Angry sentiments expressed on Senate Comment Board

Students Senate's comment board was originally an afterthought. It has turned into one of the largest and most heated discussions in Wilder's halls. Bringing up mainly race issues, the first of many writings appeared about two weeks ago, bringing up the question of why the Senate is made up of "mostly white men."

The comments were divided up into criticisms from people who felt Senate was not being a representative voice of the students, some senators defending their positions while calling for further discussion and writers leaving only statements such as, "fuck whites" and "fuck blacks." Also present were a few comments from those who felt that the discussion was not going anywhere and in that way was indicative of most discussions at Oberlin.

Senior Diepiriye Kuku wrote the first of the allegations on the comment board. He also wrote about not being comfortable as the only black on senate at the time. "It makes things very difficult," said Kuku . "I don't like being in situations where I'm the only black person."

Kuku was not the only person writing to criticize senate's representation capabilities. Others had comments along similar lines, but most only signed their names as initials or pseudonyms.

Many senators expressed concern with both the allegations that the Senate was not representing the student body in any fair way, as well as with the language and racial epithets used in many of the comments.

"There's been no positive sug gestions," said senator sophomore Nicole Johnston. She commented that most of the comments were either critiques or curses, but did not offer any types of solutions towards the problems of representation among the senate.

Senate created solutions will be discussed during their weekly meeting Sunday night. The meeting is usually at 7 p.m., but will be held an hour later this week to allow senators to attend an OSCA sponsored storytelling to do with racism.

Kuku stated a specific example of a senator with power who was not representative of the student body as the appointment of junior Chapin Benninghoff to being co-chair of the Student Life Committee. "Whether intentional or not, it's a manipulation of power," he said.

"I don't think he is in touch with a lot of people," said Kuku.

Senator sophomore Bobbi Lopez, who is the head of the senate's task force on their own race related issues, said that among the ideas which had been brainstormed was one to possibly make a work-study position for senate. The idea would be to encourage minority students to become and stay senators.

Senators stated they felt minority students were often feeling disenfranchised with the bureaucracy at Oberlin. Some had spoken with students who saw the channels to make change too complex, and felt that change could not really be made at all working within Senate's role in the administrative process.

Kuku also pointed out some recent attempts by senators to reach out and get some public opinion. He pointed out specifically Johnston and Lopez, who went to the Harkness, Fairchild and Third World House co-ops to discuss the International Studies proposal. He praised their efforts, particularly in Third World House where their proposal was not well met. "They talked to an entire community," he said.

Whatever the specifics behind the recent writings on the wall, the senate is treating it as a issue of importance. "I'm not treating this as one or two people, I think it's very serious," said senator junior Matt Green.