Category Archives: Kyla Van Buren

Student Working Groups Publish Proposals for Institutional Change

By Kyla van Buren

Supporters at the student-organized rally on March 4. Photo by Taylor Ovca

On Saturday, April 27 Student Senate Liaison Eliza Diop ‘14 sent an email to the Oberlin student body announcing the publication of the “Proposals for Institutional Change Around Diversity, Social Justice, and Inclusion at Oberlin College.” These proposals were created by the Student Working Group Coalition in response to institutional racism, the acts of hate speech this semester and the events of March 4. The document, which was placed in print form in various places on campus, is the result of over two months of student organizing and activism.

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Oberlin’s No Trespass Policy: A Closer Look

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By Kitt Disston, Tzipora Lederman and Kyla van Buren

Associated Press/Tony Dejak

In January 2013, the One Town Campaign was launched to raise awareness about Oberlin town-gown relationships and the college’s infamous “No Trespass List”. Despite media attention and many discussions surrounding the policy, confusion persists. Through interviews with Marjorie Burton of Safety and Security, Dean of Students Eric Estes and One Town student representatives Lyle Kash, Marina Multhaup and Sofie Ghitman, Fearless and Loathing attempted to sort the fact from fiction in order to better understand the issue.

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Classes Cancelled for Reflection on Recent Events

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By Kitt Disston with additional reporting by Tzipora Lederman and Kyla van Buren

In the past few years, the Oberlin College community has experienced acts of racism, homophobia, queerphobia and anti-Semitism. The most recent surge of hate speech began on February 9, with the defacement of posters advertising events for Black History Month. Instances of hateful signs and graffiti did not stop there, and over the following weeks included racist and homophobic slurs written outside the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) on February 12, various incidences of swastikas painted on buildings and student advertisements, and a strong-armed robbery which targeted a student for his perceived ethnic identity on February 17.

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Groundhog Day: An Unexpected Journey

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By: Kyla Van Buren and Sybil Levine

The start of school is exciting and all, but there’s nothing like a great end to winter break. On the way back to Oberlin, the two of us (Kyla and Sybil) went on an adventure to celebrate Groundhog Day and have one last hurrah before putting our noses to the grind. While February 2 may have come and gone, the two of us are still reliving the celebration in our head. If you had been there with us, you would feel this way too. Let us explain.
Neither of us are from anywhere near Punxsutawney, PA, nor were we previously familiar with the purpose of this little town: Groundhog Day celebration central. One of our friends had been a number of times and was always extremely enthusiastic when he told us, “You should come to Groundhog Day!” Thinking back, he never said much more about it than that. Yet somehow he managed to get us pumped up for this mysterious holiday and before we knew it, we were driving to Smalltown, USA, with groundhogs on every street corner.

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Students Unite for Stand UP, Sit IN!

Issues of Visibility Surrounding Senate Elections

By Editorial Staff

Elections are now over, and seven new candidates have been elected to Senate. We would like to take a moment to reflect on the election process and suggest a few concrete ways to make Senate elections and candidates more visible in the future. Continue reading →

Senate Update: September 30, 2012

By Kyla van Buren

F+L will periodically provide updates like this one to summarize the important issues that Senate discusses at their weekly Plenary.

As you may have seen, this year’s Student Senate election has begun. Students will be able to vote online for the next five days. If less than 20 percent of the student body (which is the quorum for Senate elections) does not vote, the elections will be extended. Twenty four candidates, many of whom decided to run in the past week, accepted their nominations to run for the seven open seats. Only twelve out of the twenty-four candidates submitted statements for the ballot. Continue reading →

This One’s Actually Important: Why You Should Care About Student Government

By Editorial Staff

Last semester Oberlin’s Student Senate, the Student Financial Committee (SFC) and the Office of the Student Treasurer (OST) held a forum titled “What the F*** is Student Government” as a response to a lack of campus involvement with student government. Besides senators, members of the SFC and the OST, and the few people who attend forums like the one just mentioned, most students ignore Oberlin’s student government all together. There seems to be an endless cycle of Oberlin students being apathetic and uninvolved, which then causes members of the Student Senate to pay less attention to their jobs and care less about reaching out to students on campus. Continue reading →

F+L Interviews Religion Prof. Mahallati in Honor of Friendship Day

By Kyla Van Buren

www.oberlin.edu

Jafar Mahallati, Presidential Scholar of Islam, former Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, and a professor in Oberlin’s religion department, is a true academic and advocate of friendship and peace. When I entered his office to chat about his experiences, he instantly offered me a seat at the round table in the center of the room along with a cup of Persian tea. Continue reading →