Oberlin Mental Health Initiative to provide students support

To the Editors:

Several weeks ago, Diana Smith wrote a letter to the Review describing her experiences with the behavioral contract. Many of us were outraged at such inconsiderate treatment of a student in distress. The collective sound of this outrage, however, has been silence. Or perhaps murmurs.

Student senators are working on a revision of the behavioral contract, which is important, but it is only one of a number of problems associated with mental health at Oberlin for students with severe and/or chronic mental illness.

The counseling center, while providing valuable services for some students, does not begin to provide adequate care for students with severe and/or chronic mental illness. These students must search off campus for doctors who meet their personal and financial needs, a time-consuming and exhausting process.

The lack of public transportation severely limits students options of therapists, and particularly psychiatrists. Add in the factor of who their insurance will pay for, and options are even further limited. Confidentiality and privacy concerns with professors and residential life staff also need to be addressed.

Studentsı rights also need to be promoted so that students will know when those rights are violated and what their options for redress are.

Mental illness is a subject that everyone and no one talks about. We discuss frustration and complaints with close friends we trust, but we do not air these concerns in the open. This is a difficult thing to do, but it is necessary in order to begin working toward solutions.

This is an issue that we all need to know about and care about. It is unlikely that any of us will not be affected by it. As depression strikes one in four Americans in their lifetime, it is probable that at least someone we know (a friend, a relative) will be touched, if not ourselves.

We are also at the age when most cases of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia begin. We need to begin discussing mental illness publicly, despite its enormous stigma. This is the only way to eventually erase stigma and gain the acceptance of mental illness as the medical, often biological, illness it is.

The Oberlin Mental Health Initiative was recently created to provide support for students and to work toward improving conditions for students with severe and/or chronic mental illness.

We are currently formulating a mental health resource guide that will detail national and local services available to students, along with studentsı rights, that we hope to deliver to students in the fall. We also hope to establish a support group for students and, eventually, a crisis hotline.

It is our hope that through education, public dialogue, and increased awareness of service options that studentsı needs will be better served in the future, leaving us more able to contribute to and to enjoy Oberlin College.

--

JoAnn Whetsell, College senior & other members of the Oberlin Mental Health initiative

Diversity of thought sorely lacking

To the Editors:

This letter has been writing itself very slowly in my head for the last four years. Oberlin has some problems that we need to address that nobody wants to come to terms with. Nothing to do with homophobia, or the administration, or anything like that. This is more an issue of how we view Oberlin College, and the expectations and ideals that are supposed to thrive in this community.

Every year, Brother Jed comes to Tappan Square to preach to us and tell us what he thinks about the world. In classroom discussions, the NRA, pro-life abortion stances, gun ownership, or capitalism crop up. The flaws of unionized labor are mentioned in economic or political terms. Far too often, these things are rejected out of hand, or even worse, railed against and shouted down without a second thought. At the same time, we hear discussions about the benefits of diversity and keeping an open mind. It is time for Oberlin to come to terms with the hypocrisy that we live with in this community.

When an opinion that we disagree with is presented, we should think about why we disagree with it, rather than dismissing it. If we feel that homophobia is wrong, we need to be able to say why. After all, saying ³Well, itıs just wrong² isnıt really saying much. In contrast, pointing out that the only difference between straight and gay is who someone falls in love with is a little more meaningful. It doesnıt hurt to stop and wonder why we agree or disagree with an opinion. Sometimes it helps us learn.

Diversity of thought is not encouraged here at Oberlin. Being pro death penalty or voting Republican isnıt going to win any friends on this campus and usually makes enemies. Yet we claim to be a place where one person can change the world. If weıre going to be changing something, it means holding and being open to opinions that are different and radical. I donıt just mean radical like the Yippies and Students for a Democratic Society, but also radical like the Michigan Militia. Change comes from the left and the right, and both kinds can be good just as much as both kinds can be bad. Without letting a diversity of thought onto this campus, how can we change anything other than our socks?

Looking back to the last time that Brother Jed was here, voicing his very different and radical point of view, I saw people heckling him, sexually harassing him, and insulting him, without bothering to stop and wonder why they disagreed with him. This doesnıt make him right or wrong, it just makes us hypocrites. If we truly want to be a place where one person can change the world, shouldnıt we be willing to stop and listen to an alternative point of view? Shouldnıt we think very carefully before politicizing an issue? Can we really dismiss everything that Bob Dole says just because heıs from the ³wrong² political party? Unless this campus is willing to change, and start thinking, we need to change our admissions slogan. ³Oberlin. If you disagree with us, weıll mock you.²

--

Mathias Wegner, College senior

SFC policy undermines student activism on Oberlin campus

To the Editors:

Last Friday morning, I walked into the Student Finance Committee office and found that the Asian American Allianceıs budget had been cut to almost a third of what AAA had requested. I remembered that during my budget hearing, an SFC officer had said something to the effect of, ³Everyone asked for a lotŠweıll need to cut everyoneıs budget in half.² Now, I know one-half is more than one-third.

But I want to more closely examine why AAA received this substantially large budget cut. Next year, AAA is hosting the 11th Biennial Midwest APA Conference. This conference was established to fill the gap that exists at Oberlin due to the lack of an Asian-American studies program/department. For the last twenty years weıve had to scrape everywhere and beg everyone on campus to help with funding. For the 1999-2000 academic year, weıve received less in our budget than ever from SFC.

I want to draw attention to some serious flaws Iıve found in the distribution of funds by the SFC.

First, I was surprised to find that another student organization, based on a political/religious identity, had been apportioned so much money ‹almost four times as much as AAA. In no way do I mean to criticize this organizationıs legitimacy, but I have to ask why such a large disparity exists, between these two, in funding. I was told that much of the money given to this other organization was for religious functions.

Upon further inquiry, the SFC officers I talked to explained that cultural and religious functions were much more likely to be funded vs. speakers and conferences. I was also told that the SFC charter, itself, allows funding for only three speakers to be brought by each organization. And if conferences are intended, organizations need to ad-hoc for them come fall ‹ which means re-apply for SFC money. These are unrealistic limitations on an organization like AAA which invites more than three speakers each year. Last yearıs conference alone brought almost twenty speakers. This policy is also flawed in that it fails to recognize that not all organizations bring speakers ‹ OFS, for example, or the Equestrian Club; Iım not saying they shouldnıt have the chance or opportunity to bring speakers, but historically they havenıt, whereas AAA always does.

I then asked whether AAA wouldıve gotten more money had we included more cultural celebrations, like Chinese New Year. Yes, they told me. And here is the fundamental flaw. AAA is a political organization built around a political identity. We are not an organization with the primary goal of having cultural festivities. We sponsor conferences, speaker-series, film-series and workshops open to everyone. The bulk of AAA programming is not meant to supply the Oberlin community with cultural experience. AAAıs goal IS to raise awareness on campus concerning Asian American and Asian Pacific American issues. AAAıs goal IS to affect an APA studies department. AAAıs goal IS to provide a community for the Oberlin APA students. AAA attempts to define a political direction for Asian American students at Oberlin.

With this in mind, itıs obvious that student organizations with political agendas cannot receive adequate amounts of funding, unless they beg every single department, dorm, administrative office, and committee. In general, student organizations are all receiving less (which is a problem by itself) but why is it politically based organizations have to suffer the most.

I donıt blame SFC officers when they review my budget and red ink more than 2/3ıs of it out; theyıre just doing their jobs. Theyıre following policy. But the policy they implement is seriously fucked up. It may not have been constructed to squelch political student activism, but that is exactly what it does.

--

Adrian Leung, College sophomore and co-treasurer of AAA

Big day a chance to show disapproval of bombing

To the Editors:

There is a movement for Seniors to protest the bombings in Yugoslavia by wearing armbands on our left arms for the walk across the stage at graduation. With this silent protest, we refuse to be complicit in the violent solutions put forward by our government.

In this way, it is also a statement of our own work for real, comprehensive, non-violent solutions to the myriad of problems facing our generation. A variety of campus groups will represent their own work in America through their concern for this international crisis.

While students have been rallying in Yugoslavia and China, there is no similar movement of students in America, the main aggressor of these bombings. This big day is a chance to focus attention not only on ourselves but also on the victims in Yugoslavia.

We hope to make this ceremony, our ceremony, a protest as well as a promise of dedication to struggling for better solutions in the rest of our lives.

--

Bessa Kautz, College senior, Caitlin Medlock, College junior, and Chuckie Kamm, College junior

Be a conscious consumer; cooperatives are everywhere

To the Editors:

Obies pride themselves on being conscious consumers but so few of us know how much of an integral role cooperatives play in the American economy. I had an internship last summer and winter term at the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) and was exposed to just this. NCBA is the only organization to develop, defend, advocate, and advance the cooperative movement in all sectors of the economy. Here are just a few of the mainstream brand-name cooperatively-run American companies: Sunmaid, Sunkist, Goldkist, Floridaıs Natural (Citrus World), Ocean Spray, Dunkinı Donuts, Welchıs, Blue Diamond almonds, Land Oı Lakes, Dairyland, Best Western hotels, Associated Press News Service, Nationwide Insurance, Touchstone Energy, Truserv (Truvalue, Servistar), Ace Hardware, REI

Cooperatives are everywhere. There are schools, insurance companies, health care providers, banks (credit unions), purchasing groups like grocery stores or hardware stores, worker-owned factories and marketing organizations. Some even make the fortune five hundred list: Ace Hardware (ranked 482 in 1997), Truserv (520) and Goldkist (566). Generally speaking, cooperatives are non-profit, democratically run companies. Any profits are returned as dividends to members. This could be the farmer who produced the food item, the ³mom and pop² store in which you made your purchase or you.

Be a conscious consumer. Choose Watsons over Ben Franklin, join the Credit Union (donıt worry, your money is safe there), encourage your family to stay at a Best Western and on your next trip to the grocery store ‹ buy co-op.

--

Kristi Schurman, College senior