Class Trustees discuss planning

Few students take opportunity to discuss issues

Class trustees met with Oberlin students Thursday to relay student concerns today and Saturday to the Board of Trustees. They heard few voices.

Only five students attended the meeting. Four of them were student senators.

Senator senior Claire Koczak said, "I didn't understand how important it was until I went."

Attendees addressed issues including Oberlin's long-range planning process, attracting faculty persons of color, diversifying the curriculum and the effectiveness of Dean of Student Life Charlene Cole-Newkirk.

Class trustee, Gail Drakes, OC '94, stated the meeting was productive in spite of the low turnout. "It was a good conversation, especially for the number of people that showed up," she said.

But class trustee Hannah Richman, OC '95, said it would have been good to have more people present. "You always wish you could have more people represent a wider range of students," she said.

Students and trustees discussed the long-range planning process and low student involvement in the process. Richman said the Board of Trustees has not "had student input at all."

Oberlin Student Cooperative Association (OSCA) Organizational Senator senior Devin Theriot-Orr said the initial long-range report ignored the importance of OSCA to Oberlin. OSCA was mentioned twice in the report, according to Theriot-Orr. "That was a slap in the face. I would not have come to Oberlin if not for OSCA."

He said the planning operated, "In general, [to] get student input and steer it where you want to steer it."

Senators also stressed the issues of recruiting persons of color to fill empty faculty positions and the retention rate of minority students. Senator junior Matthew Green said, "There needs to be more institutionalized to try and get more faculty of color." Green said that the search for faculty should not be based solely on a department needs, but also the needs of the Oberlin community.

Senators also considered expanding the curriculum to consider including environmental, Asian, and multi-cultural studies.

Concerning Dean Cole-Newkirk, Green said, "She's made a move to communicate with us (students)." He stated this after saying, "Many students I've bumped into randomly say she is not effective in communicating with students."

The Class trustee open forum precedes the meeting today and tomorrow of the Board of Trustees. Committee meetings are scheduled today. The entire Board of Trustees convenes Saturday.

The Board meets every spring to consider tenure for professors, the state of next year's budget, and the status of the admissions cycle said Secretary of the College Bob Haslun.

"This is a pretty typical meeting," Haslun said.

The Board is expected to officially name Clayton Koppes as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

Class Trustees are elected from each graduated class and serve three year terms.