The Review invited the eleven Student Senate candidates to a public debate Wednesday. Eight students accepted the invitation: seniors Melissa Pacheco and David Grigg and double-degree junior Adriana Lopez-Young were unable to participate. The transcript of the debate is printed below; it has been edited for clarity.
Review: Welcome to the Senate candidate debate. Thank you for coming to what we believe to be the first event of its kind. The format of the debate will be as follows: each candidate will be asked one question, and given three minutes to respond. The candidates will be questioned in alphabetical order. Our first question is for Rianna Brown.
Discussion of divestment has resurfaced recently. Do you believe the College should no longer invest in tobacco companies?
Brown: I think that's a really good issue. I think that the College should look into that definitely to see if that is something they want to contribute to. I know that smoking is legal in this country, so I don't quite understand why we definitely have to divest. But I definetly have to think about it more to figure out what the issues are and what people want or don't want.
Review: Jake, the current restructuring of housing and dining has raised questions concerning off-campus students. Senate has considered a proposal to extend off-board privileges to more students, while the administration has considered terminating the off-board option entirely and improving the existing dining halls instead. What do you believe should be done?
Cogen: Well, it's complicated. I think that the problem here is that people are looking at this issue in a black and white sense in terms of on-board/off-board. I think the solutions for the entire student body is that there should be different brackets, different levels of full coverage in the spectrum for meal board through a certain amount of meals a week to a full board. If you want to take the example, let's say of a student and some of his/her friends decide to go out to dinner on a Satuday night, that's fine, but meanwhile, they are paying for a meal at Stevenson that they're never going to eat. I think that in terms of people who are off-board entirely going back on-board, I don't think that's a good idea. I think that it's a restriction of their freedom. I think that there should certainly programs available if someone who was off-board and tries to go back on-board. I think that a merger between CDS and OSCA might perhaps, if students wanted to, maybe eat several meals a week at a dining hall and also eat at the co-op, I don't know how to difficult that would be. And I think that's about all I have to say.
Review: Brad, there is currently no Dean of Student Life and Services. How do you envision student participation in the upcoming dean search?
Hayami: I definitely think that it is self-explanatory. Students need to participate in this. We need to serve on the panel that is going to review this and that needs to be comprised of students and faculty both. Clearly, this is a huge aspect, and students should be represented at all levels. This is a huge aspect, as far as on the administrative level. We can't let the administration call the decisions for us - certainly, they are a part of the decision. However, Oberlin students really need to step forward and use this opportunity to let their voices be heard because this really affects them more than the faculty or the administration.
Review: Amy, in your candidate statement, you advocate the creation of a Queer Studies department. Some members of the administration have criticized proposals to develop ethnic studies departments because they believe the departments would serve only to segregate groups. How do you respond to this criticism?
Pandjiris: Well, I think that there is a lot of interest from the LGBTU to create such a program. I kind of envision it being more so under the direction of LGBTU. I don't know if it's necessarily directly the role of Senate to advocate this sort of program. Some of the students of LGBTU are putting something together (the remainder of the response is inaudible)
Review: Justin, to fund the many organizations supported by the Student Finance Committee, Senate has discussed raising the student activity fee. Do you support an increase in the student activity fee?
Sifford-Angotti: I would have to say so. I think that it is important that we are still able to do extra-curricular things and somehow keep doing what we want to do If it's important to people we should see students rally for it. Yes I do.
Taylor: I think it's far more complicated than that. We should research tuition. As you all know it's hard for any of us to pay for school and the education we receive. Limiting that education by raising the tuition is not something that needs to happen in the near future. I think that actually to implement that would take a lot of resources and the students should be deeply surveyed so that students understand and that students have input and they know their tution is going to go up.
Stephens: I agree with that. I think you'd have to do a lot of research. Like how would it affect the rest of the student body.
Hayami: Yeah, I definitely agree with that. We need to definitely assess what we would have to lose or if we'd have to eliminate something for this extra money. Clearly activities like that are vital for our education
Review: Maame, in your statement, you refer to your experiences abroad. How do you believe these experiences would benefit you as a Senator?
Stephens: I believe in different ideas. It's very important with my background . Coming from another people, I appreciate some needs much better.
Review: Kara, many students at Oberlin do not recognize themwork to increase participation on student committees?
Stephens: I think there needs to be a lot more publicity for things, and i think we need a messenger - the messenger is one of the most important things because they can relate to people who they can see as having the ideas they do, as representing them - to say that, if I give my word to these people, then I will relay it to the people. I can't make a blanket statement as to what will interest people, what will make people come, what will make people become more active.
Review: Sam, you have served previously as a Senator. Why have you chosen to run again, and is there any one issue that you find so compelling that you would resign if it could not be accomplished?
Taylor: The reason I have run again is that I didn't get elected last semester, and basically I took off a semester and decided not to run in the fall. And I looked at Student Senate, and being off of it when the Constitution was basically pushed past and people were looking at it, I saw that Student Senate could do a lot of great things. Not that Student Senate hasn't faced its problems, but one of the problems that I think needs to be addressed is making Senate more visible. One of the problems is that after they're elected, no one knows what the Student Senate is doing. If you ask the average student, one, they don't know who the senators are, and two they don't the issues involved. You have to get Student Senate out into an open visible space and not in a back room of Wilder. It's way in the back. I proposed this last year, but with so many Student Senators walking around, it was impossible to concentrate. Now that the Student Senate is a smaller group, and paid to do what they're doing, I think that putting it out in a more visible area would make it more democratic because the students who elected them would be more able to participate. Student Senators are leaders, but they're also representatives. I don't think that's happening at this point - Student Senators are basically just elected leaders and students aren't able to give their input.
As far as what would make me resign, getting rid of program housing... letting students become more exclusionary - those are two things that can't be passed.
Hayami: Just about program houses and exclusionary clubs, I definitely agree with Sam in that I have some friends that were active in La Alianza last semester, and they're white, and they haven't been able to participate this year, and that has been a huge deal to them. I think that's the kind of thing that encourages racial division - these people were interested in Latino issues, and active in that organization. Not only do I think that that is an issue in racial division, but they're losing a lot of active help. I think the important issue is that excluding people from your group for racial and ethnic reasons, that's going to breed a lot of discontent, and it's going to be a lot harder for people of other races to listen to them, because they see this as racism. So I definitely think we should deal with this issue.
Taylor: I do agree, but at the same time, when I say "exclusionary," I do not mean that everyone should simply go to the next Absusa meeting. I think that students should be respectful, and understand that there is a situation going on, and note that. I think that sometimes students do take the non-exclusionary part of the Constitution too far. I think these groups are in some way established to help students with their problems, just because of ethnic and racial associations.
Cogen: I agree that the activities of Student Senate do need to be more well-known, but I disagree with what would come if you were to change the actual location in which the meetings are held. I think that there are a lot of other ways to inform the student body of the Student Senate's activities. I mean, would you hold the meeting outside?
Stephens: I don't know about outside, but access over the Internet, is all about communication and communicating with the world. I went on the Internet yesterday, and there was no mention of the new guidelines or what was going on with the Senate. I don't know about location, but that is real visibility - I wanted to know what was going on, but I couldn't find out.
Hayami: I totally agree with the open-air statement; I don't think Sam meant actual location, even if the room isn't very accessible or well-known. It is small, but I think that that is only one way to increase Senate visibility. The Senate is supposed to be representing students, and while it is, it would be much more effective and representative if it were more visible. I think that would greatly increase the power of the Senate, because if people understood more about what was going on, that would encourage more student participation.
Cogen: I think that Kara's idea to use the Internet is a good idea, a great one, actually. I don't know what's going on with the web, but if you could get Student Senate a link right off the front page, or one link away, that would say, "hey, we're here for you, and this is what we're doing."
Pandjiris: I don't really know if it's an awareness issue as much as a "who really cares what the Senate's doing?" I don't think the interest level on campus is that great. I know the students know the Senate exists, I know the students know where it is, I know the students know how to contact their representatives, I don't think those are issues.
Sifford-Angotti: I totally agree with that, that's why I think it's necessary to make it clear to the students that it is to their benefit to get involved in the process, whether that be the election, the meetings, or advisory councils or whatever. Because the Senate has the power to represent them. It seems like, if they want to be accurately represented by the Senate, then they need to become more involved in that. I definitely agree that there are the "who cares" problems, and that those can be remedied by showing them that they should care because it effects them. So many people on campus just want to think that it doesn't effect them, and that they want to go through college without worrying about it. But if it could be made clear to them that by participating and staying informed that they could improve their education, I think that's really important.
Brown: I think that's the purpose of the Senate, we have to be visible, so that you can pick the person that will represent you the best. We need to let people know that we are here for you. I think people are unaware, but maybe that's due to the fact that the Senate isn't vocal enough. It's not just their fault, but it's a part of the job we're not doing.
Stephens: I think that Oberlin students don't want any responsibilities shoved on them, they don't want to come to Senate with their suggestions, that's not their thing. They don't have to participate, but Senate has to be open to a lot of students to give their effort if they want to.
Brown: I agree, but I think it's equally important to show people how important Senate is. How independent are the decisions we make, and how they effect our lives. Being here last semester, I had no idea what Student Senate was, or how it operated. I didn't know there were elections. I think if I had known that, I would have been trying to find out who my representative was, and talk to them, make sure they're doing what I want them to do. I think everybody's ideas need to be out there, because I think that people really do care and really will be a part of it.
Audience question: What do you believe is special about Oberlin?
Stevens: I chose Oberlin for things like its revolutionary ideas. They were one of the first schools to let black people graduate, and go on to graduate schools, and they had the first coed dorms, and the idea that, "I don't care what is going on outside in the real world, but this is what we're going to do, and this is how we're going to change it, and that's what I respect most about Oberlin. At the same time, I don't think we're living up to what Oberlin was. I think the spirit is in the school, but we've become complacent with it. There's the idea that "We can change the world," but we haven't done anything for it. We have the ability to do it, but we need the right leaders to bring that spirit back from the past.
Brown: I agree with Kara. I remember when I first came here as a prospective. I was so nervous, walking and talking to people, and I saw a girl with a bald head and nobody's looking at her, and nobody's staring at her. I had to go tell my mother. This is the place I wanted to be - not that I wanted to shave my head, but I knew that no matter what I do, people will look past all the stuff on the outside, and look into the person inside, who I am.
Cogen: If you go to other colleges, it looks more like you took ten or so people and cloned them a thousand times. I came here because it was a school full of eccentric geniuses. I came here because I think everyone here is very unique and different, that you can take a walk and meet someone totally different than someone you just met. It's not like that most places, and that's the main reason I came here.
Stevens: The thing about Oberlin is that it always says, "do what you want, do what you want." With that, it says, "We're giving you the time to explore who you are to find out what you want to do with your life. How you want to bring that back to the community of Oberlin." I think that's the best thing about this school; it's that it gives you the chance to be what you want - they're not spoon-feeding you textbooks, we're giving you the opportunity to live, and to come back and share. When I was on Winter Term, my friends were like, "Why aren't you going back to school?" I told them that I was trying to learn something that wasn't in textbooks, that I was trying to live and to add to myself.
Audience question: There are three different kinds of Senators, in my experience: there are the kind who try hard to gather information on an issue, to better represent their constitutents, there are the kind who give up and consider themselves alone in the decision making process, and there are the third kind, who feel content to make decisions with the naturally limited information they have. Which of these do you feel you are? If you fail to accurately represent the students, will you keep trying or will you resign?
Hayami: I'll definitely stick with this no matter what, because I believe that if you have problems with your institutions, it's better to change them from within. Even if I'm only helping ten students, I know I'm helping more than if I weren't doing anything.
Pandjaris: I think that there's no way to make the students at Oberlin care when they don't, and knowing that, I wouldn't get frustrated with them.
Stephens: Unfortunately, you don't know what might happen.
Stevens: It would definitely frustrate me, if I felt that the people I am representing really don't care, but in the end I would have to look at myself and realize that I'm doing all that I can to represent these people, and trust myself to know that what I'm doing is what I need to do.
Brown: I think that the outcome is often a reflection of how much you put into it. At the same time, that shouldn't be a reason to quit, because you still have that passion, to continue what you know was right.
Taylor: I would keep going, but I think that resigning is a very strong tool that must be used sometimes. Sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe in. If no one will listen to you, I think that resigning can make the loudest noise.
Cogen: I'm going to try to refrain from using the phrase, "warm fuzzy feeling," but the fact that I know I'm doing something, and I know somebody cares, that's really enough for me. The whole entire student body doesn't have to care, as long as some do. That's why I'm not going to resign.
Copyright © 1998, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 126, Number 15, February 20, 1998
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