To the Editor:
The highly publicized dedication of Peters Hall will occur, in part, on Yom Kippur, which begins Friday at sundown and lasts until Saturday at sundown. For Jews, Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year which consists of a day long fast, personal prayers, and reflection. In recognition of this, the college declared it a yearly "free day." This means that no classes are to be held on Yom Kippur. This allows students, faculty, and administrators to observe the day without the distraction of daily life.
The dedication ceremony violates the notion of a free day by drawing campus attention to an event which detracts from the observance of this holy day. Furthermore, it excludes the Jewish community from an all campus event and whole college suffers from this oversight. Jews can not celebrate this event with the rest of the college, and the dedication of a building is made less diverse by the absence of Jews. Do what must be done to insure that in future years Yom Kippur can be the day of internal reflection that it is meant to be.
- -Melissa Praeger, College senior
Erica Seager, College junior
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Permanent AAS position is needed
To the Editor:
Last spring, we were pleased to hear EPPC's decision to give the highest priority to tenure-track position in Sociology with a focus on Asian American experience. This decision is the result of the hard work and cooperation of the EPPC, the Administration, the Asian American Alliance, and many faculty. EPPC decision also reflects the vision that an American liberal arts education for the 21st century must vigorously engage American society in its full diversity. With strong conviction, we look forward to the swift passage of this position through the College Faculty Council.
Since 1972, over 20 Asian American Studies courses have been student taught as ExCo classes, some for several semesters, with deep interest over the past twenty-seven years, the last nine of which have included students from all across the Midwest. While the Oberlin curriculum have been vital to the campus. In the past years, there have been a series of encouraging outcomes. The Asian American Alliance, with the financial support of President Dye's office, brought a multitude of scholars and activists as a part of its Speaker Series in the spring of 1995. By November of the next semester, a campus-wide speak-out again challenged Oberlin's commitment to a diverse liberal arts education.
The formation of an ad-hoc Asian American Studies Task Force in the spring of 1996 helped bring Peter Kwong's two week mini-course that same semester in Asian American urban and immigrant experience. Although we appreciated the support of the administration and faculty members, the institution reaction to students demands was long overdue - 1996 marked a quarter of a century since the beginning of these demand. Linda Vo's arrival at Oberlin in the following fall of 1996 was the culmination of the Task Force's efforts to address the vacuum in this area of study. However, there is still no permanency of Asian American Studies specialist. The departure of Linda Vo last semester, due in part to the absence of a permanent tenure of Linda Vo last semester, was a considerable loss to both students and faculty on campus.
We enthusiastically welcome the new courses being offered this semester by Benson Tong (History), Shilpa Dave (English), and Antoinette Charfauros McDaniel (Sociology)-all of which are fully enrolled. However, these various visiting and adjunct faculty appointments-while making substantial contributions to the deficiency of Asian American Studies at Oberlin-are temporary. Without permanent positions, no possible foundations in Asian American Studies can be built, and envisioning long-term commitments to the field of study becomes difficult. Now well into its third decade, the student struggle has continued to emphasize the permanence and retention of trained professors focusing on Asian American scholarship.
In the spirit of urgency, we ask: When will the next steps toward a permanent and institutional commitment to Asian American Studies occur? Asian Americanists are indeed coming to Oberlin but are leaving at a faster speed. What can CFC do to remedy this inhibiting pattern? Recognizing the long history of student involvement and demand, as well as the necessity to prepare students to live in an increasingly multi-ethnic society, we urge CFC to quickly and efficiently grant the Sociology department's request for a permanent staff member with a scholarship emphasis in Asian American issues.
We eagerly await your response.
-Maria Kong,
College junior Jennifer Lin,
College senior Christine Ham,
College senior | Amy Marquardt,
College sophomore Liza Turner,
College junior Anupama Tantri,
College junior |
Human lives are more important to me than those of animals
To the Editor:
So I'm walking towards the library today and I see a tremendous banner with good looking lettering on it. It reads, "Stop Live Animal Experimentation." The weight of two students in rope cages supports its weight while other stand by with cameras and note pads. I was struck by this example of political action. It was much more effective than most of the tabling and group mailings that go in on Oberlin. It made me think about animals spending their lives in metal cages, subjected to a barrage of chemical warfare. That's a painful idea, but I support live animal experimentation entirely. If it is going to protect human lives, then it is worth it. People are going to wear makeup, and if live animal experimentation is going to stop them from permanent damage to their eyes and skin, then it is a necessary evil. People are going to get fatal disease and if animal experimentation can help find ways to treat them then it is a necessary evil. This is undoubtedly a result of the fact that I am human, but human lives are more important to me than those of animals. I'm not trying to pull some holier than thou moral high ground on you, or tell you to devote your energy to ending human suffering. I don't devote any of mine to social causes and I respect you for using yours to fight to change a situation you find unjust. By virtue of my noninvolvement, however, my judgment is unbiased. Political action is meaningless if it doesn't draw a reaction, and this is mine. It's wrong to stop experimenting on live animals.
- -Ashley Dinan, College senior
