By David Edward Clark

oberlin.edu

Drag Ball has been canceled this year due to lack of student participation in the planning and lack of proper funding due to chartering process issues.

“My best hope is that it’ll be a shock in a way that really energizes people to make a change and commit to spending some time organizing the event,” said Sarah Chase ‘10, the sole member of the Drag Ball Committee.  “It has a home on campus; people just need to figure out if they want to really own it.”

Dean of Students Linda Gates gave this statement via email concerning why Drag Ball was cancelled:

Last year after DB, a number of us met several times with the two DB organizers (including this year’s organizer) and we were very clear: if students did not charter the group, did not plan and organize the event in advance, and did not procure funding through procedures that all student organizations use to fund their activities, Drag Ball would be in jeopardy.  When none of those things happened, those of us who participated in that discussion—including this year’s sole student organizer—reached consensus that Drag Ball should be canceled for spring 2010.

Student Finance Committee has a policy that an organization cannot take ad hoc money for more than two years in a row without becoming chartered, but “Drag Ball was always kind of the exception to that rule,” said Chase.  In the past, Drag Ball has asked for and received ad hoc money from Student Finance Committee, Student Union Board and the Forum Board.

Haley Laws ’09 began the chartering process.  “It got stopped somewhere in the process–which is a frustratingly slow process,” said Chase, who is uncertain why Drag Ball was not chartered in the past, “but it didn’t seem to be needed until recently.”

Chase revised Laws’ charter application and submitted it to Student Life Committee in January; however, the General Faculty Committee will not meet to discuss chartering new organizations until March 17^th.

“I have great hope that it will be back next year,” said Chase, who sees a full and dedicated committee as necessary for this to happen as a charter.  Chase believes lack of student support comes from the fact that “people don’t realize it needs so much support, and that’s a huge problem.” The administration will be happy to see the return of Drag Ball as soon as the organization fulfills the proper requirements of student groups.

“If everyone has a better idea of the history and the politics and the needs of the event, they will be able to act more effectively to make it happen in the future,” said Chase, who plans to write a book on Drag Ball so future Oberlin generations know the ins and outs of the event and can throw the party properly.  Chase plans to start scheduling next year’s Drag Ball this semester.

Chase hopes for drag-themed events this semester.  There are still plans for performers to come to the ‘Sco for a much smaller engagement.  “I want people to know that this is not Drag Ball, that they need to work for Drag Ball,” said Chase when asked whether this is just a toned down version of the event, but “It’s definitely in the spirit of celebrating drag and gender and queerness and genderfucking and all that stuff.”

By David Edward Clark

ResEd explains new housing selection process to current RAs.

ResEd has restructured Oberlin’s housing selection process, which will take place later this semester.  Students will now choose groups before they are assigned appointment times; at the appointment times, students can sign up for any type of housing that they qualify for.  Students can also watch as specific rooms are being taken live on Google Docs.

Students will register as groups or individuals from March 8^th to the 19th.  The new housing selection itself will occur in Peters on the weekends of April 17^th-18^th and the following 24^th-25^th.  Students will be notified of their appointment by email and by boards listing all appointment times placed in each residence hall.  To better predict the number of returning students for fall semester, the College will now require students to complete their housing selection before allowing them to register for classes.

After students have registered as singles or groups, appointment times will be assigned based on the number of semesters in residence.  For groups, the number of semesters in residence is averaged among the students.  Semesters in residence include any approved academic leaves (study abroad), though personal or medical leaves do not count.  Both individuals and groups are entered into the same lottery for appointment times within their semesters in residence.  Groups can have as many as eight students.

In previous years, lottery numbers based on semesters in residence had been assigned to students prior to grouping.  Appointment times were made based on the average of the group’s lottery numbers.  This led many students to play a numbers game by finding roommates with low number in attempts to get preferable housing.  “Lottery numbers became too great an influence in student’s decisions on whom they wanted to live with and how they wanted to group because they were trying to position themselves,” said Tyson, who hopes the new system will encourage students to live with friends.

This year, all College housing will be available to students at the time of their appointments, given that the students qualify for the specific types of housing. Students must have four semesters in residence to qualify for village housing, and those who desire a program house must complete an application and be accepted into the program before their selection.

In previous years, the on campus housing had been split into separate processes.  “It was too categorized,” said Tyson.  The process for choosing singles was separate from that of groups, and village housing was separate from traditional.  Once students chose a process, they had to stick to it, and if their type of housing was taken before they chose a room, they had to enter another process.

If groups arrive to find their choice housing taken, they can split up in any number of ways.  For instance, a group of four that wanted a village house can decide to choose a traditional quad, two doubles, a single and a triple, or four singles.  Because the group splits up  and chooses rooms at the same time, students can choose two doubles right next to each other, or four singles on the same floor.  The only kink in the splitting process would come if members in a group had different numbers of semesters in residence.  In that case, those students with the lower number of semesters may have to return to choose housing with those students who share the same semesters in residence.

ResEd has also made efforts to limit the number of double booked rooms.  In the past, “Double booking was a problem, especially in the highly sought after housing,” said Molly Tyson.  This year, ResEd will use Google Docs to instantaneously show when a room has been taken and will enter each student’s selection directly into the housing database.  During lunch breaks and between days, ResEd will audit the placements to double check that there has been no double booking.

Another benefit of Google Docs is the ability to share room statuses with students.  “We’re using the Google Docs as a convenience tool for students to know what’s available and what’s not,” said Tyson.  Students will be able to access the document ResEd will be using online so they can keep their eyes on their top choices and know what’s left before they even arrive to choose.

Lastly, students will choose their meal plan at the same time they choose their housing.

Students will have the chance to ask ResEd questions concerning the new process during forums held between March 8 and March 19. There will also be an on-campus housing fair Wednesday, March 10th from 7 – 9 p.m. in the Root Room. Throughout the event, raffles will be held for flex points and gift cards, and there will be two grand prizes.

By David Edward Clark

From the Art Rental of Fall '09. Photo by Mike Craig.

This year’s art rental will be held in Carnegie’s Root Room this Saturday, February 13 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Due to the new location, there will be no chance for students to preview the art.

Since Allen Memorial Art Museum has closed for renovations, art rental has changed location.  The event has also moved to a weekend, “because it would cause the least interference with the use of this building [Carnegie],” said Lucille Stiger, Registrar at the Allen.  Stiger’s job entails knowing the location and condition of any piece of art at any time and is responsible for running art rental.  It has moved up to the first week of school rather than the second because of the availability of the Root Room.

There are two logistical reasons that account for the cancellation of the art preview.  Previewing the collection the day before the rental, as is custom, would interfere with the building’s operation.  Secondly, Carnegie simply does not have the security necessary for the art for them stay overnight.  “I’m sure many more people have keys to this building than keys to the museum,” said Stiger.  Instead, the pieces will be brought to Carnegie Saturday morning, leaving no time for a preview.

Students will line up outside of Carnegie and down the sidewalk in front of Fairchild Chapel.  Art will be rented on a first come, first served basis.  Spots in line must be held in person, and as usual, no lists will be honored by the College.  Stiger hopes students decide to sleep in their own beds and get up early, rather than camp out.  “The reason I’m hoping not is for the student’s sake,” said Stiger.  Any student who wishes to brave the night on the sidewalk, however, will find nothing keeping them from doing so.

The general procedure itself will most likely remain the same. Students will enter the collection, peruse the 420 or so pieces, select one or two and take them home for the semester for five dollars. Specifics will be determined on Saturday.  “Since this is the first time Rental is being held somewhere other than the Museum, we really don’t know what to expect,” Stiger wrote in an email.  It is possible that 10 or more students could pick out art at once, because the art may be able to be stacked less than the usual four or five pieces due to the larger space.  Students might also be allotted more time to peruse because there is no art preview.

The College hopes that holding the rental on the weekend will allow more students to participate, as classes were inevitably missed to get a Picasso or Dali.  “Who knows?” said Stiger, “We might even keep it on Saturdays if this works out.”

By David Edward Clark

ResEd is enacting a new standing policy insuring that 10% of Oberlin’s students will live off campus, starting with the 2010-2011 school year. Assuming enrollment stays at a steady 2,850 students, 285 students will live off campus next year.

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