September 27, 2013

The Oberlin Review

SEPTEMBER 27, 2013 VOLUME 142, NUMBER 4

Outside the Bubble News highlights from the past week Navy Yard Shooter Blames Neuro-Frequencies: Former navy reservist and military contractor Alexis Aaron, the man who shot and killed 12 of his coworkers at the southeast Washington Navy Yard last week, claimed that he was the victim of mind control leading up to the attack. In communications retrieved by the authorities, Aaron is reported to have attributed actions to electromagnetic frequencies, or ELF waves — a communication technology used by the Navy that some conspiracy theorists believe has the ability to monitor and manipulate the neuro-frequencies of American citizens.

Senator Votes Against His Own Filibuster: In contrast to his 21 hour– long speech rallying GOP support against Obamacare, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz voted with Democrats on Wednesday in order to pass a spending plan that would provide government funding for the healthcare reform. The vote, which was ultimately unanimous, will allow Senate Democrats to amend the measure, putting an end to the threat of a government shutdown.

Syria to Relinquish Weapons to the U.N.: Members of the U.N. Security Council recently agreed on a declaration that would command Syria to relinquish its chemical weapons. The resolution, which will pass through the rest of the Council’s 15 members on Thursday, does not impend the use of force should Syria decline. This compromise was in deference to Russia, who refused to pass the resolution should military action be enforced.

Sources: The New York Times and CNN

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Community Culture Fest Celebrates Diversity Elizabeth Dobbins Staff Writer The Community Festival and the Culture Festival are combining this weekend to form one culture-centered event that will take place this Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. in Tappan Square. The two festivals, which used to fall on consecutive weekends, were ultimately combined in an effort to streamline and expand the event.

Sponsored by the College, the city of Oberlin, Oberlin’s International Student Organization, Oberlin Young Educators, the Spanish in the Elementary Schools Program and the Oberlin Center for Languages and Cultures, the festival will serve as a celebration of different cultures and provide an opportunity to bring the town and College together.

“I just want everyone to come out, enjoy the uniqueness of Oberlin, celebrate it and just enjoy our community,” said Maggie Robinson, the administrative secretary of the College’s Office of Community and Government Relations.

“I believe it will just make the celebration even bigger and better, and it will just open it up to another dynamic,” said Robinson. “It was a good combination because you don’t have to come

back to the Square on the weekend and then go back on another weekend when everything can be done inclusively.”

“The Culture Festival has slightly stronger emphasis on different languages and cultures than, say, U.S. Anglo languages.

Whereas the Community [Festival] was … to bring together the College and community. That

said, the Community Festival also had an idea of celebrating the diversity of the Oberlin community, and the Culture Fest also had the idea of bringing together the town and the College,” Sebastiaan Faber, director of Oberlin Center for Languages and Cultures and professor of Hispanic Studies, said.

As a result of the Festival’s

See This, page 2

College and community members groove alongside Bolivian dancers as they perform at last year’s Culture Festival.

This year’s festival will take place on Saturday, Sept. 29 in Tappan Square.

Courtesy of Dale Preston

Morrison Greeted with Standing Ovation Kate Gill News Editor A standing ovation ushered novelist Toni Morrison onstage as students, faculty and community members awaited the Convocation in Finney Chapel last Friday evening. The Toni Morrison Society, which just celebrated its 20th anniversary, was largely responsible for the event, but Morrison’s visit also speaks to the fledgling relationship she has forged with the College in recent years.

In August of 2012, the Toni Morrison Society, founded in 1993, moved its headquarters to Mudd library. On the first floor sits a small administrative office that, according to Founder and Board Chair of the Morrison Society Carolyn Denard, is one of many library sites, including the Auburn Avenue Library in Atlanta, the New

York Public Library, and the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. After Morrison won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1993 — five months after the organization was founded — her society, which now boasts over 600 members, burgeoned.

“When we were looking for space here,” Denard said, “there was a space available in the Oberlin library in Mudd Center, and we were delighted, because of our history, to be housed in the Oberlin library.”

The Convocation was framed as a sit-down with Morrison and featured College President Marvin Krislov and Gillian Johns, associate professor of English, who asked a series of questions, both personal and professional, in reference to Morrison’s work.

“So many students have been taught to write what they know,” Morrison said of her teaching methods. “I

tell my students: You don’t know anything. You’re 18, I don’t want to hear about your girlfriend or your grandmother. Forget about it. Write about something you don’t know.”

According to Krislov, he was not scheduled to participate, but ultimately replaced Dr. Meredith Gadsby, associate professor of Africana Studies and chair of the department, when her travel plans went awry. “She is here in spirit,” Krislov said at the Convocation. Although Morrison spoke at Oberlin in the spring of 2012, her quick return implies a deeper affinity for the College.

“Mrs. Morrison always has an open invitation,” said Denard in an email to the Review. “This time, President [Krislov] invited her to speak for the Convocation, and it coincided with our Anniversary; it was a great alignment of events.”

College, Town Launch App

Cyclists Get it Rolling

The College and City have collaborated to develop an Oberlin-cebtric smartphone app to be released Tuesday.

With more members than in recent seasons, the cycling team prepares for a strong season.

See page 4

expanded goals, the event now boasts a wide variety of activities and diverse representation.

Cultural groups and local restaurants will contribute food, and the Oberlin High School Marching Band, Taiko Drumming, O Steel, Missionary Alliance Gospel Choir and a Conser-

First Come, First Served Art Rental drew a crowd Saturday morning as students picked up pieces by Calder, Chagal and Dalí.

See page 12

INDEX:

Opinions 5

This Week in Oberlin 8

See page 15

Arts 10

Sports 16

President Krislov echoed Denard’s sentiment, remarking in an interview, “If it were left up to me, I would have her here every semester, every week, whenever she wants.”

Morrison, who has been to campus on three separate occasions since 2009, was born eight miles shy of Oberlin in Lorain County, and through family and friends has maintained a connection to the area. But aside from her more obvious geographical ties, Morrison seems to appreciate Oberlin as a locus of social justice.

In separate interviews, both Krislov and Denard referenced Morrison’s fondness for Oberlin and its history.

“Oberlin has a history she admires,” Denard said. “[It was] the first institution in the country to admit African Americans and women. [Morrison does] indeed feel a connection because it is close to home.”

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The Oberlin Review, September 27, 2013

This Saturday Block Party, Culture Fest Join Forces Continued from page 1 vatory jazz ensemble will provide the soundtrack for the day-long event. The Kendal Lawn Chair Brigade, Obie Jump, Dance Diaspora and OCircus are among the groups to perform at the bandstand.

“I hope the Festival is a fun venue for College students and community residents to join together for food, fun, music and more,” said City Manager Eric Norenberg in an email to the Review.

The community aspect of the festival also extends to the cultural groups who are represented at the event. Student groups such as Oberlin in Solidarity with El Salvador, as well as the community group Santa Elena Project of Accompaniment, an organization that promotes human rights for workers in Guatemala, will be in attendance. The Oberlin Center for Languages and Cultures has also been working with the College to help organize the cultural component of the event.

“One of the missions [of the Center

for Language and Cultures is] to encourage knowledge about other language[s] and cultures,” said Faber.

Several departments from the city will also be participating. The Oberlin Recreation Department will offer crafting activities, the Underground Railroad Center Implementation Team will be sharing information about the second phase of its project, the Oberlin Municipal Light and Power System will be offering free CFL light bulbs, and the Oberlin Police Department will be making ID cards for children and running a bicycle auction.

The festival will also boast bounce houses, a tour of Tappan’s trees, a voter registration booth, free blood pressure screenings from Mercy Allen Hospital, a Chinese lion dance and crafts jointly offered by Ginko Gallery, the Allen Memorial Art Museum and the Firelands Association of Visual Arts.

“It is a celebration of Oberlin,” Robinson said, “and it is celebrating just all of Oberlin. Its uniqueness, its diversity.”

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September 27, 2013

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At last year’s Culture Festival, groups brought activities and set up booths. This year, the Community Block Party and Culture Fest are combining into a larger, day-long event.

Courtesy of Dale Preston

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Off the Cuff: Richard R. Love, OC ’66, Scientific Director of the International Breast Cancer Research Foundation Richard R. Love, OC ’66, is the scientific director of the International Breast Cancer Research Foundation. For the past 20 years, Love has been conducting breast cancer clinical trials in Asia and establishing new global standards for breast cancer care. He shared his thoughts with the Review on his Oberlin experience, his work in Bangladesh and his plans for the future.

Tell me about your experience at Oberlin.

This woman I was talking to in this previous class [when I lectured this afternoon] is from Kenya, and she was talking about the unusualness of the community [at Oberlin] and the degree of isolation from the real world.

And she said that she thought there was still a sense of things being different, and when you go out into the world, there is still racism, and I can very much remember that at the time. And I think that egalitarian kind of mindset, as I think about it, was set by my four years here at Oberlin. I have never gotten away from it.

Did you know you wanted to work in global healthcare when you went to medical school from Oberlin?

No. When I went to medical school, I was thinking about global health issues. Then [later] at medical school, I knew I wanted to get into cancer research, and it took me 15 years in academia to become secure enough academically and reach out to do cancer abroad.

Thursday, Sept. 19 2:27 p.m. Staff at Philips gym reported a missing folding chair from an office on the first floor. It is a black padded chair reportedly valued at $125 with red and yellow lettering on the seat and back.

5 p.m. A Firelands Apartments resident reported an odor of natural gas on the first floor. Officers, members of the Oberlin Fire Department, an HVAC technician and members from Columbia Gas responded. The possible source of the smell was a burner control knob partially open on a twoburner stove.

Friday, Sept. 20

he felt sick, since he wasn’t fully treated. The second man was a young [person] who had barely graduated from high school. His story was that he had developed leukemia and wanted to see the world. His doctor had promised him one year, and on his way to California from Baltimore, he collapsed in Colorado because of anemia. He was shipped back to Baltimore and began to get treatment. This man was in trouble. The first man, Thurman, turned to the second man and said “What are you doing here?”, and the second man replied, “Well a year ago, the doctor said I had another year left to live.

My time’s up.” I kind of thought that if this is how people with life-threatening diseases, who have had far fewer opportunities than I have had, think about life and the big questions and face things head on, then I guess Richard R. Love, OC ’66, scientific director of the International Breast those are the kind of people that Cancer Research Foundation would be inspiring to work with.

How did you decide to go to Bangladesh and develop your own treatment center?

I went there for my clinical trial. I went to Bangladesh because I was looking for women for my clinical treatment trial and I thought there would be women in Bangladesh who would be eligible for that trial. Indeed, there were. One of the things I’ve been involved in, in major ways, is to show that we can involve people who are poor or less educated in our clinical research and do it ethically while enriching our science. For the most part, clinical research is only done on wealthy people. And mostly Caucasian, upper-middle class people. We lose a lot by not expanding the

realm of people in our studies: ethnically, genetically, etc.

8:34 p.m. A resident of Firelands Apartments reported witnessing numerous flies emerge from the exhaust fan above the stove in his apartment. A maintenance technician and plumber responded, and all gas lines were checked. No leaks were located.

7:58 p.m. Officers were requested to assist a student who fainted in Baldwin Cottage. The student believed it was a result of donating blood earlier. The student told officers she was OK and was transported to her dorm room.

4:16 p.m. A student reported that a large window fell out of the frame and shattered on the third floor of South Hall. A maintenance technician responded to repair the window frame, and custodial staff cleaned up the glass.

Saturday, Sept. 21 9:59 a.m. Officers and members of the Oberlin Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the Oberlin Inn. A patron activated the alarm by smoking in the room.

Why did you pursue oncology of all fields of medicine?

I trained in the Hopkins system and trained in the cancer ward. At that time, in 1972, there were systemic treatments for cancer, and we were just beginning to make headway in leukemia. And this ward was predominately a leukemia ward, and it had adolescents and younger adults with leukemia. One day, I overheard a conversation between two young men from the ward. One patient had a history of rebelling against the treatment and leaving when he began to feel better and only returning when

Sunday, Sept. 22 12:04 a.m. Officers responded to a noise and unauthorized party complaint at a Goldsmith apartment. The live band was shut down, and attendees were asked to leave.

1:03 a.m. Officers responded to a report that a window had broken in East Hall. A resident observed four males outside the room at the time the glass shattered. The incident is currently under investigation.

5:59 p.m. Officers and members of the Oberlin Fire Depart-

What has it been like to see the evolution and advancements of oncology through your years of work?

I guess I would say I’m ambivalent. It’s true that there has been significant progress, and it’s true that the morbidity due to these new treatments has decreased. I remember going on rounds and dealing with men with testicular cancer when we were just on the brink of a proper treatment for it. I remember seeing them as they were suffering horribly from the treatment, and the head doctor continued to force more treatment on these people that could barely swallow. To move from that to circumstances where we can cure people with

ment responded to a fire alarm on the second floor of Langston Hall.

Smoke from a burnt grilled cheese activated the alarm. The area was cleared and the alarm was reset.

10:34 p.m. Officers and members of the Oberlin Fire Department responded to a fire alarm on the second floor of South Hall.

Smoke from a dirty oven activated the alarm.

Monday, Sept. 23 8 a.m. Members of the custodial staff reported a round wooden table and three padded wooden chairs missing from the first floor lounge of Fairchild House.

4:34 p.m. Officers and members of the Oberlin Fire Department responded to a fire alarm on the third floor of Burton Hall. An unattended candle activated the alarm. The candle, lighter fluid,

minimal symptoms is obviously nothing short of a miracle. Having said that, I find the disparities in treatments and outcomes among specific populations very, very sad. And it’s very sad in this country, and it’s also sad to compare circumstances in this country with circumstances in countries like Bangladesh. My positive feelings on the progression of cancer treatment are tempered by this reality that we’re not making the population effects that I would like.

What are your plans for the future?

To keep doing what I’m doing. I don’t plan to go anywhere else; I’ve made connections, met amazing partners and people. I finally feel like I’m beginning to make sense of the problem that I’m trying to address. Like I said, we don’t need mammogram machines, we don’t need education.

These women know that they have breast cancer, they’re smart people. Thirty-five% of children under the age of five are malnourished. These women who are mothers are more worried about feeding their children and getting them to school and they just keep covering up their tumors as they get bigger and bigger. Feeding your children and getting them to go to school is what any good mother does. How do you expect them to seek treatment when they are having such a difficult time feeding their own children.

My goal is making this care more accessible to women like these. I don’t need to go anywhere else.

Interview by Elizabeth Dobbins Photo by Simeon Deutsch

matches and glass pipe — which were all in plain view — were confiscated. The alarm was reset.

Tuesday, Sept. 24 4:18 p.m. Reports of individuals perpetrating scams through the Oberlin Classifieds were reported to both Safety and Security and the Oberlin Police Department.

6:40 p.m. Officers were requested to assist a student who both twisted her ankle and hit her head after falling down the steps at Dascomb Hall. The student was transported by ambulance to Mercy Allen Hospital.

11:53 p.m. Several residents of Saunders House reported a loss of electricity. Facilities Operations staff members were contacted to address the problem.

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The Oberlin Review, September 27, 2013

City, College Launch App to Promote Oberlin Erin Amlicke With a fast-approaching launch date of Sept. 28, the Oberlin App — a collaborative effort among the Oberlin Business Partnership, the City of Oberlin and the College — will soon be available for all smart phones. Unlike most familiar applications, this app does not cater to a small niche of users but rather attempts to reach the entire community of Oberlin.

The development took a great deal of planning and research. As Zac Sebo, cofounder of Citizen Sync, the company that developed the app, said, the app puts all things Oberlin onto “one official platform.” The software features six different resource categories, including City Information, Oberlin College, Visitor Information, Business Directory, Local Events and Local Offers. Each button leads to various subcategorical pages that range from informative summaries of local laws and policy to company “splash” pages, which Sebo described as profiles for local businesses. Through the profiles, users can access an image gallery, a brief description of the business and contact information.

According to Janet Haar, the executive director of the Oberlin Business Partnership, each Oberlin business automatically receives a “splash” page without charge, which will provide exposure for companies who do not have an established presence online.

Even so, the marketing capabilities of the app expand beyond the current local business community. According to Oberlin Housing and Economic Development Officer Carrie Handy, Oberlin’s

“untapped resources” — namely the art museum, concert series and lectures — are still “the best kept secret[s] of Lorain County.”

Handy said she hopes the app will work to encourage new businesses to

The Oberlin App will feature events and announcements from the College and Oberlin community. Users will be able to peruse such outlets as local events, city info and Oberlin College student life.

Courtesy of Eric Norenberg

take root in the town. “We have a lot of available land, and in the future we hope that this can become a destination for both manufacturers and other business.”

This outlet for local businesses is particularly appealing to Haar, who considers the platform both user- and owner-friendly. The Oberlin Business Partnership — comprised of Oberlin’s working Chamber of Commerce, a National Main Street organization and the Lorain County Visitor’s Bureau — has long been dedicated to the transfer of information from business to consumer. The new application simplifies this exchange by directing consumers to business websites, advertisements and coupons. Agencies even have the opportunity to secure special advertisements for additional purchase.

“Logically,” Harr said, “getting something in the electronic field and social media is where we need to go.”

While the developers of the app were quick to voice their excitement, the Oberlin business community was more tentative, largely due to a lack of communication between the developers and business owners. Ruth Aschaffenburg, the owner of Bead Paradise II, cited the shop’s Facebook page as one of her most important advertising tactics. A mobile platform that gives consumers the ability to “click-through” to her website will only increase her site’s traffic.

However, other major downtown businesses such as Ginko Gallery & Studio and Ben Franklin, were surprised to hear that such technology was implemented.

Ginko Gallery owner Liv Burgess saw a potential gain for her consumers, who often travel to Oberlin for her business

but are not sure where else to go once they’ve arrived.

“I think that an app that puts all of that information in one place makes a lot of sense.”

On the contrary, Ben Franklin owner Krista Long said that she hasn’t encountered many customers who would need further directions or store information.

Nevertheless, she was clear that more publicity for the shop is undoubtedly better. As Long noted, “It’ll be interesting to see how it materializes.”

According to Sebo, although the City of Oberlin and the Oberlin Business Partnership have been the largest and most consistent contributors to the app, the College has played a major financial and architectural role in its development.

Since the college helped fund the app, it has its own featured page on the initial landing site, leading to four school-centric categories: College Announcements, College Events, Student Life and Visitor Information. These pages further branch off to include links that describe various elements of campus life and events, such as meal plan arrangements, Oberlin slang and links to student groups.

As Haar explained, some businesses have been “really excited about it, because they understand it; [whereas others] aren’t too sure about it because they’re not sure about what we’re doing.”

To her, the tentative attitude of some store owners can easily be changed by assuring them that the progressive technology will not tarnish Oberlin’s historical past.

“We don’t want to change the past,” said Haar, “but we want to make sure that we are there for the future.”

KHC Continues To Operate After OSCA Separation Rachel Saks Although there was considerable dissent from KHC members when they discovered last semester that KHC would no longer be an OSCA member, some are now able to find a silver lining to the departure.

“I think it was ultimately good because the co-op wanted out last year,” said Samia Mansour OC ’10, the Senior Jewish Life Intern. “In the past there have been continuous issues with the way that kashrut interacts with OSCA policies, and that was a big part of the issue last year. The OSCA health inspector wanted to be

able to have access to the co-op anytime they wanted to get in the space, with or without someone from Kosher-Halal being there, which compromises the integrity of kashrut.”

KHC is no longer supervised

by OSCA health inspection, and instead is inspected by the Lorain County Health Department through Campus Dining Services.

“It’s just a better system for us,” Mansour said.

Contrary to popular belief, this change in management did not result in CDS funding the coop. According to Michele Gross, Director of Dining Services and OSCA liaison for Housing KHC

will continue to “run financially basically the same way OSCA [is],” said and Dining.

“They’ll collect the fees from the students and then they’ll pay their bills. In the sense that Oberlin owns the co-op buildings and all the equipment, Oberlin owns KHC and all the equipment.

Oberlin has a financial connection to any kitchen. If Fairchild gets a new stove, Oberlin buys it, not the co-op. But what you run as your co-op, buying your food, buying your cleaning solution for the floors, all of that you pay for from the money that you’ve paid OSCA.” Conservatory junior Sivan

Silver-Swartz, the current dininloose ends coordinator of KHC, admits that the split from OSCA has been isolating.

“It’s kind of frustrating,” he explained. “It was nice to be part of the co-op dining system in Oberlin, and it kind of doesn’t make sense that we’re not in that organization, since we’re a dining coop and we do things pretty much exactly like OSCA does.”

Although preparing to separate itself from the cooperative system, KHC still continues to operate much like other co-ops in the association.

“In terms of everyday functions [KHC] is pretty much the same,” Mansour said. “It’s still set up like an OSCA co-op. They still have all the same sort[s] of positions and jobs and it runs the same way. We have DLECs and Cleanliness Coordinators … all the same jobs that we had last year.”

Still, some things have changed. The co-op has eliminated the positions of Board Representatives and has added a Membership Secretary.

“We sort of have to do our own advertisement and recruitment because we’re not part of OSCA,” Mansour noted.

Because of their newly independent status, students who apply through OSCA to dine in a co-op can no longer be placed into KHC through the waitlist.

Additionally, while KHC was part of OSCA, students who

preferred to be in other co-ops might be placed into KHC and end up remaining there for many semesters.

“That’s what happened to quite a lot of past members,” said Silver-Swartz.

“Right now, we’re under capacity which is a problem,” Silver-Swartz said. Although members currently put five hours a week into working at the co-op, KHC still struggles to fill its work chart, and fewer members are trained to be a head cook. Despite these difficulties, the co-op continues to function with very few canceled meals.

In terms of its members, the small group remains fairly diverse. “There’s no place in the United States — and I think the world — where you have KosherHalal, a place where Muslims and Jews can come together and eat,” said Halal Rabbi Shimon Brand. “This is really important for Oberlin — it’s a space where you could be religious, but its not about religion. It means that people can come together as people.

What it does is allow for the kind of interaction of a group of people that normally may not find their way together.”

While the co-op prioritizes dietary restrictions, the limited number of members allows it to admit anyone who wishes to be part of the co-op, which, even after complete separation from OSCA, will continue to function much as before.

THE OBERLIN REVIEW, September 27, 2013

Opinions The Oberlin Review

Letters to the Editors The Gun Debate in Oberlin To the Editors: The room was packed like sardines at the Oberlin City Council Meeting on Sept. 16, and the discussion was lively. In a nutshell, there are people who want to openly carry guns in public places like parks, and there are others, like me, who are against this! If the council meeting is an indication, I am with the majority. The problem is real, and I was not aware of it until a few gun enthusiasts openly carried guns at the Oberlin Juneteenth celebration!

To make matters worse, I’m told that a couple weeks ago, an Oberlin College student carried an assault rifle into the Slow Train Cafe! Before these incidents occurred, I was unaware that Ohio law permits certain gun owners to openly carry. In other words, some gun owners can openly carry weapons in our public places, and they have the law on their side!

My opposition to the Ohio gun law is basic: I know that criminals can get their hands on guns.

I know that people with severe mental problems can get their hands on guns. I know that people make mistakes, both the professionals and amateurs, and shoot the wrong person. (Does George Zimmerman come to mind?) So, if I am in a park and see a person carrying a gun, I will leave the park, since I am a practical and, in most cases, rational person. The gun carrier could be a criminal, mentally challenged or just looking for a shootout. I think that most rational people would do the same, i.e., leave the park, especially if they are with children.

Is this a “victory” for the person carrying the gun? If so, it is a hollow victory to have citizens, including grandparents and children, leave a public place so that a gun carrier can exercise his/ her rights under the law. Some laws need to be changed, like the gun laws. The recent incidents have made that blatantly apparent to me. I found out, at the council meeting, that various churches in Oberlin are pulling together to do something about changing the Ohio gun laws. Oberlin has allies on this issue because National Rifle Association activists have taken advantage of the law being on their side to flaunt their ability to “openly carry” in Parma, Cleveland Heights and other communities!

I believe that the open carriers are making more enemies than friends. If we join together with our allies in communities such as Parma, we can change the Ohio laws.

The Trayvon Martin case, if nothing else, should motivate us to change the current gun laws and prevent the Stand Your Ground law from being passed in Ohio. Do we really want to go back to the Wild, Wild West?

–Sally McMullen Oberlin resident

Correction of Student Working Group Proposals To the Editors: Thank you for your coverage of the student working groups. We are writing to clarify a matter that was addressed in the Sept. 20, 2013 Review article “Administration Begins Implementation of Several Working Group Proposals.” As the article rightly points out, the working groups proposal called for more budget support related to workshops and trainings. Dean Estes was correct that the MRC budget allocation for workshops and trainings was increased significantly (by 80 percent) to try and meet some of the rising demand for those workshops and trainings. Dean Williams is also correct that more will need to be done in future budget years given the significant increase in demand for these important educational programs. We regret any confusion on this point given the importance of MRC trainings and workshops for the educational experience of all students.

–Alison Williams Director of the Multicultural Resource Center and Associate Dean for Academic Diversity –Eric Estes Vice President and Dean of Students

Responsible Investment Encourages Voting To the Editors: This weekend, Oberlin College seniors have the duty to vote for responsible investing at Oberlin.

The Senior Gift Survey is being readministered, and it’s time to stand up for our community.

The first time the survey was administered, there was a clerical error: Instead of giving the Social Choice Scholarship as an option, the Responsible Investing Organization — a student organization — was incorrectly given.

The Social Choice Scholarship is a groundbreaking new fund in the endowment, one that both supports need-based tuition assistance — for a student from Northeast Ohio — and advances the adoption of responsible investing according to Oberlin’s values and priorities. In the spring, we will hold a policy symposium in which our community — of students, residents, faculty, staff and alumni — will come together to discuss our values and formulate a responsible investing policy to apply to the scholarship.

Last year, over 70,000 foreclosure cases were filed in our Ohio. According to ESOP, an Ohiobased community organization, “Today’s numbers underscore the need for continued funding of foreclosure prevention counseling and relief programs that help keep families in their homes and stabilize See Letters, page 6

SUBMISSIONS POLICY The Oberlin Review appreciates and welcomes letters to the editors and column submissions. All submissions are printed at the discretion of the editorial board.

All submissions must be received by Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at opinions@oberlinreview.org or Wilder Box 90 for inclusion in the following Friday’s Review. Letters may not exceed 600 words and columns may not exceed 800 words, except with the consent of the editorial board. All submissions must include contact information, with full names, for all signers. All electronic submissions from multiple writers should be carbon-copied to all signers to confirm authorship.

The Review reserves the right to edit all submissions for content, space, spelling, grammar and libel. Editors will work with columnists and contributors to edit pieces and will clear major edits with the authors prior to publication. Editors will contact authors of letters to the editors in the event of edits for anything other than style and grammar. In no case will editors change the opinions expressed in any submission.

The Opinions section strives to serve as a forum for debate. Review staff will occasionally engage in this debate within the pages of the Review. In these cases, the Review will either seek to create dialogue between the columnist and staff member prior to publication or will wait until the next issue to publish the staff member’s response.

The Review will not print advertisements on its Opinions pages. The Review defines an advertisement as any submission that has the main intent of bringing direct monetary gain to the author of a letter to the editors.

Opinions expressed in letters, columns, essays, cartoons or other Opinions pieces do not necessarily reflect those of the staff of the Review.

Page 5

The Oberlin Review Publication of Record for Oberlin College — Established 1874 —

Editors-in-Chief Rosemary Boeglin Julia Herbst Managing Editor Taylor Field Opinions Editor Sophia Ottoni-Wilhelm

Education More Than Return on Investment The Obama administration recently announced plans to formulate a ranking system for institutions of higher education, taking into consideration a new set of key factors, including graduate’s earning potential, percentage of lower-income students, tuition cost and graduation rates.

Ideally, the president hopes that the new ranking system — to be announced before the start of the 2015 academic year — will serve as the basis for federal aid to colleges and universities. Ohio is one of the few states in the country to have already adopted programs that award funding based on graduation rates and “educational outcomes.” Congressional support for this plan is currently unclear, but if the legislation passes, federal aid will be tied to this type of criteria by 2018.

What makes Obama’s proposed system different from popularly revered higher-education rating systems — namely U.S. News and World Report — is that it takes into account the “success” of graduates in terms of earning potential.

This approach is not entirely novel, though. PayScale, a financial analysis firm co-founded by a former Microsoft manager, recently released a ranking of colleges and universities based solely on the salaries of graduates.

Oberlin is held in varying esteem by these ranking systems. According to the PayScale ranking, Oberlin comes in #53 among other liberal arts colleges in the U.S., with the average graduate’s starting salary coming in at $38,800, and a mid-career salary of $83,000. (“Mid-career” is defined as full-time employees with at least 10 years of experience in a particular field, and who hold only a bachelor’s degree). Conversely, the more traditional ranking system — which takes into consideration a variety of factors including first-year retention, graduation rate and high school rankings of students — puts Oberlin at a far more impressive #25 relative to similar institutions.

Rankings that focus solely on earning potential put liberal arts colleges at a disadvantage when compared to other academic institutions that focus primarily on mathematics and sciences — fields that offer significantly higher starting salaries than the arts or humanities.

Although earning a degree in aeromechanical engineering might guarantee a more impressive starting salary, it is troublesome to think that this is now the basis of evaluating a quality education.

Perhaps the impulse for this conclusion is partially defensive, derived from Oberlin’s emphasis on spawning well-rounded, changethe-world types who don’t necessarily seek direct economic compensation for the investment they’ve made in this, admittedly, exceptionally pricey education. And perhaps the stance that education’s value is rooted primarily in its ability to foster critical and creative thinking while expanding the horizons of those under its tutelage is inherently privileged and dismisses the fact that, for many, education is a stepping stone to a better economic future.

So while a criticism of Obama’s new ranking system might be preemptive considering the lack of details regarding the criteria, we hope that the concept of education as an investment on which we hope to reap immediate returns is not adopted within the American mindset. After all, creativity and unconventionality of thought have been the cornerstone of academic, intellectual, cultural and economic progress in the U.S., and it seems tenuous that Obama would attempt to steer the next generation of learners to a more corporate-based approach to education.

Editorials are the responsibility of the Review editorial board — the Editors-in-Chief, managing editor and Opinions editor — and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the Review.

Opinions

Page 6

Letters to the Editors, Cont.

Continued from page 5 communities.” With a $720 million endowment, Oberlin College has a crucial role to play in this stabilization, and the establishment and support of the Social Choice Scholarship is a first step.

So if you are a senior, cast your vote and encourage your friends to do the same. If you are not, you still have a crucial role to play. Consider donating to the scholarship; each donation shows Oberlin College that we’re serious about responsible investing. You can also familiarize yourself with the issues, participate in the upcoming conversations around responsible investing or organize with RIO. But this isn’t the end; it’s just the beginning.We have a lot of work ahead to get our dollars, from the Senior Gift and in the general endowment, to work in our community.

Responsibly, The Responsible Investing Organization

Stricter Regulation of Power Plants Needed in Reducing Environmental Harm To the Editors: Thank you for the full coverage you gave to the Environment Ohio report on Ohio’s gas-fired and coal power plants (“Report Lists Ohio as Top Polluter,” The Oberlin Review, Sept. 20, 2013). Also on Sept. 20, Gina McCarthy, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, announced the Obama administration’s aggressive plan to enact stronger regulations to limit carbon emissions for new power plants. The regulations would limit new gas-fired power plants to 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per megawatthour and new coal plants to 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide, a reduction of some 700 pounds per megawatt-hour for the average coal plant.

This is good news for reducing harmful greenhouse gases in the environment but does not address pollution from existing power plants.

Enacting stricter regulations on all power plants is essential to protect our environment and health and reduce the impact that carbon emissions have on climate worldwide.

I urge all readers to learn more and take action. Volunteers and staff members of Environment Ohio

will be on Tappan Square during the Oberlin Community and Culture Festival on Saturday, Sept. 28, distributing literature and collecting signatures on a petition to EPA Administrator McCarthy.

There are countless books, websites, newspaper accounts and journal articles to inform one’s thinking on the impact of coal power plants on the climate and environment.

This book is a good start: The Carbon Crunch: How We’re Getting Climate Change Wrong — and How to Fix It,

by Dieter Helm (in the OC library and many OhioLINK libraries). I would be more than happy to help anyone seeking more information.

–Alison S. Ricker Science librarian, Oberlin College

In Discussing Navy Yard Shooting, Disrespecting Disabled Persons Not An Option To the Editors: I was outraged and frustrated by the editorial printed in last week’s Review, “Washington Navy Yard Massacre Was Avoidable,” The Oberlin Review, Sept. 20, 2013. One of the article’s major points was that one of the best ways to stop gun violence would be to prevent “crazy” people from “getting [their] hands on a gun.”

This is a tired premise that comes up pretty much every single time we as a nation discuss gun control; not only is it lazy, but it is counterproductive, beyond insulting and inaccurate.

Before I discuss the issues I had with the article, I do want to make a small note. The alleged mental disability of Aaron Alexis, the Navy Yard shooter, is not relevant to this particular article; my point would still stand regardless of his mental condition. However, I would like to point out that Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, the president of the American Psychiatric Association, said that “it’s too early to tell what the real motivation was in this recent case.” We do not know Alexis’s diagnostic information; thus, it was highly irresponsible for the author of last week’s column, or anyone else, to speculate.

Painting all people with mental disabilities as violent and uncontrollable is a trope that I honestly wish would disappear as fast as possible from our national consciousness.

The fact is, people with mental dis-

abilities are more likely to be victims of homicide than neurotypical people (Appleby et. al., 2001). (Neurotypical is a term for people without a mental disability, used in scientific writing and by the mentally disabled community; its antonym is neuroatypical). Furthermore, the vast majority of people who are violent are neurotypical, and there is little to no evidence of a correlation between most types of mental illness and violence (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Our focus should not be on preventing the mentally disabled from acquiring guns; it should be on protecting them from guns.

I am glad that this horrific incident has opened a national conversation on mental healthcare reform. Mental healthcare reform needs to be talked about, whether or not it’s relevant to the Navy Yard shooting; on this point I agree entirely with the column.

The reform that the author and I seek, however, is only going to happen when we stop vilifying people with mental disabilities. By calling them “crazy” (which, by the way, is considered a slur against the neuroatypical) and equating them to out-of-control murderers, we do not make it more likely that they will receive the treatment they need. We make it more likely that they will end up in jail. As of 2003, the rate of mental disability in prison is three times higher than in the general population (Human Rights Watch, 2003) and has not declined since then. The majority of these prisoners will not get any treatment in jail.

This is why this stereotype needs to be shut down permanently. It’s not just unsupported by the facts. It prevents real people from being treated or even from being seen as full members of society. Yes, we absolutely need to be having this conversation about mental healthcare reform. But rather than framing it as an issue of protecting neurotypical people from the “crazies,” we should be talking about the fact that mental healthcare is a basic human right, and that the current state of mental healthcare, as well as the rate of criminalization of the mentally disabled, is appalling.

The Navy Yard shooting was a needless tragedy, and the conversations that it has sparked around gun control and mental healthcare reform are necessary ones. As we debate what should be done in the aftermath, we need to ensure that we are not scapegoating some of society’s most vulnerable members.

–Alice Fine College sophomore

Voting for Student Senate of Utmost Importance Sophia Ottoni-Wilhelm Opinions Editor The Student Senate Elections are open right now online until Sunday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m., or until quorum is met (20 percent of the student body). Yes, this seems pretty weird. Why is the voting cut off after just one-fifth of us vote? Have statistics shown that 580 of us are enough to determine what the entire student body wants?

Either way, it is important for students to exercise their democratic right to vote. There are many candidates running this year on a variety of platforms. Some are promis-

ing to bridge the Conservatory-College divide while some promise to address dining options at Stevie. Alejandro Belgrave, Joshua Rosner, Jesse Vogel, Topaz Ross Kelso, Kevin Kresnak, Andy Garcia, Emma Snape, Machmud Makhmudov, Lauren Vandemortel, Casey McGuire, Rebecca Hoffman, Aaron Appel, Ziya Smallens, Paul Paschke, Joe Greenberg, Kiki Acey, Kianna Eberle, Maxime Berclaz and Arianna Gil are this election’s candidates. You can look up their statements on the Student Senate website to hear what they have to say about themselves.

Whatever you believe, whatever you want — be sure to add your vote to the pile (hopefully you’re in the lucky 20 percent).

The Oberlin Review, September 27, 2013

Conspicuous Silence on Attack in Nairobi Sam White Columnist There’s no doubt that my time at Oberlin College has broadened my outlook on the world.

I’m surrounded, for the most part, by people who care about what happens outside of their everyday lives — at least more than people at my insular, wealthy, suburban high school. I’ve caught on, often to the point where I’m the one in a given group of friends who knows what’s going on in the world; the one who explains the headlines to the others.

But one horrific event this past week has raised serious doubts for me in how engaged I really am.

I vividly remember the day when, last December, news broke of the mass –––––––––––––––––––––

After Newtown and after Boston, another thing was true: Everyone cared, regardless of whether they were personally affected.

After Nairobi, I heard the same conversations, the same concerns, but only in one building on campus: my dorm.

––––––––––––––––– shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I remember how I heard the news. I was in Slow Train, peacefully enjoying my latte while failing to stay focused on all the papers I had to write when the news stories showed up on my Facebook feed adorned with comments and shares from my friends. I remember the shock, the horror, the sinking feeling in my stomach that robbed me of my ability to focus on academics for the rest of the day. I remember feeling that, even though this tragedy was taking place hundreds of miles away, it affected me, too.

Everywhere I looked, the screens of people’s MacBooks, blaring with the latest headlines from every conceivable news source, affirmed the terror. Everywhere I walked, I overheard hushed conversations echoing the same thoughts that plagued my mind.

I remember even more clearly the moment, four months later, when I found out about

the bombings at the Boston Marathon: I was in Slow Train, once again procrastinating on Facebook, when the story showed up in my news feed. Within minutes, the story was showing up on MacBook screens around me. Within hours, it was the talk of the town. The feeling was the same, with the added burden that this time it was my hometown, that people I knew were there, were present, were in harm’s way. I tried to be a worldly Obie and put the small, isolated bombing in perspective: elsewhere, this might be a daily reality. I couldn’t. I struggled to focus on my classes, I contacted friends and family at home incessantly, and the Boston headlines became my daily bread until I knew the danger had passed.

And I remember last Saturday. I wasn’t in Slow Train when I found out.

It wasn’t the first thing I saw in my Facebook news feed. It wasn’t until I walked back into my room in Afrikan Heritage House, and my roommate asked me, “Did you hear about what’s happening in Kenya?” that I knew what was happening in Kenya.

In all three tragedies, one thing has been true: that those of my friends and peers who are most directly affected are those who care the most.

I’m guilty of this, as is most everyone else. We’re all human.

But after Newtown and after Boston, another thing was true: Everyone cared, regardless of whether they were personally affected. After Nairobi, I heard the same conversations, the same concerns, but only in one building on campus: my dorm. The A-House community came together to support those affected. At Soul Session that night, everyone present observed a moment of silence. Students sang the Kenyan national anthem.

The unity was incredible and enduring.

Outside the dorm the hushed conversations are absent. The headlines are there, but they’re different; the impassioned, fiery op-eds are missing; the speculation is non-existent.

I know we all care about what happened in Kenya last weekend, but why aren’t we showing it?

Opinions

The Oberlin Review, September 27, 2013

Page 7

Sunny with a Chance of Cynicism: Keep Oberlin Pretty Libby Salemi Columnist When I first came to Oberlin, I was under the impression that I would be considered normal and maybe even slightly conservative when thrown into a population of super bizarre, politically correct, environmentalist hippies. What became evident after talking to an RA about the impact that our energy and garbage waste has on the world, is that I am the super bizarre, politically correct, environmentalist hippie my brain never fathomed I could be. And since I’ve accepted this identity, I’ve also accepted the duties and anxieties that come along with it.

On good days, you may see me running around the dorms turning off the light switches at timed intervals. On slightly more stressful days, I’m in a state of panic, practically pulling my hair out from the anxiety that the dripping faucets and

shower heads are giving me. But as much as these little inefficiencies chip away at my armor, I can understand why students forget to turn off the lights or turn the faucets off all the way. Sometimes we forget. We’re all human; I do it, too. In a lot of the dorms, the faucets and showers are crap and I have to use all of my body’s strength to get them to turn off. It’s completely understandable that sometimes they’re left to drip for a little longer than they should. It’s totally OK. I’d prefer if it didn’t happen, but I can (kind of) let it slide.

What I can’t understand is why the hell there’s so much garbage on North Quad all the time this year. Every weekend there’s an entire 30-rack of Black Label beer cans scattered around the Wisdom Tree. People dump piles of cigarette butts on the ground for reasons that I can’t even imagine. Seriously, how do you even manage that? And there are always some nasty food items and wrappers just chilling out all throughout

Curfew Laws Ignore U.S. Constitution Aaron Pressman Contributing Writer

With rates of violence involving teenagers on the rise, more and more U.S. cities have been proposing and implementing curfews, prohibiting minors from being on the streets during nighttime hours. I don’t know if local politicians have simultaneously lost their sense of logic and their trust in the United States Constitution, but these laws are some of the most ridiculous ones in the books.

The most recent curfew proposition occurred Monday, when a city council member in Oakland, CA, one of the most crime-ridden cities in America, suggested that Oakland jump on the bandwagon and join hundreds of other U.S. cities by implementing its own teenage curfew. The proposed curfew would bar minors from being in any public place from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and from being on the streets during school hours. The law would mean that minors could be hit with fines or even jail time just for being on the streets or in businesses at a prohibited hour.

Current curfews in other cities are very similar, with each city holding slightly different laws regarding the prohibited hours and the maximum punishments.

Each curfew does, however, have a few characteristics in common in all cities: They are ineffective, unconstitutional and they create unnecessary profiling.

Although banning teenagers from roaming the streets at night would reduce crime in theory, the laws overlook a lot of societal complexities. In general, teens intending to commit crime do not have any problem breaking the curfew as well. The parents of these children are not effectively regulating their children’s behavior and no curfew law is going to stop them. The people the curfew laws keep off the streets are innocent teenagers who would otherwise be engaging in perfectly legal activity. These teenagers and their parents have a respect for law and society, and therefore are going to be the ones who obey the curfew regulations. Taking the good children off the streets and leaving the mischievous ones does nothing to lower the crime rates.

Further, many children do not have a safe place to stay at night. This is particularly prevalent in lower-income cities, where many children deal with abusive or uninvolved parents. With these curfew

laws, these children can face legal repercussions for trying to escape their unsafe homes.

The curfew laws also lead to a very poor use of police resources. The curfew laws are most necessary in cities with the highest crime rates, which are often also the cities which need productive use of police resources the most. Each minute an officer spends busting a 17-year-old for walking to the drugstore to get medicine for his sick grandparents is an extra minute for a mugger to get away.

Furthermore, these laws are unconstitutional and go against the basic principles of this nation. The First Amendment provides the right to peaceful assembly and the Fifth Amendment provides the right to due process of law, both of which are completely undermined by curfew laws. Curfews have historically been a dictatorial tactic used by oppressive regimes or a rare regulation in states in dire emergency — not something that is implemented each night in a country founded on freedom and liberty.

The law sets police up for further constitutional rights violations by allowing for profiling on account of age, race and many other factors. Police are not allowed to detain someone without reasonable suspicion of a crime being committed. However, by implemening curfew laws, police are allowed and encouraged to detain suspects merely on the basis that they think they are underage. This can be incredibly problematic, especially because most states do not require citizens to carry identification cards.

Police can further use this law to pick and choose suspicious-looking teenagers during curfew hours. This gives free reign for police departments to detain minorities and those who they think look “sketchy.”

It should be the responsibility of parents to tell their children when to be home — not the responsibility of the government. Parents know their children personally and can determine their maturity level when deciding whether or not to institute a curfew.

Freedom and security are not mutually exclusive. In fact, society functions best when they coexist. Government, it’s time to stop overstepping your bounds because you think it will make society safer. This is the land of the free. Start acting like it.

the week. Why? Why can’t we just pick our stuff up? Is it just laziness or do we actually not understand that garbage belongs in a garbage can? Because if the second one is the problem, I think I might have to transfer out of here.

My guess is that the cans and bottles are from underclassmen who don’t want to get caught drinking. This is understandable. But if you’re so worried about getting caught, then why are you drinking in a public space where pretty much everyone can see you? There’s absolutely no logic in that.

Go drink in your rooms, children. You’re doing it wrong.

I take a lot of pride in going to a school with such a gorgeous campus, so it baffles me when people are so willing to dump their crap all over the quad. We’re super privileged in the sense that we live in a funky little town that gives us plenty of green space to run around in being idiotic.

But, instead of being the fun and loveable

kind of idiot, lately we’ve been abusing that privilege by being the kind that ruins everything for everyone else. If you leave garbage all over, you’re damaging the environment.

If you’re leaving glass bottles all over, you’re probably damaging some Flying Horsecow’s feet. It really doesn’t take that much effort to throw the wrapper from your DeCafé bagel in the trash bin 30 feet away from you, or take that PBR can to the recycling bin in East. No one will know it was you.

Just ask any athlete that’s ever lived there.

I understand that we’re all busy and tired, but if you go here you probably want to be an instigator of change; this is something really small and easy that you can do to be a good person or to at least keep someone (i.e., me) from their next panic attack. It’s not that difficult. Bottom line: pick up your shit and keep North Quad — and every other part of this campus, for that matter — pretty.

OSCA: The Good, the Bad and the Gluten-Free Sean Para Columnist

This is my first semester eating in a co-op. I was quite miserable last year on a CDS meal plan and was overjoyed last spring when I got into my first choice co-op, Old Barrows. Now, twice a day, I saunter all the way across campus to enjoy a meal made by a peer instead of the detestable and questionable food I was forced to endure at that timeless bastion of mediocrity and flavorlessness, Stevenson Hall. OSCA is by and large a better system than Campus Dining Services.

Simply put, it provides better food for a large part of the campus at a lower price.

The time I invest each week, three hours cooking and an hour cleaning, is well worth it. However, now that I have been eating in Old Barrows for a month, I have noticed some flaws in the OSCA system, flaws that are not addressed and are shabbily explained when I bring them up, despite the importance of consensus in the OSCA manifesto.

The extensive bureaucracy and attachment to procedure is, in my analysis, the main institutional flaw in OSCA. Interim, it seems, is interminable. This is now the fourth week I have eaten at Old Barrows and we are still electing positions.

However, the real problem with interim is the lack of a regular schedule of cooking and crews (cleaning the co-op, for those of you not familiar with OSCA). Meals get canceled all the time due to this lack of regularity, a pretty big problem in an institution designed to feed people. Even having discussions/elections almost ev-

ery meal, we have yet to fill some major positions or discuss food policy. There must be some way to streamline this process and get the co-op fully functional more quickly. The election process itself is clunky, as first we discuss the position, then nominate candidates, have them make speeches, leave the room and then vote on them, even if there are exactly as many candidates as there are positions. Often, by the time a candidate is being voted on, half the people who came to the meal have already left. I have voiced my concerns on these issues, and in response been told that this is the best way to have everyone’s voice heard.

Is it? What is the merit of a process that ostensibly has everyone’s voice heard but in fact prevents co-ops from effectively fulfilling their main function? The current membership of Old Barrows did not choose to have this administrative system — it was passed down over time.

The predominance of vegetarian food is another concern I have with OSCA. I was told Old Barrows is meat-friendly and did sometimes serve meat, but I have yet to see any in the co-op. From what I have seen, 50–60 percent of the co-op is vegan or vegetarian, yet so are 100 percent of its meals. I have voiced my concerns about this as well, and in response I have been told it is the “lowest common denominator” to have vegetarian and vegan food. Yet, is this not an example of a significant part of the co-op simply not having its dining preferences attended to? Is this not ultimately a tyranny of the majority? I have talked to a lot of people who want meat

to be served, and yet none has been. Obviously, OSCA’s tight budget precludes having meat all the time, but it would be more representative of the preferences of the co-op membership to have meat sometimes, a fact that food buyers and much of the OSCA community choose to overlook.

I love OSCA. I am very happy to be a member of it. It is a far superior way to eat on campus than through Campus Dining Services. But this does not mean it is without flaw. An organization theoretically built around consensus should be more aware of the weight that history, convention and custom place on it. The way discussions work, the way meals are served and the entire structure of OSCA have evolved through generations. While consensus is espoused as the fount of all decisions in OSCA, no one wants to point out how much of the way things work is predetermined before new members join each year. This is not a bad thing, but it must not be overlooked. The bureaucracy of the organization should be streamlined to create a more efficient system. Most importantly, however, the limits of consensus on decision-making, the weight of precedent and the marginalization of the membership on issues of food policy and administrative structure must be brought to light. These flaws do not invalidate the organization by any means; it is simply that OSCA as a whole and its members as individuals should critically appraise its multitudinous facets rather than accepting them outright.

At Oberlin College, all obies needs to do to join an organization is write their name down and show up. However, there is quite a bit more effort and coordination involved in getting a job or even a volunteer position in the “real world”.

Because of this, it is crucial to establish a database on the careers of family members, friends, acquaintances and alumni. It is not enough to simply know names and occupations; it is essential to determine how your own skills can aid others and how another’s career can aid you; In other words, to land a job, it is crucial to know how to network.

The study of social networks is an important subfield of sociology. Through the tracing and analysis of two-person friendships called dyads, social scientists have uncovered trends, identified influential individuals and — to a certain extent predict — real-world events. It is relatively easy to befriend a person, but to maintain the connection requires work. The strength of interpersonal connections entirely depends on how much effort an individual puts into the relationship. If you do not regularly keep in touch with people, they will no longer be of assistance to you as you begin a job search.

“Referral networking is more about ‘farming’ than ‘hunting.’ It’s about cultivating relationships,” said Ivan Misner, who is considered the father of modern networking by CNN. This sentiment is prevalent among successful businessmen. The simplest way to be a good networker is to be a good friend. Bob Burg, author of five books on the science of networking, said, “The ones receiving tons of referrals and feeling truly happy about themselves continually put the other person’s needs ahead of their own.”

To network, it is important to get your name and portfolio out there. If there is a person you admire, send them an email about how you enjoy their work and include information about yourself. Even if they are not hiring, it is good to keep a dialogue going — they might even suggest you to another employer.

This tactic also goes beyond online interactions. To make connections, walk up and introduce yourself to people while at events and cocktail parties: Get comfortable meeting new people and making small talk. These are both necessary skills in order to succeed in the job market. Lastly, ask those around you if they know anyone in the field you are interested in. Be open about what career you’re pursuing. You never know — one of your friend’s parents might be involved in the same line of work.

?

Ask questions. You are not expected to know everything on day one.

It is far better to ask questions when you do not know something than to pretend you do and make potentially embarrassing errors.

Always offer to help. Nothing demonstrates your capability like lending a hand. This may lead you into another project at work, possibly with your superiors.

“H i” When you are new to an office, it is good to introduce yourself to people you see in the hallways, elevator and kitchen.

And try to remember everyone’s name. When you meet someone new, always say, “Nice to meet you, [Name],” to help you internalize the name.

CALENDAR

Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba Saturday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m.

Rev. Dr. Michael Oleksa gives a presentation in Wilder 101 focused on cultures and their effects. Oleksa will talk about how cultures influence the way we understand each other.

Masters of the ancient traditional lute, the ngoni, will be performing at the Cat in the Cream. The eight-piece group combines the feel of a rock band with gospel choruses.

Oberlin Orchestra: Raphael Jimenez, conductor Saturday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m.

The Oberlin Orchestra is performing at Finney Chapel with guest soloist Gregory Fulkerson violin, Professor and OC ’71.

Send thank-you cards. After an internship or summer job, send your boss a card thanking them for the opportunity.

It will help your employer to remember you, maybe when a job is opening up. Also, after a job interview, send your interviewer a quick email thanking them for their time.

Dress well. There is no reason not to look good. It connotes self-confidence and self-care.

Always have a project that is outside of your job. These side-vocational projects often become great passions.

Additionally, if you find yourself with a light load at work, ask around for other tasks.

Keep yourself busy.

Look people in the eye. Eye contact will demonstrate a level of self-confidence, and your coworkers will think you’re listening to them. Hopefully, you are.

When looking for a job, use LinkedIn to find the head of human resources at your desired company or organization.

Then try to find his or her personal email and send your résumé directly to him or her. Many HR heads are on Twitter and use this platform to find hires.

This Week Editor: Olivia Gericke Writer: James Kolbenzer Sources: CNN, Organization Science, Focused Issue: Management of Technology, The Go-Giver, Networking Battles to Run the World, New York Times

Communicating Across Cultures Friday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m.

Be nice. Does this need to be explained? Workplace relationships matter, and people prefer to work with an amiable, friendly person than an angry recluse.

Work sincerely, even when nobody is watching. The results will speak for themselves.

Also, you must come to terms with rejection, which is inevitable. You are not always the person for the job. This is not a personal insult (unless you are told otherwise). However, a person with an extensive, well-maintained network can overcome rejection quickly and begin work on the next project.

SWAP Membership Meeting Sunday, Sept. 29 at 2:30 p.m.

The Oberlin Book Co-op is hosting a meeting for to recruit new members, vote on bylaws and discuss ways how to improve the co-op.

ette tiqu E

Land a Job This Week

Jo b

Take yourself seriously. You are a real person with skills, an education and work ethic.

Even if you are clueless sometimes, there is nothing to be ashamed of.

Send clear emails. Always include a subject that sums up the content of the email. Don’t include any slang, and always capitalize the beginning of sentences. When sending job application emails, your subject line is the most important part, so make sure it is eye catching. You want to ensure your email gets opened!

Poetry Reading: Elton Glaser and Lynn Powell Sunday, Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m

Fragments of Life: African Art In and Out of Context Monday, Sept. 30 at 4:30 p.m.

A reading at FAVA by Elton Glaser, author of The Law of Falling Bodies and Translations from the Flesh, and Lynn Powell, author of two poetry books, Old & New Testaments and The Zones of Paradise.

The first of three talks in the African Art Series titled “Fragments, Pathways, and New Geographies,” will be held at the Allen Memorial Art Building, Classroom 1.

Film Screening: Mean Girls Thursday, Oct. 3 at 9:30 p.m.

Celebrate International Mean Girls Day by watching the amazing and forever-a-classic film at the Apollo Theatre. “On October 3, he asked me what day it was.”

Arts The Oberlin Review

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September 27, 2013

Trio Globo, Students Unite for Memorable Performance

Members of Jamey Haddad’s Performance and Improvisation Ensemble class focus intently on musical cues from Trio Globo. The Grammy award–winning group performed alongside Conservatory students, melding Middle Eastern influences with traditional classical and jazz stylings.

Rachel Grossman

Matthew Sprung It’s not every day that Conservatory students get to perform with Grammy award–winners. However, last Saturday was one of those special days. The Performance and Improvisation Ensemble class played alongside the internationally acclaimed jazz band Trio Globo for the first half of their show at the Cat in the Cream.

Commonly known as PI Ensembles, the student musicians were prepared for this performance by their coaches, Professor of Advanced Improvisation and Percussion Jamey Haddad and Associate Professor of Jazz Arranging Jay Ashby. Distinctions between students and international artists broke down into a ever-shifting synthesis of a variety of genres. In one song, Grammy-winning cellist Eugene Friesen smiled and counted off beats along with an Oberlin violinist as if they had played together for years.

Trio Globo consists of Friesen on cello, Glen Valez on per-

cussion and Howard Levy on piano and harmonica. Levy, also a Grammy-winner, is best known for being a founding member of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. The “Globo” in the band’s name is true to form, as their music stretches across multiple musical traditions and can only fall under the title of world music. Jazz and classical were most apparent, along with a heavy Middle Eastern influence and dashes of Carlos Santana. Emphatic Brazilian percussion created a base onto which each musician added their own unique sound, namely, a euphonic onslaught of solos from almost the entire 10-piece ensemble. No one in the packed house could keep their hips from swaying to the samba spell.

The walls of musical genre began to crumble from the get-go.

The brass section and upright bass, a standard jazz setup, jived with the historically classical string section in perfect unity. The most notable broken musical expectation was the harpist, who leaned in and plucked her instrument as if it were an upright bass.

America Libre Author Discusses Work, Cultural Stereotypes Logan Buckley Staff Writer “The origins of any political revolution parallel the beginnings of life on our planet. The amino acids and proteins lie inert in a volatile primordial brew until a random lightning strike suddenly brings them to life.” This foreboding quote, attributed to José Antonio Marcha, begins Raul Ramos y Sanchez’s debut novel America Libre, which was published in 2009 as the first volume of a trilogy. The sequels, House Divided and Pancho Land, followed in 2011 and 2012. It’s certainly indicative of what is to come: The novels tell the story of a Latino family in Los Angeles in a near-future United States where debates over immigration become

toxic and racism toward Latinos and Latinas leads to violent conflict. The author discussed his writing last Friday with community members and Oberlin students.

Ramos was born in Cuba before Fidel Castro came to power, grew up in Miami and eventually moved to the Midwest. He worked for many years in advertising, witnessing the ways in which Latinos and Latinas were oversimplified and grouped together as a monolithic group, despite the diversity of people covered by those umbrella terms. He described advertisers as “reaching for the lowest common denominator” in their attempts to market products to Latinos.

Eventually, Ramos decided that fiction was an avenue that would allow

him to depict the diversity and complexity of Latino culture in the United States. He expressed a firm belief in the ability of books to increase tolerance by humanizing the “other” and also described the unique situation in which Latinos in the U.S. find themselves. While the country’s history of tension over immigration goes back to its founding, Ramos described the position occupied by many Latinos as being immigrants who can say, “My ancestors once lived on this land.”

His fear is that building tensions, perhaps sparked by a local event — in the books, an innocent Latina bystander is shot — could result in an ethnic war over territory in the United States.

See Ramos’s, page 13

“It’s very personal; it’s about reaching down into your souls and finding this new language, however it fits for you,” Friesen explained. “That’s really what it’s all about: getting to play for people who dig what you play.”

It was truly admirable to witness the genuine collaboration between artists and students. Watching the musicians was a lesson in the skill of improvisation that transcended definitions, especially considering they had only practiced together two or three times before the performance.

During the changeover, as the students left the stage, the audience broke out of their mesmerized adulation when Friesen again addressed the room. “Playing with these amazingly talented students here at Oberlin has been a highlight of our 20 years together as a trio,” he said. “There’s only a few places in the world where the See Trio, page 13

Sinfonietta Creates Dreamscape Gabriel Kanengiser The Oberlin Sinfonietta, conducted by Timothy Weiss, gave its first performance of the year on Tuesday, Sept. 24, presenting a contemporary program with works by Stephen Hartke, Steven Stucky, Pierre Jalbert, OC ’89, and Richard Danielpour, OC ’78. The concert program painted a comforting dreamscape. Each work on the program was distinguished by its unique sonic qualities, yet together they inhabited a world that could only be accessed through these specific works.

The first piece of the evening, Gradus, was composed in 1999 and was as comforting as it was ominous. The arrangement for bass clarinet, violin, cello, bass, vibraphone and piano created a rich and dense sound. While the thickness

of the deep tones made for some overwhelming moments, the overall effect was never negative. In fact, these moments intrigued, and their gravity captured the listener.

The piece Partita-Pastorale, After JSB by Steven Stucky was described by the composer as “a kind of daydream about Bach.” It was as if transcribed Bach melodies had been recalled and interrupted by brief tangential daydreams veering from the subject at hand, yet never quite leaving. Stucky continued, “the interruptions are themselves remembered keyboard bits by Bach,” and thus, the daydream never departed from Bach, as differing textures of memory presented his work to the audience.

A particularly exciting aspect of See Alumni, page 11

The Oberlin Review, September 27, 2013

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Eerie Experiments: Kevin Drumm Returns Dessane Cassell

Experimental musician Kevin Drumm returned to Oberlin this past Saturday at Fairchild Chapel for his second show since he visited in April of 2011. Sponsored by the Conservatory’s Modern Music Guild, the Chicago-based musician played a brief candlelit set of freeform improvisation that was both jarring and strangely meditative.

The evening opened with a performance by a group of students including Conservatory junior Noah Chevan, College senior Regina Larre Campuzano and double-degree senior Devin Frenze, who began the night with their own improvisation session, set against the backdrop of a triptych of projections. Illuminated by shifting images of black and white static, the trio incorporated looping rinse cycleesque sounds alongside Larre Campuzano’s drifting vocals and increasingly fractal, aggressive noises. As the volume and frequency of sound increased, so too did the density of the projections, enveloping the performers in a wash of light and shadow that set an appropriately eerie tone for the performance to come.

Emerging from the back of the chapel with a sly grin, Kevin Drumm strode through the rows of pews to take his place amid his equipment in the ambulatory. Framed by candelabras on either side and the constant glow of the Apple logo on his laptop, Drumm appeared almost holy — the lone standing figure in the dark chapel, bathed in warm light.

His expression remained stoic as the first strains of ghostly, ambient sounds began to emanate through Fairchild’s stone interior. Ambulance sirens and instances of wavering static drifted through the chapel, bouncing and echoing before fading out again.

A veteran of Chicago’s experimental music scene, Drumm got his start in the early ’90s, quickly becoming one of the world’s most eminent prepared guitar players. His work has since expanded from the scant and quiet sounds of his early recordings to the louder, denser feel of his most recent works.

Drawing upon influences like Iron Maiden, Heavy Load and the New Blockaders, Drumm’s particular brand of improvisation can best be described as a blend of drone metal, noise music and musique concrète — a form of electro-

acoustic music that derives its sound from electronic synthesizers or sounds recorded from nature. Unrestricted by rules of melody, harmony or metre, Drumm’s style presents an approach that is informed by its own sense of rhythm and pace.

While his performance was brief — lasting just under 10 minutes — its intensity carried the weight of what one would expect from a much longer performance. The wispy sounds at the performance’s beginning coalesced into more forceful noises, recalling images of machinery run amok.

While some members of the audience appeared to slip into a trancelike state, a few others quickly filed out of the room as the music’s intensity grew, indicating that Drumm’s hybrid noises were not for everyone. Unfazed, Drumm continued his experimentation as though in a trance of his own.

Even after the performance’s abrupt ending, many remained in their seats, as though they had not quite re-emerged into reality. And with only a muffled “Thanks” and another sly smile, Drumm slipped out, while members of the audience remained transfixed, rooted to their seats.

Angel Olsen, Pillars and Tongues Put the Indie in Indie Folk Daniel Hautzinger Staff Writer With self-styled “indie folk” bands like Mumford & Sons, the Lumineers and the Head and the Heart attaining wild success, it was only a matter of time before more underground musicians began to enter a similar realm with a truer indie sensibility. Last Monday in Fairchild Chapel, Angel Olsen and the opener Pillars and Tongues took different paths to circumvent the campfire chorus cliché and demonstrate more accurately how indie folk can sound.

Pillars and Tongues, a trio from Chicago, tapped into the underground by muddying up their songs with an experimental vibe.

Over violin drones played by Elizabeth Remis, the three members’ voices floated in a tightly interlocking mesh.

Forgoing the simple harmonizing of a Mumford & Sons song, each singer instead bracketed their own melodies within the others’ chants, forming a fabric that rolled upon waves of surging chords from singer

her lark-like vocals. Bare melodies became beautiful with Olsen’s voice as their vehicle. Tinged with a very slight twang, her verses were handled with exquisite control and subtly varied through emotional inflections. Rather than approach a note head-on, Olsen would instead dip below and swoop up to the pitch before, then tumble the held note through her crystalline vibrato. The intricacies of her vocals recalled a hawk in flight, diving, circling, soaring and occasionally emitting a flinty cry.

It’s no surprise, then, Angel Olsen (left) performs at Fairchild Chapel. Olsen set herself apart from a host of indie-folk that the highlight of the set imitators by enveloping her group’s tight harmonies in drones and synth loops.

Rachel Grossman was the three songs Olsen played without her band.

Mark Trecka’s harmonium. It mostly ends up pleasant into the expansive night.

In the intimate, darkened Ben Babbitt’s bass lines and amorphous, with each One was reminiscent of a Fairchild Chapel, it was and occasional drumming song fairly indistinguish- cover of a ’50s pop standard. possible to succumb to her pulsed underneath this able from the next.

Subtle touches, like a bolero hypnotic guitar and luxurishifting music, which at Angel Olsen followed an rhythm and dissonant sus- ate in the gentle caresses of one point unraveled into a opposite course by letting pended notes snuck into her voice. The show ended New Age-y soundscape full her clear voice take center chords, added variety to the in pleasurable, unthinking of drones, drum machine, stage in simple tunes con- instrumentals, which con- contentment. synth loops and wordless sisting of only two or three sisted of Olsen on guitar acFairchild Chapel was an vocalizations. chords. Many of her songs companied by a bassist and excellent venue for both This is aspirational were imbued with rootsy drummer, who later left to acts. Pillars and Tongues’s music that desperately at- Americana and felt time- allow Olsen to end her set drones called to mind Gretempts to achieve transcen- less, as though they were solo. gorian chant, which felt apdence through ungrounded issuing from the window of But what really marked propriate in such a space, songs and striving vocals. a white-paneled farmhouse Olsen’s performance were while their passionately

harmonized vocals expanded to fill the chapel, which has the perfect acoustics for choral music. Their songs became devotional hymns in the semi-dark, with religious inconography illuminated in the windows above them.

Olsen was able to project her voice effortlessly through the small space, and the echo from the stone walls gave an extra lift to her focused vocals. And who doesn’t want to see a solo set in which the lone musician is only feet from you, elevated by two or three small steps?

Though they abandon the catchy inclusiveness of their more popular brethren, Pillars and Tongues’s and Angel Olsen’s brands of indie folk take the genre and turn it on its head.

Whether that is through experimentation and soundscapes or stripping the music to its basics to showcase a beguiling voice, it is firmly grounded in an indie ethos.

A quiet rebuke to the boisterous Lumineers and others, Angel Olsen and Pillars and Tongues are reclaiming the indie in indie folk.

Alumni Compositions Featured in First Sinfonietta Concert Continued from page 10 the Sinfonietta performance was the presence of composer Jalbert, whose piece Transcendental Windows depicts Tiffany windows seen from different angles. The product of the musical interpretation was, like many other works on the program, exquisitely moving. An especially striking attribute was the emotion encapsulated by Leo Ziporyn, who played both English horn and oboe on this specific piece. The sonic qualities of the English horn, as well as the sounds of the other musicians, floated out onto the audience and painted the stained blend of vibrant colors and dreamscape Jalbert cre-

ated. At the conclusion of the piece, Jalbert took to the stage and received much-deserved applause from both the audience and the performers.

The program before intermission focused on pieces that evoked dream-like imagery. Richard Danielpour’s adaptation of Rainer Maria Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus, Book 1 featured Assistant Professor of Singing Kendra Colton, OC ’83, and also presented the sonic qualities of a dream. Danielpour, OC ‘78, presented a slightly more romantic composition, especially in comparison to the others pieces. Colton’s round and gleaming voice soared within and throughout the ensemble, and the piece itself also had a

worldly depth, rich language and polished lyrical melodies, which the instrumentalists and Colton explored to the delight of the audience.

One can only be excited to see where the Oberlin Sinfonietta will venture in future concerts this semester. To see such a delightful program featuring the music of Oberlin alumni, and all from contemporary composers, is an experience to be relished.

The Oberlin Sinfonietta’s next performance will take place on Nov. 7 in Warner Concert Hall, with a program featuring Franz Schreker’s Chamber Symphony, as well as Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, arranged by Julian Yu.

Conductor Timothy Weiss leads the Sinfonietta in Warner Concert Hall on Tuesday night. The program featured two pieces by Oberlin alumni.

Rachel Grossman

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The Oberlin Review, September 27, 2013

1

3 Art Rental: Fall 2013

2 4

1. Students wait in line to enter the museum early on Saturday morning. The most dedicated participants began camping out around noon the previous day.

2. College senior Theo Carney hangs a Japanese woodblock print on his dorm room wall. The Allen Memorial Art Museum boasts more than 1,700 such prints, as well as paintings, decorative arts and carpets from Japan, China and Korea, in its Asian collection.

3. A student shows off her recent acquisition to those waiting in line. Students have been expressing joy at their hard-earned finds — or frustration at missing out on their favorite pieces — since 1940.

4. While larger works are often hot-ticket items, smaller pieces arguably make for easier transport. This semester, works by Calder, Chagall and Dalí were snapped up first.

5. College sophomore Ben Stock peruses the museum’s available works and makes his selection. The collection has expanded to over 300 pieces since Professor Ellen H. Johnson began the program.

Photos by Simeon Deutsch (1, 3), Rachel Grossman (2) and courtesy of Mika Johnson (4, 5)

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The Oberlin Review, September 27, 2013

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International Blues Express Joins Creole, Malian Traditions at Cat Show Anne Pride-Wilt “This is my first job as a translator,” Cedric Watson told the crowd in a quiet moment during his performance at the Cat in the Cream last Friday, which was one of his first collaborations with Sidi Touré as International Blues Express. Touré, a Malian singer-songwriter, admitted early in the show that his English was shaky, and afterward spoke to the audience exclusively in French, leaving the Texas-born Watson to translate.

According to French speakers in the audience, Watson’s transla-

tions were haphazard and general, as acknowledged by the inexperienced translator, who often mangled Touré’s elegant phrasing or missed his gist entirely. Fortunately, however, the musical translation — between Watson’s Creole-style fiddling and Touré’s traditional Malian “Songhai blues” — was perfectly smooth, resulting in a cross-cultural blend of radically different sounds that somehow worked completely naturally.

Touré, born in Bamako, Mali in 1959 and dressed in jewel-toned clothing, presented a stark contrast to the much

have been shaky, his throaty, evocative vocals were anything but, and his mastery of the fiddle was apparent in technique that belied his casual appearance. Watson’s otherwise stiff stage demeanor disintegrated while he was playing, especially in the moments in which the group was clearly just jamming Performing as International Blues Express, Sidi Touré (third from left), Cedric Watson (second and having a good time. As for from left) and their band sang Songhai blues, a traditional Malian style that calls to mind both Touré, his reedy warble perfectly African melodies and music of the deep South.

Effie Kline-Salamon complemented the style of his younger and American Watson, parate appearances of Watson cal lead, providing most of the guitar playing, which, while less outfitted in jeans and flannel, and Touré’s bandmates, a Loui- vocals and the banter between of a centerpiece than Watson’s complete with a fleur-de-lis on sianan percussionist in cowboy songs, although Watson’s talent- fiddle, was quietly competent his belt buckle. Their differences boots, and another Malian in- ed fiddle work was a constant and effective. The remaining were underscored by the dis- strumentalist with a dress style presence throughout the set. two members of the band were similar to Touré. The Touré-led songs were char- likewise excellent, fitting effortAs such, Interna- acterized by messages of peace lessly into the fun, cheerful attional Blues Ex- and unity delivered in French, mosphere cultivated by Touré. press appeared focusing particularly on the The bluesy common ground to be split evenly political turmoil occurring in that both traditional Creole and between Mali Touré’s native Mali. For the sec- Malian music have allows them and the Deep ond half of the show, however, to be combined in interesting South. the creative influence was more ways to create a genre richer In spite of balanced between the two pri- than either of its already satisfyTouré and Wat- mary performers. A high point ing components. International son’s cultural was Watson’s soulful rendition Blues Express exists in this perdifferences, In- of “Pa Janvier,” a traditional Cre- fect blending and is simultaneternational Blues ole folksong, which dazzled the ously more accessible and more Express’s sound enthusiastic Cat audience. Wat- complex for it. Nothing can be seems to have son led in both voice and violin, lost in translation because the been conceived which represented a significant translation is part of the beauty. with a slight em- departure from the preceding Just like the unconventional phasis on the music. Overall, both the Creole friendship between Watson and African side of its blues and the Malian sound Touré, the Mali-Louisiana marbackground. For were strongly represented in riage is far from obvious, but the first half of the musical selections for the when dealing with talent like the show, Touré evening. the International Blues Express, took the musiWhile Watson’s French may unorthodoxy becomes a virtue.

Trio Globo Breaks Musical Walls Continued from page 10 walls in music are coming down like this, and it’s very unique, so thank you.”

After that, the audience got to witness the otherworldly musical connection Trio Globo has built over the past 20 years together. At one point, all three musicians had their heads down, not acknowledging each other visually but seeming to feel each other’s next move. Valez showed his mastery on the drums in a ravenous solo that made a mockery of what the audience thought they knew about tambourines and wrist muscles. His fingertips exploded with force, making the tambourine sound like a full drum set and mimicking the hiss of a rattlesnake’s tail.

Howard Levy then showed Oberlin its mistake in not accepting him as a student back in 1969 when he played harmonica and piano simultaneously. After making a few jokes, he stood alone on stage and played a harrowingly beautiful rendition of “Amazing Grace” on his harmonica, stomping his boots to the beat. The potent vibrations rang so forcefully that it was difficult to keep one’s eyes open as the warmth of the music resonated in the cavities of one’s bones and soul.

At the conclusion of their set, the members of Trio Globo invited their Oberlin collaborators onstage, ending the night with deserved applause and a final embrace.

Ramos’s Talk Addresses Stereotypes Continued from page 10 Ramos’s aim with the trilogy was to “create a negative future in [the] hopes that [it] never happens in reality,” citing as a model dystopian novels like George Orwell’s 1984.

Throughout the talk, Ramos emphasized the diversity of those people grouped together by the terms “Hispanic” or “Latino” — people with different skin colors, countries of origin, native languages and more. In creating the characters in his books, Ramos strove to present characters that reflected the reality of life for contemporary Latinos and Latinas without being limited by stereotypes. Describing his approach to writing, Ramos said, “Anyone who chooses to write or communicate has to avoid the easy, the facile stereotype.”

The problem he and others are up against is illustrated by the story of a shortlived proposal to turn America Libre into a movie. Though producers liked the general idea, they immediately began proposing changes to the characters and plot in order to bring them in line with mainstream

ideas of what Latinos and Latinas should or should not be — the main character must be single, for example, and there cannot be a blonde Latina character. The movie, said Ramos, “was headed to stereotype city,” so he pulled the plug, trusting the books to speak for themselves.

Following Ramos’s talk, he answered questions from the audience on topics such as media coverage of issues affecting Latinos today and the importance of seeing people as individuals to counteract racism and prejudice. Discussions of events such as the recent shooting of a teenager in the Mexican city of Nogales by the U.S. Border Patrol and the lack of media coverage such events tend to receive cast further light on the fears that Ramos depicts in his books.

Some questions raised by members of the audience remained unresolved, however. Several students asked Ramos about the viability of fighting racism and prejudice on an individual level rather than treating them as systemic and institutional problems, but no definitive conclusions were reached.

Sports

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The Oberlin Review, September 27, 2013

IN THE LOCKER ROOM

Soren Zeliger and Ian Paik

This week the Review sat down with men’s tennis players junior captain Soren Zeliger and first-year Ian Paik to discuss expectations for the upcoming year and how Head Coach Eric Ishida is adjusting in his second year with the team.

compete on our own.

Do you have a better backhand or forehand?

SZ: It’s kind of day-to-day. Historically, my backhand has been more solid, but as of late my forehand has been a little more of a weapon.

IP: My forehand is more effective, but my backhand looks a lot better.

What do you expect from the tennis team this season?

Soren Zeliger: Definitely a better finish than last year. That’s the most concrete goal that we can set. Also a better record, since our team is improved already. It’s hard to have expectations, though, since a lot of things are changing. We have six first-years on the team, and [senior] Charlie Marks and I are the only upperclassmen on the team.

Ian Paik: Everything is kind of new, so I don’t have many expectations. I do want to be in the top half of our conference, at least.

What does having six first-years mean for the team?

SZ: It means we run sprints on the regular. That sets the tone early for a very new team.

IP: [Head Coach] Eric [Ishida] always emphasizes that we don’t have any tradition. A couple years ago, they didn’t win a single match.

He says that anything we do starts a new tradition.

Tennis is a very individualistic sport, but you guys compete as a

What makes tennis unique?

SZ: You have to do a lot of different things in tennis. You have to run, hit a moving object and think how your ball is affecting your opponent and how their ball is affecting you.

IP: If you go to a tennis match and you watch someone who you know outside of tennis for the first time, you’ll see their demeanor completely change. Tennis athletes are a little crazy.

Soren Zeliger (top) and Ian Paik, men’s tennis players team. How do you feel about that dynamic?

SZ: College tennis is very teamoriented. If you come to one of our matches, we’ll be getting loud and yelling across the courts. It’s really nice to have high energy out there.

Aside from the on-court stuff, we eat together, and we’re all very close, so even though we play an individual sport, it’s still a very tightly knit team.

IP: It’s still a team atmosphere even though we go out there and

How are things different now that Head Coach Eric Ishida is in his second year with the team?

SZ: I think he’s a little more comfortable with changing things. He knows how things are here, and he’s better able to make changes to the way we practice and also to the culture around the team. He’s the best tennis coach I’ve ever had, and outside of that he’s a great dude.

What is it like being a first-year tennis player?

IP: We almost make up the majority of the team, so I don’t see myself as a first-year amongst the team. It’s just: I’m on the team, and so are all of these other people.

What professional tennis players do you try to emulate?

SZ: Andy Murray is my boy. I get compared to him just because we’re both tall, white and have curly hair.

I think I actually play like him a little bit.

IP: My favorite player is [Gael] Monfils. He’s on the Professional Circuit. He’s just a goofball out there and is a crowd pleaser. You can tell he’s having a good time.

Do you have any pre-match rituals?

SZ: Not yet. Do you have any ideas for us? The team is looking for suggestions.

IP: PBYP [Poop before you play].

If you could play one sport other than tennis, what would it be?

SZ: It’d be awesome to be really good at football and be a really great wide receiver.

IP: Soccer.

Interview by Nate Levinson, Sports editor Photo by Yvette Chen, Photo editor

Horsecows Prepare for Kenyon Tyler Sloan Men’s Ultimate Frisbee had a successful start to its season with its two squads finishing in ninth and 15th place out of 28 teams at the Theodor Seuss Geisel Memorial Ultimate Tournament hosted by SUNY Buffalo’s team, Green Eggs and Ham, last weekend.

The young squad, divided into two separate teams for the weekend, carried over 20 first-years with them. The roster now has more than 40 players in total. The tournament, the team’s first this fall, hosted 28 teams to compete on the chilly campus in upstate Youngstown, NY. The student-coached club team drove nearly four hours and spent the weekend trying new combinations of players on the field in an attempt to achieve the best results. Senior captain Alex “Bubbles” Kapiamba led the way for the Oberlin Flying Horsecows, acting as both player and coach.

The Takoma Park, MD, native serves as either the handler or cutter, changing positions as he sees fit.

“I’ve been trying to push [the team] to master the basics, but it’s been easy because the freshmen

have lots of experience,” said Kapiamba. With seven players on the field at a time, the Horsecows have updated their starting lineup to include four first-year starters. Kapiamba has been impressed with the skillset of the incoming class and believes that with the new talent, the Flying Horsecows have a real chance at success this year.

First-year Henry Weissberg, a Brooklyn native, looks forward to contributing to the team. He has been playing Ultimate since his freshman year in high school and is one of many in the class of 2017 that will take the field this fall.

“In practice, I feel like a lot of what we have done is stuff that I have done before, but I am still learning a lot of new things. I’m looking forward to [the season],” he said. Weissberg believes that after the other first-years with less experience catch up on the basics, the Horsecows will excel at upcoming tournaments.

Ultimate does not have a regular league because it is still considered a club sport, but the team will be competing at a number of competitive tournaments

throughout the fall. According to Kapiamba, the team’s biggest rival is Kenyon College. The Horsecows will meet SERF, Kenyon College’s team, at Ohio State University on Oct. 19 during their next tournament.

“Kenyon is always our biggest game,” said Kapiamba. “We are working hard to prepare for it.”

Though Kapiamba is happy to take on the dual role of player and coach, the team is looking to bring a separate coach in with its budget in the spring. As one of the largest club teams on campus, Ultimate receives a budget of approximately $15,000 a year. A lot of this money is allocated toward renting vans and staying in hotel rooms during tournaments, but the team has tried to save as much as possible to afford a hired coach. This is still in the works, Kapiamba says, and the team still needs to discuss the distribution of funds.

For now, Ultimate will continue to train for upcoming events under the watch of its captains. The Flying Horsecows will play during halftime of the Yeomen football game on Oct. 19 to promote the squad.

The Oberlin Review, September 27, 2013

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With New Members, Cyclists Anticipate Strong Season Editorial: Female Athletes Use Drugs, Too Continued from page 16 steroid use, for example, causes its recipient to produce more testosterone and to develop masculine features. Facial hair growth and quickly broadening shoulders are much more easily detectable, not to mention more stigmatized, in women than in men.

With the rising prevalence of drugs other than steroids — drugs which do not cause their users to bulk up so obviously — one would expect women to be just as implicated as men.

Is it possible that women are simply more ethical than men?

Do women have more boundaries when it comes to competition? This seems unlikely. As a female athlete with a natural affinity for competition, I well understand the pressures of competition and the want for any sort of edge.

The case of Marion Jones’s fall from fame is rather illustrative. Jones was the first

Junior Adrian Bennett focuses on a race. The Oberlin cycling team is back in action and is preparing for more competition and a larger roster this year.

Courtesy of Adrian Bennett

Ellie Huizenga Oberlin streets are littered with a diverse array of cyclists, ranging from little kids on training wheels to students biking to class to the Oberlin cycling team. The team, founded in the fall of 2010, spends hours biking the roads of Oberlin, and members enjoy the chance to see the many different areas of northeast Ohio on rides with the team. Junior Max Haight noted that he initially joined the team for the chance “to explore the surrounding Oberlin area in order to gain perspective on our geography.” Haight’s devotion to the team has developed since then, and now he competes in races as well.

The cycling team races in the Midwest Collegiate Cycling Conference with other schools in the Ohio area. There are no Division I, II, or III designations in cycling competitions, so all schools race together. But as junior Adrian Bennett described, “There are different categories which get more and more difficult and reflect riders’ experience and prowess, so the first times you race you won’t be thrown into the mix with a bunch of seasoned hardcore racers — you’ll be in the company of fellow beginners.”

Cycling, like other sports, requires more than just physical exertion. “Bicycle racing, despite being a rewarding pursuit, does involve suffering, both physical and mental. Even so, minutes after each race or challenging ride I find myself dreaming of the next one,” Bennett said.

While the team rides together three times a week, not all members are there for the same reason.

Some are involved so that they can ride often and stay in shape, while others want to push themselves with a structured training plan so

that they can compete in conference races in the spring.

Bennett is looking forward to starting a new season with more competitive racers. Last year only two members of the team traveled to races, but this year looks more promising.

“I am hoping to guide a new, larger group of riders into their first racing season this spring,” he said. One new member of the team is first-year Scott Russell, who commented on the friendly nature of the team.

“The goal is not to go out and win every race and crush the competition, but to have fun and see improvement in your own ability,” he said. Russell has been an avid cyclist for many years and knows the cycling team will provide an excellent opportunity to show off his ability as a cyclist.

Another first-year on the team, Claire Appelmans, is equally excited to see what role she will get to play as the season progress.

“I thought the perfect outlet to learn about and use my bike would be to find a cycling team at Oberlin,” she said, talking about why she joined the team. Appelmans was on the cross country team in high school and understands the euphoria and anticipation that can come before any race. She noted that she was particularly interested in seeing how the “competition plays out and how cyclists treat each other on race day.”

Looking back at prior cycling seasons, Haight commented, “During racing season, we live, eat and sleep bikes. Everything is focused toward getting better. It’s an addiction.” That addiction will continue for the Oberlin cycling team this season, and, led by Bennett and Haight, the team will have more members compete in races than ever before.

woman to win five medals at a single Olympics and was regarded as the fastest woman on earth. Yet seven years later she was stripped of her medals and charged with perjury once she finally admitted to drug use. The derailment of Jones’s career is tragic, as is any discovery that a revered athlete cheated his or her way to fame.

But the case of Marion Jones, is, I think, all the more tragic because she is a woman.

It took much longer for women to be regarded as stellar athletes. Young girls, and even college athletes to a certain extent, still constantly have to affirm their athleticism to their male counterparts. Figures like Marion Jones, women who are unequivocally strong and athletic, help girls and women prove to others, and to themselves, that they can be regarded as true athletes. The discovery that Jones used drugs called this into question. When Barry Bonds was exposed for

steroid use he was perceived as a cheat, but his drug use didn’t call into question the athleticism of drug-free men. Jones’s drug use called into question the athleticism of women as a whole. The discovery that Marion Jones, the fastest woman on earth, could not have achieved her superhuman speed without the increased production of male hormones undermines the very idea that women and girls can be athletic.

So maybe the reason more professional female athletes do not take advantage of performance-enhancing drugs is because they recognize this pitfall. Or perhaps this concept is just the reason we don’t hear about women and drugs more often. The discovery of drug use in athletes we revere is disappointing, but to me, it is all the more disappointing when that athlete is a role model for amateur female athletes who desperately need one.

Sports The Oberlin Review

Page 16

September 27, 2013

— Field Hockey —

Yeowomen Secure First Conference Win Sarah Orbuch Staff Writer

Rose Stoloff Sports Editor

the effort against DePauw. I am even more excited about the overall progress with the program. This is the first of many wins for the field hockey team.”

The Yeowomen look to continue their winning streak this weekend when they travel to The College of Wooster on Saturday and Kenyon College on Sunday. “These teams are definitely going to be tough,” said Swift, “but I think our performances this past weekend made statements to the rest of the conference. We will

definitely have to play hard, but I think we can finish those games strong.”

Helsel agreed. “I think we are going to play well these next two weekends and continue to show the conference that Oberlin field hockey is a force to be reckoned with.”

The Yeowomen currently sit at 2–5 overall and 1–3 in conference. They return home for Homecoming Weekend on Friday, Oct. 4. The opening touch is set for 4 p.m. against Denison University.

— Tennis —

Tennis Fall Season Ends on a High Note Sarah Kahl

The men’s tennis team hosted four regional opponents this weekend at its annual invitational event. After opening their season last weekend with an invitational at Kenyon, the Yeomen played on their home courts for the first time this fall.

On Saturday, rookies Ian Paik, Jeremy Lichtmacher, Abraham Davis, Lucas Brown and Paul Farah all picked up singles wins. Returning sophomores Parker Oka-Wong, Brandon McKenna and Callan Louis each earned victories as well.

In doubles action, the duo of Callan Louis and Farah continued their impressive run. After going 3–0 at Kenyon, they registered two more wins over the weekend with victories over Baldwin Wallace University and Allegheny College, each by the score of 8–6. Other doubles winners included the duo of Davis and Paik, who dispatched their Case Western University opponents by a score of 8–2.

“Last year there was a different feel, almost like a slight expectation to lose.

This year we have a more winning attitude,” said junior captain Soren Zeliger.

On Sunday, the success continued with Paik, Zeliger, McKenna and Brown, all of whom picked up singles wins. Zeliger, after disappointing three-set defeats on Saturday, impressively picked it back up with the score of 6–2, 6–1. In doubles action, the duo of Gilbert and Brown picked up a win over Baldwin Wallace University by an 8–3 margin.

“It’s almost like we’re a new team,” said Zeliger. “It’s honestly exactly what Oberlin’s tennis needs. In the past, we didn’t have the best reputation or anything, but now we can start fresh. And we’re already beginning to see that in the results.”

The Yeomen will continue their play next Sunday with a home match against Findlay University at 12 p.m., while the Yeowomen will finish their fall season on Saturday, Oct. 5 when they host Carnegie Mellon University at 11 a.m. as part of Homecoming Weekend.

See Editorial, page 15

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The men’s and women’s tennis teams both showed tremendous promise at each of their matches last weekend. The men hosted their annual invitational, while the women traveled to Greencastle, IN, where they competed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Central Region Championships.

On the women’s side, senior Brenna Sheldon headlined the team’s effort at the three-day event, advancing all the way to the semifinals of the ITA Central Region Championships. “It was actually a really fun match,” exclaimed Sheldon. “We played really well and got to see what we were individually capable of, while having the support from our team.”

Seeded 10th in the 128-person field, Sheldon made it to the tournament’s final four after defeating Denison University’s Kelsey Geppner 6–2, 6–1 on Sunday morning. Sheldon then battled the region’s top-ranked player, Megan

Tang of the University of Chicago but fell short to the tournament’s top seed by a 6–3, 6–1 scoreline.

“It was also great seeing everyone play at this tournament. We got to do so because of our high ranking from last year,” said sophomore Alexandra Kahn. “It’s also nice spending a lot of time with the team so early. The firstyears honestly fit right in.”

After dropping her first match in the main draw, junior Grace Porter ended up making it all the way to the semifinals in the consolation draw before falling to the No. 1 player, Taylor Diffey of Kenyon College.

In doubles play, the No. 1 duo, Sheldon and Porter, advanced to round 16 in the main draw before being upended by a pairing from DePauw University.

“Doubles is something I’m really looking forward to improving in,” said Sheldon. “With a great team dynamic, we can just go so far and have so much fun, especially once we learn how to work with each other.”

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save against the Quakers and earned her second shutout of the season.

“I think this weekend showed huge improvement from last weekend,” said sophomore midfielder Taylor Swift. “We are all finally working together as a team. Our passes came together, and we finished all of our shots in the shooting circle.”

Athletics Director Natalie Winklefoos was excited about the Yeowomen’s performance this past weekend. “I am very pleased with the win and

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In the first 10 minutes of play in the second half, firstyear Jennifer Krakower scored her first collegiate goal. With less than a minute left on the clock, Helsel passed the ball to first-year Claire Miller, who managed to put the ball in the net just moments before the buzzer sounded.

Junior goalkeeper Carmen Azevedo had a fantastic weekend as well. Against the Tigers, she finished with an impressive 13 saves. Her dominance continued into Sunday, when she only had to make one

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Sophomore Dyaami D’Orazio dribbles through the midfield. Field Hockey put up a tough fight against nationally ranked DePauw University on Saturday and achieved its first NCAC victory on Sunday.

Yvette Chen

The prevalence of performance-enhancing drugs among professional athletes has been well documented. Slews of baseball players, including the infamous Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Jose Canseco, have captured media attention for months on end for their illicit use of steroids. Track stars Tyson Gay and Ben Johnson were stripped of their Olympic medals following allegations of performance-enhancing drug use. And, most recently, cyclist Lance Armstrong is being sued left and right after he was disgraced for blood doping.

But there is one large contingent of athletes that is curiously missing from these scandals: women.

However, female athletes are not immune from turning to drugs to make themselves more competitive. Track stars Regina Jacobs, Kelli White and, most famously, Marion Jones, were all clients of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, which sold performance-enhancing drugs to scores of athletes.

Both the Chinese and East German women’s swim teams tarnished their records after they were complicit in performanceenhancing drug scandals.

Yet, with the one exception of Marion Jones, there has not been a female athlete with a drug scandal to match the high profile of the likes of Barry Bonds or Lance Armstrong. Performance-enhancing drug use seems to be simply more common among men than it is among women.

One reason for this may be practicality. Anabolic

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The Yeowomen had a dominant showing in their double-header home opener this past weekend. After beginning their season with five tough games on the road, playing at home provided a much needed change of pace.

Despite a narrow loss against the nationally ranked DePauw University Tigers on Saturday, the Yeowomen handily outdid the Earlham College Quakers 3–0 the following day.

On Saturday, the Yeowomen’s defensive unit held the Tigers to an impressive final score of 1–2, even though the Tigers’ offense averaged 3.61 goals per game last season. In her season debut, junior Claire Yeske returned to the field with force, scoring the lone goal for the Yeowomen.

“We knew this was a mustwin game for us,” said junior forward Jodi Helsel on the game against the Quakers.

“We played really well on Saturday, which motivated us to work harder and get the desired result on Sunday.”

The Quakers were unable to penetrate Oberlin’s defense, making the Yeowomen’s first conference victory a 3–0 shutout. Oberlin dominated offensively as well, racking up 12 shots on goal.

The first half remained 0–0 until first-year Maureen Coffey found junior Elizabeth Raskin in front of the net with two minutes left. One point ahead of the Quakers, the Yeowomen were able to continue their strong play in the second half.

Women’s Drug Use Ignored