Students and citizens meet

Town-gown relationships were disgowned at an integrated town and college meeting this week.

Members of the Ohio Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG), Off-campus concerns office, OSCA, Oberlin Human Relations Commission and the Zion Community Development Corporation met Wednesday to discuss and find common ground regarding the Oberlin community.

The meeting was initiated by OPIRG chair Margaux Shields, tenant rights coordinator Sarah Bania-Dobyns and tenant rights member Catherine Sherraden. They hoped to bridge the town-gown gap between the college and town by educating students on town-gown issues.

"We wanted to sit down and find out what we're working on so we can use each other as resources in the future," said Shields.

Protestant Chaplain Fred Lassen, who is also chair of the Zion Community Development Corporation, attended the meeting along with Zion executive director Carolyn Young. "These are just preliminary discussions," said Lassen. "The meeting is just to brainstorm and find out what common interests we [as meeting organizations] might have."

The Zion Community Development Corporation mission statement is to "revitalize the Oberlin community with a focus on the southeast quadrant by initiating and coordinating housing, education and economic development projects and services."

Chair of Oberlin Human Relations Commission Camille Mitchell also attended the meeting. "I thought it was a great first. People must come together to see what other groups are there," she said.

Mitchell, who has been a member of the Commission for three years, mentioned some of their main functions. "We hear and mediate cases involving housing discrimination," she said.

With the end of the preliminary meeting, OPIRG and Zion Community Development Corporation will continue their previous plans with the community. "OPIRG has a survey for tenants' rights. We have a survey to assess the needs of those in the southeast quadrant," said Lassen.

"Next semester we'll probably meet again," said Shields.