A year after the formation of OSCA’s Committee on Privilege and Oppression, representatives have begun thinking about reform. COPAO, a committee charged with making OSCA more accessible to historically underprivileged groups, has met with mixed reactions from co-opers.

“COPAO’s mission is to make OSCA an accessible, cross-class, multicultural and welcoming-to-all-genders organization,” junior Sarah Schreiber, a representative from Old Barrows co-op, said.

COPAO representatives attempt to achieve this mission by leading workshops and hosting discussion tables in their co-ops on issues ranging from the cultural implications of food politics to white privilege. Each co-op decided to what extent its members will be required to attend these workshops. After extended debate, every co-op except Pyle Inn, Third World and Kosher Co-ops have made attendance in at least one workshop mandatory. Co-opers who do not wish to attend may, in some co-ops, write a letter saying they do not wish to attend or accept a “missed job” which they make up by doing an extra hour’s work in their co-op.

Although COPAO’s mission was approved by individual co-ops, workshops have been poorly attended.

In at least two instances, no co-opers appeared at all while one representative noted that in her experience people attended the discussion tables “more than half the time.”

Different ideas for reforming COPAO are being discussed by committee members.

“One thing [another student and I have] thought of is organizing ‘caucuses’ within OSCA,” Schreiber said. “A caucus for working-class people, a queer caucus, so people can talk about issues together, sort of like a safe space where group discussions happen.” This concept has not yet been discussed in an official COPAO meeting.

“I’d like to see us build more coalitions inside the college community,” sophomore Jane Feustal said. Sophomore Lee Davis, a representative from Tank, recommends more communication with co-opers.

“We don’t really communicate enough,” she said. “I think that’s changeable. I guess I would change [COPAO] by taking a lot of time and talking to people about what they think about it.”

Representatives of COPAO admit that there has been a mixed response to their activities. “I think [the Committee’s] kind of out of step with what most of OSCA’s thinking,” Davis, said. “But it has been pretty successful at getting issues raised.”

Members say that COPAO’s work has brought valuable debate to the co-ops.

“We talked to an alum who said that when she was here none of these discussions were possible,” Schreiber said. “The first goal when COPAO was started was raising awareness. Now the word’s out there so we need to give the workshops a smaller role.”

Some members claim that problems arise in the committee’s approach.

“The first step [for COPAO members] is self-education,” sophomore Caleb Baker, a representative from Keep, said. “Before we can begin to address anything on an all-OSCA scale, we need to address it on a personal scale.”

Yet high student turnover means that the self-education process has to begin anew every semester. By the time a COPAO member has formulated a policy and is prepared to implement it, Baker claimed, “you’ve almost finished your term as an officer.”

Some co-opers believe that the existence of a committee cannot adequately address accessibility problems.

“COPAO attempts to address issues of inequality and oppression through intra-group talking,” senior Daniel Winetsky said. “Only real, effective policy changes could overcome institutional patterns of behavior within OSCA that make OSCA an uncomfortable place for minorities.”

Representatives acknowledge that COPAO has detractors among the co-ops.

“I think most of OSCA thinks that COPAO’s very hostile, preachy, and guilt-inducing,” Davis said. “I feel like they think our mission is to get more people of color into OSCA, although it definitely is not.”