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| Letters |
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Faith,
Then and Now
The
article about religion on campus prompted me to write. Things
were certainly different when I was at Oberlin. The overwhelming
majority of students were practicing Christians. Sunday mornings
Tank Hall emptied out as everyone went to church, and only three
or four of us remained. As a secular Jew, I never experienced
anti-Semitism on campus, but at times I felt very isolated. Once,
while walking home from a first date, I was asked, ""what faith
are you?"" I stammered, ""I'm not really anything."" That was
the last I heard from him.No doubt, I would have been more comfortable
in the Oberlin of today. I guess I was just born too soon.
Marianne
Waelder von Hippel '55
Anchorage,
AlaskaA
Tailor-Made Magazine
Thank
you for a wonderful Summer issue. I saw much of my own college
and post-college experience reflected in your articles on biology
majors, religion on campus, and the Peace Corps. I was a biology
major, undeclared religion minor, and joined Peace Corpsserving
two years in The Gambia, West Africa (1995-1997) immediately following
graduation. I am now pursuing the ""nontraditional"" career of
public health. All three feature articles reminded me of how my
time at Oberlin influenced many of my life choices and continues
to have a positive affect on my life today.
Rebecca Brodsky '95
New York, New York
I
read Peter Nicholson's article "Confessions of the Casually Impaired""
in the Summer issue. Thank you for putting so clearly into words
something I've felt for a long time, that there are some people
(me included) who may never achieve the ""just-put-on-whatever-was-around"
look without looking fake or contrived. (For example, I finally
gave up trying to wear a baseball cap--it never gave me the casual,
laid-back look I see on nearly everyone else who wears one. Can
my head be THAT differently shaped?)
John
Finney '78
Director,
University Chorale of Boston College and Boston College
Symphony Orchestra
In
general I love the new look of the magazine and the focus of the
vividly illustrated articles and succinct features. However, the
logo drives me wild! I don't mind big and bold or innovative fonts,
but this design is just distracting. Although it starts out upright
and full of rectitude, it lurches like a drunk at midpoint before
resuming its onward march! Please do reconsider your long-range
use of this logo, which seems purposeless in the extreme.
Mary
Shaw Rigdon '58
Grosse
Pointe Park, Michigan
Editor's note: In developing a new logo, our designer selected an element--the italicized ""r""--to reflect the individuality and unique spirit of Oberlin. You will see a slight change with this issue; the logo now runs in a single color." |