| Bommer
Still Seeks Dye’s Answers
To
the Editors:
I
write to the Review yet again, not really knowing why, but feeling
propelled within me to speak out against injustice. My earlier letter
to the Review, in which I asked President Dye to answer some questions
has gone unanswered. But then in an environment of seeming injustice,
would one be realistic in expecting courtesy?
Thanksgiving is upon us as I write this, but some families of soon-to-be
former Oberlin College employees will have less to be thankful for
this year. Christmas for them may not be as merry as it could have
been otherwise. I encourage these folks to celebrate the holidays
anyway with spiritual joy and faith that brighter days are coming.
I will give thanks again this year that I was given the opportunity
to graduate from Oberlin College and to work there for nearly twelve
and a half years. I know why I cherish my Oberlin experience so
much. It is because the spiritual core of Oberlin – its very
essence from its inception, and one aligned with my own values –
is one that has and will continue to resist the powerful influence
of intolerance, imperialism, and corruption. Much of Oberlin continues
to excel in that which is good despite the attempts of senior management
to emulate the worst of corporate America.
Downsizing is nothing more than a euphemism for a well-known and
much-used expletive. Downsizing accomplishes very little. Those
who are really on “the cutting edge” already realize
this. Just look back at 1996 when positions were “downsized”
to unburden Oberlin’s structure, and then examine how quickly
those positions and many more were glued on to reinforce a structure
too frail to handle operational demands. Downsizing doesn’t
work. It’s a temporary fix that destroys lives.
I am not prepared to judge the monetary worth of a leader’s
contribution to an organization. The value that American society
has placed on some jobs as opposed to others baffles me. This much,
however, I know. If just one person has to lose his or her job because
of budget deficits, then someone else is making too much and spending
too much. One member is not greater than the whole. President Dye,
if you left tomorrow, Oberlin College would continue to thrive.
Vice President Evans, if you left today, nearly five jobs could
be saved! How much do employees at the top of a contrived organizational
structure need to make? How essential is it that a leader stays?
Even the President of the United States moves on after eight years,
and America has endured the transitions. Everyone deserves to be
able to make a decent living. No one should have to suffer a job
loss so that persons in high-level positions can thrive. It does
not take a rocket scientist to see that this is simply not right.
President Dye, Vice President Evans, members of the Board of Trustees,
I urge you, I beg you, to reverse your position on the layoffs today.
You’ll feel good for having given the gift that keeps on giving.
Your soul will thank you for it.
–Sue
E. Bommer
Former College Employee
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