It’s been a difficult year to be a member of the Oberlin community. Simply listing the personal and institutional crises that have emotionally and logistically affected the lives of students, faculty, administrators and the entire community at large would neither do justice to the enormous impact that each has had nor adequately reflect our respective sensitivity toward the premature deaths of several beloved members of our community.

However, the fact remains that the College is going through a time of serious transition, and we all need to recognize the importance of the decisions that remain to be made in the upcoming months. It would not be an understatement to suggest that the impact of these decisions will shape the course of the College as an institution and Oberlin as a community for years to come.

With the losses of Dean of Students Peter Goldsmith and Associate Dean/MRC Director Rachel Beverly, as well as the resignation of Assistant Dean of Students Bill Stackman, many members of the Oberlin community have finally realized the importance of these positions and the significant contributions that these dedicated, passionate and irreplaceable individuals brought to the College and the town. Accordingly, the College has its hands more than full trying to stabilize all of these positions.

We commend the College for moving forward to fill these important positions, but we urge both the College and the community to recognize the impact that each decision will have upon our collective future. We all need to exercise due diligence and deliberation in filling the enormous void that has been created.

The work that is currently being undertaken to replace Beverly has been sound, but it largely depends on the College at large recognizing the importance of the Associate Dean/MRC Director position in facilitating debate and working for the causes of people of color and LGBTU campaigns on campus. MRC interim director Kimberly Davidson-Jackson and the search committee for the Director of the MRC/Associate Dean of Students have been diligent in publicizing the opportunities to meet the prospective candidates. However, their work depends on our involvement and active participation. A list of these candidates, along with times and locations where they can be met, can be accessed on the MRC website; we encourage the community to take the time to investigate and engage in this important decision.

Furthermore, as we look to fill the Dean of Students positions, we must not forget the multifaceted contributions that the Dean makes. Handling SFC, J-board and club sports and serving as the liaison for all student organizations and activities on campus, successfully filling the position is an essential, if often overlooked, factor in the greater wellbeing of the community.

Lest we forget, the Dean of the Conservatory has also just changed from Robert Dodson to David Stull, and Steven Smith, conductor of the Conservatory Orchestras, is resigning. The College will have to fill Smith’s shoes as well.

If the College is careful to take its time to ensure that the right candidates for each of these positions are found, it will make this inevitable period of transition smoother and, in the long run, pave the way for an enriched campus community.

–Editor-in-chief, Douglass Dowty
–Commentary Editor, Margaret Carey
–Managing Editors, Eric Klopfer, Steven Kwan, Colin Smith

Editorials are the responsibility of the Review editorial board—the Editor in Chief
and Commentary Editor—and do not necessarily reflect the view of the staff
of the Review.