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...

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...

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man on a noble quest for justice, righteousness, and peace. Many pundits, politicians, and public intellectuals alike find themselves living in his radiant light and quoting some of his awe-inspiring prose — and deservingly so. While King deserves every button, refrigerator magnet, greeting card, and Twitter banner made in his honor, he also deserves a fair and honest portrayal of his radical activism. As the nation pauses on the 50th anniversary of his assassination, it is imperative that we all think of King’s legacy and interrogate how it is represented to the public. Earlier this year, The New York Times columnist David Brooks invoked King’s famous “dream” in a call to move A...

In the more than five years since the December 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, it has become clear that gun control in the United States will not be achieved through the avenues that we have already explored. Congress has proven that it has no interest in challenging the National Rifle Association, even at the expense of students’ lives. Students are now taking matters into their own hands — and not just the survivors of the horrific Parkland shooting, but countless others around the country as well. Mass school walkouts in support of gun control are being organized in one of the most compelling and powerful instances of student-led action in my lifetime. Now, schools must ch...