Health Care, Kettering Among Issues Raised At Trustee Forum  
BY JOHN BYRNE

Dialogues between students and trustees are few and far between, and can feel several times removed, so the student-trustee forums, held once a semester, are a rare opputunity and cover a lot of ground in a limited amount of time. Thursday’s class trustee forum was no exception.
While sparsely attended, the forum, led by Amie Ely, OC99, Ingrid Huang, OC00 and Lee Fisher, OC73, proved an energetic conversation between concerned students and receptive, if somewhat new, trustees. Much of the conversation revolved around diversity — both ethnic and disciplinary — and the bedeviled Student Health.
“I’m concerned about the schism between science and humanities students,” senior Daniel Kimmel said. “There is a feeling that science is completely unidimensional that students in it are completely preprofessional and can’t be open-minded to things.” He said that Kettering, as a wall between the rest of the College and the new science building, had symbolic significance.
Fisher compared the divide between science and humanities students to the divide between College and Conservatory students. He suggested that the limited number of places where students can get together for fun contributes to this fissure. “Wilder looks the same as it did when I was here nt ’73 and it didn’t exactly look great then,” he said.
“Maybe the focus ought to be on places where you go to have fun. Because that’s the place where you’re going to have a spontaneous conversation and get rid of those stereotypes,” he added.
Sophomore Purvi Patel concurred with Kimmel, saying that the humanities are dramatically understaffed. She called the physics department “stacked” and voiced concerns about the theater and dance department, both in terms of performance space and the retirement of Associate Professor of Theater Jane Armitage, whose position might be lost. Patel expressed frustration about the East Asian Studies department’s focus only on China and Japan.
“We feel like we have to fight for resources,” senior Christina Normore said. “There’s not enough space for me to even put my silkscreen away.”
Fisher responded to concerns about the dearth of resources in the humanities saying, “We believe that having a balance is essential. I can speak for my class, 1973, that most people came for the humanities and not social sciences and would be concerned with a shift away from that.” He added that College President Nancy Dye addressed the performance space issue in her address to the trustees. 
“One thing I was going to suggest and might even bring up to the trustees is to have round tables [in dining halls] where you can meet new people,” Huang said. Addressing concerns about the diversity of the East Asian Studies program, Huang noted that Dye mentioned in her speech the hiring of a new Korean Studies professor.
Normore later moved the conversation into discussion of Student Health.
“I think that the health care in the town is just dreadful,” she said. She enumerated her concerns about counselors maintaining confidentiality and the difficulty in making appointments.
“I had a friend develop bronchitis and they gave her a cold kit,” she continued. “Something is seriously wrong.”
“I know personally that some higher-ups in the administration are aware of this,” Kimmel said. “In the absence of ignorance I feel there is no excuse.”
Others mentioned problems with the health plan not covering emergency visits, the distance of the facility from campus and employees recommending herbs.
“I hear you about the emergency room,” Huang said. “I once sat there for four hours. That same doctor was seeing dogs before he saw me.”
Junior Miguel Villafana also broached the topic of Zeke being made co-ed.
“I’m a resident of Zeke myself and students have felt betrayed by the College and Housing and Dining,” he said. “A lot of guys there, it doesn’t matter what color, athlete or not athlete, are really sad about this decision.”
“A few of them won’t be coming back next year,” he added.
Trustee Amie Ely said she regarded this as an in-house College decision and that the trustees have little impact on these sorts of determinations.
Students also brought up concerns about the new science facility not matching the environmental standards of the Adam Joseph Lewis center, trouble with registration, campus safety and the end of the Hewlett grants.
After the forum, Huang said she was disappointed with the turnout. “I thought it was really helpful. I just wish more students came.”
She said she was troubled by the level of distrust between students and administrators, and that all had the same goal in mind: the good of the College. Since graduating from Oberlin, Huang has taken a position with CNBC in Singapore. Last year, she was president of the senior class.
“If you have any sort of issues,” she said in conclusion, “you should talk to the Student Union or go to Peter and talk to him, or make an appointment with Nancy,” she said.