News Briefs

Rhythm Offers Forum for Protesters

The Colors of Rhythm concert at Finney Chapel yesterday was not simply a celebration of dance and cultural diversity, but also a forum for protest, as allies of the Dance Diaspora and Colors of Rhythm dance groups spoke out against institutionalized racism within the Theater and Dance Department.

Petitioners sought the support of students in the fight against cultural insensitivity within the College. "We believe that the Theatre and Dance Department has failed to address the needs of students of color," one protester said. "We are hoping to raise awareness around campus to this situation, and we are hoping to receive equal opportunities."

Petitions were available that the students had presented to faculty members in the Dance department on Monday, Feb. 28, at the Warner Center for the Arts. The petition was attributed to the Colors of Rhythm, the Dance Diaspora and their allies. "There needs to be curriculum in the Theatre and Dance Department that is relevant to students of color," it read.

The petition also implored the department to produce "at least two shows per year that deal with Asian Pacific American and Latino students." Meanwhile, it advocated the hiring of professors of color to permanent faculty positions, not merely temporary ones. "Adenike Sharpley needs to be granted faculty membership," it stated. "Her work with [groups of color and their productions] merits a faculty position."

Finally, the petition called upon Associate Theater Professor Paul Moser to issue a public apology to the Colors of Rhythm, the Dance Diaspora and Associate Professor of African American Studies and Theater Caroline Jackson Smith for his "demeaning, condescending and at times hostile" behavior.

During the concert, one performer demanded that the College dedicate more energy to the formation of an all-encompassing ethnic studies department. A representative of the Third World Liberation Front once again brought the protest to light, appealing to the audience for support in its stand against cultural imperialism and institutionalized racism.

-Rossiter Drake

Review Released from Libel Lawsuit

The civil lawsuit brought against the Oberlin Review last May by Charles E. Newkirk, husband of former Dean of Students Charlene Cole-Newkirk was dropped on Monday.

Grounds for filing the lawsuit were based on information published in the Oct. 16, 1997 issue of the Review, a special mid-week edition reporting exclusively on complications surrounding Cole-Newkirk's Oct. 13 resignation.

According to the Lorain County Court complaint, the Review "intentionally and knowingly engaged in defamation of character" by publishing two "inherently derogatory" articles, both in print and on the Internet. Newkirk also charged the Review with negligence in "failing to supervise, warn, train or otherwise manage its editors," and of intentional infliction of emotional distress, arguing that the Review published information considered to be "damaging to the Plaintiff's reputation and employment or employment opportunities." The Review's defense was shared by 1997-98 Review Editor Hanna Miller (OC '98), 1998-99 Co-Editors Susanna Henighan (OC '99) and senior Abby Person, Oberlin College, and the College Board of Trustees.

The Review's attorneys defended the charges on grounds that Newkirk filed the suit over a year after the statements were published, thus violating the one-year statute of limitations set forth in Ohio Rev. Code No. 2305.11(A), and that the Newkirk's intentional infliction of an "emotional stress" claim, as described in his complaint, failed to state a concrete argument upon which relief could be granted for his pending suit.

Because Newkirk's attourneys at A. Scott Fromson & Associates dismissed the suit on his request, Newkirk is allowed by law to re-file the suit at a later date.

-Lauren Viera