About the President Marvin Krislov became the 14th President of Oberlin College in summer 2007. He came to Oberlin from the University of Michigan, where he had been vice president and general counsel since 1998. Mr. Krislov led the University of Michigan's legal defense of its admission policies, resulting in the 2003 Supreme Court decision recognizing the importance of student body diversity. A Rhodes Scholar, he earned a doctor of laws degree from Yale Law School, a master's degree in modern history from Oxford University's Magdalen College, and a bachelor's degree from Yale University. MORE ABOUT THE PRESIDENT >

The Most Important Upcoming Event: Election Day
September 3, 2008

Welcome to the new semester! I wish our faculty and students great success with their classes. And I hope everyone can make time to attend some of the terrific events that are coming up, including the special College and Community Convocation talk by Johnnetta Betsch Cole '57, president emerita of Spelman College, at 8 p.m. today at the First Church in Oberlin.

I would like to remind everyone that the most important upcoming event will take place on Tuesday, November 4: Election Day. Although November may seem far off when the weather is so warm and sunny, it will be here before we know it. I strongly urge everyone—students, faculty, parents, staff, and alumni—to be engaged citizens by registering to vote and exercising that fundamental right of democracy on Election Day. The health of our democracy depends on active, informed voters. Given the many difficult issues facing our country and our planet—climate change, health care, economic dislocations, education and security—we need participation from the electorate to make our democracy work. There are important state and national races, and Ohio is once again shaping up to be a key swing state.

In some states, voter identification laws have made it more difficult for college students and newcomers to vote. In Ohio, thanks to the efforts of students from Oberlin College, Kenyon College, and other Ohio schools, it is easier for college students to register and vote. At the urging of undergraduates, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner ruled in February that colleges and universities can issue utility bills to their students that enable them to fulfill the state's voter residency requirements. The bills, which do not require separate payment, reflect such services as telephone, Internet access, and electricity, that are already covered by the students' tuition and fees. Oberlin students will soon be receiving their utility bills. 

Registering is the crucial first step to voting. Regardless of which candidate or party you support, it is very important to make sure your registration information is up to date. Doing so will make the voting process smoother and ensure that your vote will be counted on November 4. Various student groups are working to register voters. Look for their tables and their members in Wilder Bowl and elsewhere on campus.

The deadline for registering to vote in Ohio is October 6. If you are a student and you have changed residences since the past academic year, then you must re-register in order to vote in Ohio. If you have moved from one residence hall to another, you have changed residences. More information is available at the Ohio Secretary of State's office, where an official Ohio voter registration form is available.

Between September 30 and October 6, Ohio residents will be allowed to register and vote at the same time. If you have the time, and a way to get to the Lorain County Board of Elections office on North Ridge Road in Elyria, you may want to take advantage of that opportunity. 

If you are planning to vote absentee in Ohio, the Board of Elections must receive your request form by November 1. For your absentee ballot to count, your ballot  must be received by the Board of Elections on November 4, either by U.S. mail or hand-delivered by 7:30 p.m. If you are voting absentee in another state, other rules apply and you should find out about those voting regulations as soon as possible. A warning based on personal experience: It can take some time to obtain an absentee ballot.  

Students have the option of registering and voting in Ohio or voting absentee in the districts where their family resides. I believe our students should consider registering and voting in Ohio. Incoming students will be residing here for most of the next four or five years. Like our returning students, many of the newcomers will work, earn wages, and pay taxes here. They will be actively engaged providing services, either as volunteers or on a paid basis, to the wider Oberlin community. 

Many studies have shown that young people who vote are likely to become lifelong voters. So a young person's first experience of voting should be welcoming, not frustrating. In 2004, youth turnout rose significantly for the first time in three decades. That trend appears to be continuing. Compared to the 2000 presidential primary elections, the number of 18-to-29-year olds who voted in this year's primaries soared, doubling or tripling in some states. Students should be encouraged and enabled to vote. Regardless of which candidate they choose, voting is a student's right, and helping them vote strengthens our democracy.

I am delighted that we are kicking off this semester's Convocation Series and our 175th anniversary celebrations with a special College and Community gathering featuring "Sister President" Johnnetta Betsch Cole. Dr. Cole, who will speak today at Oberlin High School and this evening at First Church, has been strengthening American democracy throughout her remarkable career as a teacher, scholar, author, administrator, and college president.

Since graduating from Oberlin in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in anthropology, Dr. Cole has taught countless individuals and institutions the values of diversity, inclusion, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Dr. Cole is known around the world as a dynamic, insightful speaker and an incisive and persuasive writer on issues relating to social justice, diversity, and the health and safety of women and children and underserved populations around the world. I encourage everyone to come hear her speak about the power of education.   

As part of our celebration of the 175th anniversary of the founding of Oberlin College, the Office of Communications has arranged for an all-campus photograph to be taken showcasing the Oberlin College community in our 175th year.

The photograph will be taken on Friday, September 5, at 5 p.m. in Wilder Bowl. All students, faculty, staff, and alumni are invited to take part. Participants are asked to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before 5 p.m. Suggested attire is whatever you wish. 

Taking an all-campus photograph was an annual event at Oberlin in the early part of the 20th century. Some of you may have seen prints of those wonderful photographs at the Oberlin College Archives or in the president's office.

I urge all of you to attend this landmark event and to be part of our photograph of Oberlin in its 175th year. Please join me in creating this vibrant image of our contemporary community. And please encourage your fellow faculty and staff members and other members of the Oberlin College community to join us. I look forward to seeing you in Wilder Bowl on Friday.

Some of you may have noticed blue newspaper racks in Wilder, the Conservatory, the Science Center Commons, and Azariah's Café in Mudd, offering our students complimentary copies of the New York Times. This is a brand-new, pilot  program launched on Tuesday, September 2. Every weekday, 100 copies of the Times will be distributed free of charge.

These copies are intended for students only. The program was established in cooperation with the New York Times. It is being funded by the offices of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Dean of the Conservatory, the Vice President of Communications, and my office. Many leading liberal arts colleges in Ohio and throughout the country currently distribute copies of the Times to their students free of charge.

The thought behind this is that by reading the New York Times, which is considered America's newspaper of record, students will become better informed about a broader range of issues. Being a well-informed citizen is particularly important in this presidential election year. Other schools have reported that students given a hard copy of the New York Times explore new topics and areas.

It is worth noting that a number of Oberlin College graduates have gone on to hold significant positions as editors, reporters, and correspondents at the Times. Also, Times' columnist Frank Rich will be here on Monday, September 8, interviewing composer Stephen Sondheim, and Linda Greenhouse, the paper's terrific Supreme Court reporter, will speak here on Thursday, October 30.

In pondering whether to participate in enabling students to receive free copies of the New York Times, we had to weigh the possible benefits against the environmental costs. While it does bring more paper onto campus, newsprint is recyclable. To ameliorate the effects, we hope students will make good use of each copy. Read them, pass them along to roommates, friends or classmates, and make sure to deposit them in the recycling bins when you are finished with them. I look forward to hearing what you think of this program.

One opportunity to speak with me is during my office hours. This semester they will be Tuesday afternoons, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. or by appointment. To schedule an office-hours visit or an appointment, please send an e-mail to Jennifer Bradfield.  

Many faculty and alumni have warm memories of meals and conversations taken together in one of the dining halls as Oberlin's now-defunct Faculty Associates Program, which encouraged faculty to take meals with students. In fact, enthusiasm for the Faculty Associates Program of a decade ago was so lively that we are reinstituting a newer version of that plan: The Faculty and Students Together (FAST) Meals program—a way for faculty to join students over lunch or dinner in one of the dining halls. (Lunch is included in the plan, but because lines at lunch are often long, we encourage faculty to consider dinner as an option.)

Here's how it works: Each faculty member's card is programmed to include 14 meals per semester and the faculty member needs simply to go to Stevenson, Lord Saunders' dining hall in Afrikan Heritage House, or Wilder Rathskeller at meal time, present the OCID card, and say "FAST Meal Program."

We hope that you will actually linger over a FAST Meal, extend conversations, and share some time together. Visit the dining services web pages for information about dining hours and FAST Meals.