Oberlin.news

When the temperatures drop and the koi pond ices over, it’s a sign that some of the most iconic Conservatory holiday traditions are right around the corner. Dating as far back as the 1980s, both the Percussion and Bassoon studios have put on musical spectacles in the Conservatory Lounge to serenade both die-hard supporters and...

Timothy Weiss has served as Conductor of the Contemporary Music Ensemble and Oberlin Sinfonietta on campus for almost 35 years. Off-campus, he is director of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, co-director of the Zohn Collective, and a regular guest conductor of the Arctic Philharmonic Sinfonietta in Norway. He has recently been named the 2025 Ditson Conductors’...

Unemployment rates continue to rise due to factors such as decreased hiring rates, job displacement by artificial intelligence, changes to visa policies, and others. This has led to an overwhelming feeling of unease and concern among Oberlin upperclassmen, as well as the recent graduate population. A tough job market may motivate college students to increasingly...

2025 is the year of not-so-subtle cinematic commentaries about genocide supported by historical narratives as a political project. First and most notably, Superman (2025), which featured the fictional U.S.-allied nation of Boravia’s attempted conquest of Jarhanpur, has been aptly interpreted as a metaphor for the ongoing Israeli campaign to ethnically cleanse and settle historical Palestine....

Over the course of 2025, Hollywood has provided a bit of everything for everyone. From arthouse horror epics to superhero spectacles and even wide-appeal musicals, all audiences had reasons to go out to the cinema this year (even if it was to take their kids to sing along to KPop Demon Hunters for the 15th...

At the southern end of Oberlin’s campus, on Forest and South Professor Street, is an old brick building that has stood on a small grassy slope for 164 years. A concrete path leads up to the building’s front porch, and swaying in the wind is a painted wooden sign above the entrance; “Allencroft” it reads....

Lifelong musician Terence Hsieh, OC ’12, never anticipated that one day he would be performing in Taiwan’s largest stadium on tour with Taiwanese American pop star David Tao. When he first moved to China, he hadn’t even planned for music production to be his main career. On Tuesday, in the middle of his world tour...

On Nov. 5, Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral election. In New Russia Township, Cynthia Drozdowski-Breda was also elected trustee following a wave of backlash against the $60 million megasite project that was recently proposed near the Lorain County Regional Airport. I bring these two seemingly distant races up together because...

Over Thanksgiving break, the Oberlin College women’s basketball team took a trip to California to compete in the two-day David Wells Classic, facing off against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer. In addition, the trip was an opportunity for the team to bond and gain experience by playing non-conference games. The Yeowomen ended the tournament 1–1, falling to...

This November,  Jews for Palestine met several times with College administrators to discuss plans to change their name to the Oberlin Anti-zionist Jewish Collective. Early in the semester, the chartered campus organization decided they wanted to change their name to better reflect their mission of “disentangling the Jewish ritual and culture from the ideology of...

Rapper and songwriter redveil  is not interested in fame. The 2024 Solarity alum is outspoken about how modern hip-hop is more alive than ever, even if most artists don’t necessarily chart well. To him, the most important aspect of rap music is the ability to express oneself honestly. This down-to-earth mindset is clearer than ever...

One of the first Opinions pieces I ever read in The Oberlin Review was Avery Russell’s “Privilege Must Be Acknowledged Within Gender, Sexuality, Feminist Studies Classes,” The Oberlin Review, Nov. 10, 2023. In the piece, Russell expressed frustration at her white classmates’ silence whenever she tried to introduce the intersection of race and sexuality into...

Lane Kiffin’s betrayal of the Ole Miss faithful to sign as the next head football coach at rival Louisiana State University is more significant than just the $91 million price tag. This situation exemplifies the current state of college sports in the American South, one that is dominated by the professionalization of coaches, athletes, and...

As we near the end of the semester, we near, too, the halfway mark of Oberlin’s Year of AI Exploration. Over the span of the last few months, the College has surveyed students, faculty, and staff, assessed AI-related Honor Code violations, and introduced a new AI minor, among other things. But how is this Year...

On Friday, Dec. 5, news broke that Warner Bros., one of the most successful movie studios in the world, is being sold to Netflix for $82.7 billion. It would be the largest sale of a movie studio in history. The news came after months of reporting that Warner Bros. was up for sale. This sale,...

The Oberlin Heritage Center has opened “Back to School! Memories of the Oberlin Public Schools” at the Firelands Association for the Visual Arts. The exhibit presents photographs, artifacts, and oral histories that together trace how Oberlin residents have experienced their school buildings across generations. First displayed at the Heritage Center in September, the exhibit now...

On Monday, a panel and Q&A session on artificial intelligence and sustainability at Oberlin College took place in Dye Lecture Hall. The panel included Senior Associate Dean of Students Thom Julian, Senior Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences Laura Baudot, Conservatory Director for AI Innovation & Strategy Joseph Lubben, Senior Director for Energy and Sustainability...

This semester, the College of Arts & Sciences launched several new majors, including Data Science, Business, Environmental Science, and Global Health. As the new majors get off the ground, students and professors spoke to the Review about how they are developing. The Business major launched this fall with the aim of breaking from traditional business...

The Oberlin Writing Associates Program and the Oberlin Public Health Society’s Food Justice program both hosted food drives this semester, placing boxes around campus and encouraging students and staff to donate nonperishable goods to support families in need. All donations to the OPHS drive will go to Oberlin Community Services. The WA drive will donate...

Oberlin College will offer a new minor in Critical AI Studies beginning next year. The new program seeks to train students to think critically about and evaluate artificial intelligence systems. Focusing on the impact of AI technologies on society, the new program will require students to study both computer science and the social sciences. Students...

Despite what seems like years of consistent complaints and being the subject of countless articles in the Review, all students are required to be on some kind of dining plan the entire time they are enrolled in the College. This can either be in the form of an AVI Foodsystems meal plan or an Oberlin...

It is with heavy hearts that we remember the life of Dr. Leila Ben-Nasr, former visiting assistant professor of Comparative American Studies at Oberlin College. In her time at Oberlin, Professor Ben-Nasr’s dedication, advocacy, and warmth had a profound impact on every student who stepped foot into her classroom. As an educator for over 25...

As the fall semester comes to an end, the Studio Art department is preparing for its annual Art Walk: a unique opportunity for Studio Art students to showcase their work in gallery and exhibition spaces across campus. An eclectic array of mediums will be present in each gallery; you might see photography prints and sculptures...

This winter’s regular Board of Trustees meeting was held virtually this Friday, Dec. 5. Director of Media Relations Andrea Simakis said the meeting was moved online due to concerns about weather and to allow President Carmen Twillie Ambar’s participation in the New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday. Ambar was in New York City this...

Snow is falling, finals are approaching, and there are only a few days left of classes. As the weather gets colder and the year comes to an end, Oberlin students reflect on their favorite pieces of art they’ve seen this semester.  These interviews have been edited for length and clarity. Zeph Samdperil, College third-year I...

This semester, Oberlin College was awarded a $20,000 grant from Truth Initiative to reinforce its 100-percent tobacco-and-smoke-free campus policy. While this grant is exciting and notable, as Oberlin was one of only 15 institutions nationally to receive it, I believe that Truth Initiative should have directed the funding toward another school.  The most compelling reason...

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, written and composed by Dave Malloy, is a musical based on a seventy-page chunk of Leo Tolstoy’s behemoth mas- terpiece, War and Peace. Natasha is a young woman who, despite her engagement to a man named Andrey, falls in love with the charming and attractive Anatole while...

Jeff Lunden, OC ’80, is a radio reporter, producer, and theater composer. While he currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, he made the trip to Oberlin to speak at the first Richard Murphy Musicology Colloquium of the 2025-26 academic year. He majored in English at Oberlin with a concentration in Theater and holds an M.F.A....

The number of employees working at the Student Health and Wellbeing Facility has decreased from seven to three since April. Students report that staffing shortages have affected services available, causing Student Health Services to be unexpectedly closed for at least one day this semester, as well as long wait times and a lack of staff...

From Nov. 16—18, Oberlin Head Softball Coach Julie Pratt and Assistant Track and Field Coach Jillian Roberts attended the WeCOACH 2025 NCAA Women Coaches Academy at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. Each year, a class of female collegiate coaches from across the country, representing various athletic divisions and sports, are invited to participate in the...

I am thrilled to share that after a multi-year absence, J Street U Oberlin is back. J Street U functions like any other chapter of a national college group on campus, such as Hillel, OC Dems, or Oberlin ACLU. J Street, our parent organization, defines itself as a policy group, but J Street U’s main...

Sudan is facing one of the worst humanitarian and displacement crises in the world while also being one of the wealthiest African countries in terms of gold reserves. Sit with that for a moment.  For 30 years, Sudan was ruled by Omar al-Bashir, who earned his position through a military coup that overthrew the current...

After reaching collegiate fame, being the center of a notable draft-day slide, and competing for a starting quarterback position for the Cleveland Browns, Shedeur Sanders made his much-anticipated NFL debut in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens after starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion. Starting against the Las Vegas Raiders the following week, he...

December is an interesting month for the soon-to-graduate college student. Well-meaning friends try to catch up by asking what you’re planning to do once you get your diploma. Family members subtly hint that they’d rather you don’t come back to live at home. Classmates have been getting their final scores back for the MCAT and...

Next semester, Oberlin will welcome a new integrative concentration: Sport Studies and Management. Integrative concentrations at Oberlin are academic programs designed to provide real-world experience and a more specific course of study to complement students’ majors. The Sport Studies and Management program will explore sports from perspectives of the humanities and natural and social science. ...

I crave a loveliness that borders on the sublime. A breathless, whipping cold asks me to look up, so I do. Tonight, the firmament has gone feathery with the promise of snow, the asthmatic milky gray of a gathering tornado. The moon is a pearl dissolving behind its cover of clouds. The snow accepts its...

Pablo Iván McConnie-Saad, OC ’10, is running for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes Philadelphia. After graduating from Oberlin as a Hispanic Studies major, McConnie-Saad earned his master’s degree in public administration and doctorate of philosophy from the University of Delaware. McConnie-Saad’s experience includes working as a policy advisor with the U.S. Department...

Tonight, the Artist Recital Series will continue with a visit from the renowned Danish String Quartet, who won the Carl Nielsen Prize, the highest cultural honor in Denmark, in 2011 and was named Musical America’s 2020 Ensemble of the Year. Most recently, they were awarded the 2025 Leonie Sonning Music Prize in the first instance...

Professor Rebecca Landell studied classical cello under Professor of Cello Darrett Adkins, OC ’91, and baroque cello and viola da gamba under former Associate Professor of Baroque Cello and Viola da Gamba Catharina Meints before completing her master’s degree under Herbert S. Autrey Professor of Cello Norman Fischer, OC ’71, at Rice University. She has...

When President Donald Trump took office Jan. 20, 2017, his ascendancy marked a new relationship between sports and politics. The president’s infatuation with sports has been well-documented, from his takedown of WWE CEO Vince McMahon during WrestleMania 23’s “Battle of the Billionaires” to his failed attempt to purchase the Buffalo Bills in 2014. Trump’s previous...

I’ve seen it, you’ve seen it, we’ve all seen (and smelled) it: Obies smoke, and they do it virtually everywhere. Walking through a miasma of cigarette smoke on the Mudd Center ramp or the front steps of Wilder Hall is a universal Oberlin experience. Cigarette butts sit mockingly on the ground in front of those...

Before the confetti was even cleaned off the artificial turf surface of Toronto’s Rogers Centre following the Dodgers’ second consecutive World Series championship, talks of salary caps were circulating social media platforms, becoming once again salient in the baseball world’s discourse.  At the center of these discussions, fresh off back-to-back World Series wins, are the...

There’s something about high school that never leaves you, as much as you may wish for aspects of it to be forever erased from your memory — parking decks at night, endless rural roads, laughing with friends you no longer have. At the Globe Iron on Nov. 19, Karly Hartzman and her band Wednesday brought...

Wicked has been a staple in my life for as long as I can remember. As I wrote in a review of the first movie last semester (“Defying Gravity, Expectations: Two Takes on Wicked,” The Oberlin Review, Dec. 6, 2024), it was one of the first musicals I ever saw with my father and “Popular”...

“We have reached that point in the semester,” Assistant Professor of Data Science and Computer Science Joshua H. Davidson said last week after congratulating my Data Science class on the season’s first snow. “The sun might not return until March.” “April!” someone insisted.  “Possibly April, definitely March,” Davidson confirmed. As I looked out the window...

“We’re not 2–26 bad — no way are we that bad,” Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham said Dec. 21, 2023, after the Pistons lost their 25th straight game, falling to 2–26 on the season.  Cunningham, the first overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Oklahoma State, scored 28 points and 10 assists in the...

The whole room was ready as the clock inched toward 11 p.m.. It was a Tuesday night, but no one at The ’Sco seemed to care. The line between the post-midterms grace period and pre-finals panic was starting to blur; Racing Mount Pleasant was exactly what Oberlin students needed to take the edge off.  Our...

Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term and his administration’s heightened campaign to capture and deport undocumented immigrants, an Oberlin community organization has expanded their efforts to support immigrants in the face of increased enforcement. Oberlin Community Supporting Immigrants has been building a rapid response network to protect local residents from immigration enforcement....

On the night of his historic mayoral victory, Zohran Kwame Mamdani stepped onstage to begin his speech with — joy of all joys — a quote from American socialist Eugene V. Debs. His audience, composed of staff, volunteers, and seemingly every progressive media figure in the U.S., exploded in rapturous applause. For over half a...

This past weekend, the Oberlin men’s basketball team traveled to New York to play their fourth and fifth games of the season. On Friday, Nov. 14, the Yeomen beat Medgar Evers College, CUNY at their home court in Brooklyn. The next day, the team traveled north to play Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, where they...

The Oberlin Shansi Memorial Association’s history stretches back to 1908, making it one of the oldest international educational and cultural exchange organizations in the U.S. Its many alumni have gone on to pursue a variety of careers and can be found in all corners of the world. On Nov. 17, one such alum, Daniel Tam-Claiborne,...

Last Monday, the Oberlin City Council unanimously approved plans to build a new senior living community within city limits on an empty lot on 450 W. College St. The project, which is known as the Oberlin Place Retirement Community, is being developed by Westlake-based Ryan Kozak of SLK Capital Holdings LLC, on behalf of the...

Plumbing issues in Barnard House and Harvey House this semester led to flooding, water entering student rooms, and prolonged closures that limited access to facilities for days at a time. Students expressed concern about the lack of updates and the unpredictability of the disruptions. In Barnard House, students reported two separate bathroom shutdowns. College first-years...

Recently, there has been a lot of tension within Congress, ultimately leading to a government shutdown. Naturally, this chaos has raised a lot of questions for people across the country: Why did this happen, and why were food stamps cut?  The government creates a budget outlining how money is going to be spent. Ideally, the...

1. What you need to solve this crossword 5. 113 W. College St., for short 9. A quiet room in 1-across 14. “___ mighty mighty good man,” Salt-N-Pepa lyric 15. ___-deucy 16. Gives credit to 17. “___ Makes You Happy,” Sheryl Crow song 18. “Leave ___ me” (“I got this”) 19. “Let’s Make ___,” game...