March 4, 2022

The Oberlin Review March 4, 2022

Established 1874

Volume 151, Number 13

College, OCS Relax COVID-19 Guidelines Kush Bulmer News Editor

by the College tenured Professor Mohammad Jafar Mahallati and oust him,” read the press release from the Committee for Justice for Mahallati’s Victims.

In recent weeks, members of the committee have emailed individual members of the College’s Board of Trustees and sent flyers to Mahallati’s neighbors, accusing him of covering up crimes against humanity. The flyers can also be found in academic buildings and businesses across the campus and City of Oberlin.

According to Lawdan Bazargan, a vocal member of the committee, the College has yet to respond to any of its direct communications.

“President [Carmen Twillie] Ambar and the Oberlin administration has failed to transparently address the issues we outlined in our initial letter or engage in any constructive forms with the families of victims,” Bazargan wrote in a Tuesday press release about the upcoming protest.

Since the protest group’s inception in October 2020, it has grown from a small number of victims and their family members to an established group of 12–15 regular attendees at hours-long, weekly Zoom meetings.

Director of Media Relations Scott Wargo released a statement in direct response to the protest movement in October 2021, a year after the committee first made the allegations against Mahallati.

“The College extends its sympathies to all victims who suffered at that time and continue to suffer today,” Wargo said.

Although the protest is being advertised as an

The College and the Oberlin City Schools district both announced the relaxation of COVID-19 protocols this past week. In a Tuesday ObieSafe email, the College stated that on March 7, all campus dining locations will expand from exclusively grab-and-go options to a hybrid model that includes in-person dining with social distancing. The ObieSafe email also announced the hiring of Terri Buzzell, who has joined the College as a medical consultant. On Thursday, Oberlin City Schools stated that it would move to Mask-Optional status for all students and staff, effective on March 7.

These latest announcements are more in line with the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 standards that were issued last week. The updated CDC standards suggest that people living in lower-risk areas can now stop wearing masks, and no longer need to social distance or avoid crowded indoor spaces. Roughly 70 percent of U.S. residents, — including those in Lorain County — live in these lower-risk areas.

While OCS has removed the indoor mask mandate in pre-K–12 classrooms and in district transportation, the College has taken a more cautious approach. It plans to maintain the indoor mask mandate and slowly relax COVID-19 protocols as they follow up with students, faculty, and staff who have not received or reported their booster vaccine or their spring return testing.

Currently, 72 percent of students have submitted proof of their booster shot.

According to Chief of Staff David Hertz, the College’s changes were made based on relevant data, the updated CDC guidelines, and input from local public health experts.

“Those sources indicate that a gradual adjustment to our policies is prudent,” Hertz wrote in an email to the Review. “Arrival testing was required at the beginning of the semester unless an exemption was granted. Boosters are required of everyone eligible to receive one.

Once we compile all testing and booster data on campus, we will consider the state of COVID in the region before making other adjustments.”

The College’s restrained updates surprised College fourth-year Abby Kantt. She expressed cynicism with the College’s past response, referring to the Dec. 19 spike in cases and the student body’s unconcerned commitment to current protocols.

“I kind of gave up on the administration setting comprehensive guidelines, but I’ve been really frustrated and disappointed with what I’ve been seeing happening with students this semester,” Kantt wrote in a message to the Review. “The vaccine has been extremely helpful and I’m grateful that most people in Oberlin have gotten it, but COVID still makes people seriously ill and is still killing people! Especially immunocompromised people.”

In contrast to the College’s caution, the Oberlin City Schools district has decided to closely follow the updated CDC and Lorain County Public

See Protesters, page 3

See College, page 2

Activists have hung posters advertising the protest that will take place on Saturday.

Photo by Abe Frato, Photo Editor

Continued College Inaction Provokes Second Protest Against Mahallati Gigi Ewing Managing Editor Protesters are set to return to Oberlin this Saturday to demonstrate against the employment of Professor of Religion Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, who has been accused of covering up crimes against humanity in Iran in the 1980s. With minimal response from the College, the protesters are going to increasing lengths to gain an audience with the local community. While Mahallati has not responded to the Review’s request for comment, a source who has spoken to him recently shed light on an element of Mahallati’s past — namely that he was imprisoned and tortured by the Iranian regime in 1989, after advocating for the end of the Iran-Iraq War. In October 2021, the College announced that it had conducted an investigation into Mahallati’s past, concluding that there was no evidence that he had “specific knowledge” of the executions taking place in Iran. In response to the College’s decision to stand by Mahallati, activists are taking to the streets of Oberlin for the second time. They are demanding that the College and its Board of Trustees transparently investigate the accusations — that Mahallati intentionally denied the occurrence of crimes against humanity in Iran — and ultimately, that they fire him.

“We, a group of families of executed political prisoners in Iran, Oberlin College students, alumni, and human rights activists, will protest for the second time at Oberlin to urge Oberlin’s Board of Trustees to order school officials to investigate the reported crimes against humanity conducted CONTENTS NEWS

OPINIONS

CONSERVATORY

ARTS & CULTURE

SPORTS

02 City Zoning Change Allows Residents to Work from Home

05 Ukraine Good Model for Responding to Refugee Crisis

08 Johnum Palado, Future Video Game Composer, Church Organist

10 The Puppy Episode Highlights ’90s Queer Experiences

14 Oberlin Track and Field Win Fifth NCAC Indoor Campionship Title

03 Community Gathers for Teach- 07 Euphoria Still has an Over-Sex- THIS WEEK In on Russian Invasion of Ukraine ualization Problem 09 ObieWrapped

The Oberlin Review | March 4, 2022

12 Amrita Kaur Dang, OC ’06, Fuses Hindustani, Electronic

16 Athletes Learning to Balance Body Image and Sport

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College Maintains COVID-19 Caution, City Schools Go Mask-Optional Continued from page 1

Continuing COVID-19 guidelines require that students wear masks in indoor spaces such as Mudd Center.

Photo by Khadijah Halliday, Photo Editor

Health Department guidelines. OCS Superintendent David Hall referred to Lorain County’s currently low level of COVID-19 in the Thursday press release that detailed the new masking status.

“On Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, the CDC and Lorain County Public Health Department updated their COVID-19 guidelines, and are no longer recommending universal masking of students in grades K–12 in school atmospheres with low or medium COVID-19 community levels,” Hall wrote. “The Lorain County community level is rated ‘low.’ … Therefore, Oberlin City School District will no longer require masks for students in pre-K–12 classrooms or on district transportation effective Monday, March 7, 2022. Oberlin City School District will move to a Mask Optional Status for all students and staff.”

However, the College is choosing to follow the path of caution — even hiring a new health consultant to help with the College’s COVID-19 approach.

Shortly after a relaxation of COVID-19 protocols and the announcement of

former COVID-19 Campus Health Coordinator Katie Gravens’ retirement at the end of December, there was a spike in COVID-19 cases on Dec. 19.

This spike prompted the College to impose stricter COVID-19 protocols for the remainder of the fall semester.

According to Hertz, Terri Buzzell has ample expertise and knowledge of the College’s current protocols and will be able to address student concerns about COVID-19 safety. Buzzell is a registered nurse and holds a Master of Healthcare Administration degree and a Master of Science in Nursing degree.

She is the current Director of Nursing Operations at Harness Health Partners, where she leads various clinical and administrative teams that serve the needs of patients throughout Bon Secours Mercy Health’s domain.

“I am excited about joining the ObieSafe team,” Buzzell stated in the ObieSafe email. “I am a firm believer that health and wellness are vital for successful academics. I look forward to serving Oberlin College by helping to keep the Oberlin community safe and healthy.”

City Zoning Change Allows Residents to Work from Home Nikki Keating Senior Staff Writer

Earlier this month, Oberlin City Council loosened Oberlin’s zoning regulations to allow residents to conduct business from their homes. This change will help accommodate the many Oberlin residents who began working from their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as those who would like to do so in the future.

“More people [are] saying that they wanted to work from home,” said Director of Planning and Development Carrie Porter. “I think there was some sentiment too about making it a little easier for people to start businesses, maybe in their home. The current home occupation regulations [are] pretty restrictive.”

The old regulations did not allow group assembly in residential areas except for family members residing on the premises. This meant that home businesses could not have outside employees. The new changes will allow non-resident employees to work in homes or in other buildings that meet specific criteria.

The revised policies mean that residents can devote up to 50 percent of their home to their business, have a limited number of customers in their home, store business related materials in backyards, and make modifications to their home for their business.

Although Oberlin is not currently host to a large number of home businesses, the new regulation is an exciting change for existing entrepreneurs and has the possibility to entice residents to open home businesses in the future.

“With so many more people working from home in various ways, it seems to me that this is a really welcome development for the community,” said City Council Member and Liaison to the Planning Commission Ray English. “We do know that there are

The Oberlin R eview March 4, 2022 Volume 151, Number 13 (ISSN 297–256) Published by the students of Oberlin College every Friday during the fall and spring semesters, except holidays and examination periods.

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current home businesses in Oberlin that very much welcome this. There is a member of the planning commission who actually operates a home business.”

The planning commission echoed these thoughts in a presentation they gave to the City Council before the vote on the new regulations. Because of the pandemic, more people are working from home and according to the planning commission, this trend is likely to continue.

Janet Haar, executive director of the Oberlin Business Partnership, has also noticed a rise in the number of people wanting to work from their homes, even though COVID-19 positivity rates have decreased. Haar mentioned that productivity has increased since many began working from home.

“Many things have happened in the last five years, but especially in the last two and a half, many more people are working from home because their companies didn’t have them come into work,” Haar said. “Many companies have said, ‘Well, you know, they’re just about as productive or more so from home than they are in the office.’ So why are we paying all that money to have offices? Why don’t we just have them work from home?”

Cities often have regulations against businesses located in residential areas in order to protect neighborhoods from the disruptive activities of commercial businesses such as loud noises and heavy traffic from customers. However, English emphasized that the Planning Commission was careful to ensure the new regulations would protect neighborhoods surrounding a home business.

“So for example a home business could take deliveries from delivery trucks that generally come into the neighborhood,” English said. “So you take an Amazon delivery truck as an example, but larger trucks would not be allowed. And the number of

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people who could come into a home to visit a home business or who could work in the home, if they don’t reside there, is limited. That means that we wouldn’t be creating parking problems in the neighborhood through the creation of a home business.”

Expanding how residents can conduct business in their homes will allow small businesses to forego the use of offices that might now be unnecessary and expensive for small operations. This cuts down on costs and allows people to tailor their professional workspace to their needs.

“There are a lot of what we call sole professionals or freelancers,” said Haar. “People who are doing work for a company but they’re not employees of the company; they do projects, or they own their very small consulting or professional business. They don’t have an office, and they don’t really need an office.”

The new regulation might also impact some students. Students renting from local landlords in off-campus housing may now conduct business from their homes as per the policy change.

New zoning regulations will allow Oberlin residents to conduct business from their homes.

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Security Notebook Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 12:03 a.m. Campus Safety officers and maintenance technicians responded to a report of two bats flying around the atrium of Peters Hall. The officers and maintenance team located and removed one of the bats but were unable to locate the second.

11:35 a.m. Facilities staff reported a strong odor of gas on the eastern exterior side of Fairchild House. Officers and Oberlin Fire Department members responded, and Columbia Gas was also contacted.

Generator exhaust caused the odor; Columbia Gas shut down the generator for repairs. The building’s interior was checked and no issues were discovered.

12:48 p.m. A student reported the theft of the catalytic converter from their vehicle while it was parked in the Woodland Street lot sometime during winter break. They reported the theft to the Oberlin Police Department.

Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022 Photo by Abe Frato, Photo Editor

Community Gathers for Teach-In on Russian Invasion of Ukraine Isaac Imas Production Editor

Over 250 students, professors, and community members attended yesterday’s Russian and East European Studies teach-in on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began Feb. 24. The event, moderated

by Tom Newlin, chair of the Russian department, brought together seven faculty members from several departments on campus to help audience members better understand the history of the Ukraine-Russia crisis, the current violence, and the war’s implications for the international community.

Discussing and analyzing the details of the invasion was difficult and emotionally fraught for those on the panel and in the audience with personal ties to Russia and Ukraine.

However, Visiting Assistant Professor of Russian Vladimir Ivantsov was

heartened by the robust turnout.

“The situation is so difficult right now that it’s not about theoretical takeaways,” Ivantsov said after the event. “We need to talk, we need to discuss, and we need to feel ourselves as a sort of joint effort, as a community, because I think maybe some people here don’t really quite understand that it’s a real problem for the whole world now. … It shakes the principles of our existence and coexistence, and the whole idea of peace. So, we need to feel our ties as a community more than ever.”

Ivantsov was also glad for the opportunity to speak openly on the subject, though he expressed that mere discussion on the topic does little to ameliorate the crisis.

“We perceive this whole thing very personally — it’s very emotional, and it’s a kind of mixture of resentment, sharing some sort of shame that the Russian leaders impose on our

country,” he said. “It’s really difficult just to say something about this, because you feel like whatever you say, it may be weak. … But I do think that the whole conversation allowed us to feel a little bit better, uplifted, and empowered.”

Panelist and Visiting Assistant Professor of Politics Amanda Zadorian urged students who attended the teach-in to continue to think critically about the crisis’ unfolding developments.

“The war is also one of narrative and disinformation, so paying attention to the sources of information, and also thinking when you’re consuming information about what interests that information is serving, and what stories are being told, is really important,” Zadorian said.

Students can support groups in Ukraine by donating to UNHCR, care. org, doctorswithoutborders.org, or directrelief.org.

1:08 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious person in Mudd Center on the second floor. The individual was described as 6 feet tall, between 30 and 40 years old, and wearing a dark hoodie. OPD also responded. The non-College individual was located and issued a summons by the police. The individual was then escorted off campus and advised not to return.

3:05 p.m. A student reported the theft of their bicycle from a bike rack near the Baldwin Cottage parking lot. The bicycle was last seen there Feb. 24 and was unlocked at the time. The bike is a women’s 24-speed, gray Trek, valued at approximately $750.

Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022 1:07 p.m. Officers arrived at Barrows Hall upon receiving a report of a large hole in the wall on the third floor near the common area. A large ceramic roof tile, which was being used as a doorstop, was collected and a work order was filed for repair of the wall.

6:08 p.m. A student reported being approached by a non-College individual who asked for help. The student ignored the person and contacted Campus Safety.

The individual was located and found to be a local panhandler. The individual was on the sidewalk riding their bike.

Community Responds to Allegations Against Mahallati Continued from page 1

Iranian women’s march and will take place close to International Women’s Day, its driving objective is to call attention to the allegations against Mahallati. The march will use the premise of the Islamic Republic’s treatment of women as a catalyst for conversation about the regime’s corruption and injustice, while naming Mahallati as one of the regime’s supporters in his role as an Iranian diplomat in the 1980s.

Ray English, Oberlin College director of libraries emeritus and Oberlin City Council member, has been following the story of the allegations against Mahallati since Oct. 19, 2021, when he read an opinion piece written by then-communications director of the Ohio Republican Party, Tricia McLaughlin, published in the Columbus Dispatch.

“I was concerned when I received at my home address a well-designed, full-color card that announced the November 2 protest,” English wrote in a message to the Review. “Both the Columbus Dispatch column and the card raised many questions in my mind. I became actively engaged with the issues when I offered a quote about my knowledge of Professor Mahallati to a reporter from the Elyria Chronicle Telegram who was covering the NovemThe Oberlin Review | March 4, 2022

ber 2 demonstration. His story led to conversations and email exchanges with the main parties involved and to my efforts to understand the complexities of the controversy.”

English’s efforts have led him to study multiple reports on the 1988 executions in Iran and archived U.N. documents, speak with both Bazargan and Mahallati, and read contextual sources about the historical events involved. Although English said his research is ongoing, his preliminary findings have led him to two central conclusions.

“The 1988 executions in Iran were horrendous,” English wrote. “The executions were clear violations [of ] international human rights law. The inhumane treatment of the families of the victims also violated human rights standards. It’s clear that Ambassador Mahallati became aware of allegations about the executions from a U.N. representative who received information about them from Amnesty International. It is also clear that, as Iran’s ambassador to the U.N. who was representing the position of his country, he cast doubt on those allegations. A key question for me is whether he knew about the executions at the time he made various statements about them to the U.N. He con-

tends that he had no such knowledge.”

English also highlighted another part of Mahallati’s past, namely that he was imprisoned and tortured by his own regime upon his dismissal from his U.N. position in 1989.

“I think the Oberlin community should also know that Professor Mahallati was arrested, imprisoned, and subjected to harsh interrogation when he returned to Iran after being dismissed from his U.N. position,” English wrote.

According to an April 10, 1989 Washington Post article based on a leaked CIA report, Jack Anderson and Dale Van Atta outlined how Mahallati was arrested and allegedly tortured by the Iranian regime.

“According to the CIA, Montazeri was furious over the arrest of Mohammed Mahallati, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations,” the article reads.

“The Pasdaran, Khomeini’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed that Mahallati was not faithful to the revolution. They arrested him in Tehran and tortured him until he had a heart attack. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.”

Neither Mahallati nor the College provided comment for this story.

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Construction to Start on New EDL Landfill Gas Plant Ella Moxley News Editor Construction will start on a new $80 million landfill gas processing plant this month. The new plant will convert methane from the Republic Services Lorain County Landfill into renewable natural gas. The plant, constructed by the energy company EDL, will be located on Hill Creek Drive and should create only minimal disturbance for local residents.

Since 2001, EDL has reclaimed landfill gas to create electricity on site, but the company decided that it will close the facility this year. The new plant will produce renewable natural gas which will largely be transported to California and western states that use RNG to meet their clean energy goals.

To produce the gas, the new plant will take the methane generated by the landfill and clean it.

While renewable natural gas is not as sustainable as other forms of renewable energy, its usage emits less nitrogen oxides and particulate matter than traditional gasoline. The plant will significantly reduce the methane emissions that are an unavoidable product of the landfill.

“The issue of how to handle landfill gas is, of course, a difficult one,” said John Elder, a cofounder of the group Citizens for Safe and Sustainable Energy, an environmental group that fought against the construction of the NEXUS pipeline in Oberlin. “In terms of the environment, it’s probably less harmful to use that gas in transportation or other uses than simply flare it off into the environment. There’s no good solution to the landfill problem — it’s only a question of which is the least bad.”

Oberlin City Council Vice President Kelley Singleton echoed these statements saying that the methane created by the landfill was previously burned in the area, sending emissions into Oberlin’s

atmosphere. Now, the methane will be transported away from the city.

“The alternative is for that methane just to stay there and seep up into the sky,” he said. “So it is still capturing it and keeping it away from at least our environment.”

When EDL initially announced plans to close their electrical plant, there was a possibility that Oberlin would lose an important revenue source. The City was making about $140,000 annually in rent leasing city power lines for EDL’s electricity distribution, as well as $500,000 in energy credit.

However, the new plant will require a significant amount of electricity to run. EDL will now purchase $800,000 worth of electricity a year from the City to operate the new plant, which will cost Oberlin $500,000 to generate. The $300,000 revenue from the sale will go into the City’s general fund.

The large amount of electricity used by the plant also raises the question of how this energy will be sourced sustainably, especially considering the City’s 2007 commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent before 2030.

“We’re going to have to buy a lot of electricity to feed that plant, but what they’re going to do within our agreement, [is] not only [are they] gonna pay us a lot of money to do that, but they’re also going to buy renewable energy credits to offset the carbon footprint of that electricity,” Singleton said.

In addition to concerns about electricity use and City revenue, the construction of the new plant has also prompted questions from community members about how it will impact residents living near the plant.

Elder explained that his friend, who visited a recently constructed EDL refinery in Indianapolis, reported that the Indiana refinery did not disturb local residents.

Construction of a new plant that will convert landfill methane into renewable natural gas has begun on Hill Creek Drive.

Photo by Ella Moxley, News Editor

“From his observation, it didn’t smell, it didn’t look offensive, it was across the street from a residential neighborhood,” Elder said. “It appears that as far as the refinery itself is concerned, it could be operated in a way that it’s not noxious for the neighborhood.”

The transfer of gas away from the facility should be unobtrusive to residents.

“It would be like any other gas line that runs to people’s houses,” said Carrie Porter, Oberlin’s director of planning and development. “There are several gas distribution pipelines that run through Oberlin or around the edges of Oberlin. … The pipe coming from the actual facility there on Hill Creek Drive … with the clean natural gas is going to be a 6-inch line.”

The project is set to finish sometime in 2023.

Oberlin Fire Department to Receive New Extrication Tools Lauren Krainess Contributing News Editor Oberlin City Council unanimously approved an ordinance on Feb. 7, directing the Oberlin City Manager to purchase $50,900.02 worth of new extrication tools and hydraulic door openers for the Oberlin Fire Department. The new tools will replace the department’s outdated crash response tools and improve OFD’s response capability.

OFD requires two sets of hydraulic rescue tools which the department uses during emergencies to open car doors, remove car roofs, and lift cars. The department recently replaced one of these sets in 2018 and has benefitted from this replacement. The department is now replacing the older set of tools, which it purchased in 1998, as it still faces challenges that require the replacement of this set as well.

According to Oberlin Fire Chief Robert Hanmer, the department has had to delay its responses in some situations because it needed to wait for the truck with the newer set of tools.

Although the older tools still worked, they were outdated, which created difficulties for the department. According to Hanmer, Oberlin firefighters struggle with cutting through newer, higher-strength metals in cars. Additionally, the older tools are attached to hoses, limiting firefighters’ mobility. The new, battery-powered, detached tools will alleviate these problems by offering firefighters portability and ease in cutting through strong metals.

“Over time, we just need to upgrade the tools and make sure that we’ve got the tools available that are capable of cutting the new cars that are out on the streets,” Hanmer said.

In addition to new extrication tools, the department will also receive hydraulic door openers. The department currently uses pry bars and sledgehammers to open doors and gain access to buildings. The new tools will increase the department’s efficiency and ease in opening doors during emergencies.

“With the new tools we have, it’s real simple to just slide it in, twist the handle, and it pops the door open

for us,” Hanmer said. “So we’re hoping that we don’t have to use those, but if we do, it will be less strenuous for our guys, and a lot more efficient and faster.”

When asked about her decision to vote in favor of the ordinance approving the purchase of these tools, Oberlin City Councilmember Elizabeth Meadows said that equipping OFD with new tools puts the department in the best position possible to save lives in emergencies. “[OFD members] don’t know what to expect when they show up at an accident scene,” she said. “They hope that they have all the tools necessary to deal with this so that there is no delay in their ability to deal with whatever they’re confronting.”

Both Hanmer and Meadows stated that when OFD has more efficient tools, the department can better respond to emergencies and serve the Oberlin community.

The department has not yet received the new tools, but according to Hanmer, the department anticipates their arrival within the next couple of weeks.

2022 Ohio Gubernatorial Primary Candidates The Ohio 2022 primary will take place on May 3. The voter registration deadline is April 4.

Democrats Nan Whaley, 46, is the former mayor of Dayton, OH, a position she held from 2014–22. During that time she oversaw the city’s COVID-19 mitigation strategies, the fallout from a series of tornadoes in 2019, and the response to a mass shooting, after which she gained national prominence. Her platform includes a jobs plan, investment in clean energy, and defense of abortion rights.

She is also invested in decreasing corruption in state government after the $61 million FirstEnergy bribery scandal. Whaley is running alongside Lt. Gov. Candidate Cheryl Stephens.

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John Cranley, 48, served as mayor of Cincinnati, OH from 2013–22 and is running alongside State Senator Teresa Fedor. As mayor, Cranley achieved police reform and poverty reduction and focused on reducing Cincinnati’s carbon footprint. Cranley also cofounded the Ohio Innocence Project in 2002, which has used DNA technology to exonerate and free people wrongfully convicted of crimes. According to his campaign website, his platform includes rebuilding roads and bridges, expanding broadband access, creating jobs, and legalizing marijuana.

Republicans Governor Mike DeWine, 75, is seeking reelection for a second term.

Elected in 2018, DeWine oversaw the state’s COVID-19 response, which has drawn scrutiny from both parties. He is running alongside Lt. Gov. Jon Husted. “Guided by his family and faith, Mike has governed as a compassionate conservative,” his campaign’s website states. “He knows that when families are strong, Ohio communities are stronger — and our future is bright!”

Jim Renacci, 63, served as mayor of Wadsworth, OH from 2004–08 and as a U.S. representative for Ohio’s 16th district from 2011–19. In Congress, Renacci served on the United States House Budget Committee. On his campaign website, Renacci’s political positions are described as “pro-life,” “pro-Second Amendment,” and “pro-border security.” His campaign website also states that he does not support critical race theory, transgender men competing in women’s sports, or mandated masks and vaccines. He is running alongside Lt. Gov. candidate Joe Knopp.

March 4, 2022

OPINIONS Established 1874

An Iranian Refugee Speaks On Professor Mahallati Sima Kalavani Undoubtedly, you have not heard of me. I am just one of hundreds of thousands of Iranian citizens who were forced by the terrorist regime under Ruhollah Khomeni and Ali Khameni to leave their beloved homeland in the past decades. Unlike you, I don’t get to study at one of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the U.S. I live a much simpler life in a developing country in Latin America: the only place I could run away to after the Iranian regime began to investigate my political cartoons and activities. While you know nothing of me, I and many other young people from Iran have heard all about your college. Specifically, we have been shocked to hear you employ a former Iranian regime diplomat, Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, as a professor of Religion and Islamic Studies. We have been stunned to hear that this official is involved with interdisciplinary courses in the field of “friendship and forgiveness studies.”

Much of the debate about Professor Mahallati’s position at your college seems to focus on the question of whether he knew about certain mass executions of dissidents by the regime, and whether, as an Iranian diplomat at the United Nations, he knowingly misled the world about them. But debating this question is a waste of time. We will never know whether Professor Mahallati knew about the specific crimes committed by the regime, and was periodically parroting the denialist propaganda coming from his superiors in Tehran merely as a part of his job, or whether he really believed what he was saying, unaware of his colleagues’ crimes.

Let’s look at it in the light most favorable to him: that he didn’t know about these massacres, and that he presented Tehran’s excuses and denials at the U.N. with sincerity and credulity. The point here is not what exactly Professor Mahallati did, said, or believed while employed by the terrorist regime in Tehran. The point is that he

voluntarily worked for this regime as an international representative and diplomat. People like him — soft-spoken, well-mannered, bureaucratic drones — are exactly the reason why the regime apparatus exists, and why it continues to oppress my people. Individually, such people do nothing of note. In fact, they might well be incapable of killing a fly, let alone planning a crime. Together, as part of the bureaucratic apparatus working for the usurper’s regime in Tehran, such people are the trivial face of unspeakable evil. They are the cogs and bolts in the apparatus of a regime that represents true depravity and sadism like almost no other.

Islam does not know national chauvinism. But the regime viciously promotes Persian language and toxic Persian ethnic supremacism at the cost of the many other Indigenous peoples of Iran, their languages, or cultures: Baluchs, Arabs, Armenians, Lurs, Jews, Georgians, Kurds, Turkmen, Azerbaijanis, and many others. One of the very first acts of the so-called “Islamic Republic” in 1979 was ethnocidal mass murder against rebellious Kurds; countless other non-Persian Indigenous ethnic groups have been targeted since then by discrimination, land theft, and forced assimilation. Shia Islamic thought emphasizes social justice and compassion, but the regime emphasizes social-Darwinist capitalism with no limits. The rich live in huge villas filled with the latest imported luxury goods, while the poor literally starve. The regime consciously chooses to spend the money on terrorism, bombs, and war, rather than on helping Iranian citizens put bread on the table. This is the reality of the regime Professor Mahallati chose to work for.

I do not wish to tell you to sack ProContinued ‘Mahallati’ on page 6

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The Oberlin Review | March 4, 2022

Volume 151, Number 13

Editorial Board Editors-in-Chief

Anisa Curry Vietze

Kushagra Kar

Managing Editor Gigi Ewing

Opinions Editors

Angel Aduwo

Emma Benardete

Ukraine Good Model for Responding to Global Refugee Crises On Tuesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that over 660,000 people have fled Ukraine in the days following Russia’s invasion last Thursday, Feb. 24. The UNHCR has estimated that a total of 1.8 million Ukrainian refugees will be displaced from their homes, uprooted from their lives, and forced to seek refuge in other countries.

That number could greatly increase, however, with the European Union estimating that up to four million people might be forced to leave the country.

Countries across the continent, but especially those in Eastern Europe, have rallied to open their borders to refugees. The EU had been preparing to “welcome and host” refugees from Ukraine for weeks leading up to the invasion and will increase funding for refugees past the $1.2 billion already available, according to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s statement on Feb. 24. Poland is planning to accommodate 1 million Ukrainian refugees; as of Thursday, Hungary had welcomed over 139,000; Moldova, 97,000; Slovakia, 72,000; and Romania, 51,000.

In Poland, there are eight reception points across the border where Ukrainian refugees can receive food, medical care, and transportation into other parts of Poland. But Poland’s open-border policy toward Ukrainian refugees is not reflective of its general stance toward refugees.

In stark contrast to Poland’s current efforts, contractors began work on a $400 million wall at its border with Belarus just over a month ago, in an effort to bar the predominantly Muslim refugees seeking asylum from Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. In November, thousands of these refugees were trapped at the border without shelter or food; over a dozen died in the freezing temperatures.

This contrast is devastating. It demonstrates something deeply dystopian about Western civilization: that we only care about suffering and humanitarian crises when the people suffering look a particular, whiteskinned, blonde-haired way. “We’re not talking here about Syrians fleeing the bombing of the Syrian regime backed by Putin,” said French journalist Phillipe Corbé. “We’re talking about Europeans leaving in cars that look like ours to save their lives.”

The outpouring of support for Ukraine proves that when it actually wants to, the EU is capable of providing resources to genuinely help refugees. It proves that the international community is capable of acting with kindness and empathy toward communities in need. To put it bluntly, it proves that it is racism and classism, not lack of resources, that bars us from creating a model to reduce suffering and provide aid to those in need. It is not a lack of ability or resources that have historically prevented white, Western nations from opening their arms to refugees.

It’s also important to note that racism is impacting the way that refugees fleeing Ukraine are treated. There are reports that the Ukrainian military is dividing the crowds of people trying to take trains to safety into a group for people of color and a group for white people. Others are reporting that Ukrainian border guards have been using physical violence against Africans and other Black people trying to flee.

After reflection and consultation, this Editorial Board would like to encourage its readers to donate and work to support refugees from Ukraine, while simultaneously thinking critically about how they can do the same for displaced people suffering all over the world. We call on our readers to educate themselves, not just about the situation in Ukraine today, but about other refugee crises and the systemic difference in our individual and global responses.

It may be tempting to say that now is not the time to bring up issues of racial consciousness — now is the time to be supporting people experiencing immediate violence in Ukraine. You’d be right, but only in part.

As challenging as it may be to have nuanced and open discussions that address multiple facets of this complex problem, now is the perfect time to do so. We have the opportunity to practice what we preach about anti-racist work, and we should take it.

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

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Opi n ions

Mahallati Only Part of the Problem Continued from page 5 fessor Mahallati. America has academic freedom, and this principle is more valuable than a trivial villain like Professor Mahallati. Instead, I ask your students to stand up for the less privileged; for those who were murdered, tortured or robbed of their home by the regime which Professor Mahallati worked for.

Raise your voice for them. Every time you attend a class with this professor, bring one of the flags of the oppressed Indigenous peoples of Iran to class and stick it to your desk. Fly the free colors of Kurdistan, of South Azerbaijan, of Balochistan, of Turkmen Sahra, of Arab Ahwaz, and all the other cultures and identities the tyrants in Tehran are trying to destroy and assimilate into oblivion. Wear a t-shirt with a photo of a dissenter murdered by the regime, like Dr. Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou, who was killed in 1989 by regime agents in the conference room while trying to

negotiate peace. If there is an empty chair in your classroom, dedicate it to all the young, poor men in Balochistan who won’t be able to sit in any university classroom because they have been hanged by the racist regime on false drug charges, scapegoats to hide the fact that the regime’s so-called “revolutionary guards” are the biggest narco-mafia in Middle Eastern history. Make sure Professor Mahallati sees the reality of the regime every day, so he cannot hide behind ignorance about what system he served in his own past role.

The classroom should not be a venue for the ex-servants of tyranny to posture as intellectuals. If you want real education at your college, turn the tables, use your right to non-violent dissent. Give Professor Mahallati a peaceful but vivid lesson in what freedom and democracy really mean.

A Canadian’s Perspective On The American Multiracial Experience Zach Bayfield Columnist Before coming to Oberlin, my racial identity was something I rarely reflected on. My mother is a fifth-generation Canadian with entirely European ancestry. My father was born in Jamaica to an English father and a Jamaican mother. The Afro-Caribbean side of my ancestry was discussed comfortably in my family, and I felt no pressure to identify with one race over the other. Regardless of who I surrounded myself with or what activities I was engaging in, I felt like my identity was understood.

When I first came to Oberlin, my identity suddenly became more contentious. I remember my freshman year, I was eating lunch in Stevenson Dining Hall when one of my Black teammates asked me, “What are you?” I explained my genealogy in an abbreviated version of the previous paragraph, and his response was, “So you’re Black, right?” I was confused and taken aback by this statement. How could I identify as Black when I’ve never experienced racism directly? Why do I have to identify as a particular race? Why can’t I just be me?

Since that day, I’ve felt a deeper sense of confusion regarding my racial identity. Having both white colonial ancestry and Black ancestry, I find myself caught between feelings of guilt and feelings of anger. Am I allowed to feel both at the same time? All those questions came bubbling to the surface in my mind without a comfortable space to have those questions answered.

I could ask my white friends those questions, but I fear that my feelings will be invalidated because they see me as white. I could ask my Black friends those questions, but I fear that I will offend them because I am not visibly Black enough; because I have not experienced the trauma of direct, systemic racism. I’ve thought about going to the Multicultural Resource Center multiple times, but talking to other multiracial people brings up underlying fears about the validity of my experience as well. Even if I’m in a space to talk about

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my background with people who are similar to me, what if I’m not visibly mixed enough for my feelings to be valid? What if I make others feel invalidated by questioning my own experience, when there are others in that group who have experienced racism directly?

I had never considered questions about my identity previously, simply because I didn’t have to when I was growing up; I never felt like it made a difference what my racial background was. In Canada, I felt like I could just be a person and accept my identity without having to choose a side.

Ever since I started living in the U.S., I’ve felt a constant underlying pressure to choose a side. To be white or to be Black. On every form I’ve ever filled out in Canada, I’ve always had the chance to pick All That Apply — Black, White, etc., when asked about my race. On the first form I filled out for my student visa application, they asked me to Pick One — Black, White, or Other. Though I didn’t give it much thought at the time, the very use of the word “Other” demonstrates how the multiracial experience is far more marginalized in the United States than in Canada. Now, when I look at the words “Pick One” with a pen in my hand, I feel like the Other. I feel alienated and ostracized, thrust into a dilemma that I have no solution for.

In the U.S., even random people who have no understanding of my identity want to label me. I remember a vacation to Florida when I was sitting on the beach with my family, a Black man walked past us. I had never met him before. When walking past my less visibly mixed family members he didn’t seem to notice them. When he saw me, he took one look at me, said “My lightskin n*****,” and walked away. My family laughed it off and I laughed with them, but underlying feelings of painful confusion seeped into my laughter.

In Canada, my closest friends and family do not label me. I can’t remember a single experience of being labeled implicitly or explicitly. I always had the autonomy to be myself.

There is no doubt that racism is

College Should Implement Composting Elle Giannandrea Columnist Following the recent disappearance of eco boxes and cups, the College’s need for a solution to food waste on campus has become all the more clear.

I started to notice Oberlin’s issue with food scraps during the first week of the fall semester, after eating at Stevenson Dining Hall. As a first-year from California, I was a little uncomfortable with the prospect of just throwing out my food with the rest of the trash. Considering that the disposable trays that Stevie provides are also compostable, it seemed like I was making a mistake and that there actually were compost bins somewhere on campus that I just hadn’t found yet. So, one night, with a half-empty disposable tray in hand, I went searching for some place to ethically dispose of my food. In the end, the only thing I succeeded in doing was looking like I was taking my trash on a walk.

In the coming months, a solution to my confusion about what to do with my food arose in the form of “eco tableware.” I still wasn’t sure that my food was being sent to a compost dump, but I at least knew that I wasn’t generating waste in the form of cups and boxes. However, with the end of the fall semester, the more environmentally friendly alternatives stopped being used. Now, the only remnants of the fall’s environmentalism lie in the half-forgotten eco cups left in kitchenette dish racks.

So what do we do now? The obvious answer would be to bring back the eco dining system. On a larger scale, consider the benefits of composting the food waste that students generate. However, it’s true that even for a school of this size, composting will by no means be easy. From what I can tell, there are no composting facilities nearby that take food waste, and while on-campus composting is possible, it does come with the burden of time, money, and effort. In a presentation on real-world examples of on-campus composting, members of St. John’s University, Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College, Princeton University, and Western Michigan University all detailed their strategies and pitfalls when it came to dealing with food waste.

At St. John’s University (the college with the closest on-campus student population to Oberlin), they reported pulling in 8,000 pounds of food waste per week which goes through a system of aerated static pile composting assisted by part-time student workers.

Needless to say, it’s messy work, and if Oberlin is up to the challenge, it would most likely be a multi-year project that even I might not get to see the full scale of as an undergrad. However, if the $80-million sustainable infrastructure program we’re currently engaging in tells us anything about Oberlin, it’s that this is a college that is willing and able to put in the time, money, and effort it takes to make a substantial impact. still present in Canada. Visible minorities are still discriminated against, and significant work needs to be done to promote equality for all races across Canada. In my father’s hometown of Penetanguishene, just two hours north of Toronto, Confederate flags still fly in front of homes where nobody’s ancestors fought in the U.S. Civil War. In the seventies when my father’s family was living there, the town had a population of approximately ten thousand. They were the only family that wasn’t entirely European or Indigenous. Not much has changed since then.

Canada is not perfect. Still, the racial climate in America is still noticeably more polarized than it is in Canada, which makes it far more difficult for multiracial individuals to feel accepted.

In Canada, I felt accepted. In the U.S., I feel divided.

The American media’s perception of biracial individuals stokes racial division. The media places additional pressure on biracial people to identify themselves as one race, only. This is yet another heavily racialized aspect of American society that I did not experience in Canada. During my time in the United States, one particular story stood out in helping me understand this dichotomy: the story of Mike McDaniel’s hiring.

On Feb. 6, the Miami Dolphins hired San Francisco 49ers Offensive Coordinator Mike McDaniel as their head coach. In the wake of Brian Flores’ firing and his subsequent lawsuit against the league regarding racial discrimination, McDaniel was the first non-white candidate to be hired as a head coach.

However, most people on the internet did not see it that way.

Even though McDaniel identifies as biracial and is proud of both sides of his heritage, Twitter was abuzz with comments claiming that “another white

guy” got hired as an NFL coach. Some users even went as far as to request that he post photographic evidence to prove his biracial heritage. News outlets mistakenly labeled him as a white man as well. The sports website Deadspin had to redact an article after telling readers, “Please stop and think before you inadvertently dub another young, white guy as the next hot NFL coaching prospect.”

The internet’s reaction to McDaniel’s hiring is reflective of the racially polarized society the U.S. is today. When I read about the way he was perceived, my feelings about the racial climate in the United States were confirmed. McDaniel’s story is just one of the many examples where American multiracial athletes, politicians, and celebrities are expected to label themselves despite their reluctance to do so.

I hope that someday, space will exist for multiracial Americans to feel accepted and understood the way I was growing up. Multiracial Americans should be given the space to choose not to identify as one race over another, to accept our collective identities as whole. Furthermore, if multiracial Americans choose to identify as one race, they should be allowed to do so under their own volition, free of the racially polarized expectations and perceptions that are so prevalent in American culture.

Thanks to the culture I was surrounded by growing up, I was given the freedom to accept my identity. I was given the opportunity to forge my own path in discovering my identity.

Whether I chose to view my identity as holistic or singular was my choice and mine alone. Sadly, I doubt I would have felt the same exploratory freedom if I grew up in America. Every multiracial person’s exploration of their identity is personal, and as such every multiracial person should be given the space to accept their identity as they see fit.

Euphoria Still Has an OverSexualization Problem

Characters, Kat and Maddy, clap at the height of the Our Life play during Euphoria Season 2

The Final Email Holly Yelton, Staff Cartoonist

Courtesy of HBO

Angel Aduwo Opinions Editor Last Sunday marked the release of the season two finale of HBO’s hit coming-of-age drama Euphoria. The show has sparked conversation and controversy as it focuses on the twists and turns, heartbreak, and betrayals in the relationships of the characters played by actors Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Dominic Fike, Maude Apatow, Alexa Demie, Sydney Sweeney, and Jacob Elordi. With this latest season has come the resurgence of conversation over the subject material of Euphoria itself.

No matter which way you swing it, there’s something weird about an adult show that prominently features teenagers having sex. While all the actors who have sex scenes are at least 23 years old, the fact remains that Euphoria has a serious issue with oversexualizing teenagers, even if said teenagers are played by adults.

The trend of sexualizing teens in media isn’t anything new. The genre of high school drama has been around for decades now from beloved classics like Freaks and Geeks, Degrassi, and Skins to more recent fan favorites like Riverdale, Sex Education, and 13 Reasons Why. All of these shows discuss and depict serious issues like underage sex, suicide, and drug use all to varying degrees of realism with some shows, like Riverdale, reaching laughable levels of unrealism.

That’s the thing about Euphoria. For all its unrealistic elements, it still feels surprisingly real for many viewers. I remember watching Season 1 for the first time and being shocked by how close to home the relationship between characters Rue Bennet and Jules hit.

One of the most noteworthy aspects of Euphoria is that despite the ensemble cast, each character receives a level of attention and depth that brings them to life. Each character has their own distinct and original background and story. It’s hard not to have a character you relate to. Even amidst the overblown drama and action-packed plotlines, there remain nuggets of truth and moments of realism that many among the largely young adult audience can relate to. However, this is where we get into the discussion of what’s okay and not okay to show on screen.

Yes, teenagers have sex. That isn’t the problem. The problem is the extent to which it is shown on screen, and whether it’s necessary to the plot. On the one hand, it can be reassuring for young people to know that sex is normal and nothing to be ashamed of.

On the other hand, there’s a problem with the sensual, choreographed, highly sensationalized depiction of sex that they’re showing on-screen.

Not to mention, this oversexualization is more than just characters having sex — it’s also how the characters dress, act, and present themselves. A common point of criticism is how the female characters — who are supposed to be middle-class — dress in oneof-a-kind AKNA sets to go to high school at 7 a.m. In fact, a TikTok trend has emerged where people change into the unofficial uniform for “Euphoria High.” While Euphoria might be a high school drama, it’s definitely not about going to school.

Additionally, we have the plot point in Season 1 where Kat, played by Barbie Ferreira, becomes a cam girl. In a move that’s depicted as empowering and a way to reclaim her sexuality after battling body image issues, Kat is paid to verbally dominate and sexually degrade adult men she found on a Pornhub-esque website. This is blatant grooming as Kat is a minor engaging with adult men. There’s also something sinister about depicting sex work as an easy and inconsequential way to make money for underage girls looking for quick cash. Let’s not even get into the show’s depiction of sexual violence or the fact that the catalyst of the first season’s plot involves Jules, a minor, lying about her age so she can have sex with an adult man she met on what looks like Grindr.

The problems with Euphoria don’t end with oversexualization. We also have the depiction of drug use. Euphoria centers on Rue, who comes back from a summer spent in rehab with no plans to stay sober. We get an in-depth look into Rue’s relationship with drug use and self-medicating. Especially in this latest season, we get to see the absolute nightmare that withdrawal is for Rue. When it comes to Rue, at least, the show is definitely not glorifying teen drug use. However, Rue isn’t the only character we see using drugs on-screen. Maddy and Cassie have a prominent scene where they take MDMA, Jules takes hallucinogens with Rue the first time they meet, and Elliot, like Rue, is a self-proclaimed “drug addict.” Just about every prominent character takes or purchases drugs on screen at least once. With the exception of Rue, they all come off as perfectly well-adjusted, and they don’t suffer from anything more serious than a hangover afterward. Rue’s younger sister Gia even says “when [Rue] takes drugs it’s different from when other people take drugs.” The claim that Euphoria does not glorify drug use just doesn’t hold when we take into consideration that 9 out of 10 characters take drugs on screen.

Unlike attending college, attending high school is an almost universal experience in the United States. You’re old enough to have your own thoughts and opinions but still young enough to be coming to terms with new emotions and experiences. No two people have the same experience in high school. For some, it’s the highlight of their youth and something they spend decades of adulthood reminiscing about. For others, it’s four short, unmemorable years before adulthood and actually getting to live how they want.

Now, I’m not saying that you can’t watch Euphoria or even that you shouldn’t, but we need to acknowledge the trend of making increasingly graphic, increasingly sexualized high school dramas and what they mean for the groups that they depict.

The Oberlin Review | March 4, 2022

Obies Should Explore Ohio Emma Benardete Opinions Editor When my college counselor first suggested I apply to Oberlin at the end of 11th grade, I was skeptical. I had heard wonderful things about the College from older students and from my high school advisor, who graduated from Oberlin in 1972, but I had already decided that I had to go to school on one of the coasts. Ohio was the last place I wanted to go. I didn’t know much about the state besides that it was where Glee took place and its politics were generally more conservative than what I saw at home in the Northeast. It seemed like the type of place where a queer, liberal 18-year-old would probably be prudent not to spend too much time. Still, I added it to my list, albeit mostly to humor the Oberlin advocates in my life.

Because of the pandemic, there were very few colleges I was able to visit that summer. I wasn’t comfortable flying, and most of the schools within driving distance of home weren’t allowing tours. Oberlin was close enough that we could visit without having to fly, and it was hosting tours.

Having decided I should visit at least one school that summer, my mom, dad, and I drove out to Oberlin and took a tour of the campus. I fell in love immediately.

After a few months of contemplation, I applied early decision. I was willing to overlook the whole Ohio thing on the basis that I’d spend all my time on campus, where I was unlikely to run into very many conservatives. What I couldn’t have anticipated, however, was that I would come to fall in love with the state.

At the end of my senoir year, I happened to see the announcement that the now former mayor of Dayton, Nan Whaley, was running for governor. As the school year wrappped up, I reached out and volunteered to do a small bit of remote work for her campaign before I began the summer internships I had secured. I couldn’t tell you why, exactly. Maybe it was a desire to network with political people who worked near where I would be spending the bulk of my next four years, or maybe it was the distinct sense that whatever happened in Ohio politically would have a direct impact on my life as a student here. It was probably a combination of both.

I continued my work on the campaign over my first Winter Term. I spent three weeks in Dayton calling donors, managing spreadsheets, vetting ballot petition signatures, and working a campaign event in Mason, near Cincinnati. Everyone who

worked in the office was good-natured, had a great sense of humor, and was willing to talk about my newfound favorite game, Wordle. I spent a lovely 50 minutes in the car with our finance manager talking about Ohio politics, school, and bad Boston drivers en route to our campaign event, where I saw so many wonderful and passionate people who were determined to change the state for the better. I spent my evenings going to shows at an improv theater near my Airbnb, put on by brilliantly witty people in a city I had dreaded spending time in until I got there.

I can now say I care about Ohio, not just because whatever happens here will impact me, but because I love the state and feel a kinship to it. I occasionally slip up and accidentally call myself an Ohioan, when, on second thought, I’ve only been here since October so the name is probably premature. I find myself thinking about a future that involves staying and working here after I graduate.

In the eyes of many Obies, especially those of us from the coasts, Oberlin is the only part of Ohio worth getting to know.

We fly into Cleveland and get straight onto the airport shuttle. We never venture beyond the City limits while we’re here, preferring to stay in our small, liberal town, and we spend our breaks and Winter Terms at home. We seek out internships in New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. We love and care deeply about the College, but we have no interest in what surrounds it.

I have heard some of my friends jokingly refuse to acknowledge that they chose to go to school in Ohio, preferring instead to pretend that Oberlin is really in California, or perhaps that it was picked up by the wind from Massachusetts — campus, faculty, students, and all — and just landed here by happenstance. I understand that feeling. If I had not had the opportunity to work closely with real Ohioans, I would probably feel the same way.

I’m not saying you have to spend three weeks in a city across the state for your Winter Term. It’s okay if the only internships you ever do are in New York City, San Francisco, or D.C. and you spend every break at home. Maybe call nonprofits in the state and ask if you could put in a few hours of volunteering remotely, or take a day trip into Cleveland and strike up some conversations while you’re there. All I ask is that you find some way, no matter how small, to connect with people who live in Ohio outside Oberlin’s city limits. I think you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find.

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C on s e r vat ory

CONSERVATORY Established 1874

March 4, 2022

Johnum Palado, Future Video Game Composer and Church Organist IN THE PRACTICE ROOM

Volume 151, Number 13

Theory Curriculum Reimagined to Recognize Marginalized Music

Johnum Palado of Shreveport, LA is a fourth-year Violin Performance major in the Conservatory, minoring in Mathematics in the College. He has served as concertmaster of the Oberlin Orchestra and the Contemporary Music Ensemble, and performed in the Danenberg Honors Recital in 2020. As a winner of this year’s Oberlin Senior Concerto Competition, he will perform Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 as a soloist with the Oberlin Orchestra this coming May. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Walter Thomas-Patterson Conservatory Editor Could you talk a little bit about your upbringing and musical experiences before Oberlin influenced your artistic development?

I feel my upbringing was different. I have other violin friends who started in the Suzuki program by age three or four, but I found my way into music in very different circumstances.

Coming from an immigrant family — I was born in the Philippines and my family immigrated to the U.S. when I was three — my family was still trying to become financially comfortable as I started my life in music. My dad was working multiple jobs, and my mom was working at a casino.

My first introduction to music was through a violin after-school program sponsored by the music teacher there, and it was funny because most parents saw it as more of a daycare.

Since my family is Catholic, I also learned how to play in a church setting, performing and improvising on the violin, and playing hymns on piano and organ.

These experiences gave me a better appreciation for music not just as a violinist, not just as a pianist or composer, but as a human. It made me better at learning through transition.

Did you ever have a moment during your upbringing that really solidified you wanted to study music?

I think it’s more a series of smaller moments for me; it’s more about the discovery of little things that keep me invested in a career path for music. When I listened to my hometown orchestra for the first time, I was just blown away by that sound. I wanted to recreate that.

When I started playing piano for church as a substitute, it was also really eye-opening because I found out I really liked to improvise not just from what was available — the hymns or in the sheet music— but also what came in my head. That led to me enjoying

Courtesy of Johnum Palado

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composition because it was so gratifying seeing what was in my head visualized in a score.

In high school, I started dabbling in composition inspired by video games. I played pieces from The Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Bros., “Studio Ghibli,” Star Wars, and other fun VHS tapes I could find back home.

Is there any common thread that comes to mind when you think about how you live and work as a multifaceted musician?

Through improvising, composing, and playing for church on the violin, I learned how to understand music outside of what’s on the page. For me, the common thread is seeing music as a living thing that can be morphed into something that resembles you as a person.

People always forget to become themselves through the music. I see music as a tool to help me become a better individual. It can be stressful — partly what I do to combat that is to just listen, because I feel like another part of being in the Conservatory is always being on the grind, always practicing, and rest is so crucial as a musician.

Music is a medium to convey important messages to the audience, but it also needs to fit your needs.

What advice would you give to your younger self ?

It’s okay to not be sure where you want to be. When I started violin, I thought that’s what I wanted to do­—always explore, always be curious, even if it’s something that you’re not sure about. For me, it was definitely about free improvisation, which I decided to dive into this semester.

So far, it’s been really cool. There are certain things that you wouldn’t get to experience just having one linear path. It’s okay to not like music at the end of it.

Right now, what kind of vision do you have for the future?

I’d be really satisfied just having my own studio and making music, either for video games or film. Having that space to cultivate ideas is definitely a future goal for me.

There’s no sense of being stationary from 9–5 and then just going back home, doing nothing. You’re always busy exploring and understanding music.

I also see myself playing in church as well; it’s such a sacred place that emotionally speaks to me as a Catholic. Those senses of reverence can only be replicated in a church setting and playing music. It’s such a different experience compared to a concert hall. In a way the music is not the centerpiece of the church service; it’s only part of it. And so even when it’s just music-playing, the music serves a purpose.

Music Theory Professor Andrew Pau teaches class in Bibbins.

Sadie Owens Senior Staff Writer

Photo by Abe Frato, Photo Editor

The Conservatory is restructuring the way that music theory is taught as part of its multi-layered and multi-year project to de-emphasize Western music as the sole theoretical canon. Beginning in fall 2021, four required semesters of Music Theory (I-IV) were distilled into two introductory first-year courses (I-II). An array of 200-level elective classes replaced Music Theory III and IV in addition to the 300-level requirements expected of most conservatory music majors.

The Conservatory has previously incorporated non-traditional music in the classroom; however, these changes set Oberlin apart in efforts to reform music theory curricula across the country.

Music Theory course selections now include classes dedicated specifically to topics like music by women composers. The general curriculum also prioritizes topics like rhythm and meter rather than a chordby-chord approach, which makes it easier for students to talk about a wide range of music forms in the classroom.

The modifications to the curriculum help fulfill an expansion toward historically marginalized musical fields, a goal articulated in the Conservatory’s Racial Equity & Diversity Action Plan released in September 2020.

Faculty conversations about changing the curriculum began in 2019, but it wasn’t until fall 2021 that the changes were launched. The restructuring was spearheaded by Associate Professor and Division Director of Music Theory Jan Miyake, OC ’96, along with Associate Professor of Music Theory Megan Long.

Miyake noted that among the host of curricular changes occurring in the Conservatory recently, restructuring the Music Theory curriculum has been the most impactful change for students.

Associate Professor of Music Theory Andrew Pau emphasized that he hopes these changes have helped students of all backgrounds feel more represented in the curriculum “European art music still maintains a large role in the sense that that’s … what many of the students play, and that’s what they’re hoping to pursue in their career,” Pau said. “I think our point here is to create a context around it — to make people whose activities are not in that repertoire feel less excluded, less like, ‘This has nothing to do with me.’”

Fifth-year double-degree student Melinda Wisdom reflected on the potential impact of these changes on Conservatory students as a whole, and how she wished she had the chance to experience those changes in the classroom to help broaden her artistic palette.

“I did find a lot of the classical era of music exciting to learn about, but I think it would’ve been more exciting to study the curriculum that they’re implementing right now,” Wisdom said. “My hope is that everyone is really excited to learn this curriculum — not just classical folks, but jazz, TIMARA, and [Composition], too.”

With the decentering of the Western canon comes the opportunity for classical students not only to think about their position within the music world, but also to help students outside of the canon feel more at home in the classroom.

“I hope that they will be able to say nuanced and robust things about a wide variety of music,” Miyake said. “That they have a toolset that’s varied enough and effective enough that I could throw them any piece of music and they could tell me something really cool about it.”

Through reassessing and revisiting these changes, Miyake and others hope that the new curriculum will grow with the department for a long time.

“I think that for a conservatory, Oberlin is way ahead of the curve,” Miyake said.

T h i s We e k

ObieWrapped!

This past week, the Review issued a music survey to Oberlin students. One hundred people responded to questions about their favorite musical artists and current top song. Using this data, we created the Review’s first-ever playlist: ObieWrapped! Below is a list of the five most popular musicians among Obies right now.

1

Taylor Swift

2 3

Mitski

Phoebe Bridgers

4 5 Scan the Spotify code for a playlist of Obies’ favorite songs

Twelve of the 100 students who responded listed Taylor Swift as one of their top three favorite artists. Swift has long held critical acclaim for seamlessly marrying the genres of folk, pop, and alternative rock. The 32-year-old star from Pennsylvania has released nine original studio albums and has won 11 Grammy Awards. Although some may be surprised that such a mainstream artist is at the top of Oberlin’s list, College fourth-year Aniella Day believes “there are a lot more people on this campus who love Taylor Swift than are willing to admit it.” The Experimental College class SwiftCo, co-taught by Day, received over 50 applications this semester. In SwiftCo, students meet every week to discuss one of Swift’s albums and the events that surrounded that point in her life.

Ye

SZA

Mitski Miyawaki is a 31-year-old Japanese-American singer and songwriter. She first skyrocketed into indie stardom with her 2018 album Be the Cowboy. Mitski has been described as a private person with an aversion to fame, preferring not to be on social media or even publicly share the names of her pets. Double-degree fourth-year Kenji Anderson describes his love for Mitski, saying, “She creates striking lyrical and sonic worlds for each album, and her output is enormous — she has something for every feeling.” Two Mitski songs — “Your Best American Girl” and “Love Me More” — appear on the ObieWrapped! playlist.

Phoebe Bridgers is an alternative rock singer-songwriter born and raised in Pasadena, CA. The 27-year-old has released two studio albums and is currently part of two bands: Boygenius and Better Oblivion Community Center. Her single “Garden Song” has been described by Pitchfork’s Sam Sodomsky as having “lyrics [that] bind fantasies and nightmares, burning houses and blooming flowers, … [with] slyly psychedelic arrangement.” Bridgers is known for her Halloween iconography, often appearing on stage in a skeleton onesie. Her fan base calls themselves the “Pharbz,” a cheeky nod toward Nicki Minaj’s fan base, the “Barbz.” Eight survey respondents listed Bridgers among their top artists.

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, is an American rapper from Chicago. The 44-yearold is regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop musicians of his time. West has released 11 studio albums and has won 22 Grammy Awards. Rolling Stone has credited Ye for establishing “a style of introspective yet glossy rap” and drawing on a wide range of textured sounds while producing. Ye has maintained his status as an elevated pop culture figure with success in the fashion industry, such as his Yeezy shoe and clothing line, and high-profile romantic relationships, such as his recent divorce from socialite Kim Kardashian.

Solána Imani Rowe, also known as SZA, is a neo-soul singer and songwriter from Maplewood, NJ. Her name SZA comes from the Supreme Alphabet, inspired by Wu-Tang Clan member RZA; the acronym SZA stands for “savior” or “sovereign,” “zigag,” and “Allah.” The 32-year-old has released one studio album and has earned 14 Grammy nominations. Her 2017 debut album Ctrl was described by Billboard’s Reggie Ugwu as “agnostic utopia dripping with mood” that coalesces “minimalist R&B [with] ’80s synth pop and soul.” Her song “Broken Clocks” appears on the ObieWrapped! playlist.

1) Open the Spotify app 2) Click the icon at the bottom 3) Click the icon in the upper right corner Text and design by Wiley Smith, This Week Editor

The Oberlin Review | March 4, 2022

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A r t s & C u ltu r e

March 4, 2022

ARTS & CULTURE Established 1874

Volume 151, Number 13

The Puppy Episode Highlights ’90s Queer Experiences

In Matthew Recio and Royce Vavrek’s original opera The Puppy Episode, people of all ages and in all stages of life grapple with their sexualities in the wake of the 1997 coming-out episode of Ellen.

Courtesy of Yevhen Gulenko Katie Kunka Production Manager On Feb. 16, this year’s Winter Term opera The Puppy Episode made its production debut in Warner Concert Hall. The show was composed by Matthew Recio with libretto by Royce Vavrek. The Puppy Episode remembers the titular episode from Ellen DeGeneres’ sitcom Ellen as a queer cultural milestone and recontextualizes queerness and coming out in the ’90s through the fictional stories of a variety of LGBTQ+ characters.

Commissioned by Chicago Opera Theater, Recio initially set out to write a chamber opera with queer characters, but it wasn’t until he teamed up with librettist Vavrek that the idea to write it about DeGeneres came about.

“I wasn’t necessarily interested in writing an opera about her, but then when Royce described what it was, I was like, ‘Actually I think that’s very compelling,’” Recio said. “I think a lot of people forget about that time that she came out and what that meant for media and what that meant for the queer community.”

DeGeneres’ character on the show, Ellen Morgan, came out as a lesbian almost 25 years ago on April 30, 1997, in a two-part Ellen episode strategically called “The Puppy Episode” to keep its intentions a secret. The episode sent shockwaves across the U.S., receiving acclaim and backlash for its queer representation. Sixteen days earlier, Ellen DeGeneres herself came out to the world with her iconic Time magazine cover, announcing, “Yep, I’m Gay.” Although the opera involves these true events — and even features an Ellen-esque character, Comedian, played by Conservatory second-year Elizabeth Hanje — The Puppy Episode’s complex storyline focuses more on the experiences of four gay characters living in a pre-“Puppy Episode” world. Friends Gil and Clay, played by Conservatory first-year Chris Leimgruber and Conservatory third-year Jon Motes respectively, struggle to confess their love for each other as two teenage boys growing up in a hypermasculine, homophobic society. Phyllis, played

by Conservatory fourth-year Jaclyn Hopping, is an elderly woman with dementia living in an assisted living facility; she confuses her nurse for her past love interest, Dot, played by Conservatory third-

year Callie Iliff. Iliff also plays Louise, a closeted lesbian who comes out to her husband of 15 years, Joe, played by Conservatory fourth-year Anthony D. Anderson who also plays Gil’s Father and Man in Houndstooth.

According to Assistant Professor of Opera Theater and Director Christopher Mirto, one of the many strengths of The Puppy Episode is its ability to showcase a diverse cast of queer characters.

“The hope was always to find space in the Winter Term opera for underrepresented voices or for diverse voices.” Mirto said. “​​I was the most struck to put gay characters on stage. As a gay man it felt really exciting to be able to be part of a show that was of a moment that I lived through. … It was really great to give this show to a generation of people who both lived through it and a generation of people who — thankfully — don’t actually have to live through that right now.”

Motes echoed that, for younger generations, The Puppy Episode serves as a reminder of the reality of queer individuals born before the 21st century.

“We watched the episode, we watched these interSee The Puppy Episode, page 12

Underclassman Bands Make Campus Comeback Sierra Colbert Senior Staff Writer Over the decades, Oberlin has made a name for itself by fostering young musicians and, along with it, the formation of countless student bands through open mic nights, house shows, and jam sessions. A shared passion for music drew many students to Oberlin in the first place; however, when students returned to campus in fall 2021 after the COVID-19 lockdown, they were met with a music scene in need of restoration.

Many second-year musicians’ first experiences with music at Oberlin took place on a somewhat desolate campus during the COVID-19 induced three-semester academic year.

Sarah Krohn, a College second-year

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and founding member of the band Almost Tuesday, recalled feeling stuck as the pandemic struck down her original hopes for getting involved in the music scene at Oberlin.

“I definitely had a lot of expectations coming to Oberlin with music, since it’s kind of the most important part of my life,” Krohn said. “I knew I wanted to be in a band at some point, … but it was a little bit difficult in the first year because … there was no place to even rehearse with anyone.”

Krohn was not the only younger Obie who struggled to find a foothold in the music scene due to the pandemic. College second-year Helene Prince, who recently performed in a concert at the Bike Co-op, noted that isolation and limited programming See Young, page 13

Younger artists like College first-year and singer-songwriter Caroline Gunn continue to make music amid a shifting COVID-19 music scene.

Photo courtesy of Caroline Gunn

Asleep in My Palm Shot in Book Nook: A Tale for the Oberlin Over Winter Term Time Being

Conservatory fifth-year Henry Nelson (left) and his father, actor Tim Blake Nelson (right) collaborated on a film shot in Oberlin in January.

Photo courtesy of Deadline Kathleen Kelleher Arts & Culture Editor Filming for Conservatory fifth-year Henry Nelson’s feature film, Asleep in My Palm, wrapped up in Oberlin over Winter Term. The drama, which stars Henry’s father, critically acclaimed actor Tim Blake Nelson, revolves around the story of a man raising his daughter in a storage unit in rural Ohio. Her coming of age is set against the backdrop of a liberal arts college town, and explores the struggles of the college’s relationship with its surrounding rural areas.

“I thought it was a story well worth telling,” Tim said. “It came out of the mind of my son Henry; every scene and every character is his. I think he was struck from when he arrived at Oberlin by the dichotomy between the more depressed surroundings of Northeastern Ohio and the rarified setting of a liberal arts college within that. The movie is really an effort to address, in a sensitive, sometimes funny, and ultimately tragic way, the contrast that he tended to perceive.”

The film, which Tim also produced, was crewed in part by Oberlin students, some for Winter Term credit and some for pay. Henry said the choice to fill minor production roles with students not only brought more hands on deck, but also brought a new sense of eagerness to the crew.

“The College was incredibly supportive, and additionally, we were able to bring in a lot of students to work on the movie, which brought great spirit and ability, but also made a low-budget production all the more supported in terms of camera assistance, wardrobe assistance, PAs, boom operators,” he said. “A lot of the students were able to support the movie — many of them for Winter [Term] credit. That brought incredible value to the crew in terms of manpower.”

Double-degree fifth-year Will Curry worked in the camera department and also collaborated with Henry, his best friend since day one of orientation, on the score. Curry says he learned a lot on the job.

“We all just worked together; it was a small enough crew that I got to do a lot of stuff, and they taught me a lot, so it was great,” Curry said. “Everyone was really welcoming of me, and I felt The Oberlin Review | March 4, 2022

like the only thing I could do was have a really positive attitude, show up on time, and just work all day. … They described it to me as being military, and it kind of was; it was very regimented.

Everything had to be readily available for quick transitions.”

The majority of the students employed on the film were friends of Henry’s, which he said felt like an exciting clashing of his different worlds.

“I brought on as many of my friends as I could,” he said. “It was incredible. I had folks come from New York who I had known since middle school, and some folks I’d known from high school, all meeting people I’d met here, also meeting people I’d met when I crewed on other movies. … It was really stressful, but also really really fulfilling and amazing, and I loved working with a lot of these folks, I love working with my dad.”

The father-son team both expressed enthusiasm about working together, a lifelong dream that was finally fulfilled for both.

“It was amazing and hilarious,” Henry said. “I grew up following him to set, so to work with him was pretty wild. I love sets and I’d go every time I could, and to be there with him, both of us working, was a trip. It was also hilarious because we’d fight in front of the crew sometimes.”

The film is in post-production, with both Nelsons chipping away at it from editing rooms in Oberlin and New York in the hope that the film will be complete by this summer.

“We’re cutting it together, and it’s inching closer and closer to where I want it to be,” Henry said.

Both father and son are thrilled about the experience of working together on their first collaborative feature film. As a father, Tim said he could not be more happy with working with his son.

“Henry just continues to impress me — he just delivered a scene that he put together today that was just breathtakingly conceived,” he said.

“It’s so gratifying for me, both as a collaborator and a parent, to see what he’s up to — to experience what he’s up to. … We’ve been wanting to do this since he was 11. Even when he was 11 and we would fantasize about it, I always believed it would happen because he’s got a great visual sense; he’s a wonderful writer.”

Ruth Ozeki’s book, A Tale For the Time Being, centers the experiences of young women of color going through mental health issues.

Cover by Viking Press Angel Aduwo Opinions Editor Editor’s Note: This article mentions suicide.

“Hi! My name is Nao and I am a time being.”

After spending my third summer in a row severely depressed, I found myself at the local library, browsing the shelves in a way I hadn’t since I was kid. In fact, this was probably my first time in the adult fiction section of that library. I used to go to the library all the time, but my indecisive nature meant that picking out a book could sometimes take me hours and would occasionally send me into a fit of panic over the overwhelming number of choices. So I developed a method: picking a random row of shelves and taking out the first book that caught my eye. Then, I’d read the synopsis on the back of the book; if it seemed interesting, I’d take it home, and if not, I’d try again. It’s through this method that I found myself on my knees, picking through the bottom of the R–S shelf that I discovered A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki.

A Tale for the Time Being is a sincere love letter to young women of color who struggle with mental health issues and suicidal tendencies.

The book focuses on the perspective of a 16-year-old Japanese girl named Nao who details her day-to-day life in her diary while simultaneously trying to narrate the life story of her great-grandmother, a Buddhist nun.

The novel switches between Nao’s diary and the perspective of 40-yearold Japanese-American novelist Ruth, who emigrated to Canada and happened upon Nao’s diary washed up on

shore while strolling along the beach.

Through the diary, we get a firsthand glimpse into Nao’s life as she seems to almost break the fourth wall and talk directly to us as the readers, which, among other things, appears to be one of her abilities as a self-proclaimed “time being.” The character of Ruth seems to serve as a stand-in for readers as she becomes engrossed in Nao’s diary and gets a glimpse of the highs and lows of the young girl’s life, eventually feeling an intense sense of urgency to figure out who Nao is as the young girl’s life begins to spiral out of control.

A Tale for the Time Being is an earnest depiction of the realities of being a young person struggling with mental illness. Ozeki depicts Nao’s life without condescension or patronization.

She has no falsely optimistic moral to force on her readers, nor does she simply depict a grim existence without nuance or emotion. Ozeki is witty, impactful, and most importantly, honest. Using the format of a diary, she is able to give us a unique perspective of Nao’s life and make it seem as if Nao is reaching through the page.

Nao is not like the typical white, middle-class protagonists overrepresented in narratives that deal with mental health and suicide. A Tale for the Time Being is a great novel for young people of color who feel alone and feel as if no one understands what they’re going through. The novel deals with topics of identity, immigration, bullying, sexual assault, and family dynamics in a way that is tender and sincere. Reading about Nao’s quirky charm and unbridled honesty is what made A Tale for the Time Being a bright point in an otherwise dim summer.

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A r t s & C u lt u r e ON THE RECORD

Amrita Kaur Dang, OC ’06, Fuses Hindustani, Electronic

Kushagra Kar Editor-in-Chief Adrienne Sato Senior Staff Writer Amrita “Ami” Kaur Dang, OC ’06, is an ambient musician. Her work is an electric mix of Hindustani sitar and vocals threaded through Western styles and different kinds of noise. Dang studied TIMARA while at Oberlin and has since taught courses in the department. Dang will return to Oberlin for a concert at The ’Sco Friday at 9:30 p.m.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What was your musical career as an Oberlin student like and what sent you in the direction of the music that you’re making now?

As a kid, I grew up studying some Indian classical music — sitar and vocals — and I also studied Western classical music. I was always a super artistic person, as many Oberlin students are regardless of their major or focus. I was also really into dance and theater as a kid, and I think that combination of interest in the performing arts as a whole was partly what drew me to the TIMARA program — there’s a lot of interdisciplinary arts baked into it. My senior recital at Oberlin was in the Asia House lounge, and it featured six dancers, four-channel sound, and a video element. So coming out of Oberlin, I was really interested in multidisciplinary work. When I left Oberlin, one of the things that drove me to pursue the work I have continued to make was just the lack of resources. When you leave school, you realize that you don’t have access to all the amazing equipment and studios. Once I left and realized that I was really on my own, it sort of drove me to think, “Okay, what can I do with very little, and how can I use that to still make music and perform?”

For people unfamiliar with your music, where would you recommend they start, and what can they expect?

I’m exploring the full range of human emotion through electronics and sitar, and although that can, of course, be done in more traditional classical music — Western or Indian — for whatever reason, I am just really excited about technology and electronics, as frustrating as it is. I guess my goal would be for people to come with a clean slate — the less you know, the better. I’m not saying don’t get into Indian music — absolutely get into Indian music, or harsh noise, psych music, ambient work. But I think with my music, just take it for what it is. My

music is entirely a product of my identity. I grew up with Bollywood and light classical and classical blasting through the house, but I also have older sisters who were listening to Depeche Mode and other new wave music in the early ’90s. Then on my own, I got to trip hop and other various top 40 hits. My generation and the generation before me have really experienced industrialization and the noise of our environment really taking over. So I think sometimes for me, bringing in noise elements or technology also reflects that.

I think that’s a really great message for potential audience members this weekend.

There are people out there whose taste in music is very cut and dry, and then there are people out there who are interested in exploration and new forms. My music certainly tends to appeal to the latter. I’m in my late 30s, and I have experienced different audiences now over a generation. Your generation is probably more accustomed to and interested in the kind of music I’m making than my generation and the generations before mine. We’re hitting a point in the United States where there’s more immigrants and more Brown people than ever before. We’re talking about Brown and Black and

BIPOC culture and embracing it more than ever before, and I think that is something that has also drawn people to my music.

That’s a wonderful note to wrap up on, very poignant to the time that we’re living in, especially considering the conversations happening on Oberlin’s campus about racial identity.

Just another note for context, when I started playing DIY shows right out of Oberlin in my early 20s, I was playing with all-white noise bands or all-white punk bands — or, I should say, with all white males. This was a time too, when the gender binary was much more fixed — people were not talking about gender fluidity the way that we do now. And these were mostly white male audiences, and I would have white women come to me after the show saying, “Wow, it’s so cool that you’re doing what you do.” Now, it’s more Brown folks, more non-binary folks, and just a lot more diversity among my audiences. On Friday, to play with Time Wharp, somebody else who is making electronic music — specifically ambient electronic experimental music — who is not a white man is pretty significant. I’ve definitely noticed that change over the years.

Courtesy of Ami Dang

Amrita Kaur Dang

Students Perform Ellen-inspired Winter Opera Show

Continued from page 10

views that she did, [and] listening to people talk about how they don’t want their children to be affected by watching two women kiss — it’s shocking these days to think that that’s just over 20 years ago,” he said.

For Iliff, who identifies as queer but grew up in a solidly post-“Puppy Episode” era, the nuanced portrayal of the characters made the show intriguing.

“I was drawn to the complexity of each character,” Iliff said. “It’s a quiet power that each character has, and that’s the kind of power that we all have. I think that’s why it’s so universal. I knew that people would love it and feel seen. And that’s the whole point of pieces like this — to just help people feel seen and help people feel things that are a little bit uncomfortable or unfamiliar to them or something that they didn’t realize about themselves.”

As an opera, The Puppy Episode is also unique in its setting and tone.

For the story to feel close enough to be relatable, Recio wrote the opera for be more accessible for its performers, who mostly come from classical training backgrounds.

12

“Because this story is so much about ... relationships and connection and love and discovering oneself, I wanted it to feel intimate,” Recio said. “So I made sure that the language was very open, very lyrical; that allowed the performer to emote, that gave a lot of room for them to express.”

As a performer, Anderson could feel the distinctly contemporary nature of the writing.

“One of the strange things about this is I think it has some elements of musical theater,” he said. “It being a period piece, you know, it’s a lot more nuanced to the 1990s instead of something [from] the 1700–1800s. So instead of in grand opera where a lot of the gestures are huge, grandiose, … I was told a lot of the time to tone down a lot of my gestures — make it more regular or more human, more common.”

Hanje agreed, noting that this show was distinct from her previous experiences with opera performance.

“Even though there are flowing lines in this opera, there’s also a lot of not-flowing lines because we try to make it as conversational as pos-

sible, and nobody speaks in a melody, you know?” she said. “Something I love about opera is the dramatism of it. This is not necessarily a true story, but it could be a true story, so you do not wanna dramatize it; you want it to be relatable. So just remembering that even though you’re acting, you are a human being telling someone else’s story, and that is the way you’re gonna touch people’s hearts.”

Another key feature of The Puppy Episode is that its actors play more than one character. That was an intentional choice made by Vavrek and Recio; both Iliff and Anderson played multiple roles, which required a more detail-oriented, hands-on approach.

Iliff chose to embrace the overlap of her two characters and play up the ambiguity.

“My process was just seeing [Louise and Dot] as two completely separate people, but fully realized people, or else it wouldn’t be convincing,” she said. “And I really tried to see the similarities mostly because that’s what made it kind of confusing and beautiful to the audience members because they were so similar and so many lines

were blurred between them.”

Although the Oberlin performances have concluded, The Puppy Episode in its original glory — with the same cast and crew members — will have its professional debut with Opera Columbus’ “40 Days of Opera” series in May. “I’m so excited for them to have their professional debut,” Recio said about the students in the performance.

“I think they’ve really invested [in it] and made it something beautiful, and I think people are gonna really notice those singers and I’m excited for that.”

Iliff noted the unique opportunity to present a diverse array of voices and experiences in modern opera to a larger audience.

“We need to be making stories like this, which are adjusted to the world that we live in now,” she said. “There’s something so magical about classical opera — like early, ‘normal’ opera — that we can see ourselves in and also see a world from the past, but stories like The Puppy Episode need to be told now because we can actually see ourselves in it.”

COMIC

Miserable Midwestern Mornings

Holly Yelton, Staff Cartoonist

Young Obies Revitalize Music Scene Continued from page 11 during her first year made finding musicians to practice with extremely difficult. She described feeling as though she did not get the chance to discover the music being made on campus.

“I mean, I’m a sophomore proper, but freshman year was kind of weird because of the pandemic, so I feel like I haven’t really found all of the musicians here yet, or figured out all of the events,” Prince said.

As the entire student body returned to campus last fall, students grew hopeful that the Oberlin music scene would be reinvigorated. As venues reopened and many previously-isolated underclassmen began expanding their social circles, Prince found that the reintroduction of live performance to the Oberlin campus made building a community of musicians feel much more attainable than it had before. Krohn expressed a similar opinion, noting that even with limitations, the current state of the Oberlin music scene allows for students to get more directly involved than before.

“This year it’s been nice to be able to go to shows,” Krohn said. “It’s not as ideal as it could be, … but we’ve still been able to have the shows and go to shows, and that’s been really great.”

College first-year and singer-songwriter Caroline Gunn feels differently about the limitations to performance access. While she has enjoyed attending and performing at a handful of shows, Gunn feels that there are many improvements to be made, especially regarding access for younger student-musicians. She’s glad to have made some progress so far by finding a new band and booking a gig at The ’Sco, but she explained that she feels at a loss for what to do next.

“I think it’s definitely unclear to me what the

The Oberlin Review | March 4, 2022

next steps will be,” Gunn said. “I don’t feel like I have a lot of access to venues I could play at.”

From Gunn’s perspective, there is clearly some music being made around campus, but after the pause in production caused by the pandemic, it has become harder for new students to connect and to navigate the performance space.

“It’s not that there aren’t any resources to access, but I would say that they’re not as easy to access as I expected,” she said.

Still, as campus life returns to its bustling pace, and COVID-19 protocols gradually loosen, there seems to be a general sense of optimism from the student body about the resurgence of the Oberlin music scene. For students like Krohn, there are many things to look forward to in the coming years, as more and more musical opportunities present themselves.

“There’s just so many other experiences that I have not yet tapped into at Oberlin,” Krohn said. “I really want to play a house show at some point. It is my ultimate college dream to be in a sweaty basement playing angsty music. I think that is where I belong.”

In the meantime, Krohn, Prince, and Gunn are all working on developing their own music. As the College’s music scene improves, Gunn is preparing for the release of her first album at the end of March, and both Krohn and Prince are in the process of finding new shows to organize.

As far as access goes, progress still needs to be made, but Prince feels that the future is bright.

“Last year was hard,” she said. “But I’m starting to find things now, and I hope other people are too.

And I hope that I can play a part in helping them find spaces to play in and be creative in.”

Sarah Krohn performs at an event.

Courtesy of Sarah Krohn

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S p or t s

Oberlin Track and Field Reclaims NCAC Championship Title

The track and field team poses with the NCAC Championship banner.

Andrea Nguyen The Oberlin track and field team competed in the North Coast Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships at Wittenberg University Feb. 25–26. The Yeomen placed sixth with 69 points while the Yeowomen took home their fifth indoor championship title with 166.5 points — an astonishing 65.6 points ahead of seond place DePauw University.

In the women’s distance relay, first-year Margo Lee and second-year Lucy Curtis competed with fourth-years Anna Scott and Phoebe von Conta, finishing first with a time of 12:35.98. Scott and von Conta then went on to sweep first and second place in the mile at 5:10.66 and 5:12.97, respectively.

Fourth-year Clare Tiedemann broke her own College record, as well as the NCAC record, in the women’s 60-meter hurdle pentathlon, finishing in second place with a time of 9.01 seconds. She currently stands at 19th place in the NCAA Division III rankings and earned allNCAC honors for her score of 3,157 points in the event. For Tiedemann, breaking this record was more for the team than for herself.

“It was a complete surprise to do that well in the pentathlon — kind of mind-blowing,” she said.

That morning, Tiedemann didn’t think she was even going to compete, let alone advance to nationals, due to a pinched nerve in her neck.

In weight throw, fourth-year Zac Ntia placed first with

Courtesy of the NCAC Office

a throw of 54-09.50 (16.70 meters). Third-year Iyanna Lewis — who stands seventh in the nation in the NCAA Division III rankings — also finished first in weight throw at a distance of 56-07.25 (17.25 meters). Second-year Abby Cannon followed in third place at 51-06.50 (15.71 meters) and placed third in shot put with 39-09.25 (12.12 meters).

Cannon also earned all-NCAC honors.

Lewis and Cannon always compete against each other in weight throw, but they rely on each other as teammates and have a strong dynamic.

“I know what I need from [Lewis] to succeed, and she knows what she needs from me to succeed,” Cannon said.

“She’s exactly what underclassmen need in an upperclassman; she really stepped into that position as a role model for me.”

Fourth-year Sarah Voit placed first in the pole vault, clearing an impressive 11-11.25 (3.64 meters). She is currently second in the nation going into the NCAA Division III Championships.

In the women’s triple jump, fourth-year Malaïka Djungu-Sungu set a new school and conference record of 38-04.75 (11.70 meters). Djungu-Sungu was named NCAC Women’s Field Athlete of the Year and is currently ranked 15th place nationally. On the men’s side, fourth-year Kofi Asare earned his second conference title with 46-06.25 (14.18 meters), breaking a College record originally set in 2013.

Asare, along with first-years Reese Hyatt, Sam Fechner, and Cole Fuller, set a College record of 1:31.26 in the

4x200-meter relay. It was their second time running this event all season.

Fuller also broke his own personal record in the men’s 400-meter with a time of 50.80 seconds, earning him all-conference honors and third place in the event.

“I know for [the first-years], it was a really big moment,” Asare said. “To be a first-year and say you have a school record — that’s pretty impressive.”

One key factor that influences this team’s incredible achievements is the drive and support from other team members, creating a hard-working yet relaxed environment. They take cheering for their teammates seriously — from cheering at practice to creating spreadsheets with each athlete’s preferences on how they’d like to be supported.

Cannon describes the team as something similar to a family.

“We’re such a tight-knit group,” she said. “Whether it’s a home meet or away, we make it our meet; we make it our track … No matter what, I know my team’s gonna be behind me.”

Not only did student-athletes find success at the conference, Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Ray Appenheimer earned NCAC Women’s Coach of the Year award. When asked about his approach, he cited the importance of training long before the competition season starts and emphasized the essential role of team captains. “[Winning] a conference title, breaking records, setting lifetime bests is not just something that happens on a Friday or Saturday in February,” Appenheimer wrote in an email to the Review. “For us, it happened in October when the semester started and we first got together as a team. It was built day in and day out at practice, working hard, supporting one another when no one else was looking. We asked a lot from our first- and second-years who had never been to a conference track and field championship. We have a wonderful group of captains who set the perfect tone at practice, preparing their teammates for big meets. They are awesome, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

On March 5, some of the athletes will go on to compete at the Last Chance Meet, an optional meet for those who haven’t qualified for nationals or for those who already qualified and want one last opportunity to practice or score even higher. As of now, Tiedemann, Lewis, Voit, and Djungu-Sungu are expected to compete at the NCAA Division III Championships in Boston March 10–12. On May 5–6, Oberlin will be hosting the NCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

52 Years Later: Remembering Oberlin’s March Madness Moment John Elrod Contributing Sports Editor During March, college basketball grabs the attention of the entire American sports world. From the Division I NCAA tournament to smaller conference tournaments, this time of year seems to produce an unlikely number of dramatic games and underdog stories. Fifty-two years ago, Oberlin College men’s basketball team completed a March Madness Cinderella story of their own when they won the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament against all odds.

The run was also marked by evolving racial dynamics on campus and the United States as a whole.

At the heart of the OAC championship team were two fourth-years, Al Wellington — who passed away in 2012— and Randy Miller, OC ’70. They detailed the historic run in their book Oberlin Fever, A Championship Spirit in Black and White. Wellington, who was Black and grew up in the small, housing segregated town of McDonald, Ohio, came from a very different background than Miller, who is white and raised by a minister in Rochester, New York.

However, the two were placed as roommates during their first year at the College, and despite differences in their upbringings and personalities, formed a bond that would be key to the basketball team’s success four years later.

Wellington and Miller noted in their book that while Oberlin was a campus known for racial acceptance, Black and white students rarely associated outside of class.

They also discussed how differing views on campus of how to address racial issues divided students. The authors expressed a belief that sports teams could serve not just as an opportunity to integrate but as a chance to encourage friendships between Black and white students.

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In the college basketball world at the time, integration was reshaping the game. For example, in 1966, Texas Western College — now the University of Texas at El Paso — won the NCAA tournament the year they became the first team in collegiate basketball history to play an allBlack starting five. Within the OAC in 1970, the Oberlin men’s basketball team, with Wellington and Miller as co-captains, set a standard of integrated athletics in the conferences with 5 of their 12 players being Black. The other 13 teams had a total of 14 Black players between them.

Wellington believed the squad’s racial diversity brought a spark to the team’s play.

“What Black students and players brought to Oberlin was an entirely different experience related to sports, and basketball in particular,” Wellington wrote in Oberlin Fever.

Wellington also detailed how the representation of Black athletes drew interest from Black community members, who were often a part of packed crowds watching the team during their OAC championship season. He believed the support of fans gave the team a significant advantage.

Before the raucous Oberlin crowds of the 1970 season, the Yeomen secured a 12–6 record and were poised for success as the No. 2 seed in the seven-team Northern Division section of the OAC tournament. In the first two rounds of the tournament, Oberlin coasted to double-digit wins over the University of Mount Union and Heidelberg University, then known as Heidelberg College. They then beat The College of Wooster by nine to win the Northern Division title. This set up an OAC championship matchup against Wittenberg University, whom Oberlin had not

beaten in 18 years. Not only did Oberlin have a history of losing to them, but Wittenberg was also on a 16-game winning streak going into the championship that season.

It was estimated that around 1,500 Oberlin supporters showed up to the game at Baldwin Wallace University to cheer on the Yeomen, greatly outnumbering Wittenberg fans. In front of the fired-up crowd, Oberlin jumped to an early lead and held it the whole game despite Wittenberg cutting it close at times. Wellington and Miller played key roles in the victory, with Wellington leading scorers with 26 points and Miller leading the game in rebounds with nine.

The excitement over the win extended back to Oberlin where fans gathered at Tappan Square to continue the celebration. The festivities were well documented in a March 1970 edition of the Review.

“The win touched off perhaps the wildest athletic victory celebration in College history,” the Review reads. “A prolonged and insistent din of horns began to arise over usually placid Tappan Square shortly after the advance guard of returnees from B-W pulled into town, and it grew steadily into a tumultuous uproar.”

Unfortunately for Oberlin, the OAC tournament extended past the NCAA’s deadline for naming participants of the NCAA tournament, so it would be Capital University, the OAC regular season champion, that would play in the national tournament that year.

The greater significance of the championship team was documented by Wellington and Miller, who believe their win gave the Oberlin campus, which became politically and racially fractured during the late 1960s, something to unite over.

IN THE LOCKER ROOM

Women’s Basketball’s First-Year Star Bryana Woodard With a very young team with six out of your top seven players at the top of the rotation being first- and second-year students, what have you learned the most from this year?

It’s great to have a team that’s so young this year.

It was even better to be led by the three amazing seniors we had. With such a young team, it is easy to fall apart or focus on the self instead of the team, but the three of them instilled — from way before we even started the season — that we were a family that came first. Together we learned that our age doesn’t matter so long as we stick together and push each other everyday.

Bryana Woodard smiles proudly in her basketball uniform for media day.

Courtesy of Amanda Phillips

Matt Rudella It was a season for the ages for Oberlin women’s basketball — especially for first-year forward Bryana Woodard — as the Yeowomen tied their all-time season record for wins at 21, earning them a No. 2 seed in the North Coast Atlantic Conference tournament.

Woodard was a key piece to this success; the Cincinnati native finished the season with a very strong 14.8 points and 5.6 rebounds, while shooting 52.5 percent from the field. She gained some impressive accolades on the way, including Conference Player of the Week, an all-tournament team selection, and was named to the NCAC second-team. It’s safe to say that the future is bright for Oberlin women’s basketball.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

You and fellow first-year Camille Zinaich formed a dynamic duo down low, combining for 26.7 points a game and the Conference of the Week honors. What has she meant to you as a teammate, and what are you most looking forward to while playing with her for the next three years?

Millie and I planned to be roommates, so we had been talking all summer about how excited we were to finally play together. We played in a pickup game our first week here and from that moment on, I knew our on-the-court chemistry was something special.

We’ve been working to teach each other different aspects of our individual game in order to grow our skillset and make us even more of a threat. I am excited to see how both of our games grow in these next three years and how that bond continues to be strengthened.

Even though the season didn’t end as hoped, with the loss to Ohio Wesleyan University in the conference tournament, what are your thoughts on how the season ended? What are you most looking forward to for next season?

Obviously, any loss is tough, especially the ones that end a season. I think the reason this one hurt so much was because we wanted to win it all so badly, not for ourselves but for each other and our coaches. It was tough that we couldn’t pull it off but it just makes me even more excited for next season. Next year, I’m excited to get back out there and start our journey to a conference championship. Taking everything we learned and with some more experience under our belts, I have a feeling we’ll be pretty dangerous.

Coach Dunmyer has done a fantastic job coaching and recruiting to make this magical season happen, turning the team from 9–17 in 2020 to 21–4 this year. What has she done for your personal growth and the team’s historic turnaround?

Coach Dunny is amazing. Before I had ever met her in person, she constantly checked in — not just on my game, but also on my physical and mental well-being.

She pours so much time and heart into coaching us on and off the court. Having someone that we can talk to about anything, basketball-related or not, strengthened our team connection. By instilling in us our team’s core values, we were not only able to make history, but we also had a lot of fun doing it. She and Coach Mo [Maureen Hirt] are my role models.

What’s the biggest difference and adjustment between playing high school basketball and college basketball?

The biggest adjustment between playing high school basketball and college basketball for me would probably be the players. In high school many people were playing for fun. Every player we go against in college has proved they are good enough to play at the collegiate level. The basketball IQ of these girls is insane and it is an honor to play with them. I learn more about the game not only from my teammates, but also our opponents, every day.

What’s the chemistry like on the team? Would you say you’re close with many of your teammates off the court?

The simplest way to put it is: family. Basketball is a long season — almost five months — so it’s good we all love each other. During Winter Term we found ourselves all going out to breakfast, then practice, then maybe a lift before going to watch a movie or going on an adventure together. I am someone who needs my social battery to recharge every once in a while, but when I am with my team it never runs low. I know that my teammates will always be there for me and respect and love me not only as a player, but more importantly as a person. When I committed I had no idea I would be getting a package deal of 15 siblings, but I’m so grateful for each and every one of them.

Preview into Expanded New Society Pressures Athletes’ Bodies to Conform Baseball Team Continued from page 16

tions. I think a major contributor to our team dynamic is making sure that we are all fueling our bodies and being aware that we are constantly losing so many calories, starting with our classes in the morning and afternoons and ending with lifts, practices, and games. We emphasize nurturing our bodies and encourage team lunches and dinners, and meeting with the team nutritionist one on one if needed.”

For all three student-athletes, despite the challenges of body image in sports, being an athlete makes them feel beautiful.

“I feel the most beautiful when I am able to recognize the power that athletics has given my body,” Patchen wrote. “I love knowing that I am capable of much more than what I think my limits are, and that has helped me in so much more than sports.”

Fields explained that being on the field with the support of her teammates and partaking in sports that she loves also makes her feel beautiful as an athlete.

“I feel the most beautiful when I am doing well at something I love,” she wrote. “When I can succeed in my goals and receive support from teammates, I find a lot of love for myself. I can feel that I am doing well and that others can see the work I have put in. My image becomes something on the back burner that I tend to forget about and realize that The Oberlin Review | March 4, 2022

Continued from page 16

is not what defines me as a player.”

Oh reflected on how her involvement in other activities besides sports made her a better and more fulfilled athlete.

“Hone in on your sport when the time comes, but immerse yourself with other hobbies and activities that make you happy,” she wrote. “For me, focusing too much on athletics constantly stuck me in a negative mindset; I was constantly thinking about how I can run faster, have better stick skills, and how to compete better. As soon as I started to involve myself in other activities that gave me a different sense of happiness like reading, journaling, going for walks, and lifting, it allowed me to have a different perspective on practices and games.”

Fields cited a piece of wisdom that she was given when she was younger.

“The biggest piece of advice that I would give and that was given to me is that your body does so much for you and is constantly working to support you in everything you do,” she wrote. “Even while sleeping, your body is working to heal and keep you healthy. I think athletes just need to understand that however you see yourself does not compare to the work your body is constantly doing.”

I am lucky to have a team that celebrates my beauty both on and off the field, and for female and femme student-athletes reading this, even if you don’t always feel it, you are beautiful.

Coast Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, look to keep the conference on its toes with fresh talent and a roster that varies from game to game.

“Our expectation with this group is that they’re inexperienced, and there could be some fluctuation in the lineup,” Ray said. “We’ve been proud of the effort and focus, and feel good about where the team is at. We’re playing a lot of developmental games and providing a lot of opportunities for individuals to build.”

Although there are benefits to having such a huge roster this year, this tactic calls into question the ability for the team’s leadership to maintain cohesion.

Despite this, the coaching staff remains optimistic in the leadership of the upperclassmen, particularly the seniors.

“Our senior class has been great — the only class that was here for a full season,” Ray said. “They lead in their own ways, and the younger guys have an opportunity to gravitate toward the leadership style they respond to.”

Right-handed pitcher and fifth-year Nick Dawkins, tries to use his experience to set expectations for the young roster.

“I like to lead by example and give advice for off the field,” Dawkins said. “I provide a lot of insight into opponents as well. We had a scrimmage against [The College of ] Wooster and I tried to talk

everyone through what it’s like to play in the conference.”

Still, the Yeomen know that the conference underestimates their talent, which requires them to focus on keeping their goals in sight and coming out tenaciously this season.

“At practice or a game, I get on people about what they’re doing so they can stay laser focused on the goal,” Dawkins said. “It’s created a great culture where people have started to call out others when they’re not paying attention so we can keep our goals in sight.”

The culture shift for the veteran baseball players this coming season is very hopeful.

“The culture is 100 percent different than what I’ve seen in the past, one reason being the older people trying to get better on their own,” Dawkins said.

“Juniors and seniors stay back to hit more, and underclassmen follow suit.

One thing I want to develop this season is maintaining focus and intensity through a weekend series. If we develop that focus we have a shot to be a really good team.”

The Yeomen have the work ethic and team culture to come out strong and to capitalize on being an unknown force in the conference and the division. The team looks to best Berea College, which currently stands at 1–5, in its season opener today.

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March 4, 2022

SPORTS Established 1874

Athletes Learning to Balance Body Image and Sport

Volume 151, Number 13

Baseball Opens Season with New Team Strategy

Illustration by Clair Wang

Zoë Martin del Campo Contributing Sports Editor What does it mean to be beautiful? When do I feel the most beautiful? Am I beautiful?

These are questions that many people who are socialized as women ask themselves — questions that I have asked myself while looking in the mirror fresh out of practice. Covered in sweat and turf, I feel most beautiful when I am athletic.

However, athletic spaces do not always elicit such self-confidence. According to ESPNW, “68 percent of female athletes said they felt pressured to be pretty,” and “30 percent responded with a fear of being ‘too muscular.’”

Abbie Patchen, College second-year on both the field hockey and lacrosse team, believes that societal norms and beauty standards present a unique struggle for female athletes, who must deal with these expectations alongside the pressure to be strong for their sport.

“A lot of this pressure comes from outside of the sports world,” she wrote in an email to the Review. “Regardless of involvement in athletics, females are inundated with ideas about what their bodies should look like. I think a lot of female athletes want to find a balance between being athletic and graceful. I have definitely experienced this. I have played sports my entire life and always have had an athletic build, which at many times in my life I have resented. Different things are expected of the female body in different spaces, so it can be hard to go from wanting to feel strong in one area and then expected to be dainty and pretty in another.”

College third-year on the field hockey team, Jackie Oh, believes that female athletes are pressured to fit a Eurocentric standard of beauty, even at Oberlin.

“We see elite athletes on television, magazines, and social media competing with amazing physiques and somehow having picture-perfect action shots,” Oh wrote in an email to the Review. “Unfortunately, I feel like a lot of the appeal for women’s athletics comes from our appearance and if we fit the United States’s standard of beauty. It’s difficult to garner support from fans if we don’t look a certain way or perform with a ‘pretty face.’

I even remember at Oberlin, seeing a sliding scale of women’s prettiest athletics teams on campus.”

Oh added that it wasn’t until the pandemic that she began lifting regularly; she had previously avoided it because of societal pressure to not be “too muscular.”

She found that lifting not only made her physically better at her sport, but also had a positive impact on her mental health.

“One of the most common reasons women don’t lift is because they believe that it will make them look bulky or ‘bigger,’” Oh wrote. “I recall thinking this throughout all of high school and the beginning of my career at Oberlin. Whenever I did a workout on my own, it would always be cardio because I also thought that cardio was the only form of working out that was appropriate for

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my sport. However, during the pandemic, I realized that lifting was extremely beneficial for me, physically and mentally.”

College second-year on the field hockey and lacrosse teams, Sara Fields, believes that athletic standards are heavily influenced by societal pressures surrounding body image. Fields, an outspoken advocate for eating disorder awareness, has personal experience with body image issues as a female athlete.

“As someone who has dealt with issues around eating and body dysmorphia personally, this issue is very relevant to the way I see athletic standards in the context of relative body image,” she wrote in an email to the Review. “When you join a team or sport, females especially must struggle with the idea that they should be small, slender, look put together and graceful. These expectations are highly improbable in the standards among sports with performance and being able to do well. It is incredibly difficult being a female athlete and feeling like I need to look a certain way and portray myself as beautiful during an athletic performance, [especially] when standards are not the same for those who identify as other genders.”

For Patchen, athletic spaces are complex, encouraging body-inclusivity at some times while promoting unhealthy standards at others.

“I think athletics can be body-inclusive because if you are able to perform, then it doesn’t matter what you look like,” she wrote in an email to the Review. “There are also so many sports to try that provide opportunities for people with all different kinds of bodies. However, athletics can promote behaviors that skew towards having a smaller body.”

With many athletes starting their sporting careers at a young age, they are especially vulnerable to harmful rhetoric surrounding body image. Oh has been playing field hockey for nine years and remembers her coaches giving her critiques on her body and the impact that those comments had on her mental health.

“Athletics definitely impacts body image,” she wrote.

“Growing up, I’ve had coaches from multiple sports tell me that I need to have a specific physique to do well or to play certain positions. When you factor in going through puberty, seeing rapid changes in your body, and comparing yourself to your peers and teammates, it can be really debilitating to your mental health. I had a bigger build growing up, and I remember feeling really lonely and using athletics as my form of weight loss or changing my body.”

While body image in the athletic community is still an issue, teams at Oberlin are making strides to create an environment that is inclusive and supportive of all body types.

“I think that the field hockey team makes a point to make sure that all of our players love their teammates but also themselves,” Oh wrote. “We make it a point to make sure that we are all comfortable in conversaSee Society, page 15

Oberlin baseball player Yianni Gardner celebrates on the field in a huddle with his team.

Courtesy of Oberlin Athletics

River Schiff Senior Staff Writer Oberlin baseball travels to Kentucky to play Berea College in the team’s season opener today. The 53-player roster is sure to be packed with talent, with 29 underclassmen — including 22 first-years — and 24 upperclassmen. The 2019 team won less than half of its games, going 17–38, and has since only won two games throughout the shortened 2020 and 2021 seasons. The new, lengthy roster marks a huge rebuilding year for the Yeomen as they look to capitalize on young talent.

First-year pitcher Jack Page highlighted that having such a large roster has fostered the right amount of friendly competition between team members.

“We’ve only had one scrimmage and we had an emphasis that anyone can play from game to game,” he said. “We have 51 games — which is a lot — meaning many of the players will have tired arms for pitching.

Anyone has to be ready.”

The extensive roster is beyond the 40-player travel cap implemented by the NCAA, and as such, the team was split into developmental and varsity squads.

Which team a player is on can vary from game to game.

Despite the competition for a spot on the varsity team, every player is pushing each other to be the best they can.

“The older guys who may be on the cusp between [developmental and varsity] will help us try to get better, and if we have the ability, we’ll try to push them to get better as well,” Page said. “We even have cage wars in practice to make it feel more like a game.”

Page believes that the friendly environment the team has established enables the Yeomen to push each other as they look to a building season. Assistant Coach Jonathan Ray echoes the importance of not actively competing with teammates but still pushing each other to become the best players they can be.

“With our guys, the main goal is for them to focus on attacking their opportunities,” Ray said. “Baseball has a lot of one-on-one opportunities within a team sport.

We want a highly competitive practice but want them to be rooting for each other. If they’re struggling, they know they can hand the ball to any other pitcher on the team. There’s a huge focus on building trust with each other.”

The Yeomen, who were ranked last in the North See Preview, page 15