Ella Moxley, News Editor

December 4, 2020

Oberlin professors face greater challenges in balancing academic and parenting responsibilities this semester because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With so many children attending school on Zoom, parents everywhere have had to take on new teaching and supervising roles at home. Some are concerned that these challenges are falling disproportionately on the shoulders of women and single parents, and the College hopes to mitigate this inequity by establishing more flexibility for junior faculty.  Data...

Nico Vickers and Anisa Curry Vietze

December 2, 2020

The College postponed the start of the spring 2021 semester from its original start date of Jan. 7 to Feb. 1, in response to the surge in COVID-19 cases nationwide and in Lorain County. President Carmen Twillie Ambar announced the delay in a Nov. 22 email to the Oberlin community, explaining that the shift allows time for any holiday spread to resolve before students return to campus.  “If we wait to bring students back, then any infection from the holiday will already be done,” COVID-19...

Katherine MacPhail and Anisa Curry Vietze

November 20, 2020

In the final full week on campus, President Carmen Twillie Ambar reflected on a challenging year for the country and for colleges across the nation. The College shifted to a three-semester model, de-densifying the student body’s presence on campus; established a Presidential Initiative for Racial Justice and Equity; and became one of the founding members of the Liberal Arts College Racial Equity Leadership Alliance. Between all of this, President Ambar also co-edited the book Junctures in Women’s...

Gigi Ewing, News Editor

November 20, 2020

Concerned members of the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association have organized a group called “No OSCA? No Oberlin” to advocate in support of the nonprofit. Due to safety concerns around COVID-19, OSCA has not been operating cooperative living or dining spaces during the fall semester. NONO members fear that the College could attempt to shut down OSCA operations or raise OSCA prices, hindering financial accessibility.  The group’s formation comes in the midst of ongoing negotiations between...

Alexa Stevens, Production Editor

November 20, 2020

Some Resident Assistants are pushing for hazard pay to compensate for an increased risk of viral exposure as they help enforce COVID-19 safety guidelines. However, according to Vice President and Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo, the U.S. Department of Labor’s definition of hazard pay does not apply to RAs’ roles. RAs at several colleges and universities, including the University of Iowa, the University of Michigan, the University of Vermont, and the University of Pennsylvania, have demanded...

Katherine MacPhail, Anna Farber, and L. Joshua Jackson

November 13, 2020

Eight years ago, Tappan Square spontaneously erupted into celebration after President Barack Obama was elected to a second term. While Joe Biden’s election to the presidency this Saturday prompted boisterous celebrations on many campuses across the country, Oberlin’s public spaces did not see the same festivities.  Student reactions ran the gamut from relief and joy to anger and fear, and in some cases, numbness. However, the election also left many students motivated to organize — both...

Walter Thomas-Patterson, Staff Writer

December 4, 2020

Agave Burrito Bar and Tequilería is slated to reopen on Dec. 16 under new management and an updated name: Agave Burritory. The new owners are husband-and-wife team John Nutt and Khristal Kramer-Nutt, who also own pizzerias in Avon and Amherst. The restaurant closed in March after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained closed until now.  The restaurant will start with a five-day operating schedule, open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3-9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m.-9...

Ella Moxley, News Editor

December 4, 2020

After months of work on the part of College students, faculty, and community members, a new organization called the Center for Food Innovation @ Oberlin officially launched last month. The organization, led by Executive Director Bara Watts, seeks to create a more substantial food network within Lorain County and turn Northeast Ohio into the breadbasket of the Midwest.  Watts, who spent the last three years as the director of entrepreneurship and the Center for Innovation and Impact at the College,...

Ella Moxley, Gigi Ewing, and Walter Thomas-Patterson

November 20, 2020

In response to rapidly rising COVID-19 cases in Lorain County, Oberlin City Schools have extended remote learning until Jan. 19, after which they will shift to a hybrid model. This change extends a taxing period of online learning for students, families, and teachers who are facing both academic and emotional challenges. Currently, only a small number of students who cannot participate in remote learning attend face-to-face instruction. In January, students in grades 3-12 will attend school one...