Charfauros Challenges Students

To the Editors:

I am writing this letter in support of retaining Antoinette Charfauros McDaniel on the Oberlin College faculty. I think that Charfauros is one of the best professors at Oberlin and I am so very grateful to have met her.
I was introduced to Charfauros my sophomore year at Oberlin, after hearing from a friend (who later went on to conduct a Watson fellowship) that I could not possibly leave Oberlin without taking a class with Charfauros McDaniel because she was “the best sociology professor.” I enrolled in Contemporary Asian Pacific American Experience and I soon found out why. Contemporary APA experience was one of the best classes I have ever taken at Oberlin for three reasons. First of all, it was in this class that I was first exposed to issues surrounding ethnic studies, identity politics and comparative American history. Second of all, it was one of the most diverse classes, student body wise, that I have ever taken at Oberlin. And finally, I received more personal attention and support from Charfauros then I had from any professor, before or since, at Oberlin.
It is because of Charfauros that I chose to pursue a sociology major. After taking her “Contemporary Asian Pacific American Experience” class I also decided to take her seminar. In this class we addressed issues surrounding race, class and gender, right off the bat. She pushed and pulled us in all different directions — directions that I didn’t even think sociology did. I was exposed to such a rich reading list. No other sociology course has challenged me the way that one did. No other class has felt as relevant to the current issues of today.
Ms. Charfauros draws a diverse student population to her classes. On account of my fellow student body in both “Contemporary APA experience,” and in “APA Women” I have been exposed to many different kinds of people. Unfortunately, there are not many classes at Oberlin that directly appeal to people of color or address issues of people of color. Because I was exposed to this diverse body I have heard different perspectives on many different issues.
Finally, I think that Charfauros is a wonderful teacher because she really cares about her students and that they learn. I feel as though I came to Oberlin unprepared in a lot of ways and Charfauros was the first person to approach me in a way that actually helped me develop as a writer and as a person. In retrospect, I think that other faculty said things to me that were very detrimental in a lot of ways. Charfauros really understands a lot about teaching.
I know that Oberlin is an academic institution and that things like retention are based on publications and dissertations. However, as a student I am not concerned with that. My concern is that I have professors that challenge me and encourage me, that care about me, and that teach me. Charfauros has done all that. I sincerely hope that you will reconsider.

–Joya Colon-Berezin
College senior