FROM THE PRESIDENT WORKING TOGETHER TO FULFILL OBERLIN’S MISSION Since late november, the oberlin community has been reflecting on and responding in various ways to the tragic, lethal events in Ferguson, Cleveland, New York, and elsewhere, which put the spotlight on the systemic injustices African Americans and other people of color suffer daily in our country. The pain and anger felt by many of our students, alumni, faculty, and staff because of the effects in America of discrimination and violence on black people and other people of color helped give rise to the national Black Lives Matter movement. They also sparked demonstrations, debate, and discussion here on campus. We have had and continue to have sometimes difficult but important conversations about how to respond to these tragedies and the issues they surfaced. Similar discussions are going on across the nation and at many other colleges and universities. At Oberlin, the issues of race and racism have special resonance. We— as a community—believe in employing Oberlin’s teaching, thinking, and scholarship to help end injustice, violence, and oppression in our society and the world. Those goals have been part of Oberlin’s institutional DNA since the founding of our college and town. Oberlin is, above all else, an institution of higher education where multiple viewpoints and dissent have always been present. Our faculty and staff have always insisted on academic freedom and freedom of speech. Assigning grades and evaluating student progress has always been and will remain the prerogative of each faculty member. Their teaching, research, and mentoring drive the distinctive education that Oberlin offers. That education centers on love of learning, hard work, and constant striving to learn, grow, and make positive contributions to one’s field of study, community, and our society. We are proud of our great tradition of social activism. But it does not supersede our academic mission. I believe I speak for the vast majority of the Oberlin community— students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni—when I say we support the cause of racial justice. We do so as individuals and as stakeholders in one of the world’s leading institutions of higher education, a college and conservatory with a unique, historic, and enduring commitment to diversity and inclusion. The struggle to achieve those goals has been long and difficult. Despite significant progress, it is far from over. The persistence of grim headlines in the daily news speaks to the enormity of our task. As Oberlinians, we embrace that work. In that spirit, we must acknowl- edge that we need to continue to make more progress to ensure a diverse and inclusive student body. Diversity and inclusion are essential parts of our mission to provide a deep, rigorous liberal arts education that enables our students and faculty opportunities to achieve academic, artistic, and musical excellence. That excellence encompasses the highest standards for liberal and musical education and diversity, inclusiveness, and social engagement. Fulfilling that mission requires all of us—faculty, students, staff, alumni, and parents—to work together to find ways to ensure that Oberlin is a diverse, inclusive, academic community in which all students have the opportunity and support to succeed. To that end, Oberlin’s leadership is taking a number of steps. These new initiatives include: creating a Campus Climate Team to identify key challenges and opportunities and assess the college’s progress in meeting its goals for equity, diversity, and inclusion; the Historical Legacies Project, which will bring together faculty, staff, and students to explore the history of Oberlin College’s continued commitment to educational access; and the Committee on Active Engagement, which will explore Oberlin’s active engagement with diverse ideas and perspectives in recognition of the importance of freedom of thought, inquiry, speech, and assembly. Making our shared goals for diversity and inclusion a reality demands that we think, talk, and work together with open minds and hearts. While each of us has the right to protest or dissent in constructive ways, disrupt- ing teaching and learning and employing threats, intimidation, and misinformation serve only to divide our community. We can debate how well an Oberlin education prepares students to achieve their personal goals and to have a positive effect on our society. But we cannot make progress if we do not work together to fulfill Oberlin’s academic mission. The primacy of the academic mission, and the faculty prerogatives and the values of freedom of thought and inquiry on which it stands, must be inviolable if Oberlin is to remain one of the world’s great institutions of higher education and a force for good in the world. To change hearts and minds, to overcome entrenched prejudice, to end violence and oppression, and to foster a safe learning environment, we must work and learn together, even as each of us strives for peace and justice in our personal and public lives. Marvin Krislov President, Oberlin College 2 ROGER MASTROIANNI