On Jan. 18, College first-year Helen Hastings was killed in Texas in a gun accident. Hastings' friends — many of whom were first-years themselves — were left to cope with their loss entirely on their own, working to keep up with schoolwork while processing the tragedy.  "The school did nothing...

I remember flying into Cleveland from Mumbai two years ago, excited at how drastically my life was about to change and how lucky I was to be able to live my dreams. Three months into my stay at Oberlin, as my giddy excitement began to wane, I realized that while most of my identities were accepted and...

Editor's note: The concerns raised in this article were addressed between the initial writing of the piece and publication. All Special Issue staffers have been compensated for their work.  I could say that I didn’t want things to come to this, but deep down, I knew this article would be necessary...

Last year, the Admissions Office initiated a three-year pilot of test-optional admissions cycles in response to the difficulty of scheduling and sitting for standardized tests like the SAT during the pandemic. Given the inequitable nature of these tests, it is my hope that Oberlin will recognize the...

As we enter the 2021–22 school year, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic seems more manageable than it did last year. While I now have some hope for a normal college experience, the start of the semester has hardly been smooth, with many students unable to receive the housing they wanted. Some students have...

On Oct. 7, residents of Baldwin Cottage received an email from Josh Matos, the area coordinator for Multicultural and Identity-Based Communities. “I am reaching out to you to give you an update on the radiator project,” Matos wrote. “Starting tomorrow (Friday, 10/8) the contractors will be entering...

Recently, my financial troubles have been the most consistent and substantial barrier to my happiness. Since my second year, I’ve worked multiple jobs at a time, which takes quite a toll. Unfortunately, a big chunk of my earnings goes toward tuition, and another goes toward helping my family. Due to...

I am a Baha’i, a member of a world religion whose adherents strive for unity, peace, and social transformation. Because of the ongoing persecution of 350,000 other Baha’is in Iran, including my family members, I am unable to visit my homeland. Oppression of the Baha’is, Iran’s largest...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website reads, “In general, you do not need to wear a mask in outdoor settings.” They suggest you should consider wearing a mask outdoors at crowded events, especially if around unvaccinated people. Despite the CDC’s lenient stance, Oberlin...

When COVID-19 first sent students scrambling back home in March of 2020, I was devastated. Although it had taken me a while to feel at home in Oberlin, by my second year I’d come to love the College. There wasn’t anywhere else I’d rather be. Now, as a fourth-year, that feeling seems beyond...

The past few weeks have seen devastating developments for many Afghans. As U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan, the Taliban surged across the country. It wasn’t long before the Afghan government collapsed and the president fled. On Sunday, Aug. 15, the Taliban seized the capital city of Kabul. To...

Ask any Obie how they feel about the Office of Residential Education, and they’ll probably recount numerous pent-up grievances. ResEd’s laundry list of mishaps from the past year includes their inability to reconnect students with their belongings, RAs feeling unsupported during COVID-19, and students...

In its first in-person performance at the Cat in the Cream in over two years, OSLAM, the College’s slam poetry team, returned to the venue on Saturday, Oct. 9 for its back-to-school performance. Primarily featuring first- and second-year members — most of whom had not yet had the opportunity to perform...

This past weekend, the Oberlin Conservatory, College, and Athletics Departments came together for a two-day symposium titled Music, Sports, and the Enduring Influence of Ancient Greece. The program drew from diverse resources across campus and included Conservatory musicians, College and Conservatory...

During my first week at Oberlin I mustered up the courage to attend an improv comedy showcase completely by myself. Applying to colleges in my senior year of high school, I prioritized schools with a prevalent comedy culture. When I decided on Oberlin, I was worried that I would lose my ties to improv...

Cleveland’s Karamu House — the oldest Black theater in the country — kickstarted its 2021–22 season with August Wilson’s 1982 play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom on Oct. 8. The production, which will run through Oct. 31, is directed by Oberlin alumnus and Associate Professor of Theater and Africana...

After temporarily closing its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association has resumed its housing and dining operations. OSCA is a student-owned and run nonprofit organization that offers housing and dining services to almost a quarter of students on campus. While...

In the Netflix comedy series The Chair, creators Amanda Peet and Annie Julia Wyman tackle college cancel culture, intergenerational changes within academia, political complacency, and the value of studying literature in the midst of global catastrophe. The show opens with an impromptu and...

Without the contributions of professional and college football programs in Ohio, the game would look much different than it does today. Around the turn of the 20th century, Oberlin College football helped shape the sport into what it is now, and its innovative role was sparked by one of the game’s...

With classes amping up in intensity as students enter the second week of the fall semester, some student-athletes who have been on campus for a month and a half already say they feel burnt out. Fall athletes were required to stay on campus to practice during the September break between summer and fall...

Friday, Oct. 15 Heisman Club Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, 6–8 p.m. in Knowlton Athletics Complex; capacity 120, (registration required) The Oberlin Heisman Club will officially enshrine four new members: Teresa Collins, OC ’05 track and field; Young Kim, OC ’85 swimming; Matt Filner,...

This year, first-year athletes who arrived in September were thrown into a situation where, without classes or Orientation to keep them busy, sports were all they had to connect with campus. For these students, the already difficult transition from high school to college was accentuated by the extended...

Most Oberlin students would tell you that the sports teams are terrible. The College is a Division III school, and its student-athletes do not receive athletic scholarships or perform on national television like athletes at larger state schools. Even within Division III, Oberlin sports teams are often...

After a hiatus due to COVID-19, the volleyball team has returned to a North Coast Athletic Conference that is very different from 2019, winning and losing to new teams. The team won 3–1 in its first conference matchup with Kenyon College, marking the first time in six years that the Yeowomen have won...