The Oberlin Review
<< Front page Commentary April 28, 2006

Offenses Pyle In

The College is backing OSCA into a corner. There has been no appraisal of Pyle Inn’s kitchen, OSCA does not know where Pyle’s 115 members will be able to eat next fall and negotiations regarding this situation have been delayed until reading period.

It doesn’t look good for Pyle. Or for OSCA.

According to its contract with OSCA, the College must provide equipment and appliances, which include stoves, to OSCA kitchens that are at an equivalent level to those of CDS. It also must coordinate with OSCA to perform preventative maintenance for co-ops. The current Pyle situation potentially violates these contractual stipulations.

Certainly, if the College does not take immediate action to rectify Pyle’s kitchen situation, it breaks its contract with OSCA. As a result of the College’s imposed time delays and OSCA’s need to exist, OSCA would be forced to accept any terms the College would offer in order to feed all 630 of its boarders. Delayed discussions only serve to further strip OSCA of any potential leverage it might have had.

The College is responding much too slowly. The Pyle kitchen crisis occurred exactly three weeks ago. The College should have initiated discussions directly after the fire marshals left Asia House. By now, the College should have called an appraiser and been in the process of hiring contractors and design firms to return Pyle to operational standards. Instead, OSCA is still working to convince the College to take actions that it is legally obligated to take. The College’s sluggish response is unacceptable.

Once again, the College is proving that it prioritizes students only when it is financially convenient. OSCA does not have to permit such “convenient” treatment. OSCA is an independent organization with which the College is bound legally, not another student organization that the College can dismiss. The College should not act as if it can violate its contract with OSCA without fear of consequence. Should OSCA find it necessary to legally compel the College to fulfill its contractual obligations, we fully support such action.

The College should not approach the Pyle kitchen crisis as a convenient opportunity to shrink OSCA membership by permanently closing Pyle. Despite the Strategic Plan’s intended gradual decrease in admissions over the next four years, there is no rationale for decreasing OSCA membership by closing Pyle. Rather, given that the number of students living on campus is gradually growing, OSCA should be increasing proportionately. Closing Pyle would not be a strategic decision.

Pyle Inn co-op comprises one sixth of OSCA’s membership. Its size and central location on campus makes Pyle more accessible for students who ordinarily would not join a co-op because of time constraints. The co-op is historically significant because it bears the name of the first cooperative at Oberlin. Pyle is known for attracting a broad range of Obies, and it is one of two North campus co-ops.

OSCA is more than an admissions draw. OSCA is more than a fun, alternative life style. OSCA is to Oberlin what Oberlin is to the rest of the world: irreplaceable. It is crucial that OSCA retain its current membership and presence on campus.

The College not only has a duty to its contract with OSCA, but also to the entire Oberlin College community. Pyle Inn and the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association are integral to Oberlin. We urge the College to support its students and what they value by taking immediate action to repair Pyle’s kitchen.
 
 

   

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