What's New (for the latest, are you Signed In?)
New World Disorder -
America vs. China and Russia
More…
In 1968, Ronald Grigor Suny became a young assistant professor of history at Oberlin, where he remained for 13 years. Now he’s an emeritus professor at the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago.
Mark Blecher has taught at Oberlin since 1976 and now, as the James Monroe Professor of Politics and East Asian Studies, is the most senior member of the faculty.
They will hold a Zoom conversation on Thursday, March 13, from 6 to 7 p.m. Eastern time. Click here to register.
Shaftel -
Buddhist Treasures
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Ann Shaftel ’69 tells us about three days of workshops at the Gesar Palace Hotel in Yushu. Visit
https://teahouse.buddhistdoor.net/preserving-buddhist-heritage-in-qinghai-treasure-caretaker-training-goes-to-yushu/
to “read all about my conservation work on the Tibetan Plateau! And in 2025, I will be working on preservation of Buddhist treasures in monasteries in Nepal, Ladakh, Darjeeling, Tibetan Plateau, and Australia and lecturing in USA, Shanghai, Beijing, etc. Please contact me for more information at annshaftel@me.com.”
Zoom with Les Leopold -
Why Is the Working Class Leaving the Democratic More…
Les Leopold ’69 asks why many workers are no longer voting for Democrats. There are two major theories to account for the extensive working-class shift to the Republicans since 1996.
Economic issues: job insecurity, stagnant wages and declining prospects for the future push workers away from the Democrats.
Social issues: resentment against immigrants, women, LBGTQ+ communities, and other "woke" concerns result in an embrace of right-wing candidates.
Les, who co-founded and currently directs The Labor Institute, will offer an assessment in a Zoom conversation on Tuesday, January 14, from 6 to 7 p.m. Eastern time. Click here to register.
John Lawrence -
What Happened?! Election Results Discussed on Zoom
They’re More…
He and Holly Fechner ’85 and moderator Larry Jacobs ’81 (below) agreed to return in November for a post-election session to dissect the results. That program will be on Tuesday, November 12, from 6 to 7 pm Eastern time. Click here to register.
And in the meantime, John has shared this article. He warns, "No one should be under any misimpression that Trump will be tempered or measured in his second term."
Indeed, Jeff was a great, long-term friend to many people and a superb athlete. I enjoyed exchanging witticisms with him.
YouTube of David Pepper -
“Pepperspectives” for further reading:
Project 2025 and IVF ≈
Schedule F and the Attack on Science ≈
Child Labor and the Attack on Workers ≈
Engage the Electorate≈
David's email address: davidpepper4ohio@gmail.com.
John Lawrence -
Conventional Wisdom
Analysis of the More…
Some of us may remember John Lawrence as an Obie student performing in the "Department of Agriculture" jug band. He grew his hair longer and graduated in 1970 with a degree in history. John earned his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley. Then he lost most of that hair while serving for 38 years as a staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives, the last eight as Chief of Staff to Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Two more recent alumni, Holly Fechner ’85 and Larry Jacobs ’81, will join John in a review of the Convention on Tuesday, August 27, from 6 to 7 p.m. Eastern time. Click here to register. It's sponsored by the Oberlin Club of Washington, D.C.
Looking back through the years, I realize how formative was my experience at Oberlin, both intellectually and socially. I did not, and could not, have known that lessons learned then would eventually direct me along unexpected and fulfilling paths, and for that I am grateful.
All In for Oberlin 2024 -
Go "All In" on Wednesday
It’s spring! That means it's time to participate in our annual day of giving, which this year will be Wednesday, April 10. Join the community of students, alumni, parents, faculty and staff members who dream of a world with more Obies. Last year, over $1 million was raised. This year, your gift—of any size—will create additional opportunities for current Oberlin students. And if you don’t want to wait, click here to make your gift now!
Over on the Class of 1969 reunion website, John Field ’69 posted a link to a five-minute video about long-term prisoners who were later exonerated and released. It was produced by Rhiannon Giddens of the Class of 2000. John writes: “The 22 men in the video were collectively robbed of 500 years of their lives, and 22-year-old Kalief Browder was driven to suicide. The prison system is not "broken"; it's a perfectly oiled machine for corporate jail companies to make billions of $$, while kidnapping mostly Black and Brown people from society.” A number of John’s classmates added comments, including Oswald Greg Lewis (Artistically strong, sociologically painful), Kerry Friedman Rosen (Been following Rhiannon and her music for years - her former group the Chocolate Drops, her opera Omar, etc. Thanks for posting this), George Spencer-Green (I saw her in concert last night at the Beacon Theater in New York. Well worth watching if you have the opportunity), and Tom Clark (Just finished watching a "60 Minutes" segment in which victims and exonorees are brought together in healing sessions. This dovetails nicely into the emotions expressed in Rhiannon's powerful work, which takes valuing one's freedom to a whole new level. Thanks for posting, John, and vote in 2024.) The video is at
https://youtu.be/FQ2_2A4vP4I?si=Ej_YewJiPIioMk-Z
and Rhiannon is interviewed about it at
https://www.democracynow.org/.../banjo_maestro_rhiannon...
Financial Webinars -
More…
If you’re interested in Oberlin’s financial future, two webinars are coming up this month.
First is the annual “Rising Over Tappan” on Thursday, March 14, at 1:00 pm Eastern time. You can learn how planned gifts work and how you can strengthen Oberlin while gaining tax benefits. Register by contacting Alan Goldman, Associate Director of Gift Planning, at agoldma2@oberlin.edu. The panel will also include Beth Fiencke and Marie Williams from the Class of 2001, plus Laura Malone from the Community Foundation of Lorain County.
Details: Once you’re registered, join the Zoom meeting at
https://oberlin.zoom.us/j/85897246203?pwd=Wi96cldjdHRiR0I4T3NjY3Jjc3ZiZz09
or dial in at (312) 626-6799. Meeting ID 858 9724 6203, passcode 667532.
Then the college’s Chief Investment Officer, Jun Yang, will offer “a transparent look into the management of Oberlin's biggest financial asset” — its endowment. Is it a “money tree”? Can its fruits be harvested sustainably? His Zoom session will begin at noon Eastern time on Tuesday, March 26. There will be discussions on endowment spending and payout, endowment restrictions, and investment decisions.
Details: To attend, click here to register.
https://oberlin.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsceCqpzgsHNA-KfkRHYJ0O3l4bB0s5iBW#/registration
SIP -
SIP Tour Rescheduled
Honoring More…
Joel Baetens, a licensed Professional Engineer, will lead a virtual tour of the SIP and answer questions on Tuesday, January 23, at 5:30 PM Eastern Time. Click here to register on Zoom.
This past summer, the buildings highlighted in green were transitioned to geothermal with the construction of underground piping on North Professor Street. Now that students have returned to campus, underground construction is limited except for the continued drilling of 850 geothermal wells 600 feet deep.
Mr. Baetens explains that all SIP buildings will be connected to a main plant using heat pumps to relocate “unwanted” heat to where it is needed; any extra heat is stored in the well field. The aims include improving energy efficiency by more than 30 percent and saving over five million gallons of water per year.
Incidentally, under the pair of green leaves on this illustration is the site of Oberlin's newest residence hall, on Woodland Street across from Barrows. Click here for drone footage of the progress of that construction.