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Established 1874.

The Oberlin Review

Established 1874.

The Oberlin Review

Established 1874.

The Oberlin Review

Lack of Diversity in Theater Isolates POC Actors
Nimala Sivakumar, Production Editor • September 13, 2024

In my second year of high school, I transferred from Princeton High School to the Hill School, excited to have a real fresh start after going to school with the same people for nine years. I had done theater growing up, so I decided to sieze the  new opprotunity and join the Ellis Theatre Guild at the...

Board of Trustees Divestment Rejection Dismisses Students, Lacks Empathic Language
Editorial Board September 13, 2024

On Aug. 14, the Oberlin Board of Trustees released its decision addressing the April proposal for divestment titled, “Oberlin College Board Response to Student Initiated Proposal for Divestment.” The proposal, submitted in accordance with the divestment resolution published by the Board in 2014,...

America’s Fixation With Wealth Must Be Addressed Within Middle Class
Gabrielle Barnett, Columnist • September 13, 2024

With Elon Musk on track to become the world’s first trillionaire by 2027 according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index, he is the ultimate example of the “American Dream.” Born in South Africa, Musk immigrated to Canada through familial citizenship when he was 17 and attended Queen’s University...

Mudd Center’s Exterior Deceptively Uninviting
Lauren Moore, Columnist • September 13, 2024

Last semester I had a friend visit me, and when looking for places for us to hang out, I noticed a distinct lack of third places. Wilder Hall was always crowded, the dining halls didn’t offer the most consistent seating, and taking over a random lounge didn’t seem very appealing. After much discussion...

An Oberlin property displays a Harris–Walz sign.
Why Issue 1 Needs to Be Prioritized
Nikki Keating, Editor-in-Chief • September 13, 2024

As someone from Washington, D.C., where the lack of voting representation is an everyday reality and politics are very different, I was immediately drawn to Ohio politics and the state level voting process. This interest deepened during my time at The Oberlin Review, where I delved into local politics...

The Trump and Harris campaigns agreed to muted mics during the recent debate.
New Presidential Debate Format Works, Room for Improvement
Travis O’Daniel, Managing Editor • September 13, 2024

I, as I’m sure was the case with many Oberlin students, spent my Tuesday night watching the presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Following the altogether embarrassing June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden, a lot was riding on this event...

Conservatory Adds New Music Theater Major
Calvin Ray Shawler, Conservatory Editor • September 6, 2024

Fall 2025 will usher in a new program at the Conservatory: Music Theater. Faculty from Baldwin Wallace University’s  Conservatory of Performing...

Meera Bhatia
ConPal Racial and Social Justice Training Undergoes Update
Delaney Fox, Editor-in-Chief • September 6, 2024

Last Saturday, ConPALs facilitated a new update to the Racial and Social Justice in Music training for incoming first-year Conservatory students....

From left to right:  Gracie McFalls, Mark Kliesen, and Solomon Leonard.
Viola Students First Ever to Conquer Hindemith Sonatas
Travis O'Daniel, Managing Editor • April 26, 2024

On Tuesday, Professor of Viola Peter Slowik’s third-year students performed all seven of Paul Hindemith’s viola sonatas. The studio recital,...

Members of the Silkroad Ensemble gave a talk in Stull Recital Hall.
Artist Recital Series Features Silkroad Ensemble
Nicolas Stebbins, Senior Staff Writer • April 26, 2024

On Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Finney Chapel, the Silkroad Ensemble will perform their new program: Uplifted Voices. Rhiannon Giddens, OC ’00, the...

Secondary Lesson Student Teachers Demand Higher Wages
Lyric Anderson April 19, 2024

Editor’s note: This letter refers only to student teachers in the Secondary Private Lessons program who are paid directly by the College. Dear...

Students walk to class in the King Building.
Oberlin Launches New Majors
Delaney Fox and Yasu Shinozaki September 13, 2024

On Sept. 5, President Carmen Twillie Ambar sent an email to the Oberlin community announcing the creation of five new majors at Oberlin: Business, Financial Economics, Communication Studies, Recording Arts and Production, and Music Theater. Environmental Science and Data Science were approved by faculty...

Taco Flavored Kisses has moved into a location on College Street, previously used by The Arb at Tappan Square.
Summer Brings Turnover to Oberlin Businesses
Avishi Khar and Swaranya Sarkar September 13, 2024

Downtown Oberlin has seen major changes in recent months; The Arb at Tappan Square and Ginko Gallery have closed; The Oberlin White Squirrel, Wood Fired Wonders, and Taco Flavored Kisses have opened; and For Ewe has changed location. The Oberlin White Squirrel, an artsy gift shop located at 133 S. Main...

Oberlin Pledges to Increase Impact Investment, Finance Redevelopment of War-Torn Regions
Yasu Shinozaki, News Editor • September 13, 2024

This summer, Oberlin’s Impact Investment Platform was expanded. The platform, which promotes “socially conscious investment,” has a new goal of investing $100 million in funds that promote this value.  The platform was established in 2013 with $5 million allocated from the endowment; later, a...

The LWVO brought an Airstream to Oberlin’s campus on Monday as part of a campaign to register students across Ohio to vote.
League of Women Voters of Ohio Visits Oberlin for Voter Registration
Lily Nobel, Production Editor • September 13, 2024

On Wednesday, the League of Women Voters of Ohio visited Wilder Bowl with their new promotional Airstream vehicle. Volunteers from LWVO worked alongside OC Votes students and faculty to register eligible Oberlin students to vote and inform them about Ohio voting policies.  The Airstream has been traveling...

First Internship+ Program Funds Summer Programs for Hundreds of Students
Yasu Shinozaki, News Editor • September 13, 2024

This past summer, 202 students received funding for internships, research fellowships, and other programs through the Career Exploration and Development Center’s new Internship+ program. Internship+, which was announced in fall 2021 and went into effect this year, allows third-years to receive up to...

The LCADA Way and Nord Center Merge to form Riveon Mental Health and Recovery
Jesse Gross September 13, 2024

This past August, two major mental healthcare institutions in Lorain County, The LCADA Way and The Nord Center, merged to form Riveon Mental Health and Recovery.  The partnership enabled the creation of a crisis receiving center, currently under construction, which will offer a “one-stop shop”...

Dorms renovated by SIP had water heating difficulties on Sept 7.
Hot Water Out Across Campus for Several Hours
Karthik Ranganadhan, Contributing News Editor • September 13, 2024

On Saturday, Sept. 7, one of the two hot water boilers that Oberlin operates suffered a cracked tube in its heat exchanger. This resulted in the supply of hot water temporarily stopping in all buildings that were converted by the Sustainable Infrastructure Program, which includes 56 buildings and 90...

Remembering the Arb at Tappan Square
Remembering the Arb at Tappan Square
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.
Editorial Comic
Oberlin Review Comic 9/13/24
Molly Chapin, Layout Manager and Illustrator
Oberlin Review Comic 4/5/2024
Oberlin Review Comic 4/5/2024
Molly Chapin, Layout Manager and Illustrator
Dara Birnbaum’s Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman (1978–79) plays in AMAM’s Video Space.
AMAM Presents Inaugural Video Space Exhibition
Eloise Rich, Arts & Culture Editor • September 13, 2024

In the Allen Memorial Art Museum’s collection of 16,000 works, only 35 are moving images or video works. Since 1984 — when Bill Olander, former director and curator of the AMAM, left for the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City — the AMAM’s collection has lacked an effort to showcase...

Hula Workshop Centers Hawaiian Diasporas, Highlights Indigenous Communities
Chloe Ko and Ariel Papas September 13, 2024

On Sept. 18, College third-year Isabel Handa will present a workshop teaching the basics and choreography of hula. In collaboration with Oberlin Shansi, Handa was awarded the AAPI Experience Grant to learn about this Hawaiian cultural practice and engage with the AAPI community at Halau Ka Pua Mae’ole...

Flawed, Exciting Alien: Romulus Is Brutal, Gory With Unrelenting Finish
Carrie Shevitz, Staff Writer • September 13, 2024

For a franchise whose major theme centers on the natural blind spots of humanity, it’s admittedly a good joke that Alien: Romulus is as simple a concept of: what if Alien was remade using modern horror gimmicks? One would think they would run out of ideas after the ambitious scope of Ridley Scott’s...

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Undercuts Emotional Story With Excessive Comedy
Spencer Elkind, Staff Writer • September 13, 2024

Without having seen the original 1988 dark comedy, I went to see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel that director Tim Burton and actor Michael Keaton have been trying to get off the ground since the original debuted 30 years ago. While the reviews have certainly trended on the positive...

Fae Ordaz illustrates a design for Phantasmagoria.
OCL Presents Phantasmagoria: A Magic Lantern and Horror Theater Show
Sydney Collinger, Senior Staff Writer, Layout Editor • September 13, 2024

On Sept. 27, Oberlin College Libraries will present two opportunities to discover  phantasmagoria, a form of horror theatre using magic lanterns to project images. The show will guide viewers back in time to the Victorian era and before.  Three people have been crucial to put this show into motion....

CHOREO Directors Navigate Growing Success, Reflect on Past Controversies
Chloe Boccara, Staff Writer • September 13, 2024

From four new auditioners last semester to 24 this semester, CHOREO Dance Crew has shot up in popularity. The questions arise: How did CHOREO gain popularity so quickly? What lies ahead for this up-and-coming group? Interviews with CHOREO’s three directors — College third-year Annalise Curl, College...

urfault
Cass Campi September 13, 2024

what you said like a spare thread that you pulled  out of your sweater brushed me off  your delicate shoulder and looked the other way   i gained more leaving you then i ever did loving you thought your words true so effortlessly blind to the pitchforks you threw   ground me...

A pair of moccasins
Allen Memorial Art Museum Undergoes Repatriation Process
Eloise Rich, Arts & Culture Editor • September 6, 2024

On April 7, 2023, The Oberlin Review published an article titled “College Ethnographic Collection Demands Increased Awareness, Reckoning with Our Colonial History.” This story centered around Associate Professor of Anthropology Amy Margaris, OC ’96, and an ethnographic collection of approximately...

Unsung America by Nick Lee
FAVA Exhibit Makes Space for Artists of Color in Northeast Ohio Area
Sydney Collinger, Senior Staff Writer, Layout Editor • September 6, 2024

“Elevate: Body & Mind” is an exhibit centering Northeast Ohio artists of color. It invokes emotion in its viewers by looking into human psyche through portraiture in order to understand the inner workings of identity and its effects on artists of color. From the shining, reflective style of Brandon...

Molly Grace and her band pose with the audience after the show.
Rising Pop-Funk Star Launches Oberlin Concert Season With High Energy Show
Grace Connell, Staff Writer • September 6, 2024

Pop-funk artist Molly Grace kicked off the ’Sco season for the Oberlin community with one of the first concerts of the 2024–2025 year. Her music is fun and upbeat with a ’70s flair, bringing together an enthusiastic crowd. Grace entered the stage in a sparkly tassel bodysuit and a bouncy blowout....

Valerie Hotchkiss
Nikki Keating, Editor-in-Chief • September 6, 2024

Oberlin College Libraries recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Mary Church Terrell Main Library  in Mudd Center and plans on continuing celebrations throughout the year. Azariah S. Root Director of Libraries and Professor of English and Book Studies Valerie Hotchkiss spoke with the Review...

Les Leopold
Les Leopold: Author and Labor Advocate
Layla Wallerstein, News Editor • May 10, 2024

Les Leopold, OC ’69, is an author and the executive director of the Labor Institute and is on the steering committee for the Alumni for Oberlin Values. His recent book, Wall Street’s War on Workers: How Mass Layoffs and Greed Are Destroying the Working Class and What to Do About It was inspired by...

Justin Nobel
Justin Nobel: Environmental Journalist, Author of Petroleum-238
Delaney Fox, Editor-in-Chief • May 3, 2024

Justin Nobel is an award-winning journalist who reports on issues of environmental justice. His book Petroleum-238: Big Oil’s Dangerous Secret and the Grassroots Fight to Stop It was published this month. Nobel lectured today in Wilder Hall on his decade of research for the book. The book talk was...

James Feddeck
James Feddeck '05: Visiting Conductor
Kash Radocha, Senior Staff Writer • September 13, 2024

This fall, the Conservatory welcomes guest conductor James Feddeck, OC ’05, back to the stage to conduct Oberlin’s orchestra, chamber orchestra, and fall opera while Professor Raphael Jiménez is on sabbatical. Feddeck, who also received an M.M. in Conducting from the Conservatory in 2006, is a renowned...

Student Organizes Orchestra For Senior Recital
Swaranya Sarkar September 13, 2024

On Oct. 13 at 4:30 p.m., Benjamin Muir’s Senior Recital Orchestra will perform at Warner Concert Hall. It will be the first large-scale orchestra of its kind to perform at a senior recital in the last five years. The orchestra welcomes non-Conservatory performers from the community and the College. A...

Malcolm Bamba: Consent in the Conservatory
Malcolm Bamba: Consent in the Conservatory
Nicolas Stebbins, Senior Staff Writer • April 19, 2024

Every April, the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion collaborates with the Peer Support Center and Survivors of Sexual Harm and Allies to offer resources and education aimed at promoting consent and preventing sexual harm. Consent Month consists of a series of workshops and lectures, covering...

On the Record with Matthew Wright: Actor, Director, Professor
On the Record with Matthew Wright: Actor, Director, Professor
Travis O'Daniel, Managing Editor • September 13, 2024

Chair and Professor of Theater Matthew Wright is a recipient of the 2023–2024 Excellence in Teaching award. He fell in love with theater growing up in rural Florida and pursued a theatrical education and received at BA at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. After both observing and performing in...

On the Record with Matthew Rarey: Novelist, Curator, Professor
On the Record with Matthew Rarey: Novelist, Curator, Professor
Sadie Howard, Staff Writer • September 6, 2024

Matthew Rarey is an associate professor of African and Black Atlantic Art History, as well as the chair of the Art History department. His book, Insignificant Things: Amulets and the Art of Survival in the Early Black Atlantic recently won the 2024 Charles Rufus Morey Book Award from the College Art...

Holly Handman-Lopez
On the Record with Holly Handman-Lopez: Professor, Choreographer
Chloe Boccara, Staff Writer • April 26, 2024

Holly Handman-Lopez is an assistant professor of Dance at Oberlin College and has choreographed numerous works, including her three most recent engagements: Ancestra, L’Orfeo, and Oberlin Dance Company. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Recently, you choreographed three mainstage...

Jacob Epps poses at football media day.
Jacob Epps
Nikki Keating, Editor-in-Chief • September 13, 2024

Third-year Jacob Epps is a two-sport athlete playing both football and baseball at Oberlin. He suits up at wide receiver and defensive back in football and plays third base for the baseball team. Epps is also co-chair of the Black Student-Athlete Group.  This interview has been edited for length and...

In the Locker Room with Lauren Mills
Andrea Nguyen, Sports Editor • April 5, 2024

Lauren Mills is a third-year midfielder on the women’s lacrosse team. A double major in Neuroscience and Biology on the pre-medical track, she is constantly on the run. When Mills isn’t on the field, she can be seen working at the gym desks or preparing samples for other Biology class labs in the...

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...

Sophia Timm-Blow
Soccer Dominates Opponents Over Weekend
Micah Rodriguez, Chris Stoneman, and Wesley Penta September 13, 2024

On Saturday, Sept. 7, Oberlin’s men’s and women’s soccer teams defended their home pitch, with both teams winning their home openers and consequently their first wins of what are sure to be fruitful seasons. The men’s team faced off against Chatham University. In a hard fought defensive first...

Francisco Lindor rounds first-base after a home run.
The Amazin’ Mets Surge in Wild Card Standings
Micah Rodriguez, Sports Editor • September 13, 2024

The New York Mets, the team with the highest estimated payroll in the MLB, are an underdog.  When current owner Steve Cohen bought majority ownership of the Mets in 2020, he wanted to show he was serious about making the Mets a perennial playoff contender once again. Their last appearance was in 2015,...

Raygun Breaks Breakdancing Mold
Davis Hayes, Staff Writer • September 13, 2024

Rachael “Raygun” Gunn took the world by storm at the 2024 Paris Olympics after a controversial breaking performance that heralded both criticism and fanfare. Raygun’s Olympic debut — a combined three-round total score of zero (no, this is not a typo) — transcended the breaking community, with...

Moé Ariyoshi
Oberlin Women’s Tennis Has Strong Start
Gregory Lane Jr., Senior Staff Writer • September 13, 2024

Last Saturday, Oberlin women’s tennis competed at the Wooster Invitational. Following a solid start at the Allegheny College Invitational, the women’s tennis team built on their momentum in the competition with 11 total victories across singles and doubles. The team has established themselves as...

The Oberlin football team poses for a photo.
Oberlin Football Prepares for 134th Season
Micah Rodriguez, Sports Editor • September 6, 2024

Headlined by new coaching staff additions and four core values, the Yeomen prepare for year two of the ‘Pont era.’ This Saturday, September 7, the Oberlin College football team kicks off their season at Calvin University. Head Coach John Pont is returning to the helm and is set to take the field...

Kids in Motion is an ExCo.
Kids in Motion Continues to Choreograph Movement, Growth, Connection within Oberlin
Jonah Barber, At Large Senior Staff Writer • September 6, 2024

At the end of every semester in Oberlin, the Cat in the Cream holds an event that radically departs from the usual concert, Conservatory recital, or trivia night. The metamorphosis is subtle yet striking; excited parents, siblings, and grandparents from the Oberlin community fill the seats to face a...

Noah Lyles holds up the American flag.
Top Performers From Paris: An Olympic Overview
Micah Rodriguez, Sports Editor • September 6, 2024

Ilona Maher Shines Light on Women’s Rugby Ilona Maher entered the spotlight three years ago at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics where she used social media to show what the Olympics look like for athletes behind the scenes. This year, at the age of 27, Maher represented the United States in her second Olympic...

Fourth-year Johnny Ragsdale on his way to a third-place finish.
Oberlin Shines at Wooster Invitational
Micah Rodriguez and Chris Stoneman September 6, 2024

Last Saturday, the cross country team competed at the Wooster Invitational.  Following their great performance last year at the NCAA Regional Championships, the tenured  Ray Appenheimer transitioned from his role as head coach to associate director of athletics. This created many questions surrounding...

The Guardian Cap protects against brain injuries in tackle football.
Guardian Caps Bring New Look to Football
Gregory Lane Jr. , Senior Staff Writer • September 6, 2024

As we enter the 2024–2025 NFL season, fans of the sport may notice an unfamiliar accessory on the helmets of certain players. Created in 2010, the Guardian Cap is a soft shell exterior attached to helmets to reduce the impact of potentially concussive blows. These additions were officially introduced...

Weekly Updates: Week of 5/10
Weekly Updates: Week of 5/10
Rodrigo Llaguno, Senior Staff Writer • May 10, 2024

Champions League Final  The final of the Champions League, which will take place at Wembley Stadium in London, is now set. Borussia Dortmund will face Real Madrid. Dortmund managed to beat Paris Saint Germain in Paris after winning the first leg 1–0. The second leg saw Dortmund win 1–0 again...

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