The Oberlin Review
<< Front page Commentary April 27, 2007

MROCA Kick-Off Dance, other letters

To the Editors:

The Lorain County Board of Mental  Retardation  and  Developmental Disabilities, more commonly known as the Murray Ridge Center, provides the mentally handicapped population of Lorain County with birth to death services ranging from early intervention, schooling, group homes and workshops. The depth of services provided is unique for the state because of the degree to which Murray Ridge tries to create an environment where the mentally disabled can achieve as much independence as possible.

Until recently, Oberlin College and Murray Ridge had no official relationship but co-existence. Very few students are even aware that there is a group home directly across from the Center for Service and Learning on South Professor. Every day students may come into contact with Murray Ridge residents who work in Stevie or Dascomb without even realizing. With the exception of the Practicum in Autism, there haven’t been any existing campus groups that have a relationship with the Murray Ridge Center. 

The Murray Ridge Oberlin College Alliance (MROCA) was formed in response to this lack of connection between Oberlin College and the Murray Ridge Center.

So far this semester, MROCA has been able to organize several trips to the group homes as well as the Oberlin workshop; we’ve had multiple dinners with residents (including a showing by the OC marching band) as well as starting a once-a-week guitar class at the Murray Ridge School in Elyria. At the same time, we’ve been creating a formal structure for the group so that we can become chartered and attract more student interest next semester.

Our overall goal is to form a mutual relationship between Oberlin College and Murray Ridge in which the Oberlin College students and staff can learn and grow through exposure to Murray Ridge residents and clients. At the same time, we hope Murray Ridge residents and clients can benefit through interaction with the college population. (As a note, “client” and “consumer” are the terms Murray Ridge workers use to refer to those who use Murray Ridge services.)

Next Friday, May 4, MROCA will be hosting a dance for Murray Ridge clients and the Oberlin College community from 7-10 p.m. in the Science Center Atrium. We want you to come! The dance will bring together a wide cross-section of the Murray Ridge: kids from the Murray Ridge school up to older Murray Ridge residents. It will be a fun pressure-free environment where you can just let loose and enjoy yourself. We guarantee it’ll be one of the best nights you’ve had in a long time!

–Taylor Bibat
College senior
–Tony Miller
–Heather Mushock
College juniors
–Kyle Taljan
College sophomore
–MROCA



To the Editors:

How well your “fearless” image fits you as you push beyond the restraints of the conventional in your education and goals in life. I applaud you and the genius promotional agency for that concept.

However, you carry “fearless” too far when you flow over our tree lawns onto our streets and through our intersections with nary a look left or right. One of you even walked into the side of my friend’s car. We townies have become the “fearful” Oberlin.

Entire blocks of West College and West Lorain streets look like cattle drives just before noon every day. You walk up to our intersections downtown looking up at the traffic light and then step right out in front of vehicles with the right of way. What’s up?

In snowy or icy conditions we really slow down when we see you approaching the street but your unwise, last-minute surges still make us skid. Crossing Lorain St. at night from the middle of Tappan Square is especially dark and puts you on one of the two highways running through Oberlin. Drivers on those streets may not be so watchful as we are. Please help us keep you alive.

–Leslie C. Farquhar, OC ’50



To the Editors:

A major commitment to a better, more just future was made by Oberlin College on December 4, 2006, when President Nancy Dye signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. In so doing, President Dye committed Oberlin to an environmental policy that will lead to a comprehensive plan for achieving a climate neutral campus in a timely fashion. Oberlin will then cease to be a contributor to atmospheric heat- trapping gases and climate change.

Many factors played roles in leading Oberlin to this commitment, but indispensable have been student initiatives and efforts. From the beginning students called it a “climate justice” issue, putting it in Oberlin’s historical context of promoting social justice.

As an alumnus observing from a distance and only on campus but a few times a year, I’ve certainly missed much of the action. Nevertheless, these student activists make me proud to be an Obie.

I’d like to mention a few of their activities that have been critical in encouraging Oberlin to take on climate change.

In 2003, April was declared Dorm Energy Awareness month. The student Climate Justice group handed out pamphlets explaining energy use habits and misunderstandings. This foreshadowed competition among dorms to see which dorm could reduce its electrical usage the most. With real-time knowledge of what they were using and token prizes, the wining dorms in 2005 reduced usage by 55%. Savings have persisted and dorms are again having another electrical usage reduction contest this spring to push conservation to even higher levels.

The Environmental Concerns Committee of Oberlin Cooperative Association has studied and provided the College with recommendations for reducing energy consumption in co-op buildings such as low-flow shower heads, motion-sensing lights, energy-efficient kitchen appliances and water heaters.

Students have coordinated many recycling programs — paper, cans, plastic, food waste — but the most unusual is one to collect unwanted personal items, from clothing to furniture, at the end of spring term and in the fall make them available for a small cost to returning students.

The Environmental Policy Implementation Group (EPIG) formed shortly after the Trustees approved Oberlin’s Environmental Policy in March 2004. EPIG collected and presented to the administration in December 2004 some 1000 student signatures supporting aggressive implementation of the policy. This past November, EPIG’s leadership led the Student Senate to advocate for signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, which President Dye did in December.

When alumni return this May to Oberlin for reunion weekend, the meals will be a little greener thanks to student activists. Between 20-35% of the food will be local and plastic-ware will be replaced by bio-ware that degrades to harmless products. An educational booth will be at Commencement Headquarters to promote carbon emissions offsets and lifestyle greening.

I believed James Hanson, an eminent climate scientist at NASA, in 1988 when he testified before the U.S. Congress that climate change is here and it has humanity’s signature on it. Since then, many throughout the world have strived to educate and promote action to prevent the devastation climate change will bring.

My hat is off to all students and recent graduates who have given Oberlin this opportunity to make a positive difference for a durable future.

–Carl N. McDaniel, OC ’64
Chair, EnviroAlums
Oberlin Alumni Association

 
 
   

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