Kushagra Kar, Senior Associate Editor

June 16, 2020

President Carmen Twillie Ambar sent an email to the Oberlin community announcing a new Presidential Initiative to educate and mobilize students against racial injustice. This announcement came six days after four Minneapolis police officers brutally murdered Floyd, setting in motion global protests against racial injustice. “I will establish a Presidential Initiative for faculty and students that seeks to address issues of violence, police-community relationships, and racial injustices,” President...

Anisa Curry Vietze and Katherine MacPhail

June 12, 2020

Last Friday, the College filed to appeal the $25 million verdict that Gibson’s Bakery won in their case against Oberlin College and Vice President and Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo. A jury found the College guilty of libel last June and initially awarded the Gibsons $44 million in damages, later capped at $25 million due to Ohio state laws regarding tort lawsuits. The Gibsons argued that the College supported students in protesting and boycotting the bakery following accusations of racism...

Gigi Ewing, Senior Associate Editor

May 31, 2020

Travel restrictions and visa limitations have prompted many current international students to remain in the U.S. rather than return home for the summer. The College is offering on-campus room and board to international students who wish to remain in the country until the start of fall-semester classes while other students have opted to stay with family members or friends.  For international students considering returning home for the summer, the decision is complicated by uncertainty that they...

Anisa Curry Vietze, Editor-in-Chief

May 25, 2020

Editor’s note: This article appears as part of a series in which the Review’s graduating editors reflect on how their sections have evolved, the biggest stories of the year, and their time at the paper as a whole. The rest of this series can be found here.  From the impacts of COVID-19 on both the College and town, to student United Auto Workers activism, to the ongoing Gibson’s Bakery lawsuit, to the congressional race in our district, and more, Oberlin has seen an eventful year with plenty...

Ananya Gupta and Devyn Malouf

May 9, 2020

Admitted students from the class of 2024 are facing unprecedented complications in committing to an institution of higher education in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Incoming international students — who made up 12 percent of enrolled students for the Class of 2023 — face an additional set of challenges due to visa delays and uncertainties surrounding international travel that may prevent them from coming to campus this fall.  “Normally what happens is students get their admissions decision...

Alexa Stevens, Production Editor

May 8, 2020

Natural science classes with hands-on lab components have undergone significant adjustments following the shift to remote learning for the second half of the spring semester. Professors have developed a range of strategies to convert interactive courses to an online format  — from preparing lab kits for each student to take home before they left campus, to pre-recording data-collecting labs, to having students explore their own backyards or local parks. Chair and Associate Professor of Chemistry...

Ella Moxley, Senior Associate Editor

June 30, 2020

Protesters gathered in Tappan Square on June 6 to protest the murders of George Floyd and other Black men and women killed by police. During the demonstration, several speakers addressed the crowd to talk about the history of police violence against communities of color and demanded change on the local and national level.  After protests against police brutality spread in cities in the U.S. and across the world, Oberlin resident Janet Gonzalez formed a Facebook group called Oberlin Peaceful Demonstration....

June 13, 2020

Chris Gibbs, an Independent candidate running for US Congress in Ohio’s 4th district, announced on May 17 that he is suspending his campaign. The announcement came after the Lorain County Board of Elections determined he did not collect the requisite number of signatures to appear on the November ballot.  Last spring, Gibbs announced that he would run as an Independent against Republican Representative Jim Jordan, a vocal supporter of the president and a founder of the far-right House Freedom...

Gigi Ewing, Senior Associate Editor

June 13, 2020

Small businesses in Oberlin continue navigating challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, despite Ohio moving forward with its gradual reopening plan. Local businesses were hit hard by the state-wide stay-at-home order issued March 22, which curtailed business in Oberlin and sent students home.  As part of his Responsible RestartOhio plan, Governor Mike DeWine reopened restaurants and bars for outdoor dining on May 15 and dine-in service on May 21. However, many of Oberlin’s businesses rely...