Arman Luczkow, Columnist

April 9, 2021

If you were on campus in spring 2020, you undoubtedly remember that last weekend in March before students were sent home. It is hard to capture, except in scattered images — frantically rushing past familiar faces in King Building, watching a student cry on their friend’s shoulder in Wilder Main, reflecting the fear in another’s eyes as they slowly looked up from their phone screen. How intensely familiar I became with my own heartbeat. Yet in the center of that maelstrom of panic, I experienced something new. A lightness, an unshackling from obligation or...

Reginald Goudeau, Columnist

April 2, 2021

I planned on writing this piece weeks ago, but my pursuit of “Black Joy” came to a halt after the now-infamous Conservatory flyer incident. Since then, however, I’ve been trying to actively preserve my peace more often and do things that bring me joy. Black people are essential in anti-racist work and education, but we are far more than tools to teach and help others. I’ve been martyring myself for weeks because I felt the job wouldn’t get done without my help. Even under immense stress and while managing a micro-internship, I’ve spent weeks maxing out...

Khalid McCalla and Zoë Martin del Campo

March 19, 2021

Paige says, “I’m a [third-year] who will only have one required class left to take after the summer semester, meaning I have the possibility of graduating early. This would save me some money big time, but also I feel like next year (my senior year) everything might start going back to normal and I’ll be able to enjoy some of the activities and traditions that the classes of ’20 and ’21 got taken away from them because of COVID … please help me weigh the pros and cons!” Thanks for the question, Paige! To better illustrate our thoughts, we’ve decided...

Arman Luczkow, Columnist

March 12, 2021

There is a loneliness in being multiracial. I cannot look at my parents, or my grandparents, and see myself reflected back clearly. Even my brother, who has the same racial makeup as me, does not have the same experience. In the sunlight, he tans; I burn. If he forgets to shave before we go to the airport, his luggage starts to look suspicious. With my lighter skin, I pass by easily.  I have wanted to write a piece about multiracial identity for a long time. However, it never felt right to do so, because the primary unifier of multiracial people is difference....

Julian Mitchell-Israel, Columnist

March 10, 2021

Having been here for almost four years now, I can say with some certainty that we hold tightly to isolationism here at Oberlin. I don’t mean in the broader political-economic sense, but rather that the student body of the College is decidedly insular and much prefers the safety of our College island to the outside world. Such instincts are not without reason, of course. For those who might come from more conservative places and drive through the flatlands surrounding our town to make a home here, the apparent universal love that is preached as the College’s prime...

Khalid McCalla and Zoë Martin del Campo

March 5, 2021

Desperate Daughter says, “My dad is the nicest guy in the entire world. He’s genuinely my best friend. I would not be the person I am without him — he’s an incredible human being and an inspiringly dedicated activist.  He’s also the worst cook I have ever met.  Everything he cooks, without fail, tastes like dog food. He made pasta with soy-seasoned salmon, cream sauce, and olives. He makes risotto that tastes inexplicably like barbecue sauce. He can even mess up fried rice. He makes his food with love, and he does it to take care of me, but almost...

The 1833 Just Transition Fund Board

April 2, 2021

The administration and trustees claim that Oberlin College's endowment increased by approximately $63 million between June and November 2020, topping $1 billion for the first time in Oberlin’s history. During the same period, the administration outsourced or eliminated the jobs of more than 100 food service and custodial workers, claiming the college’s “structural deficit” either required vast concessions from these workers, or that new subcontractors be hired for a cheaper price.  In response to the announced changes, more than 2,400 alumni, students,...

Peter Saudek

March 12, 2021

Fellow white alumni, when do we turn our outrage into action when our alma mater so blatantly exposes its white underpinnings and lack of diversity? As we reacted across thousands of our personal platforms last week to an egregious offense by Oberlin Conservatory, we wasted time in our surprise, which could have been spent moving resources to support people of color on campus and in our alumni network.  After the Conservatory posted a flyer promoting its final program celebrating Black History Month, showcasing exclusively white musicians performing works by Black...

Chris Jenkins, Associate Dean for Academic Support

March 3, 2021

Editor's note: This letter addresses a controversial flier for the final recital in the Conservatory’s Black History Month series “Celebrating Black Artistry.” I’d like to make three points about the Conservatory's Black History Month programming in 2021 for those who might be interested in hearing my perspective.  First of all, it’s important for readers to know that this February, the Conservatory’s programming included six events, with performances and presentations by Black faculty, staff, and invited guests. The concert of works by Black composers...

Deljou Abadi, Director, Iranian Refugees’ Alliance, Inc.

October 21, 2020

Editor’s Note: This statement is part of a broader conversation about allegations brought against Professor of Religion and Nancy Schrom Dye Chair in Middle East and North African Studies Mohammad Jafar Mahallati. These allegations began with an Oct. 8 letter to President Carmen Twillie Ambar. Mahallati has denied these allegations. You can read the Review’s comprehensive news coverage here.  Dear President Ambar:  I am writing to offer new evidence (accessible via hyperlinks) supplementary to the statement made by Family Members of the Victims and Former...

Audrey Kolb, President, Friends of Westwood Cemetery

October 21, 2020

In his letter, Let Us Lift Our Memorials Above Ground, Mr. Brunberg raised some legitimate concerns about the maintenance of, and regulations around, section S of the Westwood cemetery; but they are concerns that the Friends of Westwood has been addressing since we formed in 2014.  Mr. Brunberg writes: “Our gravestones in Section S are sinking into the ground, obscuring the names of those who lived and died here.” Since 2014, Friends of Westwood has put on its schedule to clean gravestones twice a year throughout the cemetery. It is a huge job but it will...

October 9, 2020

Editor’s Note: This statement was originally sent in an email to President Carmen Twillie Ambar on Oct. 8 and was signed by 56 family members of the victims and former political prisoners, as well as 577 additional signatories. Professor of Religion and Nancy Schrom Dye Chair in Middle East and North African Studies Mohammad Jafar Mahallati has denied these allegations. You can read the Review’s comprehensive news coverage here.  Dear President Ambar,  We the undersigned are a group of former political prisoners in Iran, families of executed political...