Oberlin students brought questions and concerns to five members of the College Board of Trustees at this semester’s second open forum this Thursday.

Issues ranged from the College’s lack of financial transparency to the board’s handling of issues raised in previous forums. The forum was led by Class Trustees Maame Stephens ’01, Katherine Blauvelt ’02 and Ni-Ja Whitson ’03. Board chair Thomas Kluntznick and member Kaplan Kirsch Rockwell were also present.

Three College seniors presented board members with a letter outlining the need for transparency in and free public access to Oberlin’s financial portfolio. The students named a number of educational institutions that currently follow a policy of transparency. Among them were Hampshire College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, and encouraged the meeting to support a similar procedure at Oberlin.

“Students [at such institutions] are able to view the investments of their respective institutions,” the letter said. “This information has enabled students to hold their schools accountable on various levels and urge them to be socially and ethically responsible with their tuition and endowment.”

Senior Rebecca DeCola, member of a coalition of students soliciting support for the idea of transparency at Oberlin, said that the coalition has been “in conversation” with other colleges following such a policy, and is at present “hoping to start a transparency campaign at Oberlin.”

“Right now what we are hoping for is not a logistical discussion about the process but a commitment to transparency,” she said, addressing the trustees.

The proposal met with subdued response from the board members.

“What is the reason for [the proposal]?” trustee Kaplan Rockwell asked.

Senior Student Senate Liasion Vivek Bharathan, also a member of the coalition, said that the students should be able to know how their tuition money is being spent.

“We feel that we’re entitled to know where the College is going with the money and what it plans to do,” he said.

Coalition member senior Zoe Chace pointed out the need for more openness between the administration and the students.

“There is an atmosphere of suspicion that would be very much dissipated [by adopting a policy of transparency],” she said.

Class trustee Ni-Ja Whitson said that those present would report this concern to the board of trustees. “At the very least, we will be able to point you to the resources who can help you begin a conversation [on the issue],” she said.

Trustee Thomas Kluntznick reminded those present that issues brought to board’s attention were not always resolved easily as there are a lot of things to consider.

“We have to be careful about the pressures that come when dealing with [financial issues],” he said. “It takes a long time to resolve them. Even if we were to meet every week, we won’t be able to make students happy with everything that goes on at this campus.”

Student senator and College junior Matt Pantell raised issues from the open forum in October, asking what action had been taken. The issues varied from a proposal for Islamic studies at Oberlin to students’ distress about the current dining situation, to concerns about being Jewish on campus.

Trustee Rockwell said that all concerns were brought to the board’s attention.

“The board takes [the concerns of students] very seriously,” he said. “We can’t always solve them, we don’t always choose to solve them, but we always want to be aware of what students think.”

Senior Melissa Threadgill asked the trustees about the College’s construction proposal for Johnson House which was recently rejected by Oberlin’s City Council.

“What is the logic behind selling the bonds before the College has Council’s approval?” she enquired.

The council’s rejection has delayed the College’s plan of building new housing by next fall and will result in a financial loss.

“The decision to sell is always a very complicated one,” Rockwell responded. “The bond market was very attractive at the time. We got very good interest rates. We were optimistic, and still are, that the council would give us approval. Johnson House [proposal] doesn’t look probable now, but the board is absolutely building new housing.”

“There is a delay but it is only in terms of a few months,” he added. “The timing doesn’t always work perfectly.”

Threadgill asked if the council decision had made the board of trustees reconsider its approach to deciding on issues which affect the town.

Rockwell said that the issue of town-gown relations was delicate, and both the College and the town had a lot to learn when dealing with each other. He pointed out that the College is attempting new construction after nearly four decades, and that both the College and the town have changed significantly in that period.

Kluntznick recognized the tension between town and College over the issue of construction.

“In the next 12 months you will have a lot of fun watching us [negotiate the issue],” he said to students. “We hope we will have your support and approval.”

Other issues brought to the board’s attention concerned the senate referendum results from last spring. The results showed a majority of the students in support of recycled paper in all printing labs, and a significant number of students expressing discomfort at the fact that James Dolan, the owner of the Cleveland Indians baseball team, was a member of the Board of Trustees.

The two issues were raised at the meeting by junior Rob Stenger and sophomore Elana Riffle respectively. Both students inquired if any action had been taken following the results.

Nothing concrete has been done about either concern, but the class trustees present asserted that both would be brought to the attention of the College board.