South Hall and Union Street apartments are currently without wireless access due to an end-of-summer software upgrade by Oberlin’s wireless access unit suppliers. The new software turned out to be incompatible with the older base stations around campus. 

According to Director of Information Technology at the Center for Information Technology John Bucher, new base stations have arrived to replace these older ones. He predicts that Union Street apartments will have wireless in about a week. South Hall will take longer, explained Bucher, due to complexities with the way that the base units are mounted. He could not give a time estimate.

Missler’s Announces Closure, Claims Poor Sales

Alena Jones

The Missler’s SuperValu Foods, located next to McDonald’s on South Main Street, announced on Monday that it would close its doors at the end of the month. Owner Mike Geyer has sold the store, though he did not inform employees of the buyer. The store opened at its current location in 1998.

In an article in The Morning Journal, Dan Longwell, who has worked at Missler’s on and off since its opening, said, “Money’s been tight. It’s mostly the economy and Wal-Mart.” Longwell is referring to the controversial superstore that opened for business last autumn just down SR-58. “It makes me very sad to see these neighborhood stores going out of business.”.

Conservatory junior and Missler’s employee Caitlin Donnelly said of the closing, “It’s a shame to see our store close after it has been such a major part of the Oberlin community for so long.” She also had thoughts about the nearby superstore: “It is definitely a result of the opening of Wal-Mart in this area.”

Missler’s is no longer accepting checks or credit. The store is currently emptying its shelves and clearing out its aisles for the impending closure.

Both State and College Attempt a “Living Wage”

Malik Woods

Starting this semester, Oberlin College will raise the minimum wage of student employees from $6.80 to $7.00 an hour. Though Oberlin has always paid all its employees, both students and non-students alike, more than the state minimum wage, the recent increase reflects a broader national trend in which states across the nation have been raising the lowest possible pay.

Whether Oberlin wished to or not, they were required to raise the College’s own minimum wage due to recent legislation passed in the state of Ohio, which increased the state minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.85 per hour.

According to the Office of Student Employment, the increase in the minimum wage was an attempt to bring the hourly salary of student employees closer to the “living wage” for the region, important for those working to pay work-study fees, rent or tuition.

In an environment where there is little competition for student labor, Oberlin has been able to maintain a great deal of control over students’ wages. According to the Office of Student Employment’s recommended pay scale, there are only four base salaries, each determined by the demands of the job. Between these four scales there is $0.70 difference between the highest and lowest recommended wages. As for raises, the College recommends a $0.05 to $0.10 per hour increase in salary, which is to be provided at the employer’s discretion.

Student reaction to the wage increase is generally positive. A recently hired Student Union employee who preferred to remain nameless remarked, “Obviously I’d rather be paid $7.00 than $6.80.”

Most are inclined to accept the increase as an unquestionably positive decision. Louis Grube, a College senior and student senator, noted, “A lot of students will benefit from the increase. Everyone needs money. It will especially help those on work-study.”

College Aid Bill Dodges Presidential Veto

Philip Waller

The College Cost Reduction and Access Act (H.R. 2669), which will give students across the nation easier access to higher education, was passed by Congress on September 7, and the president has promised that he will sign the bill into law. As reported in last week’s Review, President Bush had been considering a presidential veto.

The bill passed by a vote of 79 to 12 in the Senate and 292 to 97 in the House, signifying that billions of dollars in additional grant aid will be sent each year to low-income students and that reforms will soon be in place to reduce student loan debt. Oberlin students, along with their peers around the country, will no doubt feel the positive impact.

“Students at Oberlin College graduate with an average debt of $17,800 from student loans. I applaud Congress for taking a huge step to reduce that debt burden, which will help ensure broader access to higher education,” said College senior and Student Senate Liaison Colin Koffel.

According to a press release by the Ohio Public Interest Research Group, the act specifically proposes to increase the maximum Pell Grant award by $490 for each of the next two school years, by $690 for the following two school years and by $1,090 for each year after that.

The act also means reduced interest rates on student loans for more than 5 million low- and middle-income student borrowers receiving subsidized Stafford loans.

The bill also would work to reward public service by providing loan forgiveness for college graduates who go into public service professions such as military officers, first responders, firefighters, nurses, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, early childhood educators, public defenders and librarians.

As icing on the cake, this investment in education is paid for by lowering subsidies to private banks, at no new cost to taxpayers.