The College and the Oberlin Police Department are starting preliminary discussions aimed at clarifying their relationship in a mutual aid agreement. The discussion will result in a working document that will define the police's role in the College and the expectations of the two groups.
"The agreement would define how we work with each other and what our expectations are," James said.
Police Chief Tom Jones said the agreement could fine-tune how the police respond to issues on campus.
According to Jones the old agreement of this type between the College and the police is outdated. He said it is from a time when some security officers still had police powers. "Now that Security has left the direction of quasi-police, the agreement is obsolete," he said.
The agreement is only in very early stages of discussion according to both James and Jones.
Dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk said that recent events on campus surrounding the discovery of three marijuana plants point to a need for such a document.
She also clarified the reasoning behind the College's decision to report one of those cases to the police and not the other. She said that the College is bound to report felonies, and there was a chance that the first case could have been a felony due to the quantity of plants and paraphernalia. The other two cases were obvious misdemeanors she said.
College applications are still rolling in a month after the January 15th deadline, but it is too early to quote statistics on this admissions year.
Early decision applicants rose to 154, about 20 more than last year. Regular decision is down about 4 percent. Director of Admissions Debra Chermonte said applications are still coming in.
The Conservatory's application numbers are the same as last year at this time. Michael Manderen, Director of Conservatory admissions expects one-third of the applicants to be accepted and 50 percent to enroll.
Chermonte said, "the quality of applicant group is even better than last year." Admissions is currently reading applications and will have demographic numbers confirmed by March.
Initial indications are that the numbers of Latino and Asian-American applicants are down from last year. The number of African-American applicants is about equal to last year at this time. The number of Native American applicants has increased significantly.
Plans for the new science center are still being drafted as members of the Science Facilities Committee are revising plans to bring Oberlin's science facilities up to date.
Co-chairs Director of Sponsored Programs David Love and Professor of Geology William Skinner, who is filling in for Albert Matlin while he is in London, are heads of the committee that is planning a science center that would hopefully make Oberlin's science programs competitive with other like institutions.
The building, which will cost an estimated $45 million, is the largest capital project ever undertaken by the College. The building will take about four years to complete once plans are finalized, and will be located on North campus, where Kettering now stands.
After the preliminary plans went through the Science Facilities Committee, suggestions were taken to the possible architects for revision. Feedback from the committee was positive.
"[The committee] was in total agreement that we have to do this, expensive as it is, it's very important to Oberlin's future as a whole," said Love. There is a general consensus as to what the general plans will look like, details just have to be solidified and an architect decided upon.
Several architects will be on campus next week to make preliminary plans for the new facility.
Copyright © 1997, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 125, Number 14; February 14, 1997BR>
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