Career Center Implements Changes to Junior Practicum

Alexa Stevens News Editor

After about a year of partial closure, the Arboretum is reopening in full. Construction was initially forecasted to conclude in December of 2021, but was delayed due to material and labor shortages and weather-related setbacks. The renovated Arboretum features a wetland designed to meet the recommendations put forth by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources following its 2018 inspection.

Prior to the inspection, the City Department of Public Works noted a four- to five-inch decrease in water level in the upper west Morgan Street reservoir and a clogged drain in the lower east reservoir. To rectify these issues and adhere to the ODNR’s recommendations, Public Works contracted Big Trees, Inc. of Columbia Station, OH, to convert the west reservoir into a wetland.

In addition to resolving these issues, the Environmental Design Group, which was contracted to design the remediation, expressed hopes that the palustrine and forested wetlands would allow plant communities to thrive. In late summer of this year, Big Trees, Inc. subcontracted Schirmer Construction, which completed the implementation of a new boardwalk between the upper and lower wetlands, a wetland observation deck, a staircase at the wetland spillway, and handrails on an existing stone staircase.

During the most recent phase of construction, the Arboretum was open to the public exclusively through the Ladies Grove and South Professor Street entrances. Many students are glad to see Arboretum access restored, including College fourth-year Jory Teltser.

“I like to go birdwatching in the Arb,” Teltser said. “I think it’s a really cool place to see birds, and it’s a really cool spot to walk and clear my head.”

The Arboretum reopened in full to the public after resolving concerns raised by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Photos by Abe Frato, Photo Editor

Trustees Propose Revisions to Bylaws on Faculty Governance

Continued from page 1 that responsibility from General Faculty to divisional faculty bodies.

“The divisional faculty bodies, subject to the guidance and approval of the Board of Trustees and consistent with the Bylaws, are responsible for the internal affairs of the College in matters pertaining to educational policy, curriculum, methods of instruction, degree requirements, those aspects of student life that relate to students’ academic experience, and the evaluation of the faculty for appointment, tenure and promotion,” the proposed revision reads.

The bylaws currently authorize the General Faculty to propose, deliberate, and vote on matters related to the general welfare of the institution, including regulations pertaining to student organizations and conduct across divisions. The president then reports especially important changes to the board for their consideration. For example, the General Faculty has previously voted to approve decisions like a campus-wide tobacco ban in 2014 and the One Oberlin Report in 2018.

Nathan A. Greenberg Professor of Classics Kirk Ormand raised concerns that the new bylaws would contradict the Finney Compact — an agreement between Charles Grandison Finney and the Oberlin Collegiate Institute dating back to 1835. The compact was introduced by Finney as a prerequisite to his acceptance of the College’s offer to join as a professor of Theology. Clause three of the agreement stipulates that the trustees should give internal control of the institution to faculty, including discretion over admitting students irrespective of color.

“One of the things that Oberlin has been known for from the very beginning of its existence as a college is a strong system of faculty governance,” Ormand said. “Which is to say, it has been the understanding of the board, and the administration, and the faculty at Oberlin literally since 1835, that the faculty run the College. The College is not run by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees manages our money. They are, of course, ultimately responsible for what the College does, and therefore they have the right to prevent us from making largescale changes to the way that the College is run, that sort of thing. … But controlling the budget is not the same thing as initiating and determining the strategic direction of the College, the operational direction of the College.”

According to N&G, the existing bylaws are unclear on the extent of faculty authority over operational management, and these proposed revisions would clarify that the faculty do not have voting or direct decision-making authority over such topics. However, Birenbaum emphasized that the board still expects faculty to offer their opinions and be involved in the long-term strategic deliberations of the College.

“We are not by this draft of the bylaws suggesting [faculty] should limit their concerns,” Birenbaum said. “What we’re doing is clarifying the voting authority of the board — to the president, to the faculty — about who has authority to decide what. But as to how those decisions are made and input is gathered, and what sensibilities are important and what advice comes to the board on what to do, there’s no limitation. ... I don’t think there’s going to be a material change in that way. I think we’re going to continue to solicit opinions on the involvement of the faculty, both in their organizational structure [and] individually, like how they sit on committees with board members — like the Investment Committee.”

Edwards and Birenbaum briefed faculty members on these proposals this past Wednesday afternoon. According to Birenbaum, they received several comments on the proposals from faculty members during the briefing. This feedback will be presented to the board during their Oct. 6 meeting before the final vote takes place that weekend.

The Oberlin review

September 30, 2022 Volume 152, Number 4 (ISSN 297–256)

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

To submit a correction, email managingeditor@oberlinreview.org. Editors-in-Chief Kushagra Kar Emma Benardete Managing Editor Lauren Krainess News Editors Nikki Keating Alexa Stevens Opinions Editors Emily Vaughan Elle Giannandrea Arts & Culture Editors Juliana Gasper Malcolm Bamba Sports Editor Andrea Nguyen Cont. Sports Editors Zoe Kuzbari Kayla Kim

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Corrections:

In “AVI Implements Dining Changes, Students Respond,” published Sept. 23, 2022, the Review reported that reusable eco boxes were available for purchase at Stevenson Dining Hall, Heritage Kosher Kitchen, and Clarity. According to the AVI Foodsystems website, eco boxes are not available for purchase at Heritage or Clarity but are available at Lord Saunders Dining Hall. The Review regrets this error.

In “How Do I Vote?” published Sept. 23, 2022, it was incorrectly stated that “All students living in traditional dorms, except Old Barrows, vote in Phillips gym.” Additionally, the map shown was an outdated map.

Precincts 3, 4, 7, and 8 (which includes nearly all college housing) will vote at the old Prospect School on the corner of Elm Street and South Prospect Street (just south of West College Street). Precincts 1, 5, and 6 (includes Firelands Apartments, Old Barrows, and Tank Hall) vote at the Zion Fellowship Hall. The Review regrets this error.

OFF THE CUFF

University of Toronto Professor John Berkman Gives MeadSwing Lecture on First Nations Land Claims in Canada

John Berkman Courtesy of University of Toronto

Sofia Tomasic

Senior Staff Writer

On Thursday, Professor of Moral Theology at the University of Toronto John Berkman gave a talk in King Building titled “First Nations Land Claims in Canada: Religious and Political Factors.” This lecture was part of the MeadSwing Lecture Series and covered some of the impediments to reconciliation between Indigenous peoples of southern Canada and the Canadian government, particularly the role religion has played in the conflict.

This interview was conducted prior to the lecture and has been edited for length and clarity.

Can you talk a little bit about what you will cover in your lecture?

I’ll begin with one example of a dispute over land in southwestern Ontario, just north of Lake Erie. It is a conflict and a protest that has been going on in the last couple of years. I’ll try to give an account of how that has come to be historically, going right back to when the original treaties were made, when and why this particular land grant was given to the six nations, then how it has come to be that they now only possess 5 percent of the land that was acknowledged to be theirs by the British government 200 years ago. I think one of the key things that keeps there from being an adequate resolution is fundamentally incompatible understandings of land: its significance, its status, its theological import — or lack thereof. We cannot hope for a proper resolution until the Canadian government understands the way these particular groups of First Nations peoples understand the land.

Could you tell me more about how the Canadian government could alter its approach or policy to come to a better resolution?

I think they need to recognize the significance of the theological beliefs of many of these First Nations groups. Their fundamental views theologically are about the importance of the land, whereas governments tend to see the land almost purely in economic terms. This is why there’s constantly an effort to say, “Well, we might not give you this piece of land, but we’ll give you another piece of land that’s equally valuable.” Or, “We’ll give you all this money, which is what it might cost you to buy this land.” It just misses the point.

How did you become involved with the land rights debate?

Well, my college is a Jesuit college. It’s had very longstanding historical interests in First Nations peoples and in trying to right the injustices done to them. I’d thought about this issue off and on, and then I was given the opportunity last year to be on sabbatical and think about questions about land and land rights. I decided that I really wanted to take up this question more in detail.

For Oberlin students who attend your lecture, how can this topic be applied to the United States or our thinking about these issues?

The conflicts that were going on that I’ll talk about were also conflicts that were going on around Oberlin — in Pennsylvania and Ohio. In fact, the Ohio River on the eastern border of Ohio was where the First Nations wanted a border when they were trying to make treaties with the young American state. Although they were willing to make some small treaties, they wouldn’t make any overarching treaty with a whole group of various nations of Indigenous people. What went on at that time and since in Canada has also been replicated in the U.S. in analogously relevant ways. I hope that we’ll better be able to see the nature of the historical injustices done and how those continue today.

Can you tell me about some of your other work?

The work I’ve been really focused on for the last few years has to do with a very famous philosopher, Elizabeth Anscombe. She was one of the great 20th-century philosophers whose work was driven by concerns over certain injustices. What really got her started on it was in the mid-’50s, when Oxford University wanted to give an honorary degree to Harry Truman. She thought she should object to this because of Truman’s act of dropping the atomic bombs, which killed hundreds of thousands of people, including tens of thousands of women and children, elderly, and disabled people who had nothing to do with the war, and yet they were just vaporized in seconds.

She thought, obviously lots of people do evil and you can’t object to everyone, but Truman was so closely associated in most people’s minds with this action. He was so notorious for it, and he continued to publicly laud what he had done — although various biographies show that behind the scenes, he clearly wasn’t so happy about what he had done, but he would never admit that. So Anscombe started a protest against his getting this degree, which almost nobody went along with. She got all these criticisms, and she continued to argue about this great injustice of killing innocent people. This issue led her to think about how you distinguish between say, legitimate killing in war versus what is just murder.

This, of course, is relevant now when we read about these atrocities in Ukraine and we start talking about war crimes. Not every killing of a soldier is a war crime, but this killing — torturing — of civilians, women, and children, is. So she spent an awful lot of time trying to help us understand how we ought to distinguish between what could constitute legitimate killing versus what is simply murder, which for her was the intentional killing of innocent persons.

Interestingly, her work on this in the ’50s and early ’60s became very influential for the U.S. and British militaries. For example, recently when the U.S. mistakenly sent a drone and blew up a site, and it turned out not to be terrorists but in fact innocent persons, they not only acknowledged their wrongdoing but tried to pay some reparations for that wrong. Now, of course there’s no adequate reparation for killing innocent people, but that recognition by a government that it did wrong and it tried to do something more than just symbolic to right that wrong is a huge change in attitude and action that you see so rarely. This move by most Western militaries to really try to target only legitimate military targets and not bomb civilians has become very much standard among many militaries. It’s clearly not the standard with Russia’s more or less indiscriminate artillery fire, which is hitting hospitals, schools, all kinds of non-military targets. But I think Anscombe’s work helped many of us in Western society to recognize this and to realize we can’t do what Truman did. We can’t simply drop bombs on innocent people as a way to conduct war. So I’ve been working on a number of essays on her and am moving toward a biography of her early life.

Career Center Implements Changes to Junior Practicum

Adrienne Sato

Senior Staff Writer

The Career Exploration and Development Center is launching Junior Practicum 2.0 this semester. This updated version of Junior Practicum aims to be more accessible and to increase opportunities for students to gain experience applying to jobs and internships. The new Junior Practicum will do away with the weekly course requirement and will now allow students to apply for specific internships rather than being matched to them.

In the previous model of Junior Practicum, students were required to enroll in a two-credit LEAD course that would provide them with information and skills to help them explore their chosen professional field. The new model has replaced this class with a series of workshops and panel discussions spread throughout the semester.

According to Executive Director of Career Exploration and Development Anthony Pernell-McGee, this change was made in order to decrease the burden on students, as well as to make the resources it offers more accessible to student-athletes.

“I felt as if it was putting more burden and pressure on the students,” Pernell-McGee said. “The program is more flexible and we’re going to be offering workshops and career panels at 7:30 [p.m.] so that the athletes will be able to attend as well.”

While students will now have to select and apply for their own internship over the summer, they will have the opportunity to browse internships posted by employers, many of whom are Oberlin alumni, on a new online platform. The program will continue to offer funding for unpaid or low-paying summer internships.

According to Pernell-McGee, having students proactively seek out internships will create a stronger and more engaged partnership.

“It’s making sure that the alum has a student who is interested in what they’re doing,” Pernell-McGee said. “And to me, the only way to do that is to really interview the student so that the student and the alum are in alignment in that this is the best match.”

He also hopes that this change will help students build critical cover letter writing and interviewing skills. “I do believe that having students apply for internships that they’re interested in and then having them sit for an interview, which helps them hone their interview skills — I think that is the best practice, so I’m excited to see the results this year,” Pernell-McGee said.

Rami Puangkam, OC ’22, worked as a peer-to-peer career advisor during last year’s Junior Practicum. She agreed that the matching system had challenges that the new system might alleviate.

“I think one of the things that was very big last year was that if you get a job or internship, you have to be a good representative of Oberlin so that in the future, students can get the same position or more opportunities,” Puangkam said. “I feel like if they’re not actually engaged or don’t actually want the internship in the first place, they might not act in the best interest they could have.”

She also believes that the new system will force students to be more proactive about their internships and lend them greater agency in the process, though she recognizes that the previous system had some benefits that this year’s version will miss out on.

“I feel like the matching is kind of nice because it helps students to find jobs, especially for international students, which is hard sometimes for landing your own internship,” Puangkam said.

She also mentioned that with the lack of a required weekly course, the Career Center will have to be more proactive in getting the information out to students.

College third-year Jessie Goldberg applied for the new version of the Junior Practicum. She noted that while the new internship process might be more challenging, it is also more realistic.

“It sounds like it might require more effort from me to actually get an internship this summer, but I think that mirrors more the reality of getting a job,” Goldberg said. “It’s good and bad, I guess, because you don’t really have that built-in safety net.”

While some of the specifics have changed within the Junior Practicum, Pernell-McGee noted that the core values are still the same.

“Internships are important to the student’s development and career exploration,” Pernell-McGee said. “You are developing those core skills that employers are looking for. You are evaluating and assessing if this internship is the right fit for you, for your career. You are just making yourself more marketable and you are developing those core skills that you can’t get in the classroom.”

Applications for the Junior Practicum are due Oct. 14.