Mary B. McKee, Oberlin Resident
October 12, 2018
After years of study and debate, the local school board, to its credit, has finally put the bond issue on the ballot to start building a single-campus school designed to meet the needs of our small but special district. Despite careful stewardship over the last 50 years, we cannot further extend the health and life of the four school buildings we currently struggle to heat, cool, and maintain — all built at a time when there were about twice as many students, all sitting (often sweating) in rows upon rows of desks trying to hear the teacher, see the chalkboard, and follow along in the textbook.
Times change, and we must adapt. New teaching methods, pathways to learning, modern approaches to architecture, engineering,...
Ezra Andres-Tysch, College Junior
October 12, 2018
I was deeply disturbed by “Oberlin Students Must Evaluate Their Place in Local Elections” by Opinions Editor Jackie Brant (The Oberlin Review, Oct. 5, 2018). She makes the case that students should not vote in Ohio for the midterm elections because — as part-time Ohioans — we cannot possibly understand the stakes or feel the repercussions of our vote.
Brant illustrates her point in great detail using Issue 11, a complex education funding proposal that Oberlin residents and students can vote on this November, as a frame. Brant says Issue 11 is an example of how Oberlin students may overstep in the election, voting on a proposal that will not affect them but could be quite impactful to the full-time resident...
Booker C. Peek, Emeritus Associate Professor of Africana Studies
October 12, 2018
A week ago we celebrated the inauguration of Oberlin College’s 15th president, Carmen Twillie Ambar, the first Black and second female president. She wasted little time in her acceptance speech to remind us that over 180 years ago when it was legal to own slaves, Oberlin College’s founding fathers voted to be the first college to admit both women and Blacks. While today we might think that the vote was an easy unanimous one just for men to do the right thing, President Ambar underscored the fact that the Board of Trustees was actually split, requiring the chairman — Finney at the time — to break the tie. Nevertheless, Oberlin College did do what history commanded, and we can boast of our College’s long and...
Debbi Walsh, Members, Oberlin Concerned Citizens
October 12, 2018
We represent a growing group of residents who believe that the proposed new Oberlin City Schools building (Issue 11) is not in the best interest of the community. We have established a group called Oberlin Concerned Citizens to collectively express our views.
If you are curious about our concerns and interested in alternative options to a new building, please visit oberlinconcernedcitizens.org.
Melissa Ballard
Lorrie Chmura
Debbi Walsh
Joan Webster
Members, Oberlin Concerned Citizens
Linda Slocum, Vice President, Oberlin City Council
October 5, 2018
Starting fresh with new facilities in our public school system offers our community the opportunity to envision something bigger than solely accommodating the needs of our school-age population. Let’s look at the campus as a way to serve all residents! How can we best utilize our structures for more hours of the day for things like music and drama, adult education and exercise, social support services, preschool care, computer literacy, library services, and city recreation programs? If we maximize the potential uses of our facilities, we can also share expenses, lessening the burden on school district taxpayers alone.
A comprehensive plan requires creative thinking, cooperation among many stakeholders, and clear...
John and Linda Gates, Oberlin Residents
October 5, 2018
Our schools reflect what we value. In the upcoming election, Oberlin residents will have the opportunity to vote on Issue 11, the bond issue that will result in the construction of “a state-of-the-art, cost-efficient, centralized educational campus that will be a key investment in the future of Oberlin designed for 21st-century learning practices, safety and security, sustainability, and community use.”
This description is taken directly from the oberlinyes.org website that details the goal, the rationale, the cost savings per year for maintenance and upkeep of the current buildings, the amount of income the bond issue will generate, the timetable, how the project will be financed, and the projected cost per household....
Sandra Redd, Oberlin Resident
October 5, 2018
I attended Oberlin City Schools and so did my children. I do not remember a time that the community said “no” to higher school taxes.
We had approximately 250 students that parents chose to send to non-OCS schools last year. One reason was bullying, and it is my understanding that we have a teacher who remains in the school system that many parents have said bullied their child.
Do you really think we will draw people into the district because of a new building? No, families look at outcomes — are students ready for college and are they receiving a quality education? If your report card is an “F” now, it will not change just because of a new building.
I was a part of the committee that proposed alternatives...
Booker C. Peek, Emeritus Associate Professor, Africana Studies Department
October 5, 2018
There is a celebration in Oberlin this weekend worthy of at least a moment’s note, as Oberlin College inaugurates its first black and second female president in its history, Carmen Twillie Ambar. Some 250 years ago, America’s founding fathers were men of towering courage and intellect, but they saw no need to free blacks or compensate Native Americans fairly, if that had been possible. Nor did they perceive the wrong inflicted upon white women by subjugating them, not allowing them to vote. However, the founding fathers of Oberlin College — in the midst of a nation insensitive and complicit in its inhumane treatment of others — did take an amazing stance by becoming the first college to admit women and blacks.
Oberlin...
Kathy Perales and Brittany Blakely
September 28, 2018
I was interested to read about Jackie Brant’s trials with ankylosing spondylitis, an autoimmune disease, in last week’s issue of the Review (“More Than Just ‘Sore’”). It is so encouraging that she has found a treatment that allows her to continue to do things she loves, like play soccer.
BOFE Lupus Foundation provides monthly, free, and confidential in-person support groups (with free coffee and other hot drinks) for those who suffer from or have connections — including caregivers, family, and friends — to autoimmune diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and lupus.
The next Coffee Talk will be at the Oberlin Public Library on Tuesday, Oct. 16 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., ...
Johnnie Kallas, OC ’14
September 28, 2018
We, the undersigned group of students and alumni, created and distributed a petition on Sept.13, 2018, calling for the reinstatement of Tom Reid, OC ’80, in his position as associate director of the Student Union. In less than one week, 1,100 current students, alumni, and community members signed in support of that demand. Nearly 500 individuals also wrote testimonials sharing stories about Tom and his value to the Oberlin experience and College-town relations. One can tell from the outpouring of support that Tom influenced student life in a unique and deeply significant way.
Based on last week’s Review article titled “Alumni, Students Try Reversing Staff Cuts With Petition,” it is clear that there is a fundamenta...
Alison Ricker, Head, Science Library; Co-President, League of Women Voters of Ohio
September 28, 2018
National Voter Registration Day has just passed, and I was gratified to talk to and register Oberlin College voters and help them prepare for the 2018 midterm elections. If you intend to vote in Oberlin and have not updated your voter registration (i.e., if you changed dorms or moved since the last time you voted in Oberlin), please do so before the deadline: Tuesday, Oct. 9. Voter registration is offered at the Science Center Library any time that the library is open. I will make the last mad-dash delivery of voter registration forms at 5 p.m. Oct. 9.
On-campus students: Please look for the internet utility bill from the College, which should have arrived in your OCMR box this week. Off-campus students: Please fol...
Jim Clarke, Resident of Cuyahoga Falls, OH
September 28, 2018
On Nov. 3, the Oberlin Yeomen football team will compete against the Hiram College Terriers in Hiram, OH. Few spectators may realize the contest will be the 61st meeting between the two competitors since 1895. Those who bother to read the game program or listen carefully to the announcer may note that the all-time rivalry currently stands tied at 30–30. Even so, few people within either of the two college communities will be overly excited about which competitor takes the lead in this hard-fought rivalry beginning back in the Gilded Age.
The Oberlin College administration disregards the significance of the Hiram College football rivalry by choice. Hiram officials have reached out to the Oberlin administration twic...
