The Oberlin Review
<< Front page News February 22, 2008

The News in Brief

Incumbents Fare Well in Senate Elections

Caitlin Duke

    Oberlin students voted in four student senators over the past week. College seniors David Carlson and Nick Ferrara, junior Leah Pine and sophomore Andrew Watiker were the top vote recipients out of 11 candidates.

    Pine came out on top with 285 votes, followed by Ferrara with 283. Watiker came in third with 239 votes and Carlson rounded out the top four with 221.

    Ferrara and Pine have served multiple terms in the past as senators. Watiker filled a partial term after the resignation of College senior Colin Koffel last semester.


General Faculty Okays Activity Fee Increase

Jonah Kaplan-Woolner

    The latest chapter in the continuing story of Student Senate’s bid to implement an increase in the student activities fee unfolded Wednesday. In the meeting of the General Faculty the bill was approved unanimously, leaving just the final step of approval by the Board of Trustees at their meeting early next month.

    The trustees’ meeting may prove to be a mere formality. “I’ve already gotten the green light from them,” said Colin Jones, College senior and sponsor of the bill.

    The bill has not been without opposition. Some have grumbled that students had no chance for input on the bill that will increase their annual fees. Others have been concerned that a fee that is ostensibly meant to fund student organizations will also go in part toward third parties like Ohio PIRG and subsidizing Lorain County Transit.

    But Jones was steadfast, justifying the merit of the proposal by saying, “This will still leave a serious amount of money for all other student organizations.  We will have the capacity to fund larger capital projects. Which groups step up and make their case for an upgrade remains to be seen, but I am convinced that we can put these funds to use effectively.”

U. Chicago Calls for  Obie-style Sustainability

Alice Ollstein

    In a recent editorial, the staff of the University of Chicago newspaper, The Chicago Maroon, asked the school how to “create much of a lasting change in student energy usage,” then answered: “Following the example of Oberlin College would be a good start.” The editorial cited the Campus Resource Monitoring System’s real-time feedback of dorm energy use as an impressive example of Oberlin’s innovative approaches to curbing student electricity use. It also noted that Chicago needs a sustainability coordinator, like Oberlin’s Nathan Engstrom, to arrange the many projects needed to truly reform a college’s outlook on environmental policies. Oberlin’s upcoming Ecolympics is sure to further inspire colleges across the country to become more aware of their carbon footprint.

 
 
   

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