Senate in hot water

Sophomore Chris Anton survived a close 5-4 vote last week to remain a student senator despite the fact that he is not enrolled as a student this semester. Senate's decision to retain Anton drew criticism from Oberlin students and administrators in addition to members of Senate who voted against retaining Anton. Senate's action places Oberlin's representational body in a controversial position. Did Senate go against its constitution with their vote? What repercussions will this have for Senate in the future? And what exactly does it mean to be a student at Oberlin?

Senate's constitution states that any regularly enrolled full-time student can be a member of a student organization. Anton does not enjoy that status. Thus, the language clearly reads that Anton is ineligible to represent the student body as a non-student. Although many argue that the language does allow Anton to remain, Senate went against its own governing document. Such a clearly unconstitutional act hurts Senate's already-fragile legitimacy as a representational body. Now that Senate has allowed Anton to remain a senator, they have set a questionable precedent for future senator eligibility. Will Oberlin residents now be allowed to represent College students?

Anton's ability to serve as a senator and his track record are not the issues at hand. He has been a strong entity within the student body and his willingness to remain a senator displays a deep commitment to Senate. But his ability does not factor into this debate. If he is unable to perform his senatorial duties then his peers should handle that issue separately. His character his not under fire, but his status as a student is.

So is Anton is not a "student"? He lives in Oberlin, associates with students and exhibits an interest in the institution. He has been a student and will probably return next semester. The only difference in his relationship with Oberlin is that now he does not pay for an education, nor does he attend any classes. Do these two acts define the role of a student?

Anton's ineligibility to remain a senator looks like a cut and dry issue on a constitutional level. But this question also leads to more important concerns about the student's relationship with the community.

Dye: Does She Exist?

Some things never change. Year after year, the same questions keep us awake at nights, tormenting us like some impossible riddle or a Rubik's Cube from Hell. Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Did Elvis really die, or is he just waiting for the perfect opportunity to launch a comeback tour? And, last but certainly not least, does Nancy Dye exist, or is she nothing more than a figment of our collective imagination?

In most cases, the answers are simple. Carmen Sandiego is a work of fiction, constructed to help adolescents in their struggle to understand history and geography. And Elvis is dead, much to the dismay of 50,000,000 fans who couldn't be wrong. But Nancy Dye, there's a puzzle for the ages.

Sure, she's the president of a tiny liberal arts college with a campus that covers just a few city blocks. And it's true that she should be pretty hard to miss, considering that she is the figurehead of a world-renowned educational institution. But during her six-year reign at Oberlin, Nancy Dye has somehow managed to remain shrouded in mystery, an enigmatic shadow who is all but invisible to the students over which she presides.

Does she exist? Is the administration at Oberlin ruled over by a live human being, or is Big Brother calling the shots from afar? Let's consider the facts. When participants in last Tuesday's Speak-Out protest attempted to march on Dye's office, the president was conveniently unavailable, having evacuated the premises for a luncheon. (Dye later responded to the group with a written statement.) That same day, a team of editors from the Review were supposed to meet with Dye for an interview. When they arrived at her office, they were informed that she would be unable to honor the appointment because her presence was required at a faculty meeting. (Dye ultimately contacted the Review for a phone interview, though she never explained why the original meeting had been scheduled during a faculty affair.)

But more damning evidence exists to suggest that Dye is merely a rumor. She routinely shuns student-run events like the activities fair, events that often boast the presence of her most vilified colleague, Dean of Students Peter Goldsmith. Meanwhile, she is consistently absent from committee meetings where students and administrators join forces to establish College policies and procedures. For that matter, most students have never even seen their president. It's enough to make you think that Elvis is alive and well. After all, there are more sightings of the King.

So perhaps Nancy Dye does exist, and she just happens to be more elusive than an unholy combination of Bobby Fischer, Jimmy Hoffa and Waldo. Or perhaps she is a myth, propagated by the trustees to prevent students from learning the terrible truth - that their school is run by the same Western syndicate that controls Starbucks, professional wrestling and Christmas. Whatever the case, Dye has a responsibility to make herself available to all 3,000 of the students at Oberlin College. She also has a responsibility to feign more than a passing interest in their activities and their opinions. It is time for her to live up to those responsibilities.