Nearly three weeks ago, President Dye seemed to be in a world of trouble. On the heels of allegations of neglect from Hillel, more demands for an Ethnic Studies Program, Dye suddenly found herself defending her role in the mysterious resignation of Dean Charlene Cole-Newkirk.
Nearly suffocated by heat, Dye had to do something. So what does she do? She reappoints Deb McNish to the position of Director of Res Life. The reappointment of Deb McNish is justified, but it also must be seen as it is ... a deft political and professional move for a President on the ropes. It seems that Dye wants students to make two important deductions from this decision. First, students are to believe that Dye does listen to students of color's cries for representation on the administrative level. And, secondly, that Cole-Newkirk, an iron-fisted administrator, was an impediment to progress, and McNish, a student-friendly administrator, is a better fit for Oberlin.
The reality, however, is that black women administrators are being played like chess pieces in Dye's game to win back support and trust from students. Support and trust are necessary if any leader is to lead in a nonauthoritarian community, but must this support and trust come at the expense of honesty? It seems so.
Dye's recent moves prove that she is a proponent of ignorance being bliss: What students don't know can't hurt Dye. Evidence: Students received a letter when Young Dawkins, an administrator who has no contact with students, resigned. We received a letter about Judith Appleton's retirement. We receive letters when gym teachers from 1914 die. But we receive no letter regarding McNish's initial departure, nor Cole-Newkirk's sudden resignation. Yet, plastered around campus are letters informing students that McNish has been rehired. If it is somewhat imperative to tell us that McNish has been rehired and who's filling the role of Cole-Newkirk, why was it not too important to tell us of her firing or the sudden resignation of Cole-Newkirk?
Presiding at a school like Oberlin, where students actively await administrative slip-ups, it can't be easy. The President must take responsibility for her action, inaction and manipulation. Just as student mediocrity isn't tolerated, administrative sleaziness must be admitted and addressed.
Something happened at Oberlin during Midterms week. It wasn't the usual bitching and complaining. It wasn't the same half-hearted political activity. It wasn't Oberlin's signature-style apathy.
It was a group of students with something to say - something that they care deeply about. And it showed.
On their way to hide out in Mudd, most students looked surprised by the group assembled on the ramp. It took fliers handed out by the protesters to clear things up for them. Finally people saw the gravity of the things these students were saying, and realized that they won't go away.
The protest before Fall Break forced those students scurrying to Mudd, those administrators sheltered in Cox and Carnegie, those faculty in King and Kettering and the Con, to take notice of the concerns these students have been trying to get through to us for years.
The protest is not an end, however. Alone, it will be remembered as that time when Oberlin students almost broke through and actually changed something, only to be tangled up again by inability to communicate.
The protest two weeks ago was impressive and encouraging. If Oberlin is to live up to its reputation, the Oberlin community cannot ignore the powerful message sent by the student protesters
The significance of Student Senate comes into question in the midst of the confusion and hurt over the resignation of former Dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk. Many senators have pushed for more intense outreach programs on campus, yet Senators haven't grasped the role it so eagerly tries to take on year after year. Students present at the meetings throughout the week before break and after might be wondering if Student Senate is really taking the initative to listen to their concerns as they stated they would in an open letter to the Review in the Oct. 16 issue. There is no doubt that there have been a small number of Student Senators who have consistently attended various meetings, yet it is important to recognize that the majority of Student Senators failed to be present despite their promise to "listen."
Senators claim they want to attract more minority Senators, yet the majority of Senators didn't make an appearance to see and hear first hand the thoughts and concerns of minority groups that feel underrepresented at Oberlin. Why would minority students aspire to run for Senate if Student Senate doesn't take the initative as a whole to consistently attend important meetings concerning minority retention at Oberlin.
Student Senators have been successful in various ways of reaching out to students over the years, but they must realize that their aspirations to reach out further should be met. Students need a represenative student government in their quest to create a more representative Oberlin. Student Senate should be representative of Oberlin students, but it's never going to happen if the Senate as a whole doesn't come together to support students, whether they agree or disagree with the issues at hand. This is a time for Student Senate to listen.
Copyright © 1997, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 126, Number 7, October 31, 1997
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