Oberlin Mistakes Quantity for Quality
Cyrus Eosphoros, Contributing Writer
February 26, 2016
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
The last time the anti-affirmative-action Supreme Court case Fisher v. University of Texas hit the news, it was because former Justice Antonin Scalia had put his foot in his mouth about it again. “There are those who contend that it does not benefit African Americans to get them into the University ...
Primary Results Mark Turning Point for 2016
Sean Para, Columnist
February 19, 2016
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
If this year’s Iowa Caucus was a dramatic beginning to the presidential election season, last week’s New Hampshire primary was a true game changer. Both the Republican and Democratic primaries were won by radicals who have built their campaigns around anti-establishment sentiment and promises of major...
Expectations Prove Damaging to Emotional Health
CJ Blair, Columnist
February 12, 2016
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
Too often it’s easy to think that what you hope for and what will happen can be the same thing. Everyone is guilty of placing hope in a certain version of the future, expecting to make it real. Expectation sounds pretty ridiculous described this way, but somehow very few people see anything wrong w...
Politicians Should Embrace Internet Memes
Josh Ashkinaze, Columnist
February 12, 2016
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
Everyone with a social media account and more than two friends or followers has seen political memes. They’re clever ways to convey a simple point, which can then be reiterated, with slight variation, by another person who laughs at the meme. The dankest meme now is “Bernie or Hillary?” (dankn...
Iowa Caucuses Reveal Flaws in Archaic Primary Election System
Sean Para, Columnist
February 5, 2016
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
This week’s Iowa caucus began the 2016 presidential campaign in earnest. The media has reported on the various candidates’ every move and turn of phrase. The results promise a tough campaign for the candidacy of both parties. Hillary Clinton beat Bernie Sanders by 0.3 percent of the vote, meanin...
Self-Insight Can Be Gained from Solitude
CJ Blair, Columnist
February 5, 2016
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
Washington, D.C., is a metropolis of history, politics and tourism that has become one of the most popular residences of Oberlin alumni. Yet despite the draw that D.C. exerts on Obies, I felt out of place when I spent my Winter Term there studying invasive plants. While I left my internship with a wea...
Broken ExCo System Disrespectful to Students
Cyrus Eosphoros, Columnist
February 5, 2016
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
Columnist Note: Some ExCos are taught by community members or College staff and faculty, but the vast majority are both attended and taught by students. I’m addressing the effect that the current ExCo system has on students. I’m also largely writing from the point of view of someone who’s been a ...
U.S. Must Accept China’s Economic Rise
Sean Para, Columnist
December 11, 2015
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
The U.S. is no longer in a league of its own among the world powers. The end of the Cold War ushered in a prolonged period of undisputed American hegemony, but the emergence of China as the second-largest economy in the world and an increasingly crucial hub of the global economy — coupled with China...
Naked Run Helps Students Face Insecurities
CJ Blair, Columnist
December 11, 2015
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
If there’s a better way to relieve the stress of finals than streaking through a library, I have yet to find it. Of all the strange traditions at Oberlin, the Naked Run is not only one of the most outrageous but also one of the most polarizing. This isn’t surprising, but those who say it’s too sh...
Free Speech Still in Student Body’s Best Interest
Aaron Pressman, Columnist
December 11, 2015
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
On Dec. 4, College junior Jasper Clarkberg wrote a response titled “Non-Black Allies Must Engage With Protest Critics” to my Nov. 6 column in the Review, “Discouraging Dissent Stifles Intellectual Growth.” I appreciate Clarkberg taking the time to respond to such an important issue and would like ...
Peace for Syria Feasible with Rebel, State Solution
Sean Para, Columnist
December 4, 2015
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
The maelstrom that has engulfed Syria continues to reach new heights of violence. Recent attacks by the Islamic State in Paris, Beirut and the Sinai Peninsula have added a sense of urgency in bringing a resolution to the conflict. The refugee crisis also stems partly from the Syrian Civil War — yet an...
Dismissing Belief in Afterlife Makes Life More Meaningful
CJ Blair, Columnist
December 4, 2015
Filed under Columns, OPINIONS
I’m afraid of death, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one. This fear, coupled with a little nudge from living in Kentucky, was enough to convince me to believe in God when I was a child. But as I continued going to church, I started to look critically at Christianity and question why I believed in ...