Christ Episcopal Church Hosts Free Weekday Community Meals

Selena Frantz

Located at Christ Episcopal Church, Oberlin Weekday Community Meals strives to provide free hot dinners for all members of the Oberlin community. The service prides itself on a “no questions asked” policy, meaning the organization welcomes everyone, regardless of their possible reason for attending. Monday through Friday, from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., anyone can visit the church to pick up a freshly made meal.

According to Andy McQuery, who serves as rector of the Christ Church parish, this organization is unique to the area. Though there are other food distribution centers in Oberlin, none operate with the regularity of OWCM.

“Most of them are at most once a week, maybe once a month,” McQuery said. “But nobody’s doing 80 meals a day every day, 50 weeks out of the year.”

The program started as a sit-down group meal, but due to the pandemic, the church shifted its services to takeout and drive-up options. In addition, the program offers delivery services to Concord Manor, a low-income housing complex. People are also welcome to take multiple meals for others if needed.

“You walk in the door, you tell us how many meals you need, we will give you what we have until we’re out,” McQuery said.

On account of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of meals necessary to serve all visitors has greatly increased. Making these meals, though time-consuming, is a source of enjoyment for the two cooks, Tabatha Watson-Brown and Luis Allende, who run the parish kitchen. They spend hours a day finding, buying, and cooking fresh food, most of which is sourced from local farms and markets. The creativity and hard work put into each meal is always appreciated by the community members.

“I knew that they enjoyed [the food] because of the flavor that we put into it,” Watson-Brown said. “And besides flavor, we put love into it. We both love cooking.”

Allende, who previously worked at a food truck, shares Watson-Brown’s passion for cooking, as well as a love for community service.

“[We help] the people that don’t have ways to eat,” Allende said. “We can make it for them if they can’t cook it.”

Individuals from all spheres of the Oberlin community benefit from this program, and McQuery highlighted the variety of reasons that bring people to each meal.

“It isn’t just people who are necessarily struggling to make ends meet, although that is a part of it,” McQuery said. “There are some folks in the community with various disabilities, for whom shopping or cooking is either difficult or not really within their scope. And we’ve got some senior citizens [who come] too for the same reason.”

Christ Church opened its doors to the OWCM program in 1983. Though it is a church-run service, the staff works to make the space available for all community members, regardless of relation to the church.

“In terms of recruiting volunteers and for members of our advisory board, this is something we really wanted to be Oberlin generally, not just Christ Church,” McQuery said.

Over the next few months, the program plans to expand its services even more in time for its 40year anniversary in 2023.

“I think [the expansion] will diversify the communities we can serve [and] give us greater reach and opportunity,” McQuery said.

Eventually, Oberlin Weekday Community Meals would like to reopen its sit-down services, as well as continue its drive-through and takeout options.

“Part of its mission is that we understand that for the human condition, being fed is more than food,” McQuery said. “Companionship and community is important for the soul, too.”

Oberlin Weekday Community Meals also welcomes any college student in need of a meal to stop by and grab one.

Campus Makerspaces Underutilized, Lack Sufficient Crafting Supplies

Continued from page 10 or equipment for large numbers of students to use it simultaneously, but Abby Aresty, the technical director and lecturer for TIMARA, says that the space is “slowly scaling up,” while also making an effort to prioritize safety and cost-effectiveness.

“Our goal is always to increase the accessibility of the space, but to do so in a way where we don’t completely overwhelm ourselves,” Aresty said. “We have a sewing machine, an embroidery machine, a knitting machine, a 3D printer, a desktop mill used for circuit fabrication, and more recently, we purchased a laser cutter, which can be used for fun projects like paper speakers or flexible circuits,” she said. “That’s the range of tools — everything from electronics to more craftbased stuff, and ideally we kind of blend them together when possible.”

Aresty highlighted fascinating student works that exemplify this blend of the technological and the tactile. Take, for instance, a “pillow synthesizer,” which makes a range of noises when pressed in different spots.

Fourth-year TIMARA major and makerspace Teaching Assistant Gabriel Baskin has been involved with the space since fall of 2019, although his involvement in the beginning mostly involved cleaning up student messes. Baskin said that his time working in Aresty’s labs has helped him develop skills in different technologies in the space, motiviating him to lead workshops in some of those techniques.

“I think having exposure to tools and techniques broadens the horizons of what you can envision yourself doing,” Baskin said. “I think even the fact that an embroidery machine is available will inspire students to make embroidery, … and that can be said for many of the tools in here. … There’s a lot you can come up with on your own, but you cannot be introduced [to every tool] yourself. I think spaces like these are really the locus of education.”

Thinking about other makerspaces in the area, Aresty recommended that students with access to transportation make use of the Fab Lab at Lorain County Community College — about half an hour away — and the Sears think[box] at Case Western Reserve University, about an hour away. Both of these facilities are free to use and have considerably more hours of availability than Oberlin makerspaces do. As far as on-campus resources, Aresty admitted that they are “dispersed,” but she excitedly encouraged interested students to reach out to professors or get involved with some type of crafting space as an entry point into learning more about other crafting-related opportunities and resources.

“The more that people interact with that sort of ‘hands-on’ world, the more they can make connections and build up different skills,” Aresty said.

Second-year College students Elijah Freiman and Sean Norton are determined to do exactly that; they want to make use of all crafting resources openly available on campus. According to Norton, they were turned away from the Studio Art and Theater fabrication spaces, only to find that the makerspace in Wilder Hall was stopping operations. Then, by scouring the Oberlin website, Norton found mention of the fabrication lab in the Physics Department’s Wright Laboratory.

Norton reached out to Professor of Physics Jason Stalnaker, who oversees the fabrication space in the laboratory, and asked if he could be trained in order to use the space. Stalnaker agreed, and both Norton and Freiman underwent a nine-hour-long shop training.

“Eventually, [Stalnaker] showed us the list of people certified to use the machine shops, … and there were only two people other than us,” Norton said. “One of them had graduated in 2018, and the other had graduated last year … It was a totally underutilized space by the student body.”

So, what did Norton and Freiman do once they’d been certified to use the space? They made a cider press, of course. Now Freiman’s dorm room has become an apple cider factory, and they are giving away gallons of the stuff to their friends.

“[Stalnaker] made the point today that we could have saved ourselves lots of man hours and a good amount of money by purchasing a juicer,” Freiman said, laughing.

For makers determined to persevere after having difficulty accessing resources in certain departments, there are fabrication labs available for use and mentors willing to help. However, limited hours, finances, and amounts of physical space can make it difficult for makerspaces to widely publicize their resources and for less persistent craft hobbyists to get involved. Norton, Freiman, Aresty, and Baskin all expressed a desire for these barriers to entry to be lowered and for access to makerspaces to be expanded. Oberlin is a campus full of creatives, and more accessible makerspaces would mean more opportunities for exploration, experimentation, and self-expression, and would allow imaginative people to bring their eccentric ideas into reality.

Orientalism in Pop Culture Highlights Need for Informed Representation

Aatifah George

Every passing year brings more and more entertainment media for us to consume. Whether that be TV shows, movies, or video games, we are seeing more diverse and inclusive stories than ever before. However, these stories are not always accurate or well-informed representations of marginalized identities and backgrounds, nor are they always properly funded, researched, or valued for the issues they aim to address. Unfortunately, many calls for proper representation are simply swept under the rug, and we are continually left with the same questions: why are we not telling more people’s stories, why aren’t they more genuine, and why aren’t those same people included in the process of telling them?

Orientalism is a term many have probably heard and maybe even used, but it is unlikely that they could fully explain its meaning or how it manifests in storytelling. Defined by Palestinian scholar Edward Said in 1978, Orientalism is the interpretation of Asian cultures by Westerners that is often objectifying, stereotyping, and prejudiced. Orientalism is most commonly used to describe depictions of the Middle East and North Africa. Orientalism is a heavy, complicated topic, so I’m going to leave it to you to watch YouTube videos about it during your next lunch break. What I’m specifically here to talk about is how we still see pesky examples of Orientalism in the media today. While representation has gotten better and more well-intentioned, it is often ultimately disappointing and leaves us wondering why we haven’t solved this pervasive issue.

House of the Dragon, the prequel series to Game of Thrones, aired its first season finale Oct. 23. I’m not well-versed in GoT lore myself, but considering the show’s character and set designs as well as the new show’s set aesthetics, there is clearly quite a bit of Islamic, Middle Eastern, and Arabic influence in this adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s saga. It doesn’t take much internet browsing to get an idea of how Orientalist themes and stereotypes heavily played into the original series, especially with the portrayal of the Dothraki people. Their resemblance to MENA cultures (or perversions of them) and stereotypes is uncanny.

Just by looking at the furniture, windows, wall arches, and other statement decor pieces in the new show, I can see some Arabian design elements. One of the main countries House of the Dragon was filmed in was Spain, which has a long history of MENA cultural influence and immigration before the Spanish Inquisition. Political and military events of the eighth century led to a large population of Muslims and Arabs in southern Spain, near North Africa. This period of history would eventually be known as Islamic Spain. Given this context, there is a precedent for Arabic language, Islamic art, and Islamic architecture in House of the Dragon, but then there is just as much of a reason to depict Middle Eastern and North African characters (and actors to portray them). The design looks great and fits the context, but it stops at the aesthetics.

All of this is subtle compared to other heavy hitters like 2021’s Dune, which came under criticism for its clear usage of classic MENA concepts — which is true to the books — without consistent casting to include MENA actors. None of this is meant to make blanket statements, but it’s food for thought, since we are continuing to see the same issues and not address the root of the problem: lack of inclusion at every level of development. It’s very important in any form of storytelling to do thorough research into the various sources or cultures you’re drawing from and to work with experts on these said fields, because doing poor research or just guessing always shows in the final product.

As an aspiring game artist and expert button masher, I am especially attuned to you about this topic in video games. In this industry, we are still seeing frustratingly silly mistakes regarding representation that highlight a lack of basic understanding of other cultures and lack of commitment to working with people from MENA backgrounds. Just last year, Hitman 3 debuted with completely backwards and disconnected Arabic throughout the entire first level. Call of Duty: Vanguard that same year disrespectfully featured pages of the Qur’an strewn all over the floor beneath players’ dirty boots and blood. Possibly worst of all, after more than 10 years of people telling tone-deaf developers that Six Days in Fallujah, a game set in 2004 that depicts a massacre of Iraqi civilians, is not appropriate, it is set for release next month. Violent, perverse depictions of Middle Eastern people in video games are nothing new, but we should not still be seeing such outrageous choices. Many of these issues would not even be a problem if studios and development teams would simply hire more creative and talented people of color.

In using diverse casts, incorporating different cultures and traditions, and representing people and ideas that are often misunderstood and underrepresented, there is a moral imperative to get things right. You must work with people who truly understand the content you are including, and you must be telling your story in a way that is respectful to the communities you are borrowing from or speaking on behalf of. Not only does it help dispel misinformation and harmful preconceived notions, but it also makes for much more engaging and enriching art. At the end of the day, all of these forms of media are aiming to do one thing: tell a story. No one can make an AAA game or an Oscar-winning film by themselves, but you are an integral piece of the puzzle. The best person to tell your story is you.

Conservatory Success Relies on Piano Technicians

Continued from page 10 make or break the piano and its ability to endure temperature and humidity changes.

Andrew Bertoni, OC’ 88, works on the maintenance of the pianos in the Conservatory classrooms and Robertson Hall practice rooms, as well as the piano in the Cat in the Cream, which is his personal favorite.

“There are certain times a year where I go around because I know that there are a lot of strings breaking because of the change in humidity,” Bertoni said. “So the bridge on the piano is moving, and the strings are getting pulled, and they tend to break.”

Despite the constant maintenance, the Piano Technology department remains a foreign part of the Conservatory to many, including pianists.

“There are a couple of people on the piano faculty that come down here and have known me for 21 years, and they look around here like, ‘whoa’,” Cavanaugh said. “We always say, ‘Are you lost?’ They’re just upstairs, but they live in a totally different world — they have a totally different mindset. They call us the unseen artist. We’re the artists who work on the pianos, but no one knows. We’re like the elves who show up.”

John Cavanaugh is the director of the Artist Diploma program.

Photo by Erin Koo

The Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros are competing in the sixth game of the World Series Nov. 5. Photo Courtesy of ESPN

James Foster

Staff Writer

This year, the MLB altered the playoff format of the World Series, expanding the postseason bracket from 10 teams to 12 teams. Six teams from the two leagues: the American League and the National League, made the playoffs. The change came for multiple reasons. One was declining viewership which decreased by 12 percent between 2019–21, leading to a substantial decline in revenue. The MLB also wanted to lower the average viewer’s age, which is currently 57 years old.

In addition, the MLB also expanded the Wild Card Series, which grew from a one-game playoff series to a best-of-three series. In both the American and National League Wild Card Series, the visitors of the first game in their respective series ended up on top, with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Seattle Mariners winning their first two games and the San Diego Padres winning their first and third games.

Broadening the playing field allows the opportunity for more underdog teams. Fans seem to thrive on this story: the team that is expected to lose miraculously pulls out an upset and takes down the expected victors. Nearly all sports movies revolve around the premise of a mismatched yet lovable team defying the odds and coming out on top over the best of the best. Movie watchers enjoy this plot thoroughly, and their feelings are magnified when the underdog story unfolds in professional sports. The story evokes empathy, and fans feel satisfaction when the underdog wins (provided they are not active fans of the other team).

Despite the change to MLB, the American League had no surprises. The Tampa Bay Rays snuck into the playoffs as the sixth seed, but were swept in the first American League Wild Card Series by the third seed Guardians, a team that would’ve automatically been in the Divisional Round in past years. Meanwhile, the fifth seed Mariners swept the fourth seed Toronto Blue Jays, earning themselves a clash with the first seed Houston Astros.

However, expanding the playoffs made a significant impact on the National League Playoffs. In the professional sports world, underdog stories occur with some regularity, but rarely at the magnitude of this year’s playoffs.

In the Wild Card Series, the Padres, the National League’s fifth seed, took down the fourth seed New York Mets before upsetting the first seed Los Angeles Dodgers 3–1 in the Divisional Series.

The Phillies earned the sixth seed by just one game over the Milwaukee Brewers and have made the most of their opportunity thus far. The Phillies swept the third seed St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card Series before taking down the second seed Atlanta Braves in the Divisional Series and the Padres in the Conference Series. The Phillies lost just one game in each of their last two series, defeating the Braves 3–1 in a best-of-five series and the Padres 4–1 in a best-of-seven series. As of Nov. 4, the Phillies are just two games away from becoming World Champions, although the Astros, last year’s runner-up, are in a 3–2 lead.

Baseball fans are currently tuning in to witness the Phillies’ unlikely ascent to the top of baseball at rates that prove the new changes to the MLB postseason are a success. Over the course of the 2022 playoffs, compared to the 2021 playoffs, the amount of 18 to 34-year-old fans watching rose 22 percent, along with a 9 percent increase in viewership of people 17 and younger, and ratings for the 2022 Divisional Series were up 21 percent from the 2021 Divisional Series, with 3.4 million people on average tuning in. These trends are promising for the MLB and the future of baseball, which relies on young people to carry the fame and legacy of the sport.

IN THE LOCKER ROOM Natalie Dufour, Volleyball Player, Political Organizer

Andrea Nguyen

Sports Editor

Zoe Kuzbari

Contributing Sports Editor

Second-year Natalie Dufour is a middle hitter on the volleyball team, where she has been setting career-high block assists for multiple games. Volleyball isn’t her only passion, however — she is also a Peer Advising Leader, the Vice President for Academic Affairs on Student Senate, a member of Sunrise, and a Cole Scholar, where she is currently campaigning for Charles Booker’s U.S. Senate campaign in her home state of Kentucky.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What made you pick Oberlin?

I knew that I really wanted to play volleyball in college, and I also wanted to go to a small liberal arts school that was known for its academics., so I started reaching out to coaches and going through the recruiting process. In the end, it was down to two schools: Oberlin and a school in Pennsylvania, and I visited both. When I got to Oberlin and saw the campus, I really disliked it. I told my mom, “I can’t go here. It is way too flat and none of the buildings match.” Then during my tour, the tour guide was really nice, and then I met the team for one practice. We had dinner afterward at the Feve, and I was introduced to the legendary tater tots.

Immediately I felt like something clicked. I felt like I could automatically have a home and a place where I fit in. Also, it was a very diverse team — people from all over the country, from all racial and ethnic backgrounds, which is really cool because I haven’t been exposed to that being on a volleyball team in the middle of rural Kentucky. The other school I visited was my perfect location and ideal campus, but the team was full of a bunch of white girls from Pennsylvania. I was like, “I can’t do this again, ’cause this is my high school.” When I chose Oberlin, I knew it was the right choice when my number — number 11 — was open. And it has been the right choice.

How has your experience on the team been?

It’s been really incredible. I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through my first year without the girls on the team. You have this group of people that are never going away because you love each other, you’re there for each other. We are all sisters in a way. It’s also been nice being part of the athlete community, having this group of people who I know I can be like, “Oh, I saw your game,” and automatically start conversations.

What else do you do on campus?

I’m the Vice President of Academic Affairs on Student Senate. In my role this year, I’ve been meeting with various individuals and groups like the Academic Advising Resource Center, the library board, which I’m on, Dean Kamitsuka, and students on our committee. We try to figure out how we can best enhance the academic experience of students on campus and make sure that students know that the administration and the student government want to listen to them and their concerns.

I’m also a part of Sunrise; I’ve been part of it the whole time I’ve been at Oberlin. Sunrise is an environmental justice organization that works under the banner of the Green New Deal, and I worked in a similar climate justice organization during high school. We’re currently working on affordable and sustainable housing in the city of Oberlin, so it’s great getting to work with the local government and officials and dealing with climate problems that really affect all of us.

Finally, I’m also a Peer Advising Leader. Last semester, all the PALs taught a course on climate change. I got to talk about one of my passions and also connect with students who maybe weren’t fully decided about Oberlin.

What academic areas are you interested in, and what are your majors and minors if you have decided yet?

I am planning on declaring a Politics major and Spanish and French minors. When I was trying to think about what I wanted to major in, I was talking to my mom because I was like, “All these colleges are asking me to put what my preferred major is or what I wanna study. I don’t know what I wanna major in.” She said “Natalie, what do you care about? What do you want to do with your life?” I just told her, “I wanna help people.” Politics seemed to be a way that I could work to maybe enact large-scale change in our society.

A year ago, I applied for the Cole Scholars Program, and I was one of 11 students accepted. We took an electoral politics class last spring semester and were placed on political campaigns across the country.

Natalie Dufour, volleyball player and aspiring Politics major. Photo Courtesy of Amanda Phillips I went home for the summer to work on Charles Booker’s race. He is running against Rand Paul, one of the current Kentucky senators in the U.S. Senate. Booker is the person who inspired me to be interested in politics in the first place; he seemed like he actually cared about the people that he was representing rather than money, power, or things that it seems other politicians primarily care about.

It was great to be able to go back and work for his campaign. I got to meet so many great people and see that change is possible in an extremely rural and red-voting state like Kentucky. I’ve continued working for the campaign this fall, and I’m actually going back this weekend for Election Day so I can do everything I can to push for this victory that Kentucky really needs.