Victims are not guilty when assaulted

To the Editors:

When I first composed this letter, I refused to start it with some enlightened line about how everyone but me and my friends think Oberlin is a bubble. It seems like anyone writing an editorial, letter, or essay often starts with the obligatory I'm so witty intro paragraph about how complacent everyone is except for themselves. If I hear the word "bubble" one more time I'll throw up. No-one is as self-satisfied as the person who thinks they're the only one who perceives clearly what's going on around them.

I am writing in response to the recent Fairchild attack. I am absolutely angry that this happened to yet another victim on campus. It's true that it could have been four in the afternoon, and any one of you could have been in your room with the door unlocked. What impresses me the most about this attack is the presence of a lot more of a positive student response than there was concerning the last on-campus assault in February.

It doesn't matter where this student is from or what she thought Oberlin was. A person's preconceptions about personal safety, whether naive or extremely aware, may or may not place you in questionable circumstances, but when it really comes down to it you never know what can happen. I was certainly not naive about my personal safety, so when I read the Oberlin Review following my assault in February, and several people seemingly passed off my choice to walk home alone one night as a bad call or stupidity on my part for not calling security, I was insulted tremendously. I was beaten very badly. All of my front upper teeth were bashed out and I suffered lacerations all over the back of my head and forehead. And now that I've paid thousands of dollars to have my teeth replaced, I almost cannot cover the cost of continuing my education.

I guess I'm just asking for more than another letter that's addressed to 2,800 "apathetic" Oberlin students, though I agree that most of these letters have a real message. Almost nobody I knew at Oberlin enjoyed an entirely "carefree lifestyle" before this recent attack, and this incident, while random and violent, was precedented, and will most likely happen again at some point. Organize a thorough self-defense workshop for the entire student body. I wanted to make this happen, but unfortunately, I can't return to Oberlin. It's taken me this long to write about what happened because I am only just now realizing the emotional extent of it.

I hope that the student who had to undergo this recent assault is healing well. Whoever you are, I identify with you. I hope you can eventually feel safe again. Though everyone realizes the impact this individual's actions have taken on the course of his own life, he made the decision to brutally attack two students, and from my own emotional standpoint as a victim, I am glad he has been arrested.

P.S. I've wanted to thank the students who, in spite of not knowing me, sent me cards after my assault. Thank you.

-Emma Winter, Former Student

Curmudgeon brings OC debate down another rung

To the Editors:

Leave it to our clever campus Curmudgeon Mary Margaret Towey to ruin a perfectly valid article about the relative lack of dedication of Oberlin students to their studies. She did so in spectacular fashion in her weekly column in last week's Review by dropping far below the level of maturity she unfairly attributes to the Oberlin student body.

Last week Ms. Towey ended her column (titled "A Matter of Maturity") by railing against the various smells of Oberlin students. She seems to think that by using big words such as "effluvium" and "halitosis" that she is doing something other than playing a rather eloquent version of the fourth grade favorite "Who Farted?" game. Well, Mary Margaret, "who ever smelt it, dealt it," and thank you very much for lowering the standard of debate on this campus yet another rung.

-Caleb Stokes, Double-Degree sophomore