Editorial

Hooray for Senate

It’s easy to think of war with Iraq as a vague, distant possibility that can’t immediately affect our eccentric, rural Ohio community; many of us at Oberlin are all too guilty of that sentiment. With failed midterms, honors projects and the cloudy lake effects looming over our heads, it’s easy to forget about the world outside of the Oberlin bubble. But it’s time to take a real look at what’s happening in the world, not simply to understand the events that led to a UN resolution forcing the disarmament of Iraq, but to take a stand on the proposed war on Iraq. As Oberlin students, we need to prove the usefulness of our exceptional educations and refuse to support the Bush administration’s war campaign.
The Student Senate and Oberlin Coalition Against War have already stepped to the front lines in organizing the campus to voice concerns about the war. Both groups should be applauded for their remarkable roles on campus in the last weeks. OCAW gathered 1,100 student signatures supporting a Student Senate referendum, which by the senate’s charter would not take place again until next semester. But, as OCAW pointed out to the student body, why wait until next year when there is an issue of immediate concern to us as students and citizens in an increasingly global political community? In a time of war it is not enough for students to quietly express dismay with the politics of their nation; large-scale organization and widespread communication is the only way to let our leaders know that we are not in favor of this war and that we will not silently condone their violence.
The student senators passed the call for a referendum and if successful, the resolution will place pressure on the College to publicly condemn a war with Iraq. This is not an unheard of action — Oberlin College publicly condemned the Vietnam War. The referendum may also seem to some students as an insignificant step in protesting the war; does a public condemnation truly have any effect outside of the bubble? The answer is yes. Colleges like Carleton and Macalester have already issued public condemnations of the war, and with support for the anti-war movement from colleges like our own, the federal government will have no choice but to listen to the unruly masses that we promise to become.

Socialists Fall Short

Earlier this week a letter to the Review was posted on the walls of King and other campus building by the Socialist Alternative calling for the Administration to “open the books” and share all the financial justification for the layoffs. Although good intentioned, this letter exemplifies the lack of unification that has plagued the response to the layoffs.
The letter is boldly headed, “Dear Oberlin Review [sic]” as if implicating the Review in the Administration’s lack of disclosure of financial figures. However, in the editorial last week, the Review called for students to “respectfully but persistently demand the facts” and not “[take] silence for an answer.” Perhaps the letter could have been addressed to President Nancy Dye or Vice President of Finances Andrew Evans as the Review suggested last week. After all, they are the people who can open the books.
In a similar disjointed move, the Socialist Alternative along with other student organizations held a protest on Thursday, Nov. 7 that starved the protest organized by Oberlin College’s Office and Professional Employees Union, held on the following day, of critical media attention. The Friday protest had at least twice as many people, including many members of the OCOPE union and some of the College employees who had been laid off, who were absent from the Thursday protest.
While the Review covered both equally because they are both important to the campus, The Plain Dealer understandibly covered the Thursday protest and then neglected the Friday one as yet another protest. This Thursday protest was poorly and inconsiderately placed, undermining the union protest, which involves the actual people who have been laid off, not student representitives.
The Review continues to advocate further action and the release of the entire College budget. Student actions, however, must be done with communiction with the faculty and staff, so as to not again undermine an entire union.