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Pressed For Time
by Katie Hubbard ’05

Ever since Oberlin abolished its re-quirement for chapel and assembly attendance in the 1960s, the College has found it difficult to hold daytime community gatherings, says Secretary of the College Robert Haslun.

Thus, next fall, Oberlin will implement campus-wide community time between noon and 1:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Classes in the College of Arts and Sciences will be eliminated during that time and held to a minimum in the Conservatory. The goal, says Haslun, is to provide faculty and students with mutual free time for governance and community gatherings.

" Prior to the 1960s, chapel and assembly talks ranging from religion to science to events of the day offered a sense of daytime community,” he says. But currently, there is no time prior to 4:30 p.m. that allows for such large-scale gatherings. Recent events, such as a lecture series on Israel and Palestine and a teach-in about the war with Iraq, were held on weekends or during class time, which hindered attendance.

The creation of community time will result in more early-morning classes for students and faculty, but Kathleen Davis ’05 says the new schedule won’t bother her. “Having a time dedicated to community might help more people get involved in the College,” she says.