Unlike the walkout two weeks ago, which circled the perimeter of Tappan Square, this walkout led directly to the Cox Administration Building. There, SFP leaders announced that they would be performing a die-in, a type of protest in which a group of people lie down in a public place as if they are dead. Leaders also passed around a leaflet explaining the plan for the rest of the afternoon, which included the demand for Oberlin to formally condemn Israel’s genocide in Gaza and to divest from corporations that support the Israel Defense Forces — referred to as the Israel Occupation Forces in the leaflet — including aerospace and defense company Elbit Systems; and information technology company Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

At 2:10 p.m., students trickled into the Cox Administration Building and gathered throughout the second floor, the stairs, and the first floor. For about two hours, approximately 80–100 students led chants, sang songs, and laid down to symbolize deceased, injured, and grieving Palestinians. SFP airdropped a document to students in attendance with an email template for students to reach out to Oberlin administrators, faculty, and other campus organizations demanding that Oberlin “acknowledge and condemn Israel’s genocidal assault on Palestine.” At around 4 p.m., Campus Safety officers refused to let in more people, although some students were allowed to leave. Administrators left the building at 4:30 p.m., leading to a brief confrontation between officers and students. 

Shortly before 5:30 p.m, students left Cox and went to President Carmen Twillie Ambar’s house, where an event for prospective students was being hosted. Around 30–40 students chanted outside of the house. At approximately 5:35 p.m, Vice President and Dean of Students Karen Goff exited and started a discussion. Students speaking on behalf of SFP asked Goff to clarify the College’s stance on the conflict in the Middle East, in light of the absence of the words “Palestine” or “genocide” in statements released by the Office of the President. Student leaders and Goff also discussed the context of the Oct. 11 SFP-led vigil to commemorate lost Palestinian lives, where candles and slogans left by students were interfered with in the aftermath of the gathering. After 40 minutes of dialogue, SFP leaders agreed to a later meeting with Goff and President Ambar. 

Production Manager Isaac Imas contributed reporting to this story.

Issue 1, which will add an amendment to the state constitution protecting the right to abortion, received 56.6 percent of the vote. Issue 2, which will permit the regulated sale and taxation of marijuana, received 57.0 percent of the vote. Both of these ballot measures were also supported by the majority of Lorain County voters. Issue 1 received 62 percent of the vote in Lorain County, while Issue 2 received 59 percent of the vote. Both Issue 1 and 2 will go into effect Dec. 7, 30 days after the election.

In Lorain County, Issue 20, which proposed expanding the County Commission from three at-large to seven commissioners each representing one county district, failed with a large majority voting No. Issue 20 faced opposition from local unions and the Lorain County Democratic Party, which alleged that it would enable gerrymandering and interfere with the role of county-wide elected officials. Voters also approved two tax levys. Issue 21, which approved an additional tax benefiting the Lorain County 911 operation system, passed by a slim margin, and Issue 23, which renewed a tax to fund the maintenance and development of Lorain County parks, passed by a large margin. A third levy, Issue 22, failed with a slim majority of voters choosing No. If it had passed, Issue 22 would have implemented an additional tax funding the Lorain County Crime Lab and Coroner. 

Oberlin City Council elections were also held. Councilmembers Eboni Johnson, OC ’97; Michael McFarlin; Ray English; and Kristin Peterson, OC ’72, all won reelection. Libni López; Jessa New OC ’01; and Joe Waltzer, OC ’98, will join them on Council. Incumbent councilmembers Bryan Burgess and Elizabeth Meadows lost reelection. Joseph Peek and Frieda Fuchs also lost. Kendall Stanley and Janet Garrett won seats on the Oberlin School District Board of Education. Garrett ran as a write-in candidate.

Organized by the Center for Student Success, F1rst Generation Week brought together offices across Oberlin’s campus to host a variety of resource-sharing and community-building events. The office of Career Exploration and Development offered a professional clothing closet, the Allen Memorial Art Museum hosted a first-generation scavenger hunt with prizes, the Multicultural Resource Center hosted a letter-writing event, and the CSS offered a discussion on mental health needs of first-generation students and a community dinner, among other activities.

Oberlin offers a variety of support systems for first-generation students. The Peer Mentor program pairs returning first-generation students with a group of first-generation or Pell Grant-eligible first-year students to help ease their transition into college and connect them with resources they may not know are available. 

Natalia Alvarado, a third-year peer mentor, reported feeling supported by the different Oberlin offices during F1st Generation Week.”

“I’m really excited seeing a lot of offices come together to support first-gen [students] because I feel like a lot of times, it’s kind of hard to navigate the mumbo-jumbo of these offices, and them showing their support this week is really important,” Alvarado said.  “But it’s also important to emphasize that it’s more than just a week. This is my life every day.” 

Colllege third-year Daniel Cruz, who is a peer mentor, talked about how as a first-year, the Peer Mentor program and first-generation community allowed him to feel more at home in Oberlin.  

“Coming here, being a first-generation student, I didn’t know anything about what college life would be like,” Cruz said. “It was easy to feel a sense of isolation from everybody else, so I think being able to connect and interact with other students … really helped me get rid of that feeling of isolation.” 

Cruz said that his Peer Mentors inspired him to become a peer mentor himself. 

Alvarado also talked about feeling supported by the peer mentor program.

“The entire aim for the Center for Student Success is to help first-generation, low-income students,” Alvarado said. “Peer mentors who were mentors at the time played a big role in my success here at Oberlin. I didn’t think I was going to major in Comparative American Studies until I met one of the peer mentors as a first-year, and I’ve been on that path ever since.” 

First-generation students also emphasized the importance of F1rst Generation Week as a way to gather and celebrate the first-generation community at Oberlin. 

“It’s hard to find community on campus, especially in the first-gen, low-income community,” third-year Peer Mentor Melissa Nova said. “I’m just excited to see what community we can foster this year.” 

Cruz mentioned a similar feeling. In particular, Cruz was excited about the community dinner, which brought together first-generation students, faculty, and staff to socialize and applaud each other’s successes. 

“I think that’s a really good place for the community to gather and just celebrate F1rst Generation week,” Cruz said. “I want to meet other first-generation students and other students in general.” 

Director of Student Success Operations Amanda Shelnutt worked closely with the Center for Student Success’ peer mentors to plan the event. She said that in addition to resource-sharing, one of the primary goals of F1rst Generation Week was “really celebrating the community on campus that’s here, whether you’re faculty, staff, or student, and helping that community build relationships with each other.” 

Many resources available to first-generation students center the goal of community-building and resource-sharing. Shelnutt discussed how she views the importance of these communities and support systems. 

“Because first-gen students don’t typically have someone at home who understands the collegiate life, it’s really important to have people here that understand you and can help support you in that way,” she said. “Having people that understand where you’re coming from in one aspect of your life and helping encourage you and push you forward and build you up and celebrate your successes is incredibly important.” 

Another thing that many first-gen students mentioned was the desire to bring what they learned and discovered at Oberlin back to their communities at home. 

“I came here not only for myself, but to better my situation as well as spread knowledge back to my family and peers,” Nova said. “Being first-gen means being able to bring back the knowledge I learned to my community and share it in that way, so I have a lot of pride in being the first [and] also just being able to share my knowledge.” 

Alvarado mentioned a similar feeling. 

“There just came a point where my parents couldn’t help me academically anymore,” Alvarado said. “So I applied to colleges all by myself, I did all of the financial aid documents by myself, I did everything by myself. I can bring back something really special to my community in Chicago, coming from a low-income household and a single-parent household.” 

Both Alvarado and Nova also mentioned that considering themselves first-generation wasn’t something that they ever thought about until arriving in Oberlin. 

“I didn’t really feel any different until I got here, and I realized that I was in a different situation than everyone else,” Nova said. “Other people may have known how to … navigate around campus while I didn’t, just because I didn’t have that exposure.” 

Alvarado added that having other people perceive her as a first-generation student was a new experience. 

“I didn’t really know what it meant to be first-gen until late in my life,” Alvarado said. “I think it’s interesting that a lot of other people perceived me as first-gen before I even knew what it meant to be first-gen. … I didn’t really feel that pride until well into my time at Oberlin.” 

Shelnutt emphasized the importance of recognizing and appreciating first-generation students, both through F1rst Generation Week and also more broadly in the Oberlin community. 

“It takes a lot of grit and strength and perseverance and big dreams to be a first-generation student,” Shelnutt said. “This is really geared toward spreading awareness on campus of first-gen needs and also having them tell their stories, because until you hear someone’s story from a variety of viewpoints, you don’t really understand what you need to do to change to serve that population.” 

Nova, Cruz, and Alvarado all agree that celebrating first-generation students is needed and important for the community. 

“I think the first-generation community is a large part of what makes Oberlin a safe space for students to come in,” Cruz said. “I think that community here is one of the reasons that I like Oberlin. It’s all of the people here.”

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What type of research are you doing through Mellon Mays?

I initially only applied to the Oberlin Summer Research Institute. Over the summer, I was researching tuition equity for undocumented students in Tennessee. That was just a really emotionally and mentally heavy project because I identified with the community. It was very heavy work and I realized that I couldn’t do that mentally for two years. I did my summer research and finished that thinking it was the last of my research experience. A couple of weeks before I got back on campus for this year, I actually got an email offer for a Mellon position. I’ve transitioned into Mellon, through taking a step back from my summer research and focusing on something entirely different. At the most recent Mellon Mays conference, I presented my summer research. Now, I have the mental space and energy to focus on my new project. For the next two years, I’m going to be researching Latinas’ relationship to spirituality in the southern part of the US, which is where I grew up. Specifically, I want to study the ways in which religion and religious groups have been used to help Latinas both form community amongst themselves. I also want to analyze how religious organizations can take away from the idea of the community. So, I really want to research both aspects of that. Obviously, this again is going to be a very personal project because I’m a Latina. I also grew up very religious and in the South. Making my research personal to me is very important because obviously I have my own stakes in it, but it’s also a way for me to connect and give back to my community. I want to produce meaningful work and to an extent like show that I’m worthy of this, that I am capable of doing stuff.

Do you want to continue researching after you graduate? 

I originally came to Oberlin wanting to be a Politics major and go to law school, but I switched to Comparative American Studies and Hispanic Studies. I still don’t know what I really want to do because I feel like research is still very new to me. I’m still trying to explore the stuff that I can do with that. I think the most natural next step would be to go to grad school. I definitely know that I want to work within and for my community. So obviously the broader Latinx community, the undocumented community, the immigrant community.

How have you found community as a Latinx, first generation student? 

I think coming to Oberlin was very hard. I don’t want to say it was a culture shock because I grew up with a lot of white people. I know how to move within white institutions. The only difference between back home and Oberlin is that I was really forced to find a new community. So, I kind of struggled at the beginning.

I feel like joining organizations like El Centro Volunteer Initiative, Obies for Undocumented Inclusion, and  La Alianza Latinx. That’s definitely given me a sense of community but also like friendships that have, I’m sure will last past these four years. When it comes to ECVI, the work I do is for my Bonner community service hours. However, I’ve never seen it as a job. I really enjoy being with my community there. I like working with the other board members, like those are genuinely my friends. Comparative American Studies Professor Gina Pérez is my role model on campus. I look up to her so much even before she was like my research mentor. In my first year she was on sabbatical, all the fourth-years would talk about how great Professor Pérez is. I always looked up to her even before I ever met her. So when I met her, it was super surreal because I finally got to meet the person everybody was talking about and she lived up to if not exceeded, every expectation I had. She’s been such a great help, obviously advocating for me through my research process. She’s a Latina professor that’s really big to me, and I really look up to her for that. Also, Vilmarie Pérez, assistant director for career readiness, is Puerto Rican and she’s been super helpful. She’s been a great help and is very big on speaking Spanish when we’re in Oberlin. Being able to use my native tongue with other people in a  predominantly white institution is very comforting to me.

What has it been like working with residents of Lorain and engaging with a Latinx community outside of Oberlin?

I feel like it’s silly when people say that they are trapped in an Oberlin bubble. If people made an effort to step out and learn about the community around them, that wouldn’t be the case. Obviously I’m very privileged to be a Bonner Scholar and have that connection to Lorain. It’s been great going to Lorain. My first year when I first started working with ECVI, we had a community engagement workshop and we learned about Lorain as a city. It’s labeled an international city. There’s a lot of Puerto Ricans, but also a lot of other Latinx communities. It’s been great going there even if it’s just like one Saturday a week. I’ve met a lot of people from different backgrounds and that’s the best part, like just being with other people and learning from them. I always say like, I definitely end up learning more from them than they will ever from me if I’m the one teaching the lessons. I think it’s really great because the way we do classes is somebody gives it in English and I give it in Spanish. It’s really great, using my skill to help other people. It’s a way for me to practice that skill and only strengthen it. So that’s been great. Just like all the other work we do with ECVI, I like fundraising for citizenship tests. A lot of the times I feel like the work that we do, we feel like, oh, is it really helping anybody? We’ve actually managed to fund at least five people’s citizenships. So that to me is like a really big deal. It really reminds me that the work that I’m doing every Saturday, even if I have to wake up at 8 a.m. on Saturday mornings, is really meaningful and it does make an impact on people and that’s really important to me.

What has your experience as a first-generation college student been like? 

It’s going to be hard because that’s just the nature of it. Like you’re the first person ever in your family to be here. I was the first person ever to make it past middle school and graduate from high school. It’s been hard but finding community, that’s really what gets you through it. A lot of it is taking self initiative because if you don’t do it, nobody else will for you. Obviously, I can’t call my mom and ask her to help me fill out my financial aid forms and I can’t call her to help me pay or cover my tuition. All of that stuff falls on me and it gets very heavy at times. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it as a bad thing or something that people should pity me for because if anythin I learned from a very young age how to be self-sufficient and I learned how to be independent.

Nicolle Bellmore Pierse, executive director of the Lorain County Office on Aging, spoke to the Review about how the funds will primarily be used for seniors to obtain home modifications. 

“[The grant] money, as well as a portion of the [American Rescue Plan Act] dollars, are going to be used for home modifications so that seniors can remain safely living in their homes, … for things like grab bars, accessible showers, and wheelchair ramps,” Bellmore Pierse said.

The goal of these modification projects is to help the elderly safely stay in their homes for as long as possible. 

Heidi Freas, director of quality assurance and part owner of Welcome Nursing Home, is grateful for the funding from Lorain County Public Health. In an effort to pull state dollars to support local infection control efforts, LCPH partnered with Welcome in addition to a local school, a prison, and another nursing home. 

The money allocated to Welcome went to renovating their air filtration system, implementing a new call system, fitting the staff with proper N95 masks, and building a new wheelchair-accessible bathtub with antibacterial properties.

“Being that [Welcome] started in 1945, we are an older infrastructure, and that just takes a lot of extra effort to stay on top of,” Freis said. “So we were grateful, … and [LCPH] were so easy to work with.”

Affordable housing is another challenge for seniors looking to live in Oberlin. Freas, whose family has owned and operated Welcome since its founding in 1945, is especially concerned about affordable opportunities for older people. 

“There aren’t many opportunities for congregate living that are affordable or that are accessible,” Freas said. 

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic still weigh heavily on the senior community, with Pierse citing isolation as one of the most pressing issues that she sees. 

“Isolation is a factor that tremendously impacts the health of seniors,” she said. Those social connections are vital to maintaining mental and physical health for seniors, and, unfortunately, COVID really cut people off.”

In an email to the Review, Director of the Oberlin Public Library David Fausnaugh wrote about resources the library offers for seniors that promote entertainment and socialization. 

“The resources we have at the library are very popular with our senior community; we have a lot of individuals who enjoy print items, media, or our downloadable content,” Fausnaugh wrote. “Our one-on-one technology help at The Bridge can be a huge assistance to anyone, including older adults. We also typically have good senior participation in our adult programming, and we partner with Kendal to deliver books to their campus.”

City Councilmember Kristen Peterson, OC ’72, mentioned the Oberlin Enrichment and Activity Center in the old Prospect School as another place where seniors can gather and connect with available resources.

“A year and a half ago, when the former Prospect School building became available to the City, the City said, ‘that’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, that building is going to offer us a lot of options and opportunities,’” Peterson said. “So the recreation department is overseeing the senior activities. … They do all kinds of things. They have guest speakers on all kinds of issues. … The rec department does indoor walking. They do chair exercises. The Western Reserve [Area Agency] on Aging has been there … multiple times doing conversations and sessions about any issue that’s of concern.”

RIPMD is funded through private donations, grants, and public funds. The organization partners with hospitals and purchases medical debt at a reduced price. To benefit from RIPMD’s program, a patient’s houshold income must not exceed 400 percent of federal poverty level income or medical debt accrued must be worth over five percent of their annual household income. RIPMD has canceled debt in Cleveland, Toledo, and Cook County, IL, with help from the local governments in those areas.

Given Oberlin’s population and demographics, RIPMD estimates the cost of canceling medical debt within the City will fall between $23,000 and $25,000. They can purchase and cancel about $100 of an individual’s debt for only $1. Oberlin has not determined how the purchase of medical debt will be funded. Other larger municipalities have allocated funds from the American Rescue Plan for their debt relief programs, and Oberlin may be applicable for federal funds as well. 

Terry Richardson-Sanders, equity coordinator for the City of Oberlin, said that Oberlin became interested in enacting a debt relief program after hearing of the successes in other municipalities.

“In the spring of 2023, the news media ran a story about how the Akron and Toledo City Councils had both received funds for their residents to receive medical debt relief,” Richardson-Sanders wrote in an email to the Review. “After a little research I located the Akron story and reached out to their Ward 1 councilmember who put me in touch with Keith Hearle. Hearle was able to walk me through the debt relief process and how City-directed funds could be used to benefit Oberlin residents.”

Keith Hearle, special advisor at RIPMD, attended Monday’s meeting via Zoom and gave a presentation to City Council explaining the workings of the non-profit and how he believes Oberlin stands to benefit.

Hearle described canceling medical debt as a “win-win-win” scenario, at the meeting. He said that hospitals benefit from receiving payment on outstanding debt, citizens benefit from better access to medical care and more money to spend on necessities, and communities benefit from better community health, greater equity in health care, and a stronger economy.

Richardson-Sanders agreed that the community could benefit from the program, echoing many of Hearle’s talking points.

“It is well-documented that medical debt is widespread, even amongst insured residents,” Richardson-Sanders wrote. “It is more common in communities of color and a contributor to poor physical and mental health. Medical debt often serves as a social determinant of health because patients with burdensome medical debt often delay other needed care.”

City Council gave positive feedback on Hearle’s presentation and expressed interest in working with RIPMD. If Oberlin wishes to work with the non-profit, an agreement will have to be approved by City Council.

RIPMD has already worked with Mercy Health, which runs a branch in Toledo. Hearle said RIPMD’s preexisting agreement with the health care company could speed up the process of purchasing medical debt. According to Hearle and Richardson-Sanders, letters to citizens announcing that their medical debt has been cleared could potentially be sent in February 2024.

The courses were created to provide students with pre-professional programming and prepare them for their careers, according to Anthony Pernell-McGee, executive director of Career Exploration and Development and pre-law advisor.

“We have a 97 percent acceptance rate for law school,” Pernell-McGee said. “So I know, as a former lawyer, that students want to go to law school. And I think that it is our responsibility to help them prepare for the LSAT so that they [can] get into the school of their choice. And we have a lot of Obies who do have an interest in law, so it just makes common sense to do it.”

The LSAT Program is an on-campus project and is being held in collaboration with the Princeton Review. Princeton Review will provide live remote instruction to participating students. 

All students will receive 30 hours of instruction, the LSAT Pathways course books, 365 days of online Princeton Review student portal access, and 16 full-length practice tests, including all available practice questions. Over the course of the Winter Term, students will sit for the LSAT practice exam four times.

According to Pernell-McGee, the impetus for the creation of the course was that students were requesting funding for LSAT Winter Term programs, which led the CED to begin preparing an on-campus program to provide an alternative to individual projects.

The program’s enrollement fee is $700, which Pernell-McGee said was a good deal, as the course would normally cost students thousands of dollars. 

While the program is open to all students, preference will be given to graduating fourth- and fifth-years. The deadline to commit has been extended by the CED to Nov. 17, 2023.

College second-year Eli Ramer, who is considering law school but is not registered for the LSAT Winter Term, said that he would consider doing the project later on in his Oberlin career. 

“I’d like to do some Winter Terms that put me in the field more and give me some more hands-on experience rather than studying for an exam,” Ramer said. “But perhaps once I’ve completed my Winter Term requirements, or if I omit one of the years before the Winter Term during our [fourth] year, I would think about it then.”

The Princeton Review has also been contracted by the College to teach the MCAT Program. Participating students will receive 66 hours of instruction, and have access to MCAT Pathways course books, 365 days of online Princeton Review student portal access, and 16 full-length practice tests, including all available Association of American Medical Colleges practice materials. Similar to the LSAT program, students will sit for four practice tests. 

The MCAT Program will also give preference to graduating fourth and fifth-years and cost $1100. Both programs are capped at 15 students. 

The EMT program is similarly designed to aid students who are planning careers in medicine. Assistant Director for Career Readiness Samantha Rohner, who also sevres as the medical, global health, and stem career community advisor, spoke to the Review about the program. 

“Oberlin has many pre-med, pre-health students who actually already have EMT certification that they got either before college or during college,” Rohner said. “We want to offer this course as an option for them to complete that during Winter Term. There are actually colleges in the country who do offer EMT courses currently during winter or January terms. So that’s something that we felt was attainable for Oberlin.”

The EMT Program will consist of 10 full-day training sessions, small-group and independent study, and test prep. At the end of the program, students can take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians exam, which is required in Ohio and some other states to practice as an EMT. 

According to Rohner, students who complete the EMT certifications will be qualified to work as EMTs during the summer, and the CED plans to reach out to local organizations to see if the newly certified students would be able to work with them in the community.

College second-years Susanna Weiss and Izzie Braun said that they were concerned about the MCAT and EMT Winter Terms, citing the sheer amount of material that the courses would cover in a single month.

“[F]or both programs, it’s like, how the hell are you going to function next semester if you’re trying to cram that much information into your skull during that one month?” Braun said.

Weiss also added that the one-year availability of materials is also a concern, explaining that most people would probably take gap years before heading to medical school. 

“I don’t like the one-year deadline,” Weiss said. “[I]f you were to take the one year off to make money, then you would hypothetically start studying the year later… It would not make sense for people to take that course if they weren’t immediately going to do med school right after.”

All of the courses will also include off-campus social activities, with a chance to engage with career communities and meet students enrolled in the other programs. 

One of the main advantages of having these on-campus projects, according to Rohner, is the opportunity that students have to work together.

“Many students do study for [the] MCAT on their own, but doing this course over Winter Term will provide participating students with an opportunity to study in a group, which can be a benefit because it promotes a more collaborative and supportive environment,” Rohner said. 

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.

On Tuesday, Nov. 7, voters in Lorain County will decide on Issue 20. If passed, the ballot measure will expand the number of county commissioners from three to seven, and implement geographically-defined districts to replace seats elected by the entire county. 

Traditionally, Lorain County has been governed by three countywide commissioners. 86 out of 88 of Ohio’s counties use this form of government. If passed, Issue 20 will create seven districts each with roughly 45,000 people, and represented by a single commissioner. The plan stipulates that the commissioners will make 60 percent of their current salary, or $56,000. 

Proponents of Issue 20 say the plan will allow for greater representation in a diverse county and make it easier for citizens to run for commissioner. Critics contend that it will enable gerrymandering, increase government expenditures, and undermine the authority of countywide elected officials, including sheriff, prosecutor, treasurer, and auditor.  Political action groups in support of and against the measure and current commissioners, political leaders, and labor unions have all taken stances.

The Lorain County Democratic Party and Lorain County AFL-CIO are opposing Issue 20. Lorain County Republican Chairman David Arredondo said that while the Lorain County GOP has not officially endorsed the ballot measure, he and other members of leadership are in support of the measure and are working to promote it. Despite the endorsements of party leaders, the debate over Issue 20 does not fall entirely down party lines. Democrat Brian Hoagland and Libertarian Homer Taft are leaders in the campaign to pass Issue 20, while Republican commissioner Michelle Hung opposes it.

“It is more participatory whereby the seven districts can have their own representative on this council,” Arredondo said. “Right now, there are only three that represent them at large. So historically, there’s no one from Oberlin that I’m aware of [who] was ever elected to the County Commission, nobody from Wellington, nobody from LaGrange. Mostly it’s been Lorain and the major cities that have dominated the County Commission.”

Amherst City Councilmember Martin Heberling, a Democrat who sits on the board of Citizens Opposed to Issue 20, believes that the seven district plan will decrease representation.

“Lorain County currently has three county commissioners who represent … every voter within Lorain County, so when you vote for your county commissioners here in Lorain County, your votes go to a person who’s going to be representing the entire county,” Heberling said. “If we were to reduce that … or increase the amount of commissioners to seven, … we’re going to be reducing the power of your vote of anyone who votes in Lorain County. You’re going to go from 100 percent representation down to 14 percent representation.”

The campaign to expand the Lorain County Commission has been active for years, but it has not managed to get any initiative on the ballot until now. Supporters of Issue 20 say that it is too difficult for ordinary people to campaign countywide, leading to a lack of candidates in recent elections. 

A website sponsored by Citizens for Equal Representation, a political action committee in favor of Issue 20, says that the cost for running for commissioner countywide is $100,000, while the cost of running in one of the proposed seven districts is only predicted to be $25,000. The website also claims that a seven-district commission will benefit Lorain County by allowing for greater interaction between commissioners and citizens and for committees focused on specialized policy areas. 

Issue 20 does not abolish or alter the role of countywide officials. However, some critics have expressed concerns that the increase in the number of commissioners and their staff could give them greater power to exert pressure on these elected positions, all of which are currently held by Democrats. The current sheriff, prosecutor, and auditor are all opposing the plan, as are organizations representing county officials, such as the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association, Ohio Clerk of Courts Association, and Ohio State Coroners Association. 

“A good way to describe it would be more cooks in the kitchen; more people overseeing things rather than having a person of dedicated leadership under strict control, [who] knows exactly what’s expected and does well, and has proven themselves well,” Heberling said. 

Arredondo dismissed these concerns as conjecture, pointing out that Issue 20 does not change the official role of the Commission.

“There are possible actions that the Commission could take, but it’s ultimately going to be the seven commissioners who decide on whether in fact they’re going to proceed with any kind of changes to county offices, like the auditor’s office or the sheriff’s office,” he said. “So there’s no guarantee that any changes would be made to any other office. And that’s no different than it is now with three commissioners.”

A seven-district map has been approved by the current County Commission and will be used if Issue 20 passes. The map was proposed to the Commission by Citizens for Equal Representation, and drawn by Mark Salling, senior fellow and research associate in the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, and Consultant Robert Dykes of Triad Research Group. According to  Citizens for Equal Representation’s website, the political action committee gave no guidelines to Salling and Dykes except to create a minority-majority district and avoid splitting city wards. Still, many Democrats contend that the map favors Republicans.

“The districts are based on population, but the way that they drew the lines would ensure that four out of those seven districts would always be reliably Republican-led districts,” Lili Sandler, founder of Lorain County Rising and a member of the executive committee of the Lorain County Democratic Party said. “As far as the Democratic Party is concerned, this is unfair. [The map] draws lines right through cities. It doesn’t even try to keep communities together. It puts the city of Oberlin in the middle of an exceptionally rural district.”

The map would place the City of Oberlin within District 2 with New Russia Township, LaGrange, Wellington, and much of southern Lorain County. Some residents of Oberlin are concerned that, as a heavily Democratic city within a predominantly rural and conservative district, their voices will not be heard. 

“Though Oberlin is an overwhelmingly Democratic city, our representative commissioner would not likely ever be a Democrat based on how the proposed maps are drawn,” Oberlin resident Katie Ashwill wrote in an email to the Review. “Currently, if there is a problem with a commissioner, all of Lorain County can address it. If Issue 20 passes, and there is a problem with a commissioner in the new District 2, for example — where Oberlin will be, we likely won’t have power to address it unless the rest of the district agrees. Further, if there is a problem with a commissioner in the proposed District 3, for example, that commissioner is only accountable to the people in that district, and therefore citizens across the rest of the county can’t do anything about it.”

Citizens of Lorain County will vote on Issue 20 on Tuesday. The next County Commissioner election is scheduled to be held in 2024.

Issue 1 allows voters to decide upon a constitutional amendment change, establishing an individual’s right to reproductive medical treatment. 

If sufficient voters select “YES,” section 22 of Article 1 of the Constitution of the State of Ohio will change. Individuals receiving reproductive medical treatment can have legal protections and be treated on a case-by-case basis by a physician. The state cannot prohibit abortion before a fetus is considered viable.

The proposed amendment defines fetal viability as: “the point in a pregnancy when, in the professional judgment of the pregnant patient’s treating physician, the fetus has a significant likelihood of survival outside the uterus with reasonable measures. This is determined on a case-by-case basis.”

The state can only prohibit an abortion in the instance of a fetus being viable and the woman’s physician not considering the abortion to be necessary. Additionally, a fetus can be aborted at any stage if a physician is concerned about a woman’s health. 

Norwalk resident and candidate for Ohio House of Representative District 54 Dr. Kellie Deeter wrote to the Review about her concerns for parental rights if the amendment is approved. 

“It creates a new legal standard that goes far beyond pre-Dobbs law under Roe v. Wade, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld parental consent and a 24 hour waiting period,” Deeter wrote. “It gives abortion rights to every pregnant individual, including minors, calling into question whether or not parents will have the ability to have a say in the medical decisions of their children.”

Lili Sandler, founder of Lorain County Rising and a member of the executive committee of the Lorain County Democratic Party, spoke to the Review about why Ohioans should vote “YES.” 

“Voting yes for this constitutional amendment does not require that the voter themselves have an abortion,” Sandler said. “It does not mean that they need to be in favor of abortion. It does not mean that they need to think that abortion is a great form of contraception or anything like that. What it means is that they believe that people should have the option available to them if they find themselves in those dire circumstances, whatever the cause may be, and we need to have that option. It is healthcare.” 

Issue 2 is a proposed law to enact Chapter 3780 of the Ohio Revised Code. It proposes the commercialization, regulation, legalization, and tax for the adult use of cannabis. If sufficient voters select “YES,” this law will be enacted.

Oberlin resident John Pardee is president emeritus of the Ohio Rights Group, a cannabis legalization organization. He wrote to the Review about his concerns for Issue 2 as an initiated statute, as opposed to a proposed law from a citizen to the people of Ohio for a statewide vote. 

“The State Legislature can drastically restrict or even void Issue 2 in its entirety because it is an ‘Initiated statute’ and not a Constitutional Amendment like Issue 1,” Pardee wrote. “And the Senate leadership has already drafted a plan to do just that.” 

If this is passed, adults must be 21 years or older to purchase cannabis in facilities where the cultivation, processing, and sale of cannabis will be regulated and investigated by the state of Ohio. According to the text of Chapter 3780, an individual can possess “[2.5] ounces of adult use cannabis in any form except adult use extract … [and] 15 grams of adult use cannabis in the form of adult use extract. ” An individual consumer may only purchase these amounts from a dispensary per day.

The proposed law includes a social equity and jobs program, giving people from disadvantaged groups preference for cultivator licenses. The ballot language notes that the issue will “[r]equire the Division to provide preferential treatment to applicants who have qualified for the cannabis social equity and jobs program based on social disadvantage when issuing level III adult use cannabis cultivator licenses and dispensary licenses.” 

Additionally, the law aims to prohibit certain local government entities from limiting homegrown cannabis. Adult users will be permitted to grow six plants per person, but 12 plants per household if two adults live together. 

Landlords and employers have the authority to prohibit the use of cannabis in certain circumstances. The operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of cannabis is prohibited. 

New programs and funds will be created if this law passes. An agreement with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services will create a program for cannabis addiction. The law proposes five new funds in the state treasury: the aforementioned cannabis social equity and jobs fund, adult use tax fund, a host community cannabis fund, a substance abuse and addiction fund, and the division of cannabis control and tax commissioner fund. 

If the law passes, there will be a taxation of 10 percent on the sale of adult use of cannabis by dispensaries. All money from the tax will be deposited into the adult use tax fund and distributed quarterly. The ballot language explains that these funds will be divided among these programs, with “36 percent to the cannabis social equity and jobs fund; 36 percent to the host community cannabis facilities fund; 25 percent to the substance abuse and addiction fund; and three percent to the division of cannabis control and tax commission fund.”