The following is a copy of a letter sent to President Dye:
To the Editor:
Dear President Dye,
I am writing as a concerned member of the Oberlin College Community. I am contacting you to voice my grievances with the all campus mailing system that presently serves the student body. I am aware of the functions of this system however I believe there are ecologically friendly, economically advantageous, and equally if not superior methods of communicating messages to the student body.
I have found a large portion of the community opposed to the present system. I have also observed many individuals totally disregarding the messages and in turn littering the campus in their frustration with "yet another mailing." Including the cost of paper, printing, and cleanup this is a very inefficient way for the college to be spending money.
Among the solutions to this problem could be an electronic mailing system integrated with a posting board placed in the mailroom. In this way all who are interested could take the time to read at two (instead of the previously single) occasions. I have been informed that there are individuals willing to put in the time to construct the mailing list for the school and even add any number of "high-tech" features. You may find it necessary for some documents such as campus alerts or special forms to still be sent out as physical mailings.
The recycling process, although still better than not recycling, is not a very efficient or environmentally friendly process. Although most of the paper is placed in recycling bins made available by the college it is still a wasteful method. Reducing throughout is as important if not more so than reusing and recycling. A recycling measure that should be taken is to switch to recycled paper everywhere on campus.
Therefore, on behalf of myself and the many students with whom I have spoken on this issue I would like to ask that campus mailings (in their current form) be discontinued.
If there are other campus administrators with whom I should be in contact please let me know. Thank you for your time and I hope that I have your support.
Copyright © 1997, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 125, Number 17; March 7, 1997
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