F+L’s Owen Henry asked a few questions of the current candidates for Student Senate, allowing them to expand upon their candidate statements. We will be posting the answers here as we receive them.
MEAGAN HARTY
How did you secure the Oberlin Forensics Team endorsement?
I was the president of the JSA charter at my high school as well as a member of the Mock Trial team….plus as a child I used to pretend to be Harriet the Spy. I’m not sure that answers your question, but it’s my answer.
How do you plan to represent the sciences, Ultimate Frisbee, digital photography and ecology/nature/transcendentalism as a senator?
I intend to transfer the information that I have attained through being involved in various activities at Oberlin (from being a lab TA for BIO101 and 102 as well as CS150 and CS151, to participating in club sports and art classes, to a general interest in philosophy, to involvement in the Dorm Energy Website, to being a PoCo in OSCA to…). In essence, I am a dabbler, but a well-informed dabbler. In my opinion, I can attempt to stand for the general “Oberlin student”. I will have opinions that will support the use of Oberlin’s resources (both in an environmental sense as well as in a fiscal sense) in a way that benefits our community. Maybe it’s silly to stand for the word “community” but hey. Oberlin is all about communities and the support that they provide to all of us.
Do you feel that these groups are underrepresented?
I feel that all groups at Oberlin are underrepresented. see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_theory
Is there anything else you would like to say to voters?
I am a very honest person. Feel free to approach me in person if you think you know me. Talk to me. However, I am not a politician nor do I intend to ever be involved in politics; this is a personal choice, not a judgment of others. In addition, I am very unsure how I feel about Fearless and Loathing as a publication….so take from this what you will. I hope that I will be respected for answering these questions despite my lack of opinion on the quality of Fearless and Loathing.
BRITTANY CRAIG
What are your plans to make Oberlin more accessible to men, women, and all those in between?
As someone who hasn’t been in Senate, I am not sure what all of my limitations are. However, I feel that as a senator I could lead the student body to demand more accessibility from the college. I am aware that student senators have limited power and can only work with what is given to them, so I would like to work for some programming for all of campus, similar to the community symposium, with a focus on gender accessibility on campus. This would include trans training and other ally trainings as well as discussions about all gender bathrooms and why we need them on campus in places other than dorms.
What are the realities of reproductive freedom on campus?
Reproductive freedom on Oberlin’s campus is much better than it could be. The Sexual Information Center (SIC) is a great resource. We have the HIV testers and will soon be getting other STD tests for students coming up in October, also free of charge. Student Health’s hours are not ideal for acquiring emergency contraception, though, and CVS does not always give it out. It’s expensive, so only some students can access it. Education about acquiring emergency contraception before it is needed is something I would like to secure on campus. Student Health offers pills at $15 a month, but there is a very limited selection and only pills. I know there are limitations to the position, but I would certainly try to advocate that Oberlin offer at least one or two non-pill, female-bodied controlled contraceptives for people who do not wish to use pills. Students who want contraceptives such as NuvaRing, Depo Provera, IUDs, implanon, etc, must go elsewhere for their contraception, which can be really difficult for low-income students who may not have insurance aside from the Oberlin health insurance or Medicaid that they can only use in their own state.
What are your plans to increase reproductive freedoms?
I think that one of the most effective ways in which we can get better reproductive freedoms on campus is to make sure everyone is educated about their options and resources on campus, identify problems, and take them to the administration. As a student senator I would help to organize educational events to empower students to make demands from the college. I would also advocate for these changes myself and make sure that the administration at Oberlin is aware of the student body’s reproductive needs.
Do you see problems with the current sexual offense policy and what are your plans to address them?
My main concern with the sexual offense policy is the mandatory reporting of a sexual crime. Although mandatory reporting is state law, within a college, an administration can make their own decisions regarding these issues even when they never go to court or are reported to the policy. Assaults, vandalism, and other crimes are all handled within the college itself. I feel that reporting someone else’s sexual assault, rape, et cetera is disrespectful. The survivor of sexual abuse should be able to autonomously make the decision to report, not someone who they came to as a friend. I feel that mandatory reporting removes a survivor’s right to heal in the way that they most need to, and it also constricts who they can talk to if everyone follows mandatory reporting religiously.
What are the realities of bathroom accessibility in academic buildings?
There is very little bathroom accessibility in academic buildings. There are few single bathrooms. Mudd and Rice have them, and I believe Wilder has one (in a handicap inaccessible location), but if there are others on campus, I am unaware. This impairs someone who does not identify as male or female, or perhaps is otherwise uncomfortable in these segregated areas, from being able to use a bathroom comfortably.
What are your plans to improve bathroom accessibility?
Changing bathrooms in already constructed public buildings is tricky; the law mandates that there must be a male and female bathroom on each floor of a public building, and many buildings only have 2 bathrooms per floor. Renovations to add extra bathrooms would be expensive. Creative options would need to be explored, such as using the E system on at least one floor of an academic building. I think that this would be an extremely long, drawn out process that doesn’t have a simple solution, but there is definitely a need for all gender bathrooms everywhere on campus.
Is there anything else you would like to say to voters?
Although reproductive freedoms and other gender issues are my biggest concerns as an activist and a student, I would also enjoy working on an abundance of other projects. I really love to keep busy and see results both as an independent person and as a collective society.
MAXWELL COHN
How did you secure the Oberlin Forensics Team endorsement?
I am obviously honored by the endorsement of the Oberlin Forensics Team. Forensic Science is an extremely important discipline which allows us to solve crimes with merely a smidgen of semen to go on.
What are the realities of the College’s over-enrollment?
The Oberlin enrollment conundrum is the result of a influx of wealthy Wesleyan rejects meeting a large amorphous cloud of college administrators desperate to increase the flow of cash into the endowment.
What are your plans to address the over enrollment?
I plan to march into Marvin Krislov’s office and tell him that I will use the full power of the position of student senator to create real change. I expect the mere threat of me bringing to bear the awesome power of the Oberlin student senate will be sufficient to bring the college administration to its knees.
What are the realities of the “first-world problems” Oberlin students face?
I’m glad you asked this question Owen, the reality is that many of Oberlin’s students suffer greatly from issues as pressing as awkward encounters with that kid they sat next to in class that one time but don’t want to acknowledge with more than a nod to more serious issues like whether a service trip to Latin America or Asia is going to look cooler to their friends. These are real (first) world problems and should be treated seriously.
What are your plans to fix these problems?
Listen quietly to said problems while intermittently inclining my head in agreement and saying “mm”.
Is there anything else you would like to say to voters?
Spell check this for me Owen. Thanks.
KALIND PARRISH
How did you secure the Oberlin Forensics Team endorsement?
Well, Owen, that’s a very good question. I’m not exactly sure. I hadn’t actually heard of the Oberlin Forensics Team before this morning, when I saw that they had endorsed me. However, I am honored to be one of the fifteen candidate they did endorse and I promise that I will repay them for their confidence in me. I look forward to working with all parts of the Oberlin community if I am lucky enough to be elected, especially the committed students of the OFT.
What is the reality of the milk and cookie situation in CDS?
The situation is not good. Of the roughly 40 times that I have now eaten in Stevie now, I have managed to get chocolate milk on a total of three occasions. I have heard many a grumbling about this problem, so I decided to run for Student Senate in an effort to fix it. Now, granted, I did discover today that Dascomb has chocolate, silk, 2%, and fat free today, but who eats there? This is a campus-wide problem that needs to be addressed. I appreciate the effort made by CDS to provide us with the delicious milk but there just needs to be more quantity and variety. Also I heard that cookies are popular so I threw that on the platform as well. I mean, who doesn’t like cookies?
What are your plans to bring a constant and diverse milk supply to Oberlin students?
As a student senator I will be first person to represent the needs of common, everyday students here at Oberlin on issues that are important to them. I promise that I will work closely with CDS to figure out an easier way for students to alert staff when there is a shortage of a certain condiment, food, utensil, or beverage. Today, I tried getting orange juice from the orange juice machine. I got orange water instead. I know that CDS isn’t at fault but that doesn’t mean things can’t be improved, and that is exactly what I plan on doing. I will also push for a diversity of milk flavors at the machine. Perhaps we could have a flavor of the week? There’s rice milk, goat’s milk, soy milk… there’s even HEMP milk. That one is bound to be popular.
Is there anything else you would like to say to voters?
Why, in fact there is! I would personally like to thank each and every one of you who came up to me today and said “hey! You’re the milk guy!” So in total… that’s about three of you. But still, it made me feel popular! Also, please remember to vote! It doesn’t matter for who, as long as you think that person will work hard to advance your needs as students. Or if that person promises to work on the cookie situation. That should be a priority as well.