Commentary – The Oberlin Review

Universal Pass Represents Only Humane Option

Zoë Luh, Contributing Writer

April 4, 2020

Editor's note: This article contains brief reference to suicide. It is my firm opinion that Universal Pass is the only humane and emphatic grading option that upholds the core tenets of Oberlin College — mainly, accessibility and equity for all students. As an immunocompromised student with an extensive history of medical trauma, our current reality is a nightmare. The prospect of being close to death again is a trigger for post-traumatic stress disorder, with the quarantine allowing for no escape or distraction. To expect students to adhere to usual academic standards during this time is ridiculous and exacerbates the trauma and mental and physiological strain of an already dangerous situation. Students can...

Oberlin: We Are Still Your Concern

Nico Vickers, This Week Editor

March 13, 2020

I am perfectly aware that this is an impossible situation. Oberlin College and the City of Oberlin do not have the infrastructure, facilities, staff, or resources to deal with an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, and it is true that it is best to act quickly in unpredictable situations such as the spread of disease. However, it’s impossible not to take into account how devastating these changes are for many students at this school given their personal circumstances. For some students, going home and completing remote education is an inconvenience. Their lives aren’t drastically changed. They will go home and do their coursework from bed in their pajamas. Maybe they’ll be relieved from some of t...

Join OCSA in Coronavirus Support

Yan Jin and Rena Wang

February 28, 2020

Editor’s Note: All interviews in this article were conducted in Chinese and have been translated into English by the writers. Responding to the outbreak and spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus, the Oberlin Chinese Student Association started a fundraising campaign Jan. 27, seeking donations from Chinese students and parents. The goal was to purchase protective suits in the U.S. to be donated to hospitals in the Hubei province of China, where coronavirus is believed to have begun. When OCSA first collaborated with Chinese student associations at universities on the east coast, it found its first potential suit supplier. A few days later, however, the supplier backed out, and the order was canceled. Soon...

Beethoven’s Dead — Can We Move on Now?

Clayton Luckadoo, Contributing Writer

February 28, 2020

With Beethoven’s 250th birthday coming up, there are innumerable plans to celebrate the prolific composer worldwide. Among other activities, Oberlin Conservatory students will perform the legend’s complete symphonies and string quartets in his honor. While this is a grand undertaking, and the intentions are noble, the result is exclusionary for many. At an institution known for progressive programming and an awareness of exclusionary power structures in the classical music world, this is rather disheartening. I write this not to undermine the impact Beethoven has had on classical music. Thanks to his music and his influence with an avid Beethoven fan in the administration of the Paris Conservatoire, orchestra rehe...

NEDA Week Reminds Students to Be Mindful

Rachel Choi, Contributing Writer

February 21, 2020

Editor’s note: This piece contains mention of eating disorders and associated behaviors. Many who experience eating disorders suffer in silence. Eating disorders can lead to feelings of unworthiness, hopelessness, and loneliness. When coping with an eating disorder, your mind can convince you that you are not sick enough and that things have to be worse before you can reach out for help and support. The National Eating Disorder Association offers programs and services such as an online screening tool, a helpline, and walks for fundraising and advocacy. The organization’s website also has search features to find treatment, support groups, and research studies. Each year, NEDA dedicates a week to raising...

Let’s Talk Accessibility

Zoë Luh, Contributing Writer

February 21, 2020

Accessibility: one of Oberlin’s favorite words. You don’t even need to spend a full day on campus to hear faculty and students, alike, use the word in classrooms, dining halls, co-ops, and at events. While the apparent widespread concern for disabled people is wonderful, it’s also false and misplaced. I want to talk about the way accessibility is discussed and how it actually works against the disabled community, both at Oberlin and beyond. I was recently in a meeting and the topic of inaccessibility was brought up. As a person with disabilities, you might think I would be excited, but my automatic reaction was a feeling of frustration and defeat. The conversation centered on inaccessibility of the meeting...

Ohio Trans Health Care Policy Will Harm Trans Youth

Abigail Kopp, Contributing Writer

February 21, 2020

Republican representatives Ron Hood of Asheville and Bill Dean of Xenia introduced the so-called “Protect Vulnerable Children Act” to the Ohio Statehouse on Feb. 11. While the name has positive connotations of protecting innocent youth, this could not be further from the truth. The tricky title is just another attempt by congressional Republicans to both confuse liberals and persuade conservative voters into supporting a heinous, harmful bill. If passed, doctors could be charged with a third-degree felony for attempting to provide gender-affirming medical care to transgender minors. Hood explained his reasoning behind introducing this bill stating: “My number one concern, by far and away, is the irreversible nat...

Conservatory Should Revamp Recital Booking System

Amber Scherer and Cordelia Mutter

February 14, 2020

Amber (she/her) and Cordelia (she/her) are members of the Oberlin Conservatory Council of Students, serving as vice president and president, respectively. Early Monday morning, something odd occurred outside Bibbins Hall. Around 3:30 a.m., a student pulled up in their car, waiting for the building to open at 6:30 a.m. Not long after, several more students arrived and a line began to form outside Bibbins’ east door. By 5:00 a.m., more than 10 students had shown up. By 6 a.m., the line was nearly 30 students in length. At 6:30 a.m., when the Conservatory doors opened, the line was more than 50 people long. Finally, at 8 a.m., the line — finally indoors and out of the rain — was an astonishing 65 people in l...

Art Rental Needs to Address Accessibility Concerns

Devyn Malouf and Katie Lucey

February 14, 2020

In light of the recent changes to Fourth Meal, many students are hoping to preserve the few remaining campuswide traditions at Oberlin. Art Rental, which is completely student-run, is arguably one of the most celebrated, anticipated events of every semester — and has been for the past 80 years. Given the longevity of the tradition, the pure wonderment that it offers, and its frequent promotion by the Office of Admissions, Art Rental should provide a more accessible opportunity for all students to rent a piece of art from the expansive and ever-changing collection at the Allen Memorial Art Museum. Founded in 1940 by Professor of Modern Art Ellen Johnson, OC ’33, Art Rental provides students with the opportun...

Iowa Caucuses Must End

Ilana Foggle, Contributing Writer

February 7, 2020

As I am writing this, nearly 72 hours after the Iowa caucuses took place, roughly 97 percent of the caucus results have been released. Senator Bernie Sanders and Mayor Pete Buttigieg are neck-and-neck, with Senator Sanders receiving 26.1 percent of the vote and Mayor Buttigieg receiving 26.2 percent of the vote. When I originally decided to write about the Iowa caucuses, I thought I would be breaking down the results and predicting what they indicate about who will become the future Democratic nominee for president. Obviously, that will not be happening after the chaos that ensued in Iowa on Monday night. Perhaps I could write about Pete Buttigieg’s unexpected surge in Iowa or Bernie Sanders’ consistent bas...

Innovation, Inspiration Nestled in Rajasthani Village

Kushagra Kar, Production Editor

February 7, 2020

Imagine living in a village in the Amazon, three days by canoe from the closest city. Imagine a group of people, foreign in looks, speech, clothes, and ideas, turning up on your shores and asking you to travel with them. Travel – which for you would likely be the first time you’ve seen your capital city, been in a car, heard this alien language of English – to a completely different country to be trained in solar engineering. Stepping out of your door would require some serious courage. At the same time, the people asking you to do this would have to be either really brave or just naively optimistic. They would need to have real guts to ask you to take that risk, and be so certain of their ability to deli...

Oberlin Must Retain Professors Despite Financial Difficulties

Raavi Asdar, Contributing Writer

December 13, 2019

I recently realized that all four of my professors this semester will not be on campus next year, and two of them are leaving the institution permanently after this semester. My situation is not unique; many students from various departments have echoed concerns of losing an advisor or faculty mentor. There is a real and present fear among students that many of the faculty members who are leaving will not be replaced, leaving gaps in our curriculum and threatening certain students’ continuation in their courses of study. And though the One Oberlin plan makes the choice not to cut any departments outright, smaller departments losing faculty due to “attrition” is increasingly resembling an existential threa...