Commentary

Representative education the goal

Oberlin is reasserting its status as a quality, discerning institution this year. We admitted fewer people and, of those, more decided to come here than the year before. Debra Chermonte, director of admissions, said, "We exceeded all expectations," regarding the size of the class of 2000.

Unfortunately, the breakdown of just who is in the incoming class is not as hopeful. The number of African-American students coming to Oberlin this year is 46 - out of 819 entering first-years. That is a dramatic drop from the 72 in last year's class. Why did this happen?

Blame cannot be conveniently placed in any one person's or in the institution's lap. But, Oberlin can certainly target schools outside of the usual high ranking circles, schools that are usually not targeted in recruitment but might yield more African-American applicants. President Nancy Dye said herself that Oberlin does not do enough to creatively target the African-American students we need.

So, whether or not Oberlin did in fact exceed expectations this year is a matter of perspective. If Oberlin's expectation is to remain in the top 50 schools in the country based on criteria that ignore mass inequalities in lower education, we can succeed. But, Oberlin can do much more. Working toward a more representative educational system in the new century is a worthier goal.

Editorials in this box are the responsibility of the editor-in-chief, managing editor and commentary editor, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the Review.

Related Stories:

College Admissions exceeds target numbers this year -September 13, 1996

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