It was a micro-microcosm of the protests Oberlin used to witness in the 60's, but the Socialists were out in full regalia in front of Philips Gym last week. They carried signs, handed out pamphlets ... all while some of the workers who had actually lost their jobs stood by. Don Hunsinger's unfortunate quote, "Why does it matter? They're not students," seemed to hang in the eaves.

While this protest didn't get nearly as much attention as Oberlin Animal Rights did earlier this year when they tested their rappelling skills off of the fourth floor of Mudd Library, it did glean real results. Thirteen workers returned to their jobs at Philips. Job security may not be what it used to be for these employees, but they will get more paychecks from Oberlin College than they would have without the efforts of the protesters.

The role played by college students in the pawn-like movement of the high school workers is obvious. Without the more subtle protests of the baseball players, Todd Mooney would probably still be the head coach, eliminating the need to move Eric Lahetta to the helm and, supposedly, the need to fire the workers. Without the sign-waving rally of the Labor Party, the workers would probably still be without jobs.

Is this just another case of OC politics at it's most gleaming? A few simpler, yet also uncomfortable solutions were also available to the administrators who shuffled the deck. They could have simply fired Mooney when the complaints reached their deafening peak, instead of hearing him announce during pre-season that he's resigning. Even after his resignation, they could have chosen to leave him as an assistant football coach without creating the new "Strength and Conditioning Coach" position he now fills, and rerouted the rest of his pay to the gym workers who were- temporarily- laid off.

Is this another example of how situations fester too long before something is done to fix them? The gangrenous, knee-jerk firings at the gym possibly could have been prevented had the Philips administrators kept a closer eye on the budget and managed the office a little better. If the college administration had looked into what was happening in the Athletic Department, maybe they would have chosen other people to manage the budget, period.

Hot sauce, fried catfish and you

Hummus, stromboli, Mocha, Veggie subs, soy milk, spicy fries, fried rice, bagels and ... black-eyed peas? Downtown restaurants, like the Feve and Annie's have a new neighbor, a soulful neighbor. Oberlin now has a restaurant specializing in soul food. But how successful can a soul food restaurant be in college town Oberlin? Sure, Oberlin residents will frequent the place, but much of the money has to come from students in order for an Oberlin restaurant to flourish.

Can a soul food joint survive the onslaught of vegan and vegetarians? What about the majority of Oberlin students who might not know the difference between collard green and cholera? Then, there's the pale pensive-artist in black slacks and a turtle neck. While others eat, he thinks and creates. The aroma of fried catfish, hushpuppies and chitlins might not lend itself to an easy understanding of Freud, Derrida or soul brother Foucalt. But it doesn't have to be that way. Feve, Annie's and, even the soon-to-be glitzy Starbucks are undoubtedly more "Oberlin" than a soul food restaurant, but what does that say about us? Maybe we're too narrow.

It's refreshing to know that a local guy is trying to bring some good home cooking to Oberlin. Perhaps our food choices and routine say more about our personality and collective consciousness than we'd like to admit. Whatever ... there'll be no deep plea at intellectualism here.

Go to the new Campus Restaurant. Check out the atmosphere and the food . If you don't like it, fine. At least try it. A little bit of soul (food), no matter how greasy, never hurt anybody.