To the Editors:

First, I would like to thank every Oberlin student who either voted or ran as a candidate in the recent Student Senate election. The election began last Tuesday, and ended Friday at noon, with 22.5 percent of the student body participating. The timing and brevity of the election has caused some confusion, and I’d like to take the opportunity to clarify the situation.

Article I, Section B, Part iii, Clause C of our bylaws, which are available on our website, states, “A general election shall last five days or until the election reaches quorum [20 percent of the student body].” However, our Constitution states in Article II, Section 5, Clause C that “the elections [must] last for five days or until quorum for the election has been met, whichever is longer.”

The Interim Senate referred to the bylaws when running the election and did not notice the existing discrepancy in election procedures between the By-Laws and the Constitution until after the election was over. We do, however, understand that cutting off the election once quorum was reached may have prevented late voters from participating in the election. In an overall effort to make Student Senate more accessible and relevant, we are glad to announce that there will be voting this Sunday, Oct. 6, on revising our bylaws to bring them in line with the Constitution, thereby extending the voting period to a five-day minimum under all circumstances.

We’re also excited to announce that we’ll be hosting the first Student-Trustee Forum this upcoming Thursday, Oct. 10, at 9 p.m. in Wilder 112. I hope that everybody who’s available takes advantage of the amazing opportunity to directly engage with members of the Oberlin Board of Trustees in a productive dialogue.

A primary focus of the Senate this year will be making the governing body more attuned and synced with the daily rhythm of the student body. We’re kicking off this effort by hosting an open forum on Monday, Oct. 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. in Wilder 101. This event is intended to provide any and all members of the student body with the opportunity to bring up issues of concern to the Student Senate and help us set our policy agenda for the year.

We have a tremendously talented and diverse Senate this semester, with Conservatory students, a Bonner Scholar, varsity athletes and leaders from the working groups that emerged from last year’s bias incidents, among others, on board. However, we still recognize that even collectively, the Senate does not hear every Obie’s voice. That’s why we hope that everybody who can will come out to both of our forums and be active in helping collectively improve our school.

I’ve personally never been so excited about starting a new year as I am right now.

The more people that I meet and talk to at Oberlin, the more I’m reminded of the special things that we’re able to do together. We had a great slate of candidates run in this election, and I’m excited to see what our senators do. You demanded relevance and we will deliver.

Political participation can’t stop at the ballot box, however. I’d like to challenge every student at Oberlin to think about how we might be able to make this place a little better and in what areas we can work better together. An old African proverb states that if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. I know that if we come together and recognize one another’s strengths, we can all have a part in making Oberlin a better place.

We have big decisions to make as a community coming up regarding fracking, our campus’s smoking policy and the Social Choice Scholarship being proposed by the Responsible Investing Organization, among other issues. Making those decisions will require extensive and at times difficult work, but the authenticity of our school gives testimony to the truth that we at Oberlin College really can change the world if we come together. Let’s start off strong with a good turnout at the two up- coming forums. See you there!

–Machmud Makhmudov
Student Senate liaison