. She is the president of the Oberlin College Black Musicians Guild, a student-led organization for Black musicians in the Conservatory. The organization will be performing at the Black History Month “Woven, Worn & Reborn: A Sustainable Black History Month Fashion Show” this Saturday.

What is OCBMG?

OCBMG is an organization that was founded years ago but has recently been revamped. It serves as a place for Black musicians to gather in the Conservatory and in the College. Its purpose is to help combat some of the issues of lack of diversity in the Con and just blatant racism that you face as a Conservatory student. There are racist things that I feel like, specifically in the Conservatory, students experience, and it’s basically unchecked. So OCBMG serves as a space where Black students come together and speak on

I think the main problem with OCBMG is that everyone is so busy. I mean, Conservatory students take like six classes a semester, so you barely even have enough time to do your homework and practice. It’s hard to be able to tell somebody to go to this event hosted by OCBMG when they’ve already had all these concerts, performance obligations, and auditions. Basically, the culture of the Conservatory makes it hard for people to join OCBMG as an organization.

Do you think that some of the responsibility falls to the institution when it comes to racism in the Conservatory?

Yeah, I think the Conservatory could at least try harder, specifically in curriculum. I think they could make it a lot more inclusive and bring in more faculty — Black faculty — because it’s currently very European-structured and the mindset in the Conservatory can be toxic. There’s this stigma because all of our professors

have had some sort of professional career. Students think if they report their teacher on something they said that was wildly racist, it’ll be the end of their career, so they just don’t report people, especially private teachers. It’s just that we really have to think about how these people and the Conservatory itself can create a racist environment — especially the Classical department because it’s based in a European classical mindset. Before this year, we did not have much diversity in the Classical department, and I think it’s because they didn’t care. So even with the Music Theory and History courses starting to get more inclusive, it fully starts with the music.

Is OCBMG pushing that need for diversity within the Conservatory?

I think it’s a mixed bag, but in some ways it pushes us to do more. Our organization is not associated with the Conservatory which means we’re not getting institutional funds. Everything’s coming through the Student Finance Committee which is kind of unfortunate because it’s taking away things that should be funded through the Conservatory. It’s not necessarily to say that the money isn’t there for students to support themselves, it’s just to say the Conservatory should try harder.

What does it mean to you to be in OCBMG?

This is my second year within OCBMG. Last year I was treasurer, and this year I’m president. It’s a time commitment, but to me, it is a labor of love because I really do care about making the Conservatory better for first-years. I had a really rough time adjusting and feeling like I belonged in the Conservatory as a Black musician. There’s just this institutional pressure to feel like you don’t belong and you can’t really be yourself in Conservatory environments, so I think the OCBMG community is really important because it serves as a space to let Black musicians in the Conservatory and the College embrace the Blackness in their music.

What kind of events does OCBMG plan?

OCBMG typically plans events with guest artists and community events centering Conservatory students. We are trying to plan some events surrounding professional development for musicians and also trying to bring together Black musicians on campus.

What are some of the events the Conservatory should put its energy into promoting?

I think the Conservatory has been doing a decent job with the events right now because there is a lot going on, but most realistically, the Conservatory should try to include more Black events in months other than February.

The Conservatory koi pond lies beside Bibbins Hall.

Photo by Abe Frato, Photo Editor

Inayah Raheem

Photo courtesey of Inayah Raheem

Kayla Kim Sports Editor

Editors’ note: This article mentions sexual harm.

Emma Hart is a fourth-year pole vaulter on the track and field team. In 2020, she co-founded the Survivors of Sexual Harm & Allies, a survivor-led organization dedicated to discussing sexual harm and rape culture at Oberlin. Throughout her time with the group, she has helped to plan and facilitate various events such as Take Back the Night and a recent panel on human trafficking in Lorain County. Hart reflected on the

Emma Hart SOSHA Founder, College Fourth-Year

work that she has done with SOSHA and the legacy she hopes to leave with it after graduating this spring with degrees in Psychology and Dance.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Why did you create SOSHA?

I founded SOSHA during my first year after seeing a lack of conversation around gender-based violence on campus. I found myself frustrated that there seemed to be a lack of spaces for people to talk authentically about their experiences and about what they received.

I think I had expectations that there would’ve been more conversation, especially at a place known for social justice.

What is your current role within the organization?

I am currently the organizational advisor, which basically means working with our coordinators to support them in the roles that they have and trying to shape SOSHA in a way that it can continue without me after I graduate this spring.

What are some of the events planned with SOSHA that you’re proud of?

We do listening sessions pretty regularly. That’s been something really fulfilling to see. People come and feel comfortable and safe enough talking about their experiences or thoughts and having a place to do that. I am really proud of the open forums that we’ve done and Take Back the Night. And the energy of our organizer meetings is something that I felt really proud of this year — there’s a lot of passion that everyone has. At our last meeting I asked, “Is anyone graduating this spring?” In a room of 12 people, no one’s hands went up. I was really excited by that.

How has the track and field team supported SOSHA?

I would say that it’s been a really supportive space with both my teammates and coaches. There have been track teammates who have been involved in helping with our events and becoming organizers. I have some really wonderful teammates who have really let me lean on them. The team itself has been pretty active in helping the organization begin and coming to our events in support. I pole vault, so my specific event coach has been the one who I talked to a lot about SOSHA. He’s been a really good support person in making sure that I’m being grounded at practice — not stuck in work mode — and just being present.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced?

On a personal level, I think that there have been moments that I’ve struggled with work life balance and always being in this mode of problem solving. As a leader, I’ve grown into being more aware of my own experience with trauma in different ways. I’m always learning how to interact more locally. There’s definitely been challenges to talking openly about sexual violence. SOSHA is really dedicated to doing that in a way that’s trauma-informed and supportive of survivors. People aren’t used to talking about these things because they’re so stigmatized and silenced. I think a host of things

have arisen that, for the most part, are valid concerns that people have.

How have you initiated conversations about sexual harm within Oberlin athletics?

First I just try to have conversations in daily life with teammates and other athletes. We also work with different teams that have reached out for support and try to create education there for teams and athletics. It’s something that SOSHA has really tried to promote — we don’t necessarily have any type of formal survivor support 101 We have worked with leaders from the baseball team who reached out to us in seeking a resource on how they can be allies and how to address biases or belief systems that sometimes exist in athletic culture. That has been overall a pretty positive experience and has been like coalition building. Me and one other leader, Lauren Fitts, OC ’22, have continued to be involved in that project.

How do you hope to continue your advocacy after graduation? What do you hope SOSHA’s legacy is on campus after you leave?

I would hope to continue in some way being involved in anti -violence prevention work, specifically with boys and men. There’s some really interesting organizations that do that, and they teach skills like vulnerability and empathy. Culturally, young boys aren’t always given the space to demonstrate those things. I want to stay connected with SOSHA and be a resource for them so no one has to reinvent that wheel ever. I’m also interested in law school eventually. As far as SOSHA’s legacy, I hope that it continues. I’m really hopeful that it will, especially with our amount of young leaders who are really energized, smart, and already really good at what they do. So I hope that there’s a lasting legacy of authentic conversation about sexual violence on campus, so no survivor ever feels alone in going through their healing process.

Emma Hart is in her fourth year on the track and field team.

Photo Courtesy of GoYeo

Emma Hart (second to left) co-facilitated a panel on human trafficking. Photo Courtesy of @oberlin_sosha

Emma Hart competes in pole vaulting for the track and field team.

Photo Courtesy of Chase Sortor

Athletes Discuss Recovery Process From Injuries

John Elrod Sports Editor

College athletes often go through battles that stretch beyond their actual games, matches, and meets. One of the toughest of these is dealing with injuries. We are all aware that people can get seriously hurt while participating in sports, but few have an idea of what the physical and emotional recovery entails. For athletes, the rehab process is not pretty, and coming back from an injury does not always signify a return to full health.

Fourth-year swimmer Elly Ragone has faced it all while dealing with injuries throughout her time at Oberlin. In addition to challenges presented by being asthmatic, she has weathered a broken heel, arthritis, rib dislocation, strains, and general discomfort, all of which have taken a significant mental toll on her.

“If one injury is doing well, another one will come out and make it so that I am in a lot of pain,” Ragone said. “It feels never-ending and makes it hard to keep going.”

Ragone not only been frustrated by the negative effects her

injuries have had on her mental health, but also with the stigma that comes with being injured, sometimes expressed by her own teammates.

“Swimming has been really awful for my mental health, and I think most of that is from having injuries,” she said. “One of the things that has helped me the most is just not caring what others think. There are definitely some people who are on my team who are very judgemental and rude about injuries, but I just have learned to ignore them and surround myself with those who are supportive.”

Despite her series of injuries, Ragone has found a way to compete at a high level and swim through the pain. This season, she has been honored as the North Coast Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week twice and was one of the leading scorers for the team leading up to the NCAC Championship meet.

“I was recruited as a distance swimmer, but I can’t train enough to actually be in shape enough to swim distance events,” Ragone said. “Luckily, I am able to do sprint events, mostly just the 50- and 100[-

Dog Sports Underrated, Exciting to Watch

Kayla Kim Sports Editor

Last Sunday, millions of Americans tuned in for a celebration of physical fitness and intense competition. Puppy Bowl XIX delighted audiences, both human and canine, with Team Fluff taking home the coveted Lombarky Trophy for the second year in a row. As a Sports Editor, I have had my fair share of favorite human sports to watch on TV, but along the way, I’ve enjoyed a multitude of dog sports as well.

The first dog sport I came to appreciate was the National Dog Show sanctioned by the American Kennel Club, something that I began watching during the first year of the pandemic. Since the show occurs annually on Thanksgiving Day, I’ve started a tradition of watching a replay after dessert, partially comatose from the ungodly amount of food I have eaten. The dogs, who are divided into different groups such as Sporting, Herding, and Toy, are paraded around by handlers in front of judges, although 2020 was the first year that it was held behind closed doors due to COVID-19 While watching the show, I’ve been introduced to dogs ranging from the Dogo Argentino to Shih Tzus who look more like walking fluff balls than actual dogs. While I still don’t really know the rules of judging, I was thoroughly upset at Winston the French Bulldog’s win over Reus the Alaskan Malamute this past year. However, it’s also important to note that the American Kennel Club itself has garnered a fair amount of controversy over the years for its neutral stance on puppy mills and genetic disorders that occur in dogs bred to meet such exacting standards. Another event that I found during one of my many hours of procrastination was dog agility, specifically the Masters Agility Championship hosted by the Westminster Kennel Club. In this sport, dogs run around a complicated obstacle course fit with teeter totters, a tunnel, and multiple jumps. The canine with the fastest

yard], sometimes the 200. Because I do such short events, adrenaline keeps me from feeling a lot of pain during them, which is very helpful.”

Ragone credits Director of Sports Medicine Jill Rondini and other medical professionals for helping her deal with injuries.

“Jill is absolutely amazing,” she said. “She has kept me sane and as healthy as I can be throughout the last four years. Also, my chiropractor and other doctors are very helpful.”

Fourth-year baseball player Jackson Schaum has also had a long battle with injuries during much of his college career. He tore his labrum in early 2021 and had surgery on it in May of that year. For him, resilience has been integral to the long process of rehabilitation, especially with the anxiety of potential reinjury.

“The mental part, at least in my experience, is over half the battle,” Schaum said. “I had a re-injury scare two weeks ago. When it happens, your first instinct is the worst case scenario.” Luckily, the scare did not turn into something more serious for Schaum. Still, it serves as a re -

minder of how cautious and patient athletes have to be while coming back from an injury.

“You have to be careful even with totally normal soreness,” Schaum said. “The hardest part for me is being able to trust it enough to go full effort without hesitancy.”

Schaum thanks his teammates for giving him support as he dealt with this injury for two years.

“Honestly, I don’t think I would’ve continued playing if I didn’t have teammates that supported me so much,” he said. “They helped me a ton during my rehab with my return to throwing. They also were a motivation to get back to full strength. I love baseball, but I wanted to come back more to be with my teammates.”

Ragone and Schaum are fourth-years and have been able to reflect on how their injuries have impacted their collegiate careers in the long term. For younger athletes like first-year lacrosse player Jackson Davies, the stress brought by injury is experienced differently. Davies has been dealing with rotator cuff strains in both of his shoul-

ders ahead of his first season of college lacrosse and for him, sitting on the sidelines has been agonizing.

“The most difficult part is definitely not being able to play,” Davies said. “As [first-years] we are trying to prove ourselves and make an impact on the team and we can’t do that if we are injured.”

Like Ragone, Davies is grateful to Rondini for helping him deal with his injury.

“Jill has been amazing in helping me,” he said. “She’s a great trainer, great human, and she always has a smile and makes me feel better when I’m down.”

Despite the frustration he feels over not being able to play, Davies approaches his injury with a patient mindset and is determined to recover and work hard at practice.

“Honestly, there’s not much to do besides know that injuries are a part of sports and they will inevitably happen,” he said. “The best thing we can do is work as hard as we do on the field to make our injuries feel better and get as close to 100 percent as possible.”

time wins their category. Apart from watching dogs run around with enthusiastic sports commentators to narrate their every step, I feel that the most intriguing part of the event is the uniqueness of the dogs’ names. For instance, in 2022, Porky Pig the Chihuahua and Woody-Wolf the Pomeranian were among the competitors, and Verb and P!nk the Border Collies — yes, her name had the exclamation mark — won in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

On another procrastination fueled YouTube binge, I also discovered dock diving, a sport in which dogs jump as high and as far as possible from a platform in order to get a toy before falling into the water below. ESPN even made a 12-minute mini documentary in 2019 about a whippet named Spitfire, affectionately known as the “Michael Jordan of dogs.” Filmed with the cinematic beauty of any good sports movie, viewers followed Spitfire, along with his 15-year-old owner, Sydney Mackey, on his journey to dock diving’s national championships, including his exercise regime, competition, and recovery process.

Of course, the main reason for enjoying some of these sports is simple — who wouldn’t like watching cute dogs run around on TV? After all, there’s a reason why dog agility is far more popular than other animal sports, such as rat agility. Sometimes I look at my own dogs, a lazy Shih Tzu and a mutt who once killed a chipmunk, and am awed at what these other dogs are able to accomplish.

For me, though, canine athletes are the epitome of perseverance, joy, and dedication in the events that they compete in. Dogs are only able to compete for a short amount of time, but they make the most of that time and give it their all, no matter if it’s jumping through hoops or posing for judges. They have epic comeback stories, feared rivals, and ambitious goals for each season. I think that humans can learn a lot from our four legged friends about what it means to be an athlete.

Team Fluff and Team Ruff competed against each other in Puppy Bowl XIX.

Photo Courtesy of Jeremy Freeman

Oberlin Swim and Dive Breaks Six School Records at 2023 NCAC Championship

James Foster Production Editor

Last week, the men’s and women’s swim and dive teams concluded their seasons at the NCAC Swimming and Diving Championships, hosted at Denison University. The women’s team entered the competition ranked as the fifth seed, and the men’s team entered as the sixth.

Both teams wasted no time breaking a multitude of school records. On the first of four days of competition, the women’s 200yard medley relay team, consisting of second-years Elinor Frost, Ava Peyton, and Skye Slade and fourth-year Elly Ragone, finished in fourth place with a record time of one minute, 49 29 seconds.

Slade was especially proud of her performance after missing out on most of her events at the 2022 NCAC Championships due to contracting COVID-19

“Being a part of a recordbreaking relay was kind of like a redemption in a way, because I wasn’t even able to compete last year,” Slade said. “I am so proud of my three relay teammates, and it got my meet off to a really great start.”

The men’s 200-yard medley relay team, consisting of second-years

Myles Felt, Erik Fendorf, and Isaac Viviano and first-year Dani Bocsi, finished in a record 1:32 80 The team’s time was good enough to win bronze and earn Oberlin a podium finish.

Record-breaking feats continued on the second day thanks to the efforts of Frost, Ragone, second-year Isabel Pfaff, and thirdyear Hannah Hale. The four Yeowomen previously held the school record in the 200-yard free relay with a time of 1:38 52. They narrowly bested their record, finishing in fifth place with a time of 1:38 25

Fendorf earned himself another top-10 finish in the 50-yard freestyle, taking ninth place with a time of 21 05 — only four hundredths of a second off from the school record of 21 01 set by Adam Winikoff in 2016

Felt, Fendorf, Viviano, and Bocsi teamed up again to tackle the 200-yard freestyle relay, which they finished in 1:25 36, earning them sixth place and the third best time in school history. Their efforts kept the Yeomen in sixth place, while the Yeowomen ended the day in fifth.

The third day of competition saw even more records broken.

Fendorf and Felt were at it again, the former eclipsing his own per-

sonal and school record in the 100-yard butterfly with a seventh-place time of 49 80 and the latter taking down a nine-yearold school record in the 100-yard backstroke with a ninth-place time of 51 64

Finishing in ninth place seemed to become a trend for the Yeowomen on Friday. Frost earned ninth in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 59 18. Second-year Helene Prince, a diver for the Yeowomen, earned ninth place in the one-meter event, finishing her night at 263 points. Peyton capped off the night on a high note for the Yeowomen, also earning ninth place in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 59 05

The Yeowomen continued their successes on Saturday, with Peyton finishing the 100-yard individual medley in 1:02 10, earning her an eighth place finish and the second-best time in program history. She then earned another top-10 finish alongside Ragone, Pfaff, and Frost in the 4x100 relay, finishing fifth in 3:39 99. Solo second-year swimmers Ava Schigur, Lucy Lee, and Rosalie Baron finished in 10th, 11th, and 13th place respectively in the 200-yard fly. For the Yeomen, first-year Miguel Siwady, swimming in the 1,650-yard freestyle, finished

seventh with a time of 16:04 09 Fourth-year Lucas Draper, the Yeomen’s sole diver, finished in 10th place with a career-high total of 266 95 points.

Viviano, Fendorf, Siwady, and Bocsi concluded the already successful meet with a bang. The team finished in 3:08 22, which bested the school record in the 4x100 relay. Not only did their

time earn them a fifth-place finish, but it took down a school record that had not been beaten since 1995

Denison and Kenyon College won the meet overall for men’s and women’s, respectively. Overall, the Yeomen and Yeowomen combined for 33 top-10 finishes and six school records.

Ohio House Republicans Reintroduce Save Women Bill

Kayla Kim Sports Editor

Editor’s Note: Last week’s issue of the Review included a comprehensive timeline of anti-trans bills in Ohio.

On Feb. 15, the Republican-led House of Representatives introduced 52 bills to be referred to House committees. One of these bills is the Save Women’s Sports Act, written into House Bill 6, which is included under the family protection section of the House’s legislative priorities.

Jena Powell, representing Ohio’s 80th District and currently serving in her third term as representative, formally announced her plans to reintroduce the bill to the 135th General Assembly.

Powell originally introduced the bill three years earlier in February 2020. However, both versions of the bill failed to make it past their respective chambers of the General Assembly, with the most recent rejection in December 2022

“The Save Women’s Sports Act is a fairness issue for women,” Powell said when introducing the new version. “This bill ensures that every little girl who works hard to make it on a podium is not robbed of her chance by a biological male competing against her in a biological female sport. We want every little girl to achieve her athletic dream here in the state of Ohio.”

Much of the language of HB 6 is copied from HB 61, the original version of the Save Women’s

Sports Act, and there is no new content written into the bill. Unlike previous iterations, it does not explicitly mention how sex would be checked for athletes. Last June, the bill came under fire for including controversial “genital inspections.” Despite the blowback, House Republicans are unwilling to relinquish the prospect of creating an enforcement mechanism for “gender verification.”

“We are working on — or haven’t completed the language on that,” Speaker of the House Jason Stephens said in reference to the genital inspections plank. “I think it’s much, much better — we have over 18 states that have passed similar legislation.”

While there are no requirements for athletes to prove their

sex, the bill prohibits accredited organizations or athletic associations from investigating or taking action against schools or individuals for upholding the regulations in this bill. The bill grants two private causes of action, one to schools if they experience direct or indirect harm as a result of maintaining “separate single-sex” sports teams, and one to students who experience retaliation from their schools or deprived of athletic opportunities for reporting a trans athlete on their team.

“Any participant who is subject to retaliation or other adverse action by a school, school district, interscholastic conference, or organization that regulates interscholastic athletics as a result of reporting a violation of this section has a private cause of action

for injunctive relief, damages, and any other relief available against the entity that takes the retaliatory or other adverse action,” the bill reads. HB 6 would apply to all K-12 schools and colleges in the state, both public and private.

As previously reported by the Review, there is only one known transgender high school athlete playing on a varsity high school team in the state of Ohio. Additionally, both college and high school trans athletes must go through rigorous testing. Specifically, trans women are required to have undergone one year of hormone replacement therapy, and they must compete on the men’s team beforehand. No high school trans athlete has ever won a state championship in Ohio.

Photos Courtesy of Amanda Phillips

Oberlin Swim and Dive finishes the 2023 season strong.