Full Immersion</h1> <article> <h1>Full Immersion</h1> <p>eburnett — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 13:50:14 +0000</p> <span>Full Immersion</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-06-15T09:50:14-04:00" title="Thursday, June 15, 2023 - 09:50">Thu, 06/15/2023 - 09:50</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>At 91ֱ��, Dewi Beer developed twin passions for teaching and studying Mandarin. Now the spring graduate, who completed majors in <a href="/node/3386">economics</a> and <a href="/node/3341">East Asian studies </a>and an integrative concentration in <a href="/node/25226">education studies</a>, will examine effective education systems and dive deeper into her language studies as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant—or ETA—in Yulin, Taiwan.</p> <p>“I have always had an interest in education, and the opportunity to teach in a different education system and bring back what I learn to a possible career was very attractive to me,” says Beer, who is from San Francisco. “I took the most advanced Mandarin classes offered at 91ֱ��, and I’m excited to put what I learned into practice and further develop my language skills through full immersion while working as an ETA.”</p> <p>Beer is grateful to her professors and other mentors for encouraging her to take challenging courses—among them Chinese calligraphy.</p> <p>“91ֱ�� exposed me to a higher level of language learning and gave me a level of confidence that will make a difference in my experience in Taiwan,” she says.</p> <p>Beer also credits 91ֱ�� for fostering a solid foundation in teaching that spanned multiple settings. She taught a music class in 91ֱ��’s Langston Middle School under the guidance of Professor of Music Education <a href="/node/6816">Jody Kerchner</a>, part of a conservatory course in <a href="/node/42011">Pedagogy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement</a> (PACE). She also designed lesson plans for multiple student-taught <a href="https://www.oberlinexco.org/">Experimental College</a> (ExCo) courses and after-school programming for the middle school. From 2019 to 2022, she served as a mentor in the Girls in Motion ExCo, which is dedicated to empowering young people through dance.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dewi Beer’s love of teaching and language converge in a Taiwanese fellowship.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-06-15T12:00:00Z">Thu, 06/15/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tessa Sternal ’25</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2391">Languages & Literatures</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2580">Experimental College (ExCo)</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25226">Education Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25336">East Asian Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25341">Economics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/jody-kerchner" hreflang="und">Jody Kerchner</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/east-asian-studies" hreflang="und">East Asian Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/economics" hreflang="und">Economics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Dewi Beer graduated from 91ֱ�� with majors in economics and East Asian studies—and a fully formed passion for teaching.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">courtesy of Dewi Beer</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-flex-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden vertical-spacing--basic field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-32091" class="paragraph paragraph--type--pb-el-bq paragraph--view-mode--default"> <blockquote class data-text-color-red data-text-size-large data-indent> <p>Beer looks forward to studying language at local universities, working with fellow Fulbright ETAs and teachers and students—and trying “as much Taiwanese food as possible.”</p> </blockquote> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-27735" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-copy paragraph--view-mode--default o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <p>91ֱ�� also opened the doors to international travel. Beer has experience learning and researching abroad through a pair of very different <a href="/winter-term">Winter Term</a> projects in China: one of them a <a href="/node/3361">geosciences</a> excursion that traveled to Sichuan Province and the other a volunteer position as a teacher’s assistant at an orphanage for children with developmental disabilities in Tianjin.</p> <p>In Taiwan, Beer looks forward to studying language at local universities, working with fellow Fulbright ETAs and teachers and students at her placement school—and trying “as much Taiwanese food as possible, especially the seafood.” She also plans to learn to ride a scooter.</p> <p>Though she’s unsure of her next steps after her year in Yulin, she’s considering options that revolve around education policy and law.</p> <hr> <p><em>The <a href="https://us.fulbrightonline.org/about/fulbright-us-student-program">Fulbright Program</a> was established in 1946 to increase mutual understanding between Americans and people of other countries by sponsoring students and scholars to study, teach English, and conduct research overseas. The U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program, Fulbright supports exchanges between the U.S. and more than 150 countries around the world. In February, 91ֱ�� was named a <a href="/news/oberlin-top-producer-fulbright-students-2022-23">top producer of Fulbright students</a> for the 14th consecutive year. It ranks third among U.S. colleges and universities on the all-time list, with more than 260 Fulbright recipients.</em></p> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Student Brings Expertise to Discussion on Arab Youth and Resilience</h1> <p>anagy — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 16:50:16 +0000</p> <span>Student Brings Expertise to Discussion on Arab Youth and Resilience</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-12-17T11:50:16-05:00" title="Thursday, December 17, 2020 - 11:50">Thu, 12/17/2020 - 11:50</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>How did you get involved in this panel discussion with <em>The Hill? </em></strong></p> <p>I have been interning remotely with the Embassy of Jordan in Washington, D.C. this fall, which is how I stumbled upon this event. When the embassy received an invitation to nominate someone to take part in the panel discussion, they asked if I would be interested in speaking on the panel about Arab youth and employment in the COVID-19 era. As an Arab student graduating in the spring, I wanted to share my perspective on how I have been navigating the pandemic vis-a-vis post-91ֱ�� plans.</p> <p><strong>Before the pandemic, what were your plans and intentions after 91ֱ��? Did you plan to return to Jordan?</strong></p> <p>Since I arrived at 91ֱ��, I have been determined to go to law school in the United States. Unfortunately, the pandemic has forced me to pivot because my main goal now is to find opportunities to work or pursue studies in a country that is faring well in terms of economic recovery and containing COVID. With the fate of COVID being uncertain in both Jordan and the U.S., I have decided to put my law school plans on hold until it is safe to return to the U.S.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-left"> <figcaption>Courtesy of Marah Ajilat</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>How has Jordan been affected by COVID-19—economically, socially, etc.? What job opportunities are in your region?</strong></p> <p>The economic and social risks imposed by the restrictions the government had put in place since March severely tested the government and the people’s resilience. The government was under immense pressure especially because it was responsible for hundreds of thousands of refugees in camps that do not allow for physical distancing. And the households surviving on a single paycheck (or none at all) due to high unemployment could not afford being unable to work anymore. The lack of opportunities in the country has forced people to move, either internally—from the south to the capital or the north, or externally—largely to the Gulf countries. I am fortunate that my preprofessional experience has helped me build a network that I could tap into for employment back home should I need to. Not everyone has had that privilege of spending their breaks doing unpaid internships. I have numerous friends who’ve been looking for a job for almost a year now. They are spending their time bolstering their qualifications and pursuing online courses to have their skills certified. These courses and certifications, however, come at a hefty cost.</p> <p><strong>In the discussion, you mentioned that the pandemic has made undergrads reconsider the value of traditional postgraduate opportunities since virtual learning is more convenient and less expensive. In your opinion, what kinds of online classes or skill building has value for those who are about to graduate and enter the job market?</strong></p> <p>Languages. I believe that learning a new language, especially languages that are highly demanded in one’s respective field, are always a great way to distinguish oneself from other candidates. Not only does it attest to one’s language proficiency, but also one’s discipline and dedication. It takes a lot to learn a new language but it always pays off.</p> <p><strong>“Resilience” was one of the topics in the discussion. Are there any courses or experiences you’ve had at 91ֱ�� that you think will give you a competitive advantage? </strong></p> <p>Absolutely. 91ֱ�� students are nothing if not resilient. I think our COVID numbers attest to that. Personally, the doors that 91ֱ�� opened for me tested my resilience the most: The internships, part-time jobs, research, and consultancy opportunities made me want to consider career paths other than law. At several points during my undergraduate career, I have questioned whether I really wanted to spend at least seven years to get a law degree, when I could have had a law degree in half that time back in Jordan. Now, I can confidently say that these opportunities only proved to me that I made the right decision by coming here and going down the longer path, rather than the easy one, even though my law school plans have had to be pushed back further.</p> <p><strong>You’ve been involved with ExCo. Did you participate in any other organizations or extracurricular activities? </strong></p> <p>I have joined a couple of student organizations at various points throughout my time at 91ֱ��, but being a student staff member in ResEd and an ExCo Committee member has taken up most of my time. I have been very invested in those two positions since, in my experience, they have prepared me the most for life after college. I strongly encourage every student to seek and get involved in opportunities that require handling responsibility independently as well as in a group. It teaches you what to look for in a positive work environment so you can approach your job-hunting with more clarity and confidence.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-12-17T12:00:00Z">Thu, 12/17/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Marah Ajilat, a fourth-year student from Jordan majoring in politics and minoring in French, recently participated in a student panel that discussed <a href="https://thehill.com/event/527936-aspiration-and-resilience-arab-youth-the-covid-19-era">Arab youth and employment in the COVID-19 era</a>. The event was a collaboration between <em>The Hill</em> and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates. In this Q&A, Ajilat shares her perspective as an Arab student making postgraduate plans, the experiences at 91ֱ�� that she holds most valuable, and the skill she believes will give students a competitive edge. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2396">International Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2363">Academics & Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2580">Experimental College (ExCo)</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25416">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25356">French</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics" hreflang="und">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/french-and-italian" hreflang="und">French and Italian</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Fourth-year Marah Ajilat, seen bottom left, participates in a panel discussion hosted by The Hill and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Environmental Studies to the “New York Times”: Hyacinth Parker ’17</h1> <p>eulrich — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 14:03:03 +0000</p> <span>Environmental Studies to the “New York Times”: Hyacinth Parker ’17</span> <span><span>eulrich</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-04-15T10:03:03-04:00" title="Monday, April 15, 2019 - 10:03">Mon, 04/15/2019 - 10:03</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>What did you like most about being a student at 91ֱ��?</strong></p> <p>I loved how the Environmental Studies Program allowed me to define my major and pursue the topics I was most interested in. I ran with it and took every class that had to do with cities and urban studies and focused on traveling as much as possible. I went to Havana, Cuba, and Mexico City during two winter terms; I also studied abroad in Brazil, South Africa, and India.</p> <p>In addition to traveling, I was an environmental studies student representative, played club soccer, took ExCos in swing dance and Understanding Police Brutality, and went to every year's Merengue Madness—one of my favorite nights at 91ֱ��.</p> <p><strong>What do you do at the <em>New York Times</em>?</strong></p> <p>I support the sales team and help them come up with ways to get advertisements in the <em>New York Times</em>. For the first eight weeks, I was very focused on studio and entertainment advertisers for the Academy Awards. I could have told you every Oscar contender, their distributor, and the amount of digital and print advertisements they ran. The <em>New York Times'</em> advertising department brainstorms ways to act not just as an advertiser, but as a consultant for brands. Instead of saying, "this is why <em>Beale Street</em> should place an ad in the <em>New York Times</em>," we focus on the message of the movie and how it can best tell its marketing story.</p> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Hyacinth Parker in Hong Kong, China<br> Photo credit: Hyacinth Parker</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p><strong>What has your experience working at the <em>Times</em> been like?</strong></p> <p>I love it. Part of the reason I majored in environmental studies was that I loved the creative and collaborative component of the classes and the big thinking required to solve a question. At the <em>New York Times</em>, we think about big problems on every level—from incorporating AI, 5G, and augmented reality into journalism, to how to survive and adapt in an era when print is dying, to the function of native advertising. The people here are great, and I'm jazzed about being at a company that is so innovative and forward-thinking.</p> <p><strong>Do you have any advice for 91ֱ�� students?</strong></p> <p>One of the most helpful things I did was asking people where they thought I would fit, instead of only sticking to what I’m interested in. I did that my first year of college, and my advisor told me to check out environmental studies. If you had asked me to predict my career path two years ago, I would not have been able to guess that I would be working at the<em> New York Times</em> today.</p> <p>When I started applying for jobs, I realized that most of the game is telling a compelling story about yourself—where you come from and where you want to go. I think that having a liberal arts degree is valuable because it teaches you how to think and be dynamic, but it also means you have to do a bit of the extra work up front because you can't rest on a hard and obvious technical skill set. I think that designing a story about yourself and throwing out a bold idea can be intimidating, but it helps you create a path for yourself.</p> <p>In the future, Parker says that she’s interested in doing creative work and joining communities in which people are pushing boundaries. She also hopes to one day attend the Met Gala.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-04-15T12:00:00Z">Mon, 04/15/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jane Hobson ’22</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>At 91ֱ��, Hyacinth Parker ’17 embraced the liberal arts; she majored in environmental studies with a concentration in urban studies, and minors in creative writing and Hispanic studies. Since graduation, Parker has spent time abroad teaching in Indonesia and working as an arts associate with Third Space Media. She recently started a new job working as a sales planning coordinator at the <em>New York Times</em>.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2360">After 91ֱ��</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2389">Young Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2580">Experimental College (ExCo)</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25351">Environmental Studies and Sciences</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25326">Creative Writing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=4796">Hispanic Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/environmental-studies" hreflang="und">Environmental Studies and Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/creative-writing" hreflang="und">Creative Writing</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/hispanic-studies" hreflang="und">Hispanic Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Hyacinth Parker ’17</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Hyacinth Parker</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Turning a Passion Into a Career</h1> <p>tsloan — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 19:27:32 +0000</p> <span>Turning a Passion Into a Career</span> <span><span>tsloan</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-10-23T15:27:32-04:00" title="Monday, October 23, 2017 - 15:27">Mon, 10/23/2017 - 15:27</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p dir="ltr">Throughout his academic career, Nolan Boomer ’16 cultivated a passion for book arts, curatorial practices, and architectural history, giving him the tools to pursue a self-curated career in the arts. So his postgraduate transition to a job at Hampshire College as a curatorial assistant and helping organize the Northampton Print and Book Art Fair was a natural one. Currently, he works for Princeton Architectural Press in Hudson, New York, as an editorial assistant and is coeditor for <em>Take Shape</em>, a nonfiction publication that examines the intersection of politics and architecture.</p> <p dir="ltr">Boomer originally intended to study neuroscience but changed his path after he started writing for <em>Wilder Voice</em>, 91ֱ��'s biannual long-form journalism publication, and fell in love with nonfiction writing. After deciding to study English instead, Boomer supplemented his academic path with courses in architectural history in the art department. He cites formative experiences in classes at 91ֱ��, specifically Politics and Architecture, and subsequent studies in urban history while studying abroad in Argentina, as integral to his professional trajectory.</p> <p dir="ltr">Outside of 91ֱ��, Boomer had the opportunity to intern for McSweeney’s Publishing in San Francisco the summer after his first year. He also worked and Printed Matter, Inc., in New York City for his winter-term project junior year. In his final semester, Boomer secured an internship at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where he learned more about the research involved in running a large art museum.</p> <p dir="ltr">Ultimately, Boomer says he sees himself teaching architectural history and finding spaces to conduct more architectural research after pursuing a postgraduate degree. He says that his interest in teaching was borne from his experience teaching an experimental college course—for which students teach and create curricula.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Teaching an ExCo at 91ֱ�� was very scary but really rewarding,” he says. "Until graduate school, I just want to try a lot of different things, work in radio, or do other small things that interact with writing and politics—and learn a lot."</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-10-23T12:00:00Z">Mon, 10/23/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Lydia Moran</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Nolan Boomer ’16 has self-curated a career by combining his passions: architectural history and writing.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2360">After 91ֱ��</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2580">Experimental College (ExCo)</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Nolan Boomer '16 at the Princeton Architectural Press.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Nolan Boomer</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Learning through the Letterpress</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:02:52 +0000</p> <span>Learning through the Letterpress</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:02:52-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:02">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:02</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>One of the best resources for hands-on learning at 91ֱ�� hides in plain sight behind large glass windows on the second floor of Mudd Center library. This is the Letterpress Studio, containing three manual printing presses surrounded by cabinets of moveable type. Special Collections and Preservation Librarian Ed Vermue presides over the studio, which is accessible to students through an Experimental College (ExCo) class, a winter-term group project, and opportunities for class visits.</p> <p>The <a href="https://libraries.oberlin.edu/services-amenities/special-spaces/letterpress-studio">Letterpress Studio</a> was organized in 2010. “It was a long time coming,” Vermue explains. Faculty members had been interested in teaching the history of the book through hands-on experience with a printing press for a while, but the idea finally fell into place after a series of fortuitous donations were made. Cabinets of type and bookworking tools came from husband and wife Dewey and Carol Ganzel, an English professor at 91ֱ�� and journalist, respectively. Two small hand presses, along with more type and tools, came from the family of Gus Brunsman II, which ran Trailside Press in Kettering, Ohio. Finally, with help from the English department, Vermue bought a vintage Vandercook press, the largest press in the studio.</p> <p>Using the three presses, students in the ExCo and winter-term class learn how to set type, ink up a press, and print the way it was done from Johannes Gutenberg up until the computer. Letterpress printing is a time-consuming process: Each letter has to be set individually, and the type must be set backwards for the final product to appear correctly.</p> <p>The winter-term class is intensive: Students spend full days in the studio working on a book commission with a deadline, which, in the past, has been anything from printing poetry from alumni authors to creating broadsides of poems from <a href="http://www.oberlin.edu/ocpress/">91ֱ�� College Press</a>. “The idea is to introduce a little bit of stress to the experience,” Vermue says. “They’re actually working the way printers used to work. ”</p> <p>While students participating during winter term are required to work together on one large project, students in the ExCo have the opportunity to work individually and pursue their own interests. Senior studio art major Sarah Lejeune, who took the ExCo in 2013, now works as an assistant in the Letterpress Studio. Lejeune’s art focuses on nostalgia and exploring the ephemeral nature of memory and experience. She is drawn to letterpress printing for its long history. “It is deeply tied to the passing on of information,” she says. “I really like letterpress as a process because of how intricate [and how much of a] technical skill it is.”</p> <p>Many professors say they are also eager to take advantage of the letterpress as a learning tool for their classes. Assistant Professor of English Laura Baudot brings her Eighteenth-Century British Novel and Print Culture class to the Letterpress Studio to help students to think about how books were made before mechanical printing. “There are a lot of eighteenth-century authors, such as [Laurence] Sterne, who were hyperconscious of the status of the book, both as a commodity and a possible artistic media. They wanted to draw your attention to the physical appearance of the book,” Baudot explains. While reading Sterne’s Tristam Shandy, which famously features a unique marbled page in volume three of every original edition, students learn how to make marbled paper and view one of the original marble pages during a visit to special collections.</p> <p>According to Vermue, the point of modern letterpress printing is not to turn back the clock but to have a point of reference for how printing was executed for hundreds of years. Without a computer to do everything for you, you need to think about each decision in the printing process, such as spacing, typeface, and illustrations. Letterpress printing is a framework and a tool that can help students better understand the literature of the past and create art in the present. “Nobody hates computers, but some are glad to be away from them for a little bit,” Vermue says. “Students are nostalgic for doing things with their hands.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-04-15T12:00:00Z">Wed, 04/15/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Madeline Raynor</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2374">Archives & Special Collections</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2384">Libraries</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2580">Experimental College (ExCo)</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25436">Studio Art</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25216">Book Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/ed-vermue" hreflang="und">Ed Vermue</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/art" hreflang="und">Studio Art</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jeong Hyun Hwang</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>RESHAPE-ing Sex Ed</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:02:52 +0000</p> <span>RESHAPE-ing Sex Ed</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:02:52-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:02">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:02</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This year, 91ֱ��’s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oberlin.sic?fref=ts">Sexual Information Center (SIC)</a>, a student-run organization dedicated to sexuality and sexual health education, has revamped its programming to be more inclusive and accessible to all students on 91ֱ��’s campus. This new focus can be seen in all of the events included in the organization’s new series, Radical Explorations of Sexual Health and Personal Experience (RESHAPE) Week.</p> <p>The SIC was formed in 1979 when the Contraceptive Co-op and the former SIC merged into one organization. It is a nonprofit group that provides students with unbiased, confidential, and comprehensive sexuality and sexual health education. The SIC has always been directly involved and invested in the interests of the student body, providing information, education, counseling services, and certain products. From 1979 until 2014, the SIC hosted an annual event called Safer Sex Night that aimed to de-stigmatize discussion of HIV and AIDS prevention and queer sexuality, expanding in 2009 to include a week of educational workshops, performances, movie screenings, and discussions about not just preventing the spread of STIs but also recognizing consent and emotional and mental needs.</p> <p>This year, the SIC has created a new program to bolster sexual education in RESHAPE Week, which, as members explain in an open letter to campus, “[centers on] issues of power, agency, and constraint in regards to sexuality, especially concerning issues of privilege and oppression as well as sexualized violence, intervention, and prevention.” Members believe the new series improves upon the old programming, which they report overlooked many experiences and communities of students on campus.</p> <p>The members of the SIC began forming RESHAPE Week after a thorough review of the SIC’s entire mission, which they reworked to more fully represent the multitude of viewpoints and backgrounds of students on campus. “From this refocused position, we have worked through the creation of RESHAPE week in an intentionally collaborative manner,” says fourth-year Sarah MacFadden, one of the event coordinators. “This means every event we’re sponsoring this week has been discussed and approved by the entire organization.”</p> <p>The collaboration on RESHAPE Week does not stop with the members of the SIC, however. The SIC enlisted many student groups and other performers, speakers, and activists to plan and put on events that will take place over the course of the week. “It’s really crucial to recognize that the perspectives and experiences of the 18 current SIC staffers are limited; it’s not possible to have a perfectly representative sample of the communities we’re serving,” MacFadden says. “Working collaboratively leads to more intersectional, responsible, and beneficial work and events.”</p> <p>The SIC plans to continue hosting RESHAPE Week and similar events in years to come, while continuing to look critically at how it functions on campus and how students respond. The SIC is open to feedback on its events and the organization in general, MacFadden explains, and is looking for ways to improve. “RESHAPE is still a very young event and will likely evolve quite a bit over the coming years … I can’t say exactly what RESHAPE will look like next year, but I imagine it will take this very exciting starting point and continue to expand and improve on it,” MacFadden says.</p> <p>SIC members have devoted much attention and energy this year to reevaluating the organization’s presence on campus along with its Experimental College class called SexCo. They have rewritten the application and curricula for SexCo and, in general, are moving toward providing more oppression-explicit programming, including adding office hours that serve as safe spaces for people of color.</p> <p>RESHAPE Week kicks off with one of three Bystander Intervention Trainings hosted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oberlinprsm">Preventing and Responding to Sexual Misconduct (PRSM)</a> that will run from 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, in King 123, which you must sign up for to attend. Other events include, but are not limited to, a workshop with and spoken word performance by DARKMATTER; discussions and workshops that examine everything from the transgender basics to rape culture and survivor support to desirability politics; trivia night at the Slow Train Cafe; talks from visitors such as photographer Jess T. Dugan, patient advocate at Preterm Cleveland Ohio Leah Pusateri, and WomanHOOD Project founder Amanda R. Matos; and Bring-Yr-Own-PowerPoint, where students are encouraged to give their own presentations on topics related to sexual health and more. For the entire list of RESHAPE Week events and activities, visit the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/367433726776393/">Facebook page</a>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-04-03T12:00:00Z">Fri, 04/03/2015 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Rosalind Black</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2355">Student Organizations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2390">Events</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2580">Experimental College (ExCo)</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dan Quigley '15</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>