Individuals should be able to openly share their perspectives as long as they’re not promoting hate speech or spreading threats. Having an awareness of how words impact others allows people to think critically about their own opinions. This awareness reminds people to evaluate whether or not their statements are conducive to a given discussion. Words can carry weight, so as we contribute to a conversation, taking a moment to think about what we are going to say is vital. 

A lot of the time, when someone shares their personal opinion, those who think differently will try to persuade them to agree with their own outlook. Though these people feel it’s necessary to try to change someone’s opinion, talking at someone instead of talking with them isn’t practical. It either strengthens their original beliefs or dissuades them from sharing in the first place. Creating an environment where people feel comfortable sharing and discussing their views is important for productive discourse. Openly sharing opinions can create open discussion surrounding issues that are hard to digest alone. During the discussion, people can simply challenge and present arguments in a way that’s not too forceful. If someone wishes to change their perspective one can highlight more of their insights as a way to provide guidance. Some might view challenging opinions as unsettling, but that’s how some of the best discussions start. 

As important as it is to maintain an open mind during discussions, it is just as important to be confident in your own opinions. It can be hard to have confidence in sharing and challenging opinions due to potential harmful pushback. On social media, one of the many realms that our generation uses to voice our opinions, there’s often cruel pushback to opinions people disagree with. This pushback can be even more intimidating if this takes place in a public environment such as the internet or even in the classroom. The internet especially can be quite dangerous, since there are a lot of individuals who seek to bash people who don’t share the same opinions as them. There are also many people who intentionally use social media to spread hate. 

When it comes to classroom discussions, it can be challenging for some people to express their viewpoints because of the fear of saying something “wrong” and being viewed a certain way by the class. However, sharing opinions in classroom settings can cause connections to form. I’ve noticed that within Oberlin’s community, there are active discussions surrounding hot-button issues, even in casual settings. But when it comes to classroom settings, people are a little more hesitant. Let’s continue to have open minds in and out of the classroom to create a comfortable environment that can allow people to share their opinions. Someone might share the same perspective as you. Bouncing opinions and ideas off one another can allow people to understand the class content better. 

While this is a positive outlook, there remains this pressure of being like-minded within a communal space. How does one overcome this hesitation to share opinions?

Opinions don’t define us because they can change. I’ve noticed this belief going around that “people are too sensitive nowadays,” which is contributing to this hesitation with sharing opinions. Speaking out about issues and sharing opinions should not be seen as “sensitive,” which has contributed to people not wanting to share their opinions.  

Sharing opinions is a somewhat vulnerable task since they’re often based on personal experiences or how we’ve been brought up. This vulnerability might cause some to feel like they shouldn’t share their opinions at all. Nonetheless, opinions don’t necessarily determine what type of person you are; they highlight a stance or perspective. Opinions are not set in stone; as people grow, opinions grow, so we should all share them to continue learning. Opinions can force people to remember these matters and initiate change.

Kate Gale, College third-year:

I do. Because I think it is kind of — the first word that popped up in my head was it’s my duty. I like to know what’s going on in the world so I can do my part, but also so I can be a citizen. I feel like it’s important to be able to know what’s going on and speak for those who can’t. It interests me, too, even if it’s silly news. I like to be in the know generally.  

Indigo Stephens, double degree fourth-year:

I read some news-y articles, but I never watch the news besides hate-watching Fox for entertainment. I love to see how ridiculously they spin the truth and get hip to the cutting-edge conservative talking points and critique them. I feel like the liberal media just fearmongers and doesn’t keep issues in proportion. I don’t need to get my news from there. I get that from social media, activists I’m friends with on the front lines, and further research. 

I’m still searching for a truly unbiased news source. In capitalism, everything you publish as news has several motives: being shocking enough to sell and supporting your friends’ agenda. Left or right, actually telling the truth would put you out of business as a news agency. I also feel like the degree I am informed should be related to the degree I can make change, but right now, I’m so focused on taking care of my own business, I don’t even know if I need to be super informed. I feel like sharing the mutual aid posts and celebrating cases of Indigenous land rights being respected by governments, like in Brazil, or bringing attention to Indigenous land rights being overlooked, like with Stop Cop City, are as informed as I need to be to make the most efficient impact I know how to right now, which is using my platform. 

I have read many conservative and liberal news articles about Stop Cop City, for example, and none tell me as much as the activists on the front lines on Instagram and TikTok. To me, as an activist and steward of the Earth, my priority is protecting Indigenous — as in Indigenous American, South American, Canadian, and African — land, culture, language, spirituality, and philosophy, and questioning billionaires’ power. Many people don’t realize how many billionaires own and influence news on the right and left. News today isn’t really made to empower the citizens to take action, just inspire us to be afraid, panic, and hate the other side, all while someone profits from this.

Max Julius, College first-year:

“Not really” is the answer. Sometimes I read physical news when it’s sitting around. I have skimmed through it, but I don’t really read it. First off, I like the media, but most social media — I get its inherent value, and I like to connect with people — but I also feel like it’s not worth my time. In a way, with the news, I feel like there’s a lot of value in it, but also I feel like there are things that are more valuable for me to pursue. Like doing my homework or creating opportunities for myself. And, sometimes, I feel like reading the news doesn’t give me the time to do what I like to do.

Angel Ma, College first-year: 

Yes and no. I feel like I read more science-related news than politics-related news. And also, I’m international, so I actually don’t read a lot of U.S. news. I like reading more about my country. 

These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

Ian Kelly, OC ’17, Cinema Studies Major:

I could go all day about this. This is an interesting question. I think that in the first couple years after I graduated, it seemed like it was fairly similar. I live in Chicago, I happen to go back and forth a lot. I feel like I’ve been here a lot, like a weird amount. COVID-19 had a big impact on the way that people were socializing. Last year I was here and we went to The Feve, and Dan, who works at The Feve, told us that the students don’t come to the Feve anymore. So I heard that last year — Dan just told me half an hour ago that the students are starting to come back to The Feve again. Best bar on the planet. … What I’ll say about that is it seems like, observationally and anecdotally, there’s a little less socializing in public arenas than when we were here. 

Alex Abramowitz, OC ’15, Economics and Politics Major:

I live in Cleveland, so Oberlin’s always close by and on the radarish. COVID-19 clearly killed a lot of really good inertia that may be coming back a little bit. I think the biggest threat to this place is austerity and trying to broaden its appeal. This is not an athletics school, and the amount of freaking athletics clothing I’ve seen just walking around is disturbing. You can be an athlete, go ahead, play a varsity sport, but that shouldn’t be the only thing that’s interesting and unique about those people. Don’t recruit to field a winning football team, and don’t make that a defining characteristic of this school. It’s not, it hasn’t been. It never will be. And you need to double down on what works here. Not just like another business thing. … You’re not gonna cut spending and make this a better school. Make some ambitious bets and go from there.

Zoe Reinstein, OC ’17, Politics and Middle Eastern Studies Major:

Honestly, the attack on OSCA. That was the most important part of my college experience. It’s what drew me to Oberlin in the first place. And if it becomes something that only wealthy students can afford, as opposed to being a way that a lot of people can afford to come to this school in the first place, and it becomes a cute little thing that Oberlin offers instead of a cultural core, I think that affects the school in a really detrimental way. As an alum, it makes me wanna be less involved because the school’s attacking the thing that I love the most. 

Elizabeth (Betsy) Allen, OC ’67, History Major:

The town of Oberlin seems to be pretty much the same. The campus, of course, has changed. There’s some new buildings. I went to a session today about the state of the College, and it was very interesting. I really liked hearing about the — I don’t know exactly what you call ’em, but the long list of minors that you can do, or things that include internships. Also I had read about the bigger integration between the College and the Conservatory so that you can do cross-classes better than before. Both those things seemed really good to me.

Polly McIlrath, OC ’67, Music History and German Major:

I had a double-degree program back before it got to be as popular as it’s become since. … Well, I was lucky to be able to come back every year in between, so the physical changes were not that serious to me when I arrived at Kendal at Oberlin. I’m living at Kendal now. I think the change in the students is significant. I think the students are as bright, or brighter, than they ever were before, and as talented as — or more so — than they used to be in the Conservatory. It’s lovely to see their enthusiasm and their prowess at what they do.

Caroline Jacobson, OC ’67, French Major:

I lived in La Maison Francaise. It’s now Baldwin Cottage, but that was the location of French House when I was here. So it had a lot of character and was a great place. We used to have something called Café Fromage. We would get together with one of the French professors who would bring his guitar and we would learn French drinking songs, which I unfortunately can still recall. It was just another chance to speak French. I just noticed the buildings have changed so much. I lived in Dascomb Hall my first year, and the whole lobby area is very different. We used to have a great big lobby. We had a dining room there. That whole wing where Campus Security and the Student Health Center are, that was a dining hall. I took a tour with one of the admissions representatives and I said, “When we were here, the guys had to wear coats and ties to dinner. … When we went into the dining hall, the women sat in every other seat and then the men had to come and fill in. That was the old days, yes.”

The Supreme Court overturned affirmative action under the assumption that students of color have an unfair advantage when applying to schools. This perspective is one-sided and fails to acknowledge barriers to wealth, education, and resources that disadvantage people of color in America. In not recognizing students’ racial identity, these institutions ignore a significant factor that influences their daily experiences. College admissions will still allow students to write about their racial identities and experiences in their essays, but that’s not enough. It’s almost like the statement “I don’t see color” — if you “don’t see color,” then you’re ignoring the experiences and daily battles that come with being a person of color. 

One of the Supreme Court justices of color, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, wrote a dissenting opinion on the affirmative action case, saying that the decision “rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress.” Affirmative action gave people of color a chance to be accepted into spaces that weren’t as accepting before. A lot of “top schools” are PWIs, and affirmative action prompted these institutions to expand their student bodies and recognize the many students of color who are capable and intelligent. Now that affirmative action has been removed, this progress that was made on college campuses will reduce.

Affirmative action allowed colleges and universities to branch out and be more welcoming. Of course, every student had to have been qualified to be accepted; there was no “shortcut.” It wasn’t a tool used by students of color to guarantee admission. Grades, student involvement, personality, et were still huge elements that decided who would be accepted into a school. Affirmative action was in place because navigating academia is hard enough for students of color already. They have to overcome obstacles like constantly having to prove that they’re intelligent enough to access advanced classes or not seeing themselves represented among faculty. It was a way for college admissions to communicate with those students and say, “We see you.”

Different aspects set students apart from one another, and some people’s experiences and learning journeys are different. Racial identity is a crucial element that sets a student apart. Recognizing that identity and acknowledging those differing experiences is essential for how students learn in academic spaces. Regardless of positions on the issue, colleges will have to change to adapt to the new ruling. Some will want to support students of color even more and continue providing resources geared toward them. Others will wholeheartedly follow the decision and ignore the implications that come with it. For example, some institutions believe viewing the personal essay as more significant in applications will be enough for students of color to feel acknowledged and respected. But students of color shouldn’t have to rely on essays to make their racial identity known. It’s been proven that discussing strengths, aspirations, passions, cultures, and goals showcases a student’s individuality. They shouldn’t feel pressured to just focus on their racial trauma.  

Students of color applying to colleges this fall will juggle quite a bit during their senior year of high school. College scholarships geared toward them might not be available; there were already very few available in the first place. Affirmative action helped create space for students of color who often do not receive the recognition or acknowledgment they deserve. These students fought hard to hold space within the academic community and be seen as “high-achieving,” in comparison to their white peers who are recognized constantly. Just like Justice Sotomayor said, this sets us back quite a bit. For many, college was a hope that things would be more accepting, open, and inclusive, but now that’s being taken away. Now, they will have more difficulty seeing college as a place where they can be supported.