Faculty Letter to Save Arabic Language Program at Oberlin College
March 15, 2019
Filed under Letters to the Editors, OPINIONS
Arabic Studies Committee, the Middle East and North Africa Studies Program, and other language programs have read the statements of Acting Dean David Kamitsuka published in the Review last week (“Arabic Courses to Be Offered Digitally,” March 8, 2019). This letter responds to those statements. Additionally,...
Departmental Consolidation Offers Opportunities for Increased Efficiency
March 15, 2019
Filed under Editorials, OPINIONS
In a series of campus-wide presentations earlier this week, the Academic and Administrative Program Review steering committee unveiled numerous areas of recommendation for program and financial changes that might secure Oberlin’s long-term financial sustainability. For the last year, senior administrators...
The Voices of Students, Organizers, and Senators Matter More Than Ever
Serena Zets, Contributing Writer
March 15, 2019
Filed under Commentary, OPINIONS
Disclaimer: In this opinion piece, though I am speaking about my experiences as a student senator, I am discussing these occurrences as a student — not as a senator. The actions of last week deeply frustrated, appalled, and saddened me. I acknowledge that Student Senate’s March 11 statement has pl...
An Open Letter from Arabic 102
March 15, 2019
Filed under Letters to the Editors, OPINIONS
On Feb. 22, the Review published an article announcing that the Arabic teaching assistant position would be cut next year (“French and Arabic Teaching Assistant Programs Reduced”). This was quickly followed up with another article explaining that due to concerns over its long-term sustainability, Oberlin...
The Catholic Church Doesn’t Deserve an Apology
David Mathisson, Contributing Writer
March 15, 2019
Filed under Commentary, OPINIONS
After Pete Davidson compared the Catholic Church to R. Kelly on last week’s Saturday Night Live, Church leaders — including Pope Francis — demanded a public apology. “Apparently, the only acceptable bias these days is against the Catholic Church,” they said in a statement. It’s ironic...
Student Senate Must Be Proactive in Regaining Student Trust
Ruby Anderson, Contributing Writer
March 15, 2019
Filed under Commentary, OPINIONS, Uncategorized
On Friday, March 8, a group of around 40 students gathered in Tappan Square. Our plan was to disrupt a trustee luncheon and read a statement expressing our concerns about the Academic and Administrative Program Review, the current budget crisis, and a general lack of transparency and meaningful incorporation...
Arabic Transition Offers Opportunity to Model Creative Collaboration
March 8, 2019
Filed under Editorials, OPINIONS
The recent decision to transition intermediate and advanced Arabic courses to a digital classroom platform known as the Shared Languages Program (covered in-depth in this week’s Review, “Arabic Courses to Be Offered Digitally”) has highlighted two truths about Oberlin’s current campus climat...
Ariana Grande’s Music Video Perpetuates Queer Stereotypes, Tropes
Aly Fogel, Contributing Writer
March 8, 2019
Filed under Commentary, OPINIONS
I am tired of watching gross misrepresentations of queer women in entertainment. I find myself mentally reminding the artists involved in these works, “My queerness is not a publicity stunt. My queerness is not for your straight self-promotion. And my queerness is definitely not your personal fetish.” So...
Oberlin Community Should Push for Drug Harm Reduction Policies
Rachel Clark, Contributing Writer
March 8, 2019
Filed under Commentary, OPINIONS
As a progressive institution, Oberlin is uniquely poised to stand at the forefront of a new generation of harm reduction policies for drug usage. Overdose rates are up, current policy is failing, and it’s time for us to provide members of our community with ways to reduce harm while using substances. It...
Embracing Rejection Fundamental to Healing Campus Culture
Katie Lucey, Contributing Writer
March 8, 2019
Filed under Commentary, OPINIONS
I recently listened to a podcast about a man who, upon determining that his personal and professional ambitions had stagnated, decided to seek out rejection for 100 consecutive days. During the experiment, Mr. Jia Jiang sought out rejection with foolproof ideas: he asked for a “burger refill” at...
Students Should Have High Hopes for New Senate
Abby Kopp, Contributing Writer
March 8, 2019
Filed under Commentary, OPINIONS
Coming back from studying abroad last semester, I felt invigorated — I was ready to help improve campus and the Oberlin student experience. This feeling has been heightened by the recent election of new student senators, who seem similarly energized. All the new senators bring unique perspectives and...
Overcommitting Results in Chronic Undercommitting
Josh Ashkinaze, Contributing Writer
March 8, 2019
Filed under Commentary, OPINIONS
The downside of a full Google Calendar is a partial commitment to everything on it. Paradoxically, overcommitting usually entails undercommitting to each thing you do. An overcommitted person simply does not have enough time or energy for each of their individual commitments. We can define “overcommitment”...
Clair Wang, Staff Cartoonist