Carson Li – The Oberlin Review

Double degree fourth-year Max Addae dancing with audience members at the end of his recital.

TIMARA Recital Showcases Combination of Coding and Music

March 6, 2020

At the end of double-degree fourth-year Max Addae’s junior recital, audience members danced on stage as the Technology in Music and Related Arts and Computer Science major coded live beats. The recital, which was performed in Fairchild Chapel last Sunday, was aptly titled Algorhythm, a phrase that refers to the combination of computer algorithms and music used throughout the show. In this performance, Addae used his coding skills in multiple creative ways, capitalizing on the intersection of his...

Administrators Address Potential Impact of COVID-19

Carson Li, Staff Writer

February 28, 2020

As the newest iteration of coronavirus, known as COVID-19, continues to spread around the world, Oberlin — like other colleges and universities across the country — is preparing to address challenges that the virus may inflict on campus life. Administrators are taking steps to support current and prospective international students impacted by the viral outbreak, as well as to anticipate the potential financial impact of COVID-19 on Oberlin. According to President Carmen Twillie Ambar, some of the potential financial difficulties could stem from foregone tuition from students who would not be able to come to campus in the fall, should international travel restrictions remain in place until that time. “Most colle...

Oberlin’s bi-weekly live comedy show Good Talk launched its fifth season on Tuesday night with a live Q&A featuring witty answers from President Carmen Twillie Ambar.

“I love doing the fun things that are happening on campus that students want me to do,” President Ambar said. “I had a chance to do Good Talk before, to be on WOBC a lot for various interviews, so it’s just another way for me to connect with students and to know what’s going on on campus. In this instance, [it’s] to see our really cool sense of humor.”

Besides featuring President Ambar, the show featured an exciting change in format. Good Talk producer and college second-year Juli Freedman explained that last season the show had a talk-show format, but now they’ve transitioned to sketch comedy skits. One of Monday night’s segments was called “HAZING.” In this hilarious, PSA-style sketch, show director College third-year Mary Brody chugged ketchup, squeezing it directly into her mouth.

While the “hazing” sketch may not be directly related to the Oberlin experience, several other Good Talk segments were campus-specific. After the show, College fourth-year Caitlin Kelley mentioned that she enjoyed the way that Good Talk satirized the everyday life of Obies. Good Talk, Kelley said, is one of the numerous unique events that make a student’s time at Oberlin so memorable.

“I [may be] tired on a Monday night, but I feel like I have to go to every event to just make sure I get the whole Oberlin experience, and Good Talk is definitely part of that,” Kelley said.

Good Talk Season Five Features President Ambar

February 21, 2020

Obies Create Inclusive Dating App for Long-Term Relationships

Carson Li

February 14, 2020

Imagine an online dating app that doesn’t show you a person’s photo at first. Instead, you match with the other person based on compatibility — only then does the app reveal users’ photos to one another. Paire, an online dating app for Oberlin students that is currently searching for beta testers, will function exactly this way. It differs from most mainstream dating apps in that it is designed for people of all genders and sexualities looking for relationships — not hookups — based on personality, rather than appearance. College second-year Kabir Karamchandani, a Computer Science and Creative Writing major, is one of the main founders of Paire. Over Winter Term 2020, they built a team and s...

College Tackles Coronavirus Concerns

Carson Li

February 7, 2020

As concern about a new coronavirus strain, 2019-nCoV, mounts globally, College administrators and other community members have adopted proactive communication and prevention strategies. The Office of Communications has sent out four emails to students and faculty providing updates on the new coronavirus strain, 2019-nCoV, over the past few weeks. According to Interim Chief of Staff David Hertz, none of the communications have been compelled by institutional policy; rather, they came from a desire to keep the community informed. “The point of providing the information is so that [people on campus] don’t invent scenarios and that we treat this situation with the gravity it deserves,” Hertz said, adding that he and ot...

Now Empty, Crane Pool Symbolizes Oberlin’s Progressive History

December 13, 2019

In the May 10, 2019 issue of The Oberlin Review, one might have noticed an unusual entry in the Security Notebook: “The south double doors to the vacant Crane pool area were ajar, and the master lock was pulled from the door. There was an odor consistent with burnt marijuana, and alcohol bottles were found throughout the area.” Similar break-ins also were reported in 2017 and 2018. However, most Oberlin students are likely unaware of the building referred to in the security report: the now-abandon...

Exploring the Money Behind OC Athletics

Nathan Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief

October 11, 2019

In the midst of significant institutional change due to Oberlin’s mounting structural budget deficit, investments in spaces like the Shanks Health and Wellness Center and the Knowlton Athletics Complex have left some community members wondering where the money for such projects comes from. The answer, according to Vice President and Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo and Delta Lodge Director of Athletics and Physical Education Natalie Winkelfoos, is complicated, and has to do with the specifics of fundraising strategies and logistics. “Athletics fundraising at a Division III school is like breathing — you need to do it and it’s always happening,” Winkelfoos wrote in an email to the Review. “I have regula...

The Tricks to Making Ramen Even More Delicious

Carson Li, Contributing Writer

December 7, 2018

We need to rethink the way we treat our ramen. I know it’s cheap — $1.75 per pack on Amazon and in stores — and oftentimes it comes with a plastic bowl. It’s also seemingly easy to make: You boil the water, drop in the noodle patty, then the flavor packet. I grew up eating ramen as one of my favorite foods, and I think it could taste much better if we put more consideration into how we cook it. I know it sounds ridiculous — you just pour water into a bowl, what’s the point of changing anything? How could there be a difference in taste? Well, even pouring water has science behind it, and can make a huge difference in taste. More importantly, ramen reflects the way Americans tend to treat their food:...

AccessCo Position Must Have More Job Transparency

Carson Li

April 27, 2018

Even an organization like the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association, where students handle most of the management and regulation, still reflects many of our social and societal problems. One of them is about challenging authority. OSCA has at least one Accessibility Coordinator per co-op. Although AccessCos are all students, they establish their authority in a way that is completely mysterious to most OSCA members. Most people have no idea what specific work they are doing, and I found it extremely complicated and burdensome to challenge their authority because of this. Last fall, I was one of the Keep Cottage Dining Loose End Coordinators — someone who facilitates discussions and answers questions involving ele...

OSCA Fails to Adequately Address Needs of POC

Carson Li, Contributing Writer

November 17, 2017

Alright, white folks, let’s be honest — do you really care that the co-op you’re living in is too white? I was pretty surprised when my white friend, not a friend of color, first raised this question. It initially made me feel good because I felt like white people in my co-op were advocating for more diversity in our community. Later, things turned out to be different than I thought. Co-op diversity for many white people is just a casual topic for chit-chat while hanging out in the lounge. By the way, don’t get them talking about race; those white people can analyze the definition of race from four different angles. As an international student hailing from China, nearly all of my knowledge about race and dis...