OSCA Update

November 21, 2019

The officers of the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association (OSCA) and Oberlin college administrators have been meeting biweekly throughout the fall semester to address the recommendation in the One Oberlin final report calling for “self-sufficiency and equity in housing and dining.” These meetings began by identifying shared commitments designed to guide our work together. Some of the most important are:

  • A commitment to the mutual thriving of OSCA and Oberlin College
  • A commitment to a hopeful, respectful, frank, creative, and collaborative process
  • A commitment to approaching our work with open-mindedness and willingness to consider a wide range of alternatives
  • A commitment to reporting jointly on the outcomes of our conversations

As part of our exploration of the current state of the relationship between OSCA and Oberlin College, we have discussed the important learning experiences provided by both OSCA and Residential Education and are currently working through financial and legal questions. We anticipate that we will share options for addressing challenges and promoting sustainability with the OSCA membership in December 2019, and that OSCA and the College decide on the model which will guide the next contract by mid-February 2020. We intend to complete a multi-year contract by the end of April 2020.

This timeline is ambitious and may be revised as the work develops, especially to allow OSCA to conduct elections and other process steps consistent with its bylaws. We plan to post periodic updates to the One Oberlin Self-Sufficiency in Housing and Dining webpage.

Our work far has been collaborative and productive, and we feel optimistic about our ability to identify solutions that allow both OSCA and the College to thrive.

Oberlin Student Cooperative Association officers

  • Gio Donovan President
  • Sheng Kao, Treasurer
  • Bhairavi Mehra, Membership Secretary
  • Rian Szende, Chair of the Board of Directors
  • Teagan Webb, OSCA/College Liaison

Oberlin College administrators

  • Jessica Bayer-Crissman, Assistant Dean for Student Life Business Operations
  • Meredith Raimondo, Vice President and Dean of Students
  • Rebecca Vazquez-Skillings, Vice President for Finance and Administration