Established 1874.

The Oberlin Review

Established 1874.

The Oberlin Review

Established 1874.

The Oberlin Review

Students walk around on campus.
Ivy Leagues’ Mandatory Standardized Testing Policies Classist
Ariel Papas, Columnist • March 15, 2024

  What comes to mind first when hearing “Ivy League school” are the following words: pretentious, expensive, and exclusive. In the United States, very few undergraduates can say that they went to an Ivy League school. Even the words “Ivy League” have to be capitalized because it is a...

Editorial Board Stresses Communication from Administration to Students
Editorial Board March 15, 2024

Last week, students and staff began to notice an odor in Wilder Hall, the College’s Student Union and the home of dining establishments like the Rathskeller and DeCafé. Each floor, which usually bustles with student life, has cleared out almost completely. The few students inside now hurry through...

To The Editors Regarding Palestine
Elliott Fineman March 15, 2024

Paul Van Doorn’s recent statement (“Statement on Israel-Palestine at Oberlin,” The Oberlin Review, Feb. 9, 2024) opens with the complaint that “students have lost their ability to use reason and logic.” While I cannot address this opening concern, I am more chagrined at Mr. Van Doorn’s apparent...

A Note to Oberlin Voters on Issue 10 City Charter
Aliza Weidenbaum March 15, 2024

To Oberlin voters: When a disaster or infectious disease hits, rules get broken. We don’t need to change the Oberlin City Charter to acknowledge that. If the Charter is to speak to communications technology issues, it should do so explicitly — not merely delete a line that sets forth a public-access...

Statement on Gaza
March 15, 2024

Oberlin Community Peace Builders, as an organization committed to seeking nonviolent solutions to conflicts, whether interpersonal or international, urges all parties involved, directly or indirectly, in the present conflict in Gaza to act for the immediate implementation of a ceasefire. Furthermore,...

Asbestos Exposure May Concern Ohio Veterans Even Today
Christina Johnson March 15, 2024

During the 20th century, asbestos use was prevalent in the U.S. military, as the World War II war effort demanded large amounts of materials for military equipment production. Asbestos was abundant in the markets, and manufacturers wanted to make the most of its utility and low price, ignoring the health...

ARTEMIS Jazz Ensemble Gives Career Talk
ARTEMIS Jazz Ensemble Gives Career Talk
Nicolas Stebbins, Senior Staff Writer • March 15, 2024

March marks the seven-year anniversary of ARTEMIS, an all-women jazz supergroup from New York City. Founded on International Women’s Day in...

Imani Winds
Imani Winds Impress At Warner Concert Hall
Max Newman March 8, 2024

There is certainly no group out there quite like Imani Winds. The virtuosic quintet finds ways to combine the sounds of the past with futuristic...

Voice majors and dancers collaborate on stage to present Monteverdi’s opera.
L’Orfeo Brings New Life to Timeless Tale
Travis O'Daniel, Conservatory Editor • March 8, 2024

The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is one of the most retold in history. Audiences may recognize more contemporary adaptations such as Hadestown...

An organ in Warner Concert Hall.
Oberlin Honors Tradition with Organ Collection
Nicolas Stebbins, Senior Staff Writer • March 1, 2024

Oberlin boasts a world-renowned collection of pipe organs. Students have access to 32 instruments in the Conservatory and nearby churches, ranging...

Review Editor Details Experience Leaving Con
Travis O'Daniel, Conservatory Editor • February 23, 2024

I began classical voice lessons in seventh grade. What started as a means to get into my local performing arts high school for musical theater...

Students participated in a walkout Friday when the Board of Trustees visited campus.
Students for A Free Palestine Hold Demonstrations During Board of Trustees Visit to Campus
Layla Wallerstein and Yasu Shinozaki March 15, 2024

Last Friday at noon, a large number of students participated in a walkout to draw attention to the treatment of civilians in Gaza and call for divestment from companies that support the Israeli war effort. Later that evening, students held a vigil in front of the Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater where...

Oberlin Board of Trustees, Oberlin Parents Council Hold Meetings
Karthik Ranganadhan, Senior Staff Writer • March 15, 2024

The Board of Trustees of Oberlin College met March 7 and 8. At the meeting, the Trustees discussed changes that need to be made at Oberlin to address three trends in higher education. As a result of the demographic aftershock of the 2008 recession, the number of college graduates will begin to decline...

Legal aid clinics are held at Oberlin Community Services on East Lorain Street.
Legal Clinics at Oberlin Community Services Provide Aid to Town Residents
Zach Terillion March 15, 2024

Oberlin Community Services is collaborating with the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland to provide free monthly legal clinics to residents. According to the Legal Aid Society’s website, the clinics provide an opportunity for community members to meet with an attorney to discuss civil issues related to...

Voter Guide for March 19 Election
Karthik Ranganadhan, Zach Terrillion, and Sloane DiBari March 15, 2024

On March 19, primary and general elections will be held in Ohio. To vote, a person must carry either a driver’s license or photo ID issued by the Ohio BMV, a military ID, or a U.S. passport or passport card, and be registered to vote in the state. Incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican...

World Healdines
Ella Bernstein, Production Editor • March 15, 2024

Ramadan begins in Gaza amid famine Ramadan began Sunday, but in Gaza, famine has endangered Palestinians’ hopes for the fast. Since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza Oct. 7, destruction of food infrastructure and blockades of humanitarian aid have created famine conditions. According...

The Environmental Dashboard tracks the energy and water usage of Oberlin College and community buildings during Ecolympics.
Oberlin Ecolympics Begins, Buildings Compete to Reduce Resource Consumption
Karthik Ranganadhan, Senior Staff Writer • March 8, 2024

The Oberlin Ecolympics kicked off Monday. During the Ecolympics, College and community buildings will compete with each other to save power and water. The event will run until March 17.  The community theme for this year’s competition is “Later is too late: Efficiency, Electrification, and Solarization.”...

Students Raise Concerns over Wait Times, Human Interaction Amid Azariah’s Shift to Mobile Ordering
Ariel Papas and Layla Wallerstein March 8, 2024

Starting Winter Term, Azariah’s Café — a hub of student activity, studying, and socializing — stopped accepting almost all in-person orders. The infamous long line disappeared, and the cafe’s ordering system transitioned fully online.  Azzie’s is a branch of Goldberry Roasting Company...

Students tabled to inform fellow Obies about the climate emergency.
Oberlin Sunrise Regroups, Plans Emergency Teach-In
Kayla Kim, Managing Editor
Latest Episode
This week's show is a special episode about Juneteenth, made up of segments by The Weekly team: Nina Auslander-Padgham, Eric Schank, and Casey Troost. First, Nina and Eric present a segment on the Oberlin Juneteenth festival, how it is different this year, and address potential town and gown tensions as more students participate in the parade. Afterwards, Nina Auslander-Padgham interviews Annessa Wyman, an Administrative Assistant at the College, about her personal involvement in planning Juneteenth festivities for the last decade. Finally, Casey Troost's segment is on the history and meaning of Juneteenth with interviews with African American locals: Ms. Margaret Christian, honoary Juneteenth board member and local historian; featured poet LaTonya Fenderson Warren; Valerie Lawson, chairperson of the Juneteenth executive board; Adenike Sharpley, professor of Dance at Oberlin; and Shelley Shepard. This episode originally aired on WOBC Oberlin, 91.5 FM, Oberlin College and Community radio at 3:00 pm EST on August 2nd, 2021.
Oberlin Review Comic 3/15/2024
Oberlin Review Comic 3/15/2024
Molly Chapin, Layout Manager and Illustrator
Oberlin Review Comic 3/8/2024
Oberlin Review Comic 3/8/2024
Molly Chapin, Layout Manager and Illustrator
Billie Eilish and FINNEAS celebrate their Oscar award.
Oscar 2024 Best Picture Nominees Recap
Lucy Curtis, Arts & Culture Editor • March 15, 2024

One of my resolutions this year was to start watching more movies. I am someone who likes to be up to date on popular culture, but I realized that I really had no idea about the current state of film. I’d seen Barbie, because of course I had — it was the event of the summer. However, out of all of...

Dr. LaWhore Vagistan performs at the Cat in the Cream.
Lessons In Drag Educates, Entertains Audience
Sydney Collinger, Senior Staff Writer, Layout Editor • March 15, 2024

A plethora of exuberant “Yes Aunty!”s reverberated through the crowd at drag queen Dr. LaWhore Vagistan’s show “Lessons in Drag” at the Cat in the Cream Monday. The show included some lecture, some lip syncing, and some audience participation. The show sought to inform people on South Asian...

Rohan Zhou-Lee Leads Blasian Solidarity Workshop
Calvin Ray Shawler, Staff Writer • March 15, 2024

On Sunday in Moffett Auditorium in Mudd Center, Rohan Zhou-Lee led a Black-Asian-Blasian Solidarity Workshop with students exploring how everyone can cultivate and strengthen solidarity between displaced and marginalized groups.  Zhou-Lee is a queer/nonbinary Black and Asian artist and organizer from...

Liz Burgess and her coworker Mari Kuroda run Ginko Gallery and Studio.
Liz Burgess Retires, Ginko Gallery & Studio To Close
Rory Gielty, Opinions Editor • March 15, 2024

Liz Burgess, OC ’73, has announced that Ginko Gallery & Studio of downtown Oberlin will close. She is retiring in part due to several stressful years during the COVID-19 pandemic and the death of the building’s landlord, Pat Stetson. “I’ve been toying with [closing] for a couple years,”...

Greggor Mattson moderated a panel of alumni who now own LGBTQ+ bars.
Who Needs LGBTQ+ Bars? Panel Inspires and Speaks to Community Among Obies
Sadie Howard, Staff Writer • March 15, 2024

This Tuesday, Chair of Sociology Greggor Mattson hosted a panel at The ’Sco of Oberlin alumni who now own LGBTQ+ bars. The panel was inspired by his 2023 book, Who Needs Gay Bars? Bar-Hopping through America’s Endangered LGBTQ+ Places. It was sponsored by Career Exploration and Development, the Office...

You Gave Me Back My Handkerchief Covered in Snot
Caterina Dinale Sella March 15, 2024

I wouldn’t say I like the taste of you. In fact, I’ve always hated Jello but I like to feel you inside my stomach coagulating and warm. Between yellow bed sheets you turn over, cough and startle the cricket that lives in my ear. On my tongue, the fabric is wet, limp and clean. Salty hard...

Weekly Crossword
Weekly Crossword
Kate Martin, Crossword Staff Writer • March 15, 2024

ACROSS 1. Having five sharps, musically 4. Dry, as in Italian wine 9. Impulsive 13. ___ favor 14. Computer monitor display when not in use 16. French friend 17. Many Patagonia jackets 18. Acquire, as debt 20. 2023 Best Picture winner, abbr. 21. Etches into 23. Hindu deity 27. Grows up 28....

Crossword Answers 3/8
Crossword Answers 3/8
Lucy Curtis and Andrea Nguyen March 15, 2024

Cinema Brawl to Screen Films at Apollo, Features Wacky Rules
Sydney Collinger, Senior Staff Writer, Layout Editor • March 8, 2024

The College’s first-ever Cinema Brawl lasted 48 hours and will come to fruition at its screening at the Apollo Theatre on Sunday at 11 a.m. Students entered the competition in groups, and the process of producing a film began at 5 p.m. March 1. Submissions were due in person at 5 p.m. March 3 to the...

Gordon Cormier plays Aang in the live-action adaptation.
Live-Action Adaptation Strips Nostalgic Elements of Avatar: The Last Airbender
Chloe Ko, Arts & Culture Editor • March 8, 2024

Although I first watched Avatar: The Last Airbender as a child, I, along with many other Netflix enjoyers, admittedly rediscovered an obsession with the animated series during the pandemic. Bound inside the lonely walls of my house with all of my social interaction consisting of scattered FaceTime calls,...

Jan Weintraub Cobb.
Jan Weintraub Cobb, OC ’71: President of Alumni Leadership Council
Nikki Keating, Editor-in-Chief • March 15, 2024

Jan Weintraub Cobb, OC ’71, is currently the President of the Alumni Leadership Council. Established in 2014, the ALC oversees the Oberlin Alumni Association and helps with any events or actions of the association. Cobb, as president, works on the Council with current students and alumni during the...

Emily Winfield: The LCADA Way Prevention Specialist
Kayla Kim, Managing Editor • March 8, 2024

Emily Winfield is a prevention specialist at The LCADA Way, an organization dedicated to providing support for people struggling with addiction in Lorain, Medina, and Erie Counties. A graduate of the University of Mount Union as a public health major, she helps people in Lorain County struggling with...

Andrew Oni
Andrew Oni: Director of Student Health and Wellbeing
Nikki Keating, Editor-in-Chief • February 23, 2024

Andrew Oni is the executive director of Student Health and Wellbeing and recently celebrated his second anniversary in this position at Oberlin. Oni provides leadership and guidance to Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Health Services, Student Support and Outreach, and Student Health Promotion...

Hathaway, left, and Telin, right, give students a lecture on their work.
Mike Telin, OC '87, and Daniel Hathaway: Cleveland Classical Founders, Professors of Music Journalism
Travis O'Daniel, Conservatory Editor • March 1, 2024

Mike Telin, OC ’87, and Daniel Hathaway are visiting teachers of Music Journalism who have been reporting on the classical music scene in northeast Ohio since 2008. Their website, Cleveland Classical, has become one of the most respected digital publications in the region. They began teaching in 2011...

Davin Youngs, OC '03: Sound Healing Artist, Singer and Voice Coach
Nicolas Stebbins, Senior Staff Writer • February 23, 2024

Could you share a bit about your background as a singer and a voice coach? I’m a graduate of the [Oberlin] Conservatory, 2003, just over 20 years ago, which is crazy. I grew up in a small town in Michigan, and at a young age I happened across a teacher who introduced me to classical singing. I studied...

Elizabeth Hanje: Winner of Top Prize in Eleanor McCollum Competition at Houston Grand Opera
Elizabeth Hanje: Winner of Top Prize in Eleanor McCollum Competition at Houston Grand Opera
Delaney Fox, Editor-in-Chief • February 16, 2024

Elizabeth Hanje is a fourth-year Vocal Performance major from Alabama. This February, the Tanzanian-American soprano won first place after performing in the 36th annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers Concert of Arias at Houston Grand Opera and received a $10,000 cash prize. Hanje is a...

Ruth Ozeki
On the Record with Ruth Ozeki: Novelist, Zen Buddhist Priest
Elena Rabin and Josephine Rosman March 15, 2024

Ruth Ozeki is a novelist, documentary filmmaker, teacher, and Zen Buddhist priest. She will be visiting campus Tuesday, March 19 to give a talk on Zen and the Art of Realizing Fiction in Dye Lecture Hall from 6–8 p.m.  This interview has been edited for length and clarity.  JR: How does being a...

On the Record with Sofia Tomasic and Bella Schmitt: Reviving Drag Ball
Lucy Curtis, Arts & Culture Editor • March 8, 2024

College fourth-year Sofia Tomasic and College first-year Bella Schmitt are members of this year’s Drag Ball committee. Alongside other committee members, they have been working to plan the event and provide a new vision in hopes of making the event more exciting and invigorating for students. The 2024...

Laura Carlson-Tarantowski
On the Record with Laura Carlson-Tarantowski: Scenic Designer, Lecturer in Theater
Calvin Ray Shawler, Staff Writer • March 1, 2024

Laura Carlson-Tarantowski is a renowned scenic director and is a scenic designer and lecturer in Theater at Oberlin. She is in the midst of construction for the upcoming production of L’Orfeo, and talks about process, journey, and collaboration.  This interview has been edited for length and clarity. What...

In the Locker Room with Abby Cannon
In the Locker Room with Abby Cannon
Rodrigo Llaguno, Senior Staff Writer • March 15, 2024

For student-athletes, finding a space that can support both their academic and athletic goals is hard enough. But the student-athlete experience is at its best when they are supported equally. College fourth-year and Bloomington, Indiana native Abby Cannon found that in Oberlin, a school that could support...

In the Locker Room with Colvin Iorio and Neva Tayler
In the Locker Room with Colvin Iorio and Neva Tayler
James Foster, Sports Editor • March 8, 2024

For graduating seniors who play sports in high school, a major factor in their college decision can center around sports. Whether someone is looking to play a varsity sport in college or keep their passion for their sport alive with club or intramural sports, having their sport offered can be the difference...

In the Locker Room with Jill Rondini, Director of Sports Medicine
In the Locker Room with Jill Rondini, Director of Sports Medicine
James Foster, Sports Editor • March 1, 2024

Jill Rondini is entering her 20th year as an athletic trainer for Oberlin College. As a trainer for the Sports Medicine department, Rondini only treats varsity athletes. After spending 20 years as an athletic trainer at Oberlin College, Jill Rondini knows a thing or two about helping collegiate athletes. Rondini...

Top of the Table: Five European Football Leagues and a Historical Premier League Race
Top of the Table: Five European Football Leagues and a Historical Premier League Race
Kash Radocha and Nathaniel Valsania March 15, 2024

America has its own sport that is the same only in name, but to the rest of the world, football is elegant, precise, and most importantly, actually played using one’s foot. Played and celebrated across multiple countries and continents, billions have dedicated themselves and their viewership to teams,...

Sports Weekly Updates: Week of 3/15
Dorothy Knutson March 15, 2024

USWNT Wins Concacaf World Cup This Sunday, over 30,000 people gathered in San Diego to witness the finale to the Concacaf W Gold Cup, which had caused controversy last week after forcing the Canadian and U.S. teams to play in less-than-suitable conditions. Team captain Lindsey Horan and the USWNT...

Sports Journalism Must Be Protected, Appreciated
Kayla Kim, Managing Editor • March 15, 2024

Last Thursday night, I tuned in to the UC Berkeley vs. Stanford game in the Pac-12 tournament for women’s basketball. This was the last year of the conference’s existence and the teams inside were upset-prone to each other, making for exciting games. As a conference based on the West Coast, the Pac-...

Student-Athletes Discuss Injury, Recovery
Student-Athletes Discuss Injury, Recovery
Walter Moak March 15, 2024

Any athlete or fan knows this moment: a player falls to the ground, clutching his leg. The whistle blows, and the game freezes. An athletic trainer or coach rushes out to the injured athlete while other players take a knee. For a minute or so the crowd is silent and watches. Then, the player rises to...

Baseball Completes 3–0 Sweep Against Berea College
Baseball Completes 3–0 Sweep Against Berea College
Rodrigo Llaguno, Senior Staff Writer • March 8, 2024

On the weekend of March 2-3,  the Oberlin baseball team continued their impressive start to their season as they completed a series sweep against Berea College. The games show an impressive start to the season as they were able to bounce back from two losses. On Saturday, March 2, the Yeomen won two...

Men’s Tennis Takes Down Two OAU Opponents
Men’s Tennis Takes Down Two OAU Opponents
Walter Moak, Staff Writer • March 8, 2024

The Oberlin men’s tennis team triumphed in matches in an easy victory against Otterbein University at home and a scrappy win against Ohio Northern University on the road last week. The Yeomen easily dispatched the Otterbein Cardinals on Oberlin’s indoor courts last Wednesday. The Oberlin squad...

Sports Photography Provides Outlet for Student Athlete
Sports Photography Provides Outlet for Student Athlete
Shea Laursen, Production Editor • March 8, 2024

All my life, I have been an athlete. From being four years old starting taekwondo, to being a top tennis player in my state in middle school, to being a current college basketball player, athletics has always been what has taken up a vast majority of my time. As my high school days were coming to a close,...

Sports Weekly Updates: Week of 3/8
Dorothy Knutson, Staff Writer • March 8, 2024

Formula 1 Racing Kicks off 2024 Season in Kingdom of Bahrain This past Saturday, current Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen won the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening race of the 2024 F1 season. He was followed by Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez of Mexico, making it a Red Bull one-two. Fan-favorites...

Women’s Lacrosse Make Colonels Salute to Yeobie
Women’s Lacrosse Make Colonels Salute to Yeobie
Andrea Nguyen, Sports Editor • March 1, 2024

Last Saturday, the Yeowomen faced the Centre College Colonels in Danville, KY, delivering an impressive performance in a 20–6 win. This is their second consecutive win after their home opener, which was the Morgan’s Message Dedication Game against John Carroll University.  Against Centre, three...

Sports Weekly Updates: Week of 3/1
Walter Moak, Staff Writer • March 1, 2024

Collegiate Sprinter Dashes To World Best Christopher Morales Williams dipped below the world record in the indoor 400-meter dash at the Southeastern Conference indoor track and field championships in Fayetteville, AR. The University of Georgia second-year won the final in 44.49 seconds, lowering his...

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