The Israeli military has encircled Gaza City as of Monday, effectively splitting the Gaza Strip in half. Over 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 25,000 injured since Oct. 7. Additionally, 89 United Nations employees aiding Palestinian refugees have been killed. Another round of Israeli airstrikes hit 450 targets Sunday, accompanied by the third communications blackout imposed on Gaza since the war has started. The Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt opened briefly on Monday to allow some individuals with foreign passports to evacuate. On Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted U.S. efforts to increase aid into the Gaza Strip. President Biden has called for continued U.S. support of Israel, but funding has stalled in Congress, where Republicans in the House have tried to tie money for Israel to domestic spending cuts and decreased aid for Ukraine. 

Damage and Casualties at Odesa Art Museum

An overnight missile strike on Nov. 6 damaged the Fine Arts Museum in Odesa, Ukraine, which wounded five people. Russia fired at minimum four missiles and 22 exploding drones at Odesa, which has been a strategic target of bombing due to its position as a port city. Staff removed more than 12,000 pieces of art early last year fearing the impacts of violence. Throughout the war, Russian forces have targeted museums, churches, and theaters in occupied areas. 

More Than 150 People Dead in Nepal Earthquake

At least 157 people in Nepal were killed and 5,000 homes destroyed in a 5.6 magnitude earthquake that struck areas in the west of the country Nov. 5. The area is highly vulnerable to earthquakes considering its position along fault lines. Homes in this area were mainly made of stacked rocks and logs, which cannot hold up to strong earthquakes. UN aid efforts have begun in the area.

EU Executive Recommends Opening Membership Talks With Ukraine

Ursula von der Leyen, commission president of the European Union, recommended beginning talks with Ukraine regarding formal entry into the EU. Ukraine’s bid to join the EU began after Russia’s invasion in 2022, and the country was named an official candidate to join in June of that year. A path to membership was laid out involving several goals, including curbing corruption within the national government. Now, von der Leyen says Ukraine has completed over 90 percent of these steps. 

The National Zoo’s Giant Pandas Return to China

The three giant pandas at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. departed for China on Wednesday. All giant pandas in the United States are on lease from China, and the National Zoo’s was coming to an end. Two of the pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, were born in China and have lived in the zoo since Dec. 6, 2000. Their son Xiao Qi Ji was born there on Aug. 6, 2020. The pandas’ caretakers, some of whom have worked with them all 23 years, were sad to see the pandas go, but the lease program is considered a successful moment of international cooperation for panda conservation between the U.S. and China. The pandas were sent on their way with 220 pounds of bamboo.

CliftonStrengths, which was launched by Gallup in 1999, starts with a 30 minute assessment where participants are asked to evaluate 177 statements on how much they feel they connect to them. When the assessment is completed, the participant is given their top five “Strengths” and an analysis of how these traits, all associated with leadership, may help them in their personal, academic, and professional goals. 

A page of information is provided instantly about each of the Strengths, but the staff of the Center for Student Success recommend that students come in and talk to a Success Counselor trained in CliftonStrengths for a personal analysis. 

“There is no such thing as leaders and followers – [leadership] is a practice, not a position,” Director of Student Leadership Jess Gorgas said. “The 34 Strengths are all different practices you can take on.”

The incoming first-year class was told to take the test via an online portal before the school year started. Residence Life, Student Health and Wellbeing, all Resident Assistants, and the Peer Advising Leaders have received some training in CliftonStrengths.

College third-year Gavin Cahill received some CliftonStrengths training as an RA, but wasn’t given a way to implement the program with his residents, aside from scheduling a community-wide training session with the Center for Student Success. 

“I feel like as a get-to-know-each-other thing it was effective, but as an actual activity, not really,” Cahill said. “At least in my opinion, and some of the others I’ve talked to, it’s not a very good system.” 

The Center for Student Success believes the program is part of a wider effort to expand the center to cater to Oberlin’s entire student body. Jacob Dunwiddie, another CSS staff member, joined the committee working on CliftonStrengths after experiencing its effects in a past position. 

“Rather than thinking about things you’re not good at, this is a language students can use and instead say, what are you good at? And how do we use that to help?” Dunwiddie said. 

CliftonStrengths differs as a program in comparison to another popular analytical questionnaire, the Myers Briggs Type Indicator test, which has been largely discounted as an analytical tool alongside other personality tests. Nevertheless other campuses have also adopted the CliftonStrengths program including Kansas State University, University of Nebraska Lincoln, and North Carolina State University. 

“CliftonStrengths is not a personality test — dead stop,” Assistant Dean of Student Success Rebecca Morrow, who has been trained in MBTI in the past, said. “I don’t love MBTI so much, because it does kind of put you in a box. [With CliftonStrengths], you can take what fits you and maximize that and make that what you use.”

The CSS is continuing to offer training on CliftonStrengths throughout the semester, including a Winter Term project. Students can find more information about upcoming events relating to Strengths on the CSS’s Presence website and make an appointment to discuss their Strengths via Engage.