News
Briefs
CDS
to Offer Limited Fall Break Meals
Several
weeks ago, ResLife announced that they would be closing all dining
halls on campus over fall break in October.
Students expressed a considerable amount of displeasure, and the
plan has since been revised.
There will now be limited dining provided for students staying on
campus during the break.
Lunch will be served at DeCafe, but students must use their own
flex dollars or cash to get food there.
Dinner will be served at the Rat, where students board points from
regular meal plans can be used.
Originally, it was announced that the College would be shuttering
all campus dining options for the entire duration of the fall break,
leaving students staying on campus to pay out of pocket for all
of their meals.
Dining halls had been closed to save money.
“It [was] a cost-saving measure,” LaFond said. “It’s
just not cost effective to keep the dining halls open over break,”
to be fiscally responsible, so we reached a compromise.”
Several international students wrote a letter to the Review this
week calling the dining closings “entirely unacceptable”
(see page 8).
—Ben
Seibel
Free
Transit Now Available to Cleveland
This
week, Ohio PIRG officially launched the O-Pass, a student initiative
to increase service and accessibility of public transportation in
Lorain County.
“You can take the bus to the airport and then you can take
the train into Cleveland, which is actually free going in and $1.50
going back,” Dean of Students Peter Goldsmith said.
The OPass, part of Ohio PIRG’s Smart Development Campaign,
allows Oberlin students to use their Oberlin ID cards to ride any
Lorain County Transit bus without having to pay. The ID card serves
as the OPass and gives Oberlin students the opportunity to ride
all of Lorain County Transit’s 14 bus routes that cover Lorain
county as well as transfer to the airport and Cleveland.
“I think that O-Pass will really enhance the quality of life
for Oberlin students. It’s a lot easier to get to Cleveland,
and it’s environmentally responsible, too,” College
President Nancy Dye remarked.
The O-Pass not only provides students with a reliable, affordable
way to get away from campus, but has benefits for the community
and the environment as well. By reducing dependence on cars, increased
use of public transportation will have positive environmental benefits,
including providing an alternative to highway expansion and reducing
traffic and automobile emissions. In addition, all of the funds
collected through the OPass go to increasing bus service. The additional
routes are accessible to the whole community.
“The
O-Pass is a really great addition to what Oberlin has to offer —
last year’s students approved it by an overwhelming margin,
and hopefully future Obies will be just as excited about it,”
Abbie Turiansky, OhioPIRG’s transportation coordinator said.
Last
semester, over 87 percent of Oberlin students voted to have a flat
fee of $7 per semester placed onto their tuition bills.
This
money was pooled and given to Lorain County Transit to use for expanded
routes, extended service to the airport and increased transfer options
to Cleveland.
—John
Byrne
Fundraising
Campaign on Target for 2004
Under
Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs John Hays, the
College’s Capital Campaign has raised $138 million of its
$165 million target.
$12 million has been raised towards the $20 million goal for the
Oberlin Science Center.
—John Byrne |
