News Briefs

Cases of lice seen in Fairchild at start of semester

Several residents of Fairchild House recently contracted lice and reported it to their Residential Coordinators (RC's).

"We're not sure how it started," said junior Criss Porterfield, who heard about the possible infestation and posted signs warning students to be on the lookout. "I wouldn't call it an outbreak because there have only been two reported cases."

Porterfield said the lice may have been there since the end of Winter Term, shortly before students returned to school.

The signs she posted warned students that lice thrive in hair and can jump from person to person. "That's about the only preventative measure being taken at the moment," Porterfield said.

-Margo Lipschultz

Admissions begins selection

At the beginning of this school year Oberlin had more first-year students than it did rooms to house them. The large applicant pool, however, is most likely no longer a problem as Admissions officers prepare to begin selecting the class of 2002.

To date the College has received 3100 applications for the class of 2002. Chermonte said that although the deadline has passed, she expects several hundred more applications to arrive throughout the month of February. She said the College is currently behind by 120 applications.

"What we've seen here at Oberlin as well as at other selective colleges around the country is more moderation in terms of early decision activity," Director of Admissions Debra Chermonte said. "The statistics show that if there is an increase of early decision applicants it is more likely to be among the larger universities. The same trend seems to be holding true for regular decision applicants."

-Margo Lipschultz

Donna Raynsford retires as V.P. of Operations

Vice President for Operations Donna Raynsford is retiring from Oberlin College.

Raynsford has served in her position at Oberlin since 1988. She was responsible for the maintenance of the Physical Plant, Grounds and Land Planning, Facilities Planning and Construction, Custodial Services, and Environmental Health and Safety.

Raynsford has also served as Vice President of College Properties of Oberlin, Inc., a subsidiary corporation of the College.

Prior to her arrival at Oberlin, Raysnford was with the American Bridge division of U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh, PA. She then went on to Cornell University, where she served as Director of Capital Projects in 1981.

Raynsford plans to retire to Florida.

-Melody R. Waller