Ananya Gupta, Managing Editor
November 16, 2018
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
Despite the availability of an annual Winter Term project, two Shansi opportunities for graduates, and two study abroad programs in India, the languages of Hindi and Urdu are left out of the Oberlin academic scene.
Over half a billion people speak Hindi globally, second only to Mandarin Chinese. While this number is largely concentrated within the Indian subcontinent, it is also spoken in countries such as Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Nepal, and among immigrants in the U.S., U.K., and Australia — to name only a few.
This figure surpasses the number of global Spanish, Italian, Russian, French, German, Japanese, and Arabic speakers — all languages which are, at least to a certain...
Nathan Carpenter and Jackie Brant
November 16, 2018
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
In recent weeks, footage of the fires currently raging through the state of California has appeared in the news and on social media. We have seen houses destroyed, communities devastated, and families left without clear options. As of Nov. 11, more than 1.5 million acres had burned — the most ever recorded in a single fire season — which has caused nearly $3 billion in damages and control operations and has killed more than 50 people and left more than 130 people missing.
Even as firefighters across the state are working overtime to get the blazes under control, communities and neighborhoods continue to be overwhelmed. The threat has caused some wealthy homeowners to take matters into their own hands by hiring...
Ilana Foggle, Columnist
November 9, 2018
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
After more than a year of local and state politicians campaigning around the country, the midterm elections are finally over and the results are in. The much-discussed “blue wave” dominated in states like Nevada, Wisconsin, and Michigan, but failed to reach key races in Florida, Texas, Georgia — and Ohio. Regardless of whether or not you are pleased with Tuesday’s outcome, now is not the time to rest.
The midterm election results show us a couple of things. First, there are many voters in key states who are discontent with the Republican Party and have mobilized to create change. This phenomenon was exemplified in Texas, where Democrats campaigned on both a state and national level for Representative Beto...
Jackie Brant, Opinions Editor
November 9, 2018
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
Regardless of how these midterm elections went overall, there are many outcomes that we all can and should be proud of. The U.S. went from having its lowest voter turnout rates in midterm history in 2014 — with just 34 percent voter participation — to one of the highest, with almost 50 percent of eligible residents turning out to vote. An estimated 114 million people cast votes, the first time in U.S. history that a midterm election collected over 100 million votes.
Some broken barriers include two Muslim women being voted into Congress for the first time in U.S. history, along with the first Native women and the first Korean woman. Colorado elected the nation’s first governor to be an openly gay man. Several...
Ananya Gupta, Managing Editor
November 9, 2018
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
On my third Diwali at Oberlin, I had one of the best Campus Dining Services dinners in my three years on campus. Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights, a celebration of the triumph of good over evil in the battle between Lord Ram and the demon Ravana. Stevenson Dining Hall exceeded all expectations last Wednesday with their Diwali-themed vegetarian/vegan station featuring chana masala, yellow basmati rice, and paneer butter masala. Particularly in the absence of the India Garden restaurant, this meal was surprisingly soul-satisfying, abetting some of the homesickness I feel this time of year.
Despite having past experiences with perhaps unintentionally appropriating international cuisines, CDS went about Diwali the...
Ilana Foggle, Columnist
October 12, 2018
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
Leading up to the midterm elections, Ilana Foggle will be writing articles for the Review about local candidates and issues to increase awareness of Oberlin and Ohio politics.
Editor’s Note: This article contains mention of sexual assault, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, and victim-shaming.
Meet Jim Jordan.
Republican Jim Jordan has been the representative for Ohio’s 4th Congressional District since his election in 2006. In 2015, Jim Jordan founded the House Freedom Caucus, a group of the most active conservative and libertarian members of Congress. Since his election, Jim Jordan has voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act and funding enforcement of equal pay for women. He has voted to r...
Jackie Brant, Opinions Editor
October 5, 2018
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
As critical midterm elections approach, Oberlin students need to again consider where and how we will vote. Many of us are transient residents both in Oberlin and Ohio more generally; thus, we need to think about what our role in these communities should be.
Consider Issue 11, which will be on Oberlin’s ballot this November. It’s the first phase of a levy that would consolidate Oberlin City Schools into a single building by 2025, increasing the tax burden of many Oberlin homeowners.
Because of its impact on local taxes, Issue 11 is highly controversial. Many Oberlin residents feel that their taxes are already too high, and that has driven people out of town in the past. A significant percentage of the city’s...
Madisyn Mettenburg, Production Editor
September 21, 2018
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
Like any first-year reluctant to abandon the air-conditioned luxury of their home, Campus Safety — formerly known as Safety and Security — has certainly been dragging its feet on its move to Dascomb Hall. While no one quite knows when they will move into Fourth Meal’s decrepit shell, even less is known about its sudden rebranding. Why the switch from Safety and Security to merely Campus Safety? Is it because now, in the midst of a budget crisis, “security” is the latest tenant to be sacrificed at the deficit’s jeweled altar? And what acronym can we possibly revere now, with the snappy “S-’n’-S” struck down alongside it?
Students living in South Hall have been some of the first to feel the effect...
Jackie Brant, Opinions Editor
September 7, 2018
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
Editor’s Note: This article contains discussion of sexual misconduct and sexual assault.
As the school year begins, it is imperative that students keep in mind the prevalence of sexual misconduct on campus and do what they can to minimize it in our community. Over 50 percent of sexual assaults on college campuses happen between August and November. Around 11 percent of all college students will be victims of sexual assault during their college careers, and 70 percent of campus survivors know their perpetrator prior to their assault.
Further, 23 percent of women in college report that they have experienced some sort of nonconsensual sexual contact. More than 50 percent of these victims do not report the act, as th...
Kameron Dunbar, Columnist
April 20, 2018
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
In 2013, former United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York Shira Scheindlin ruled that New York City’s stop-and-frisk practice was unconstitutional. Specifically, she ruled that it violated the equal protection clause under the Fourteenth Amendment.
What exactly was New York City’s stop-and-frisk? It was a New York Police Department policy that allowed officers to detain, question, and search pedestrians under the auspices of “reasonable suspicion” that the pedestrian was involved or implicated in a crime.
Did it reduce crime? Unlikely. There’s little evidence suggesting that stop-and-frisk policing tactics affect crime rates. While New York City has gotten safer since 2002, ...
Johan Cavert
April 20, 2018
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS, Student Senate
This article is part of the Review’s Student Senate column. In an effort to increase communication and transparency, student senators will provide personal perspectives on recent events on campus and in the community.
The General Faculty Council has decided who will serve on the Academic Administrative Program Review Steering Committee, which will soon be announced to the rest of the campus. At such a critical moment, it is important to make time for nuanced reflection about the trajectory, values, and vision of our institution — something Student Senate has focused on this semester.
During the student-trustee forums last month, one trustee convincingly asserted that Oberlin was not facing anything as dramatic as ba...
Nathan Carpenter, Columnist
April 20, 2018
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
Almost immediately following President Donald Trump’s election in November 2016, political commentators and activists — particularly those on the left — turned their attention toward the 2018 elections.
We now find ourselves just six months out from those elections, in which every seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, several key seats in the Senate, and many vital state-level offices will be fiercely contested.
As usual, Ohioans find themselves in the thick of the political fray. Many key elections will take place in the state this November, including those for the governor’s mansion, where term-limited Governor John Kasich cannot seek reelection, and for progressive Senator Sherrod Brown’s seat, w...
