On Friday, Nov. 8, approximately 100 people gathered in front of the arch in Tappan Square to hold a mock funeral for the “spirit of Oberlin.” The majority of the assembly were Oberlin College Office and Professional Employees union members and United Auto Workers union members, although a number of College students and faculty also participated.
The two Unions came together in order to express their belief that the spirit of Oberlin, once rich in honesty, respect, integrity, commitment and fair-play, has “died.” Protestors bore picket signs bearing lists of these values they believe now long gone in the College, as well as slogans such as “Is Oberlin Dyeing?”
This demonstration arose in light of the College management’s decision, made last week, to eliminate 11 staff positions as well as to reduce the number of months per year or weekly hours of five others. Six of the 11 jobs eliminated belonged to OCOPE members. The other five employees were part of the administrative and professional staff who worked in the financial management and fundraising offices.
Protestors took the funeral theme to the extreme, most dressing in black for the occasion. Female employees circulated a plastic bag of pieces of black netting they used as veils to cover their faces. A wooden coffin was laid on the grass in the center of the crowd while remarks were made by various Union members. It was later taken up by four “pallbearers,” heading up a procession of the protestors that walked the edge of Wilder Bowl, past Mudd and finally through the center of Cox.
OCOPE President Diane Lee made the opening remarks, written in the style of a eulogy in which she nostalgically spoke of the College as it used to be, comparing it to its current state.
“The College is now taking great strides not to excel — to be average,” she said.
Lee went on to comment on the stubborn stance the Administration has taken with regard to discussion about the College’s financial plight. Both OCOPE and the UAW allege that no negotiation occurred between them and the Administration throughout its decision to lay off employees. “We lost our jobs outright,” she said. “The management had no interest in sitting down and talking with us.”
Yet College President Nancy Dye disagrees. “There has been a great deal of consultation with the Unions about our current financial situation,” she said.
Dye also continues to hold firmly to her stance that the College did all it could to not cut staff positions but last week simply did what was needed.
Following Lee’s remarks, Robert Aviles, Chair of the UAW, spoke passionately of the callous attitude he believes is now being exhibited by the Administration towards the unions and those laid off.
“Our problems are ours alone now even though we didn’t create them. We didn’t cause the deficit. We’re here today to show the management, that office right across the street, that we’re willing to work with them,” he said. “But firing us is not going to solve the problem.”
Aviles also spoke about the relationship the College employees once had with the management.
“It was once a family. We cared about them. Somewhere along the line, they stopped caring about us,” he stated.
Following the procession around Wilder Bowl, Kristen Jones, one of the 11 employees laid off by the College, spoke on the east steps of Cox to the crowd. “After I found out I had lost my job, the first thing I did was go and turn down my heat. I didn’t know how I was going to pay my gas bill,” she stated.
Jones went on to talk of the decline of values she believes Oberlin has demonstrated recently. “Oberlin no longer has any empathy for individuals of the community,” she said. “I feel sorry for the students. This is not a good example of how individuals should be treated. Where is the principle? The integrity?”

Another union member cut to half-time staff from her full-time position stated that the College had alleged that her credentials were a problem, although they had never been a problem prior. She stated she was never given a straight answer by the management as to why they had made the decision to cut her hours. Much later, she was told it was a “money thing.”

Although the mood of the protest was by no means markedly angry, it is evident that many College employees and Union members have been hurt not only financially by the Administration’s decision to eliminate staff positions, but also by the disregard of the relationship they believed they had with the management.

“I had believed in this College,” said Jones. “It is where I wanted to make my career. And after six years, I was basically told, ‘Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.’”