Since early March, we have been working with College fourth-year Michelle Liu to investigate the loss of student items following the abrupt departure from campus in spring 2020. While we have recently seen significant improvement, our initial attempts to coordinate with the administration on the situation did not go well. It took several months to get to a semi-functional point of working together, and while it has been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic forced us off of campus, hundreds of students have yet to be reunited with their belongings. For everything the College eventually got right in this process, much went wrong, and our voices were too often stifled.

Although the two of us have coordinated a lot on this issue, Michelle has been working on this project the longest. Several months ago, she reached out to Student Senate asking for help investigating this situation. She shared her copious notes from months of emailing administrators and seeking answers. Once we received Michelle’s email, we sent out a “lost items update” survey in February to gather more information from students whose items were lost. After receiving a few responses, we met with two administrators to clarify the situation. We got some answers, but we ultimately came out of the meeting with more questions. This first meeting was also when we realized that most people working on this issue were doing so part-time and with different perceptions of the situation. We understand being overworked with limited resources, thanks to our Senate work. With that in mind, consistent information and some honesty aren’t hard to provide. We’re expected to give the same bare minimum of transparency and would appreciate that courtesy in return. 

Once it was clear that the administration was not legitimately prioritizing the return of items, we changed our approach. Arman and Michelle visited the 13 storage trailers behind Willard Court and spoke with the workers there to assess the situation. With their input and our responses from the Google Form survey, we identified three main issues: a lack of transparency between the administration and student body; workers not having a list of rooming assignments from previous semesters; and a glaring shortage of labor assigned to this task. The questions we encountered from students were numerous — many didn’t know that their “lost” items were likely stored in the trailers, South Dance Studio, or Asia House. Others had no idea who to reach out to about their missing items, had reached out and never gotten a response, or didn’t know they could be compensated for missing items. We attribute this to ineffective communication from the administration. As far as the shortage of labor, it shocked us that only two workers were sorting through the belongings of an estimated 500 students. This was, again, over a year after students left campus in March. 

After our visit, we generated a list of several suggestions, including writing up an FAQ so students would be more informed, asking ResEd to share room assignments with the workers so they could connect labeled items with their owners, developing an online platform with pictures of the trailers to help students identified items, creating a temporary stipended student position to address the labor issue, and having designated times for students to sort through trailers. As we came up with these suggestions and several others, we attempted to share them with administrators. Our goal was to help implement these solutions, but instead we were consistently redirected, blatantly ignored, or told that there was not time to meet with us. The information we received from the administrators supposedly in charge of this process was often incorrect. We were told, for example, that there were six to eight trailers full of items, a claim we only debunked when we went to visit by ourselves. We cannot emphasize enough the frustration of watching this issue being mismanaged for over a year, being constantly told that our help was not needed, and knowing that the College had yet to empty a single trailer.

By this point, we were more than sick of this cycle of never-ending incompetence and redirection. With few good options left, Arman and Michelle went to the trailers for a second time. On this visit, it was clear that things were improving. The workers had a list of student housing with phone numbers, so they could finally reach out to students once items were found. A more senior member of staff was there helping out. While we were glad to see this, we found the timing curious — while our emails were ignored, a week or two later we found the very solutions that we suggested being implemented. Regrouping after the visit, we sent a candid email to then-Vice President and Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo, detailing a process we said was “tremendously under-manned, miscommunicated, and badly organized.” It was at this point that we started being taken seriously, and a team of administrators led by Assistant Vice President of Student Life Adrian Bautista was assembled to try and return the majority of the items to students by the end of the spring semester. We released our FAQ to the student body, with input from Director of Special Events and Student Life Operations Jessica Bayer-Crissman. The College sent out an email to the student body, informing students about how to get their items back, and we have also been able to meet with administrators to finally have our suggestions heard.

While we are relieved to no longer be going in circles, it doesn’t change the unnecessary longevity and insanity of this whole process. The excessive delay in returning belongings, as well as the many times students reached out and never heard back, led to many giving up on ever getting their belongings back. Additionally, only two staff members ever apologized for the College’s errors, and neither of them were even responsible for what happened. Some other administrators insinuated that after so many months of us stressing and struggling to be heard, we should forgive and forget.

Unfortunately, it seems that a large part of our job as senators has become bothering people until they take us seriously. However, we only ever resort to critique after first being stonewalled. Our combativeness is not a choice, but rather learned behavior. It’s truly no surprise, then, that senator turnover is so high. We are tasked with immense initiatives, and we have limited power to tackle any of them alone. When months of work can dissipate simply because we never got a proper email response, senators quit. All we ask, instead, is that we are allowed to help.

Senate would love to act immediately on all of these changes, but we can’t do so without 50 percent of the student body voting to certify them. Under normal circumstances, this scale of turnout would already pose a challenge, even without pandemic-induced obstacles — not to mention that we would have had several months to plan reforms. Instead of these conditions, we have burnt-out senators taking time away from overwhelming workloads to push this survey. Typically, we have months to advertise referendums, but we only have until Sunday, April 18, to get 1,468 student responses for this one. As of writing this article, we have 820. To say we’re stressed right now is an understatement. 

We honestly don’t have the time or capacity for this, given how dismal the semester is already. As is, several projects have been pushed back for months or canceled entirely because of the strain of the pandemic. For instance, we have been trying to compile each senator’s hours for the previous fall semester in a Google Sheet. We wanted to verify the enormous amount of work and time we put into Student Senate, to get the 10-hour pay cap raised or removed. Most senators have not had the free time to even sit down and compile these hours. We’re in a position where our team is too overworked to even advocate for better treatment. 

It is not lost on me that the Student Senate has a Black majority in a series of semesters where Black trauma abounds. Life was hard enough when the Derek Chauvin trial was one of the only tragic national headlines related to Black lives and the fight for equality. Now, even two weeks after my last piece, the trial continues. In that same period, Adam Toledo and Daunte Wright fell victim to police brutality. The video of Lt. Caron Nazario getting pepper sprayed, shoved to the ground, and threatened at gunpoint by police officers plays over and over in my mind. 

The struggles we’re pushing through academically — during a pandemic at that — are irregular. The negative energy coupled with the constant trauma of the news cycles reporting more cases of brutality is incredibly triggering. It will only harm our quality of work moving forward. While all Black senators feel dread looking at the state of the world, I especially feel for our Chair, Vice-Chair, and Race Relations and Equity Liaison, who cannot take a break from this work — no matter how necessary it may be.

However, as usual, Student Senate has risen to the challenge, determined to spread the word. I recently worked with my partner in crime, Arman Luczkow, to ad hoc for a cookie giveaway event designed to get students to fill out the referendum form using a sweet bribe. The Communications Working Group drafted and sent out a persuasive email to department chairs asking them to share the survey with their majors on Monday. We’ve also sent out daily emails since April 12 reminding students to vote. On top of this, the Student Life Working Group has been reaching out to various student organizations to work on getting the word out as well. I got the ball rolling by sending the first of these emails to the cultural cohorts I oversee. 

Some senators are planning in-person events, while others are working on remote engagement. To make the form more enticing, we also arranged a giveaway where everyone who votes is entered for the chance to win a Nintendo Switch and a copy of Tetris 99. Various senators have also been editing and sharing a condensed version of the bylaws and information about the giveaway on social media. Our own Ava Brown and Amber Scherer even gave out candy near the Conservatory this past Tuesday while advertising the survey. No matter how you look at it, people are working overtime to get this done against seemingly impossible odds. Still, I’m not entirely sure we can reach the 50 percent voter threshold in time. 

That’s why I’m using this week’s piece in the Review as a last resort — because I’m that desperate. Our elections, the work that Arman and I are doing regarding lost items, and Student Senate’s general operations cannot continue in the same capacity without a change, not when our team is as strung out as it currently is. I’m not sure how much longer Senate can manage under these conditions — and I do not want to find out. 

If you care even remotely about Student Senate’s work or Oberlin’s ability to function, please do me a favor: Share this form, fill it out if you haven’t already, and share this piece with other Obies. Please help make our jobs and lives simpler by getting us to that 50 percent threshold we desperately need.

The disparity between how Asians are treated generally and, right now, performatively, drove me to write this article. I interviewed five Oberlin students and alumni, each of whom are from different Asian backgrounds. I hope by reading their thoughts, we can better understand the discomfort, alienation, and racism that our Asian classmates have experienced. 

Do you feel expected to behave in particular ways because of your Asian ethnicity? How do you find yourself reacting to that?

There was a common thread of alienation in responses to this question. Recent graduate Shomya Mitra, OC ’20, wrote, “My dad never taught me to speak Bengali when I was a child, so I have always felt like an ‘Oreo’ — dark on the outside, white on the inside.” Asian Americans and Asian immigrants are familiar with the identity “limbo” of being neither “American” nor “Asian.” 

Another recent graduate, Dustin Lin, OC ’20, discussed the unhealthy impact stereotyping had on him growing up: “[American] portrayals of Asian men as meek, unfeeling or less traditionally masculine were stereotypes I noticed growing up. While I try to be aware of it, sometimes it is easy to fall into the trap of leaning into more regressive ideals of masculinity in order to counter that stereotype.” The pressure to be more masculine, by American metrics, puts pressure on Asian men to be “more aggressive,” just as it puts pressure on Black men to be “less aggressive.” 

Assumptions about the meekness and “model minority” status of all Asians can have nefarious consequences. On top of isolation, exhaustion, and insecurity, Conservatory graduate Jumi Lee, OC ’20, described her unease residing in the United States: “As an international student, I’m not confident [whether] the country is really open for all races. It’s unfortunate that many Asians, including me, feel unsafe and [unsettled] being in the community. It has been many years that there are lots of racism and hate [crimes against Asians], and [I think] of it as a common situation. … I always feared someone might threaten or attack me, so sometimes I [have] to be very careful when I go on a walk or shopping.”

Do you feel your race impacts your personal and/or professional dynamics?

In academic settings, it is often assumed that Asians will be high-achieving. Dealing with this alongside stereotypes of submissiveness and passivity can complicate professional relationships. As recent grads in the beginnings of our careers, we can’t avoid people who make us feel uncomfortable. This was exemplified starkly in an experience shared by Mitra, who is of Indian descent. While working with prospective graduate school professors, who were both white and male, at a prestigious summer program, he was subjected to questions about his “exotic” appearance and background, as well as comments about his violin playing such as, “You know, you’re not playing the erhu … or the sitar, or whatever!” 

Yuyu Ikeda, conservatory fourth-year, expressed frustration about U.S. college admissions policies, which have resulted in high-profile lawsuits against schools such as Harvard University, commenting “I think that Asian [Americans] grow up with a lot of pressure to succeed, and many times, Asians are indeed very accomplished or talented — so … admissions based on race works against us. It is hypocritical of many U.S. institutions because many times, they end up taking advantage of accomplished Asian students in order to promote their school, or for money.” 

Personally, I have witnessed Oberlin students sexualize, exploit, and degrade Asian female staff members. Students complain about Asian staff members not making themselves available for 10 p.m. recordings or for performances only a few days away, all of which puts undue burden on the staff member. I have heard students wonder out loud how often some Asian female staff members have sex. I remember feeling particularly shocked when a classmate remarked off-handedly, “I think she likes working all the time, though.” 

Nearly every Asian student I know on campus has experienced some kind of fetishization or predatory behavior. In the Conservatory, it is fairly common practice among Asian women to quietly share which of our colleagues have “yellow fever” — who should we avoid? Who should we fear?

Do you feel you have ever been discriminated against — overtly or covertly? Is it something you often discuss?

This was the question that most divided my interviewees. About half did not feel they had lost any academic opportunities due to their identity; the other half shared painful, even hateful, experiences. Mai, an Oberlin alum, who asked that their surname be omitted for privacy, wrote, “I experienced micro-aggressions every now and then, but it’s rare that I address it openly at the spot. In most cases, the people don’t even notice the harmful impact of these things, or have too much power over me, so I can’t do much about it.” 

How can we address such a nuanced issue which is not statistically as violent as anti-Black racism nor as persistent as anti-Latinx or Islamophobic prejudices? America’s organized response should have begun before a tragedy like the Atlanta shootings took place — violence should not be a necessary qualifier for needing change, though that often seems to be the case. Anti-Asian racism already harms the Asian community. As mentioned above, U.S. college admissions policies discriminate against Asian students. Asian women struggle to be taken seriously, as popular culture fetishizes them. Median income statistics and headlines putting Asian Americans at the top of the food chain obscure the fact that Asians have the most rapidly growing income inequality in America. Lee described degrading names she has been called in the two years she lived in this country: “I was often called yellow, fried rice, pancake face, smelly, monkey, virus, ching chang chong, or whatever.” 

Regardless, Asian students at Oberlin have used their shared experiences to form meaningful relationships. Lin commented, “Being a second generation immigrant has allowed me the opportunity to bond with some of my closest friends. We were not quite American but not quite un-American.” On campus, students often divide themselves on the basis of identity. We feel safest with people who understand us. Yet, if we are to overcome biases and divisions, I believe there is no better way than to accept each other’s individuality. Every person is an amalgamation of their cultural heritage, their personality and quirks, and their experiences. Individuals should be defined not by the beholder, but by themselves. 

One phenomenon I have studied as a Psychology major is that simply being aware of our biases does not impact our behavior. It is a much more complex task than social media makes it seem. But we can still act. We can listen. Please read these testimonies, please take them to heart. If you find yourself talking over an Asian classmate, stop talking and ask yourself why. Call out yellow fever. Even if you love Asian culture and entertainment, understand that you may be unintentionally fetishizing Asians. Email the Office of the President to get pro-Asian programming incorporated into the Presidential Initiative. 

It may be challenging to change our internal biases but basic, concrete actions, we can do. I hope, today, we can all do one thing to honor our Asian classmates and Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Hyun Jung Grant, Soon Chung Park, Suncha Kim, and Yong Ae Yue.

First, I connected Peter Saudek with The Oberlin Review, and he wrote and published a fantastic open letter to white alumni urging them to support Black students and causes through their donations. He was also so kind as to compensate me for my time helping him — an action I hope the Conservatory and College can do for Black people consistently someday. 

As far as Student Senate’s response goes, we had to spend a lot of time the day the flyer was released, and even the day after, recuperating and figuring out the best course of action. No matter how we chose to move forward, we wanted to center Black people and Black musicians since the Conservatory could not be bothered to do so. We ended up having a series of meetings between several student senators, members of the Oberlin College Black Musicians Guild, and some of the Conservatory Council of Students. We brainstormed a series of ideas for responding to the renewed calls for racial justice and Black students’ better treatment. From the few meetings the coalition had, we left with a handful of tangible action steps and points to consider. 

There was an overwhelming consensus that we, especially OCBMG, did not want to hold a town hall-style event in response to the flyer. Many other Black students have previously informed the institution of problematic patterns and behaviors that have largely gone unnoticed. Getting a handful of Black students together to do more free emotional labor in a space that would likely end up unintentionally dominated by white voices was not the solution. We shot down a walkout idea since it could be disruptive and get attention, but it might not start a helpful dialogue or create permanent change. No matter what path we took, we knew it needed to continue a conversation about a more significant issue than the flyer. We decided on the upcoming “Black Renaissance” event. As stated in the last Senate Weekly, “it will be a socially-distanced outdoor concert involving artists and performers across all mediums and genres, including musicians, poets, dancers, and more, to uplift and center Black artists at Oberlin properly.” 

I’m glad we’ve been able to do so much good work and get more action items done due to this nonsense. Still, it’s essential to realize this is just a first step in adequately combatting this institution’s overbearing whiteness. Despite our progress, it’s always important to recognize when we continue patterns like Black people having to clean up Oberlin’s mess — a mess we didn’t make.

A few weeks ago Isaiah Shaw and I met with Professor of Music Theory Jan Miyake, OC ’96, who is a member of the Presidential Initiative. Isaiah and I were alone in the meeting we attended with Miyake, despite Student Senate plugging the Zoom link to students in a Senate update email from OCBMG. In all fairness, Student Senate advertised the link the day of the meeting, but this still highlights a disconnect between outrage at Black trauma and taking tangible action to alleviate it. Had I not come to help, Isaiah would have had to take notes and attend this meeting by himself to fix a problem he did not create. Truthfully, if it weren’t me, it might have just fallen on another Black student anyway since that’s how Oberlin often functions behind the scenes. 

The meeting was just a minor part of Isaiah’s work and of the work OCBMG got thrust into without much choice. My solidarity is with them, my fellow Black Senators hard at work planning and managing so much, ABUSUA, and all other Black organizations and people on campus who recognize the resilience this takes. 

The fact we have to do this anti-racist work just to exist somewhat comfortably at this institution is part of the problem. The fact that only a handful of the students engaged in this work are consistently getting compensated monetarily for their labor is part of the problem. Having to gather Black Obie payment info independently to get performers compensated for their time and talent is all part of the problem. How long have we been trying to get an institutional standard to pay Black people for pro-Black and anti-racist work? It feels like forever by now, but at this current pace, we’ll probably still be fighting for it long after I graduate.

I am very excited about the event and hope to submit a video to perform before this piece is published, but I still have two fears about the response it may garner. First, I fear that the event will go well and that the Conservatory will try to use the event’s success to sweep its mistake under the rug. If the College or Conservatory does choose to acknowledge the event directly, it needs to understand that the event’s intent is not to give Oberlin better press. Student Senate, OCBMG, and the Con Council should not have to plan events like this independently at an institution that prides itself on progressive values. If anything, I hope someday we can feel comfortable trusting the Conservatory to handle some programming of this level without our intervention. 

The point is that if the event goes well, the Conservatory needs to be taking notes instead of taking credit. 

Last week, I also attended a Black Student Leaders meeting involving our Race Relations and Equity Liaison Darielle Kennedy, the Multicultural Resource Center, the Oberlin College Black Musicians’ Guild, ABUSUA, and the Dean of Students’ Office. The meeting was held to foster better connections between these groups and let faculty and administration hear what to do better. It went well, and administrators seemed very receptive to our concerns, criticisms, and suggestions at the time.

My other fear is that the event may spark only a temporary increase in engagement with Black student needs, events, and causes before the campus community disengages again a couple of weeks later. Only time will tell if this is true, and I would love to be proven wrong. Regardless of how things may go, I know planning my submission would be a more productive use of my time than worrying about what-if scenarios.

The world of classical music has a particularly insular culture. We venerate white men hundreds of years gone at the expense of all other genders and races. We are nearly untouched by the #MeToo movement — orchestras and conservatories rehire known sexual predators, shuffling them from institution to institution while covering the evidence. Classical music perpetuates a culture of ableism with its toxic ‘diamonds are made under pressure’ mentality. Unsurprisingly, recent psychological studies have shown that current classical education disproportionately imparts high levels of anxiety and depression on its students compared to other fields of study. “Classist” and “elitist” are synonymous with “classical music.”

So, what do we do? Learning empathy and inclusivity, breaking down racist and capitalist barriers — how do we do that? I don’t claim to be an expert, but I am quite sure that Oberlin is not getting it right. Our nearly all-white faculty exemplifies the persistent barriers people of color face trying to enter our industry. Oberlin’s courses focus on men like Richard Wagner and Heinrich Schenker — misogynists, racists, and anti-Semites labeled as “troubled geniuses.” By validating viewpoints like those of these men, we preserve racist and misogynistic barriers to entry. Whether tacitly or consciously, every classical musician does this.

A number of these issues were put on especially glaring display this past weekend. Oberlin’s corner of the Internet — and beyond — was shaken by an official Conservatory Instagram post announcing “A Celebration of Black Artistry,” accompanied by the faces of five white professors. Within hours, thousands of shares and comments swamped the post. For those unaware that the event would feature all Black composers, it was particularly bewildering. The fault for the miscommunication lies with the predominantly white administration who created, approved, and then posted the flyer. But the more profound question is why there is a deficiency of Black professors, faculty, and staff in the Conservatory — and why there was a lack of foresight in including them fully in the process of making classical music more equitable after centuries of oppression and racism. 

What is the context in which this incident occurred? Racism, classism, elitism, misogyny, hero-worship. In my limited capacity, I view it also as a flawed part of an even more flawed effort to improve on the part of the institution. It’s “harm reduction,” a natural if not frustrating part of recovery. 

Associate Professor of Horn Jeff Scott, one of Oberlin’s two Black classical faculty, responded to the outrage by writing, “The original post, which pictures [five] of my colleagues is one of 50, maybe more, events that were part of a month-long celebration of Black Artistry. It is one recital of many. It just so happens that this particular recital was performed without someone of color. The post would have served us all better to have been of the entire month’s celebration, which would show the uniquely diverse, multifaceted celebration of art, culture, intellectual thought, and so much more.” 

The events to which Professor Scott referred featured some phenomenal Black artists, including himself, flutist Nathalie Joachim, Troy Stephenson, OC ’20, and Marlea Simpson, OC ’17. Scott himself, Associate Professor of Voice Katherine Jolly, and Associate Dean of Academic Support Chris Jenkins — each a successful and unique Black musician in their own right — spoke at three of the concerts. 

The celebration was a result of hundreds of hours of planning last summer, spurred by the ascension of the Oberlin College Black Musicians’ Guild and the Presidential Initiative on Racial Equity and Diversity. Racism is a persistent problem at Oberlin, and the Conservatory tradition is inherently resistant to change. That said, the fabric of Oberlin Conservatory is starting to change.

Echoing Dean Jenkins in a letter he wrote last week, progress is slow, but these meaningful efforts have begun here. Last fall, third-year piano students were required to learn and perform repertoire in two weeks, as part of a performance exam, or “jury.” This included works by Black composers for the first time, at the behest of Oberlin students. Students are programming BIPOC composers on their recitals with more regularity and intentionality. I’ve been inspired by my peers’ creativity, as I’ve started exploring works by Asian composers. This Saturday, I get to accompany violin works by Clara Schumann, the world-class pianist and repressed wife of Robert Schumann; and Florence Price, a brilliant Black American pianist and composer. The discussion — started last summer and sustained by students, faculty, staff, and administrators — is already changing my musical identity and knowledge.

It goes without saying that many students are doing much, much more than I am to forge an inclusive path with their music. Many staff, faculty, and administrators are as well. The Oberlin Music Theory department, for example, is completely overhauling its curriculum. Music theory is a particularly antiquated and ethically thorny topic in classical music and is in dire need of modernization. Oberlin’s new theory program will address a more diverse canon of repertoire and explore more musical cultures while centering Black art in particular. Similarly, Maestros Raphael Jiménez and Tim Weiss, who conduct Oberlin’s large ensembles, diversified repertoire this year beyond recognition. Students in ensembles are engaging with BIPOC and female composers as much as they are with white male composers. 

These changes can be described as “superficial” or “performative.” I think that is a fair description, as we have not yet come close to achieving a true appreciation for all races and genders in classical music. Yet maintaining these new standards, codifying them into the way we teach and study music, will serve the gradual dissolution of prejudice in classical music.

So, are these changes enough? No. Mistakes are still being made; systemic racism remains. One of my colleagues on Student Senate, Reggie Goudeau, wrote about the offensive BHM flyer, lamenting, “I can only imagine how tired and powerless Black students without my same position feel at this moment.” We need to continue dismantling the foundations of classical music in order to redistribute power equally. Though we are centuries late in doing so, classical musicians need to love music by BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ+ composers of the past and present — there are worlds of beauty and expression that we never hear out of institutionalized prejudice.

Except spring semester is here, and there is no survey. In December, after numerous meetings, I was informed over email that my request had to be run up the flagpole to other administrators. A promised follow-up Zoom meeting never occurred. I emailed back and was redirected to another member of the administration, who was on leave at the time. Finally, a week before the survey was due to start, I emailed again and was informed that after a private discussion between administrators, the survey had been halted. The administration argued that it wouldn’t be appropriate for non-clinicians to administer an anonymous survey, because it prevents them from intervening. I was promised updates later that day. They have yet to arrive.

When I first read their reply, I was stunned by both its content and brevity. Four months of work wasted, without so much as an apology or acknowledgment of the efforts put in by so many people. The reasoning they gave for canceling the project was that an anonymous survey would impede the College’s ability to assist someone in distress. But this problem had been discussed — and I assumed dismissed — in a meeting I had attended with the same administrators, two months prior. While an anonymous survey may prevent the College from intervening, it does not exacerbate the problem that is already present. Specifically, asking questions about suicidality or other harmful behaviors does not tend to increase the risk of those behaviors, according to an article by Dr. Cheryl King. In my opinion, choosing no survey over an anonymous survey is akin to the administration closing their eyes and stating that since they can’t see the problem, it does not exist.

As dissatisfying as this response was, it is secondary to an even larger issue. Without comprehensive data on student mental health, initiatives that could help students will be sidelined. During the fall semester, the only real academic break took place over Thanksgiving, more than two-thirds of the way into the semester. When Senate raised this issue with senior administration, we were told that grades were high, insinuating that students must be okay. Although improved mental health has been proven to result in better grades, good grades are not direct evidence of improved mental health. Grades could also be susceptible to influence by a number of other factors, such as professors’ increased leniency during the pandemic or students studying more to distract themselves from other stressors.

In Senate’s advocacy for classes to be canceled on Election Day, we centered mental health. Yet in the Educational Plans and Policies Committee’s recommendation for classes to be canceled — a symbolic measure they took, it is worth noting, in lieu of sending an official proposal to the General Faculty Committee to cancel classes — they did not mention mental health. In President Ambar’s letter to the College community, there was again zero mention of mental health. Until there is a campus-wide conversation about the importance of mental health, efforts to address student mental health will not be undertaken with the seriousness or transparency essential for tangible change.

It wouldn’t be fair of me to ignore that several members of the administration were enthusiastic about this work. Indeed, I was once optimistic about our collaboration, my hopes buoyed by their willingness to answer our questions and search for solutions. However, it appears that the politics of the College have once again taken precedence over what is best for students. Senate plans to institute our survey by other means, independently of the administration. While we strive for a productive relationship with the administration, it’s not unlikely that without their help we would already have implemented this survey.

I created this event because I was heartbroken by Breonna Taylor’s murder and the verdict that officer Brett Hankison received. On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor was murdered in her home after officers Hankison, Cosgrove, Sgt. Mattingly batter-rammed her door without identifying themselves. All three men fired multiple rounds into Breonna Taylor’s home, yet only officer Hankison was charged — and with only three felony counts of wanton endangerment, at that. Wanton endangerment is when “under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, one wantonly engages in conduct which creates a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to another person.” The three counts of wanton endangerment were not for endangering Breonna Taylor’s life, but rather the lives of her three next door neighbors. That Hankison was not charged with murdering Breonna Taylor conveyed that the law does not value Black women’s lives. He was charged for firing blindly into her home and her neighbor’s home. There were so many shots fired that night that forensic scientists do not know who fired the fatal shot. In my opinion, all three men are responsible for Breonna Taylor’s murder and should be charged accordingly. 

A pervasive, false narrative of criminality surrounding the Black community is used to justify murdering Black people. By claiming that Breonna Taylor held drugs for her ex-boyfriend, which justified the warrant, the Louisville Metro Police Department and media perpetuated this false narrative. There were no drugs found in Breonna Taylor’s home, and she had a new boyfriend, so the the warrant was based on invalid evidence. Moreover, a badge does not give a police officer the right to be judge, jury, and executioner. 

Breonna Taylor was an EMT and pursuing a career to be a nurse. She wanted to save lives; she was not a criminal. On the other hand, officer Hankison had multiple sexual assault claims and reports of misconduct that had been erased from his record. He was a criminal, but the assumption of integrity — the exclusive domain of the police in such cases — blinded the public from seeing him, and officers like him, for who and what they really are: predators. Additionally, Breonna Taylor’s murder exposed that the LMPD designated to her neighborhood a place-based investigative unit, thereby subjecting low-income people of color to over-policing based on race and class — one of many examples of how the Black community is preyed on by state forces. 

Consequently, I wanted last Thursday’s event to uplift Breonna Taylor’s memory and to acknowledge that she mattered. Breonna Taylor’s name deserves to be said as much as George Floyd and any other victim of police brutality and racial violence. We created the space to offer Black women and femmes support, guidance, and knowledge about police brutality and the 400-year history of racial violence in America that Black women and femmes have endured and to which Breonna Taylor fell victim. I wanted to foster an  environment where the audience and speakers felt empowered and heard. When one person was vulnerable or crying, the audience would offer support because we are stronger together. 

One collective realization derived from Breonna Taylor’s murder is that anyone in the audience could have been her. My sister, my mother, my aunts, or my cousins could have been Breonna Taylor. The purpose of this event was to illuminate the historical and racial complexities of intersectional oppression that Black women and femmes face. It was amazing to have different generations of Black women and femmes in different fields present at the event because it helped conceptualize this intersectional oppression and emphasize that Black women and femmes are not a monolith. Everyone had a different opinion and offered different advice on the subject, and everyone internalized Breonna Taylor’s murder in a different way, which meant that different audience members were able to process and disseminate the conversation in a way that helped them as individuals and as members of the collective.

In the end, more work needs to be done. We received some actionable steps from all the facilitators, so I have a sense of how to move forward. This will not be the last event on police brutality and racial violence, especially because there is no guarantee that there will never be another victim of injustice like Breonna Taylor. 

We write today to ask that Oberlin College and Conservatory cancels classes on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020, considering students’ health and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic, our commitment to civic action, and a responsibility to our academics. We also ask that Oberlin College and Conservatory establish Election Day as a permanent campus holiday moving forward.

Reports of long lines and crowds at early voting locations throughout Ohio raise concerns due to the risks associated with the pandemic. If we see similar crowds and  waiting times in Oberlin, College and Conservatory students will likely have to decide whether to vote or to attend all of their classes, in addition to weighing concerns with regard to their health. We know that in past elections students have found it difficult to make time to vote because of their busy schedules. The health and safety of students, faculty, and staff must be a priority, in addition to allowing time for students to vote during less crowded times. Oberlin College students are passionate about the outcome of this election. They are also passionate about their academics. Many may feel trapped by their lack of options. Demonstrating the College’s commitment to civic engagement, we should provide students with the flexibility to vote if they wish, rather than vote if they can.

Cancelling classes this Nov. 3, as well as establishing Election Day as a permanent campus holiday, demonstrates that Oberlin College and Conservatory prioritizes civic engagement and encourages students to make their voices heard at the ballot box. For many students, their first opportunity to participate in an election will occur while attending college. Giving students the necessary time to vote, do research on candidates and ballot initiatives, volunteer as poll workers, and reflect on the democratic process would reaffirm the College’s standing as a beacon of progressive leadership within higher education, signaling to peer institutions the importance of this issue.

Colleges and universities across the country have recently committed to cancelling classes this coming Election Day — notably, Stanford Law School, Columbia University, American University, Brown University, and Colorado College. The example set forward by these schools is part of a national conversation regarding voter suppression, access, and engagement. As voter suppression efforts take effect across the country, community organizers, nonprofits, and elected officials are working to increase participation in the electoral process. States such as Virginia and Illinois have declared Election Day a state holiday, and legislation has been introduced in both chambers of the United States Congress to do the same nationally. While Ohio has not designated Election Day as a state holiday, there are immediate steps that we can take on campus to emphasize our values, increase voter turnout in Lorain County, and encourage students to engage in critical reflection, connecting their in-class learning with the contemporary issues brought up by this historic election.

In the midst of a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, and increased attention to racism and racial justice, the issues tied to this particular election have led to heightened anxiety among students, faculty, and administrators — especially among students of color. Regardless of the outcome, or of students’ partisan leanings, students will need increased flexibility and agency to take care of their mental health on Election Day. While state election officials across the country, particularly in traditional swing states, are suggesting that the 2020 election cycle will likely continue past the Nov. 3 date, this particular day will be important in allowing students the space needed to process the events in their own way.

Cancelling classes on Election Day allows students, faculty, administrators, and staff to breathe, take care of ourselves, and support each other. Instead of attending classes on Election Day, we recommend that students consider participating in programming hosted by the OC Votes initiative and engage with civic student organizations on campus. We also recommend that professors consider additional programming to connect class material with the events of the day. Some students might find comfort in these productive dialogues. We recognize that this request has implications for professors’ syllabi. However, we believe that some aspect of curricular learning could be maintained through these optional activities, for any professors who desire to do so. 

Alternatively, some students may wish to distract themselves after voting by participating in activities or events centered around joy and self-care. These accommodations are especially important since students did not have a Fall Break this semester, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such mental breaks are few and far between, and they are highly needed by all.

It is for the reasons listed above that Oberlin College and Conservatory Student Senate, along with the student organizations listed below, request that classes be canceled on Nov. 3, 2020, and that the General Faculty Committee take appropriate steps toward making Election Day an official, recurring campus holiday.

Oberlin College & Conservatory Student Senate

Henry Hicks ’21, Chair

Arman Luczkow ’22, Student Senator

Oberlin Conservatory Council of Students

Melinda Wisdom ’22, President

Olivia Fink ’21, Vice President

Oberlin College Democrats

Julian Mitchell-Israel ’21, Co-Chair

Emily Fiorentino ’22, Co-Chair

Obility

Miranda Harris ’22, Social Media Coordinator

Eliza Young ’22, Chair

Oberlin Christian Fellowship

Ben Jalensky ’22, Chapter Director

Gwen Goble ’22, Chapter Coordinator

Multiracial Students Association

Benjamin Eckols ’23, Treasurer

Sophia Diez-Zhang ’22, Co-Chair

ABUSUA

Nia Lewis ’21, Alumni Liaison

Benjamin Collado ’22, Administrative Chair

Chabad Student Group

Theo Canter ’23, Treasurer

Havi Carillo-Klein ’22, Co-Chair

La Alianza Latinx

Magali Coronado ’22, Co-Chair

Emily Bermudez ’21, Co-Chair

Black Scientists Guild

Lauriel Powell, ’22, Co-Chair

Black Student Athlete Group (BSAG)

Kofi Asare ’22, Co-Chair

Malaïka Djungu-Sungu ’22, Co-Chair

Asian American Alliance

Zoë Luh ’22, Co-Chair

Avehn Chu ’21 Co-Chair

African Students Association

Mowa Badmos ’22, Co-Chair

Blessing Bwititi ’21, Co-Chair

The Grape

Cameron Avery ’21, Editor-in-Chief

Jane Wickline ’21, Editor-in-Chief

Sunrise Oberlin

Tyler Kupcho ’23, Bookkeeper

Madison Olsen ’23, Bookkeeper

Japanese Students Association

Akira Di Sandro ’21, Treasurer

Ellisa Lang ’21, Secretary

The Synapse

Victoria Fisher ’21, Editor-in-Chief

Drew Dansby ’23, Oberlin City Liaison

WOBC 91.5-FM

Bridget Conway ’21, Station Manager

Grace McAllister ’21, Operations Manager

The incumbency effect had minimal influence on these two elections; instead, new groups and communities were elected. In the Senate race, students of underrepresented communities — particularly Black, Indigenous, and students of color — were the overwhelming winners. For the Conservatory Council, Obies elected several non-classical performance majors. 

In some ways, this contrasts with our national climate. Over the last four years, our country has been stagnant, if not regressing, in all forms of social progress. Oberlin students have always been at the forefront of social change and equality — we made that clear once again with our student elections, which demonstrate frustration and desire for new faces, more equal and diverse representation, and a restructuring of powerful positions.

In the elections for Student Senate, an unprecedented 31 candidates ran, including 10 from the #BlackoutSenate campaign. In recent semesters, Senate has had to extend their voting deadline due to low turnout. This fall, though, Senate reached its required minimum of 20 percent student participation within 24 hours of polls opening, with more than 800 students voting by the time polls closed. 

The results were a reflection of institutional change and desire diversity. The elected Senators are 80 percent BIPOC and 60 percent female. They range from first- through fifth-years, with majors from Creative Writing in the College to Piano Performance in the Conservatory. Only one senator is returning to their role as senator from last semester — Emarie De La Nuez, who ran on the #BlackoutSenate platform. 

The Conservatory Council of Students serves a similar function to Student Senate, though CCS specifically represents Conservatory students. Eleven candidates ran, up from the usual range of six to eight, and the four elected members are all historic in their own right. The Oberlin College Black Musicians’ Guild — which contributed significantly to the Presidential Initiative and the Conservatory faculty statement on race, equity, and diversity over the summer — played a large role in the election. Two of their officers ran and won: Katelyn Poetker, the first Winds major and Black woman on CCS, and Christopher McDole, the first Jazz Studies major on CCS. Oberlin Students for Gender Inclusivity in Music, which promotes female, nonbinary, and LGBTQ+ musicians, sponsored several candidates, two of whom were elected into the president and vice president positions; Melinda Wisdom and Olivia Fink respectively.

These results are a statement, from our generation to our elders, from our inclusive community to those who discriminate against non-white, non-male individuals. The past four years have been painful and frustrating to witness, not to mention the decades and centuries of inequality suffered by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and female members of this country. Our youthful frustration with our aging leadership, however, is matched by youthful optimism. We have a profound desire for equality and compassion to be achieved on institutional levels. My greatest hope is that our energy in the on-campus elections is matched on a wider scale a month from now.

Health and Wellness Committee

One of Senate’s long-term goals is to address issues concerning health on campus — both mental and physical. To that end, Senate has created the Health and Wellness Committee, whose purpose is to brainstorm and execute solutions to these problems. 

A major element of this committee’s work has been working with the Jed Foundation — a national, collegiate nonprofit mental health organization — to improve mental and emotional health on campus. Through Jed, this committee is working with staff members at Oberlin to make the campus a safer, more caring community for those struggling emotionally or mentally.

The isolation and stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have further added to the strain on students; the work of this committee has become more important now than ever before. Considering how different and complicated these new circumstances are, on-campus life can seem isolated and lonely. Students will need as much support as they can get. 

For those who feel as though they need help or support in any way, we are working to make our resources more accessible.

International Students Committee

The International Students Committee designed a survey asking about international students’ needs in terms of career development, health and wellness, and cultural shock. We researched optional practical training and curricular practical training, internships and working opportunities, cultural differences students encountered, and mental and physical health concerns students had. Thanks to Vice President and Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo, we received $150 from the Student Life Committee fund as incentive for the survey. Each student who filled out the survey was added to a lottery for a prize of $150. We also received valuable advice from Josh Whitson at the International Student Resource Center, Matthew Hayden at the Center for Student Success, and Rory Johnson at the Career Development Center.

This Senate committee is also dedicated to alleviating the cultural shock international students may face upon first arrival to the College’s campus. We noticed that international students are more likely to be disengaged during the Title IX Essential Training given by PRSM. Thus, we worked with students who speak a second language to translate the Let’s Make Consent a Conversation brochure into eight languages.

Soon after the shutdown this March, we received reports and photos of a portion problem at the grab-and-go dining halls. In response, senators Wenling Li, Latifa Tan, and Yuetong Chen reached out to Campus Dining Services and agreed to meet regularly with CDS managers to make suggestions, including increasing portion sizes, adding more international groceries, and increasing food diversity. With collective efforts, an anonymous survey about past experiences with dining services was sent out and we collected more helpful feedback.

In the coming semesters, the International Students Committee will continue serving and supporting all international students, no matter what places and situations they may find themselves in. We welcome more students to join us and continue to represent the international student body in the Oberlin Student Senate and among College administrators.

Senate and Sustainability

From green reusable bags to achieving College-wide carbon neutrality by 2025, Senate is engaged in a variety of sustainability initiatives on campus and is committed to propelling the achievement of Oberlin’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2025.

One major engagement of Senate is maintaining an efficient working relationship with the Green EDGE Fund, a student-managed account providing grants and loans to local sustainability initiatives. The Green EDGE Fund allocates money through Sustainability Grants, Efficiency Loans, and Carbon Management Fund Grants to finance projects within the Oberlin community that promote broad environmental sustainability and/or reduce resource consumption. Some of the projects benefited by the Green EDGE Fund include the reusable men’s trail underwear from the Sexual Information Center and reusable cups at Slow Train Cafe.

The widely used green bag is another product of Senate’s green initiative. Former senator Austin Ward originated the green reusable bag program after applying for the initial fund from the Green EDGE Fund. Collaborating with Bon Appétit, we distributed about 2,000 reusable bags in the spring 2019 semester.

The 2025 carbon neutrality goal is the beacon of Oberlin’s trajectory to environmental sustainability; it also provides a yardstick to measure whether we are really progressive in our sustainability effort. This ambitious and forward-looking goal requires the dedication of faculty, administration, alumni, and students alike. We invite students to take advantage of the Senate platform and join the effort towards environmental sustainability, which defines the future of Oberlin.