Students give input at Winter Term Fair

Even after months of small scale orientation, interaction from upperclass students and advice from concerned faculty and staff, many students remain confused about the logistics of academic "Oberlinese."

First-years and transfers raise questions about distribution requirements, course selection and Winter Term. In an effort to address specific academic concerns, there will be a series of discussion to center around the explanation of the ins and outs of the academe of Oberlin.

The first of these discussions took the form of the Winter Term Fair sponsored by the Winter Term Committee. Student projects were put on display and small group discussions addressed improvements to the program, present concerns and highlighted successful projects from last Winter Term.

For some, Winter Term is an opportunity to break out of the logistical and mechanical methods of book learning and really get the chance to gain career experience. For others, it is a time to unwind from the first semester doldrums and regroup for the second semester.

During the Winter Term Fair, several projects were displayed including "Jamin' In Jamaica" from sophomore Miriam Hellweg and first-year Jessica Kennedy, "Poohsticks" from senior Steve Papavasilopoulos and "Japan: Art and Language" from first-year Anne Slattery as well as others.

Issues were raised concerning the lack of responsibility that some students take towards Winter Term.

One disgruntled student said, "Some students really slack off during the Winter Term. While I am in the lab working for eight hours some students go snow boarding. I think that Winter Term should be taken more seriously. It should be more structured."

Some suggestions for Winter Term included a requirement for all students to show some form of documentation of their project, and a well laid out Winter Term Fair for after the Term. There was also a suggestion to have pre-written projects for first- year students, that would give more direction and would allow for more interaction with their Winter Term sponsor.

In some instances, students became frustrated with the lack of information and support about Winter Term and are not aware of the opportunities and resources that are available to them.

Senior Dan Persky, member of the Winter Term Committee, said that "our original idea was to have it right after Winter Term. This way we would get more displays and the display space would be available to us."

Another idea for next year's Winter Term is to create a Winter Term information packet that will include an information card, an online list of Winter Term resources, office hours and the next Winter Term Fair date.

"The fair was important because it not only gave students a more concrete idea of the purpose of Winter Term is and how it can help them," said Persky "It also allows the professors to come and see projects that they sponsored, kinda like a more elaborate version of a high school science fair."

According to another small group report, the greatest strength of Winter Term is the autonomy that student are given. Students may fail at any given project, but that's o.k. because at least they will be exposed to experiences in their respective careers before graduation. According to another small group, even though Oberlin does not prepare students for occupations, it gives students the opportunity to see that Oberlin is not the real world, and that they can actually form intellectual bonds outside of the college.

Students at the fair also aired issues of the lack of financial support for non-travel related projects and how the college should allocate funds for any project viable project that students which to participate in.

Sophomore Chris Morris said "The fair had some very effective discussions. It's obvious that students want more education about what Winter Term offers and the necessity of dissemination of information for first-years and transfer students."

At the fair: Students viewed WT projects (photo by Pauline Shapiro)