A Critical Review: Recent Episodes
Catherine Lee
Catherine Lee is a senior at Oberlin College studying English with a concentration in journalism. In this podcast she’ll explore famous and controversial events pertaining to Oberlin College and Oberlin, Ohio that have gotten national attention in recent years. Some topics include the Gibsons Bakery vs Oberlin College and Meredith Raimondo lawsuit, union busting, OC alum Orion Krause, and the relationship between liberal colleges and the right wing media.
Lena Dunham.... Oberlin's most famous alum and in my opinion, everything that's wrong with this school. Lena Dunham embodies two things: the prowess and potential every Obie has to make a name for themselves in whatever industry they choose- and also the nepotism, privilege, and financial advantages many Obies have to do just that. I will be talking about the many controversies surrounding Lena Dunham, the positive impact on media her career has had as well as the many, many reasons why she is hated.
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Hi friends, I recorded this in the Cleveland airport at 5am so please listen lol. In today's episode I talked about our darling college president Carmen Twillie Ambar. Im making this episode because recently Carmen Ambar has been blasted in the media for her decision to outsource student health services to a Catholic health system, which will consequently deny students access to reproductive, contraceptive, and gender affirming care. Of course, this decision is one out of many that Carmen Ambar has been criticized for. I explored some of those other decisions in this episode and also talked about whether or not I think she's leading Oberlin in the right direction (I don't lol) Enjoy!
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Part 1 of the infamous and ever so complicated Gibsons Bakery vs Oberlin College and Meredith Raimondo lawsuit. This lawsuit took place after an Oberlin College student, Jonathan Aladin, attempted to shoplift two bottles of wine from Gibsons bakery. He was then violently confronted by the owner and then arrested. During the next few days college students rallied, protested, and boycotted the bakery and alleged that Gibsons had a long history of racial profiling. Gibsons bakery then sued the college for defamation and ended up winning 25 million dollars. In this episode, we look at how this all came to be and how the actions of one Oberlin administrator, Meredith Raimondo, is primarily responsible for the verdict of the lawsuit, though it is the Oberlin community that will bear the burden of her mistakes for years to come.
Part 2 of the deep dive into the disastrous Gibsons Bakery vs. Oberlin College and Meredith Raimondo lawsuit. In the second episode we dive into the other side of this lawsuit which is the Gibson family, their business practices, and the cultural ramifications of this lawsuit.
In today's episode Im reviewing the mass layoffs that happened in early 2020. Basically, in March 2020 Oberlin College decided to outsource over 100 unionized dining and custodial workers. This was a cruel decision that put many in a position of hardship right before the pandemic. Many say this decision contradicts the values of "learning and labor" which Oberlin prides itself on. In this interview, Mary Doehr, who worked at the college as a custodian for over 20 years shares how this position affected her personally, as well as some of her former coworkers who were also laid off.
Financialization is the process which financial institutions maximize profits and efficiency above all other operations. Today, we're seeing colleges and universities across the United States adopt some of these practices and being run more like businesses instead of traditional schools. From heavy allocations into alternative investments to severe cost cutting measures- Oberlin has embraced some of these principles in order to stay financially afloat. But are these measures necessary? Kelly Groetke, OC '89, and I talk about the misalignment between a booming endowment and the dire financial situation Oberlin claims to be in.
In today's episode we'll be talking about Oberlin's most infamous alum- Orion Krause. Orion graduated from the conservatory in June 2017 and just two and a half months following his graduation, he brutally murdered three of his family members and his grandparents' caretaker in Groton, Massachusetts. How did this happen? And were there any warning signs of Orion's severe mental illness while he was at Oberlin? All of these questions will be explored, as well as the trial following this grisly event.
Welcome to A Critical Review! My name is Catherine and in this series I'll be focusing on various famous and controversial events pertaining to Oberlin college. This intro provides a brief overview of the topics I will cover in this podcast, some of which include the 2016 Gibsons. vs Oberlin College and Meredith Raimondo lawsuit, the infamous OC alum Orion Krause, union busting, the relationship between liberal colleges and the right wing media, and the general trend of financialization in higher education. Though this podcast is geared towards members of the Oberlin community, a lot of these events have gotten national attention in recent years. Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy <3