Republicans Sparsely Represented on Oberlin Campus

Anyone out there? This Republican poster was met with vandalism and mockery. (staff photo)

Oberlin students pride themselves on being politically conscious, but many are unaware of the political make-up of the student body. While extensive discussion surrounding the upcoming presidential election may lead one to think a conservative is someone planning to vote for Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore, Republicans do exist on this campus.

First-year David Lightfoot belongs to this rare species of Oberlin students. He plans to vote for Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush in November, although he harbors few regrets about Clinton and the past eight years.

"I think we live in the greatest nation on Earth. I am getting all of the financial aid that I need for college. I feel safe anywhere I go in the U.S. So I guess you could say I have no complaints. [Clinton] didn't screw up my life at all," Lightfoot said. "But, to be frank, he is a dipshit and has made a mockery of the political office for which he holds. With Bush, we would actually have a role model in office."

While Lightfoot hopes that Bush will bring back morality and family values, he recognized the limitations of being President. "He is basically a figurehead, someone to take the credit for the good and take the blame for the bad," Lightfoot said.

First-year Kevin Wahl didn't speak as forgivingly towards Clinton. "I think he did a very poor job, and was a terrible example," he said.

Wahl expressed his hope that a Republican president will reduce the involvement of the federal government. "We need to shift the role of government towards less control," he said.

While there are at least a handful of registered Republicans on campus, including Wahl and Lightfoot, there is no active Republican group. Many Oberlin students are not even aware of the presence of Republicans on campus.

"There are Republicans at Oberlin? I didn't know that such things existed," said junior Molly Findley.

Although many Oberlin students pride themselves on being open-minded, Lightfoot sees inconsistency there. "One of Oberlin's most attractive attributes is the fact that anything can be accepted ‹ it is very open minded and diverse. Unless of course you have conservative views, then it is okay to make harsh comments about a group at a student government assembly at Orientation," he said.

"You can insult us as much as you want without any type of repercussions, and by doing this you are proving that Oberlin is not in fact as open-minded as we want to believe. Obies are only open-minded to radical ideas. Obies are extremely closed-minded when it comes to the mainstream ideas and concepts," Lightfoot said.

Dean of Students Peter Goldsmith advocates keeping an open mind about this campus minority. "[Oberlin] should be an environment in which there is room for people of all interests and persuasions to express themselves, where even a Republican can get a fair shake and a fair hearing," he said.

First-year Evelyn Lane is one student who has kept an open mind while also maintaining her political beliefs. Lane said, "Ninety-nine percent of the time I feel accepted and respected. People tell me it takes a lot of guts and they applaud that."

Since arriving at Oberlin, Lane has said that her mind has been opened to new political views. Lane originally planned to vote for Bush, but she indicated that now she plans on voting for Gore. "I can't tell if that's an indication of giving in to social pressure or an expansion of my mind." While Lane states that she is anti-death penalty, pro gay-rights, pro-choice, with the exception of partial-birth abortions, the primary factor in her being Republican is her belief in strong states' rights.

She said, "It's really hard to coalesce my political ideas at this time in my life. There are so many ideas rolling around in my head."

Wahl feels there is "not too much" difference in how Republicans are treated on this campus as compared to elsewhere, and said, "I don't really care. I'm here for a good education and to play football."

Lightfoot recognizes a contrast between attitudes on campus and those that he grew up around in Texas. He has found many people willing to debate with him. "Back home you were ostracized for being a Democrat. You can get anybody on campus to talk to you. All you have to say is, 'I like Bush,'," he said.

"Nobody has been rude or anything when discussing politics with me. I've had some extremely interesting discussions with people. I'm definitely not closed minded when discussing my views with fellow Obies either. I think that Gore is a good man and I won't be too upset if he is elected for I've heard good things about him from various people around campus," Lightfoot said.

Findley finds the presence of Republicans on campus perplexing. She said, "I wonder why they chose to come to a school that prides itself on being liberal. Perhaps they have some unconscious desire to be more liberal, and hope that Oberlin will bring this out in them. Honestly, I just don't know what to think of Oberlin Republicans."

So what attracts a Texan Republican to a radical haven like Oberlin in the first place? Lightfoot said, "I picked this to be my school because Oberlin provides such an awesome education. I knew the political views were going to be different from mine, but just because someone's views are the complete opposite of mine, that doesn't mean that they are wrong or that I'll even get upset. We can accept others' views, that is what makes our country great."