Oberlin College & Town

Lucy: [00:00:00] Do you live in Oberlin?

Interviewee 3: So we have been here for 14 years.

Interviewee 2: Like three months.

Interviewee 1: I've lived in Oberlin for three years now

[ intro music],

Cristal: hi my name is Cristal and I am a fourth year student at Oberlin college.

Natalie: I'm Natalie and I'm a third- year student.

Lucy: My name is Lucy and I'm a fourth year.

Talia: Hi, my name is Talia. I'm a third year.

Natalie: We are here at Oberlin IGA, a local grocery store in town, to interview people about how they view the college and how they think college students view the town.

Talia: How long have you lived here?

Interviewee 1: I've lived in Oberlin for three years now.

Talia: How do you view Oberlin College?

Interviewee 1: I think it's great. I went to a school similar in size to Oberlin's and I think, these smaller type of [00:01:00] universities are good for, what they offer as far as smaller class size for education. So I like Oberlin a lot.

Talia: Do you view the students at Oberlin differently than the college itself?

Interviewee 1: Not necessarily. I know there's definitely been conflict before in the past with, you know, certain businesses and things like that, but From the college kids that I've interacted with, there's not been a whole lot of animosity. I think they like being here. obviously there is a lot of diversity, but I think that's a great thing, especially for the community. But as far as the people themselves, you know, try not to judge anything that goes around, you guys are just college kids to me, in my eyes. ​

Lucy: The second person we talked to has lived in Oberlin for three months only.​

Interviewee 2: I love it. There's like a whole mix of like different types of people. I really love the energy that's around it. I definitely love that. I've always wanted to be around like an artsy school. a while I spent some time in Berea, Kentucky and they had like an artsy college kind of like that. When my husband brought me out here because my husband's from [00:02:00] Cleveland a lot of his family was in Oberlin, and I was like, I definitely want to be here and raise my kids around here, cause it just has that like, aesthetic that I like.

Talia: And now a perspective from someone who's been living here for 14 years.

Interviewee 3: So we're kind of like in a, in a weird position in terms of that we live in town, but we're not really quote unquote townies because we live in town only because of our involvement with the college. So we're kind of like half college people, half townies kind of and I mean, I think Oberlin, And it's ethos and it's ideal and what it's looking to do is a really phenomenal and amazing thing to give students like well rounded education in all different parts of life, kind of prepare them for life. And I think that it really gives students that come here amazing opportunities, both academically and in your extracurricular. opportunities. I think sometimes there is tension between the college and the people of the town and that [00:03:00] can definitely cause, little, ripples every now and then.

Cristal: Such ripples were made evident when we asked the opinion of one local man who had this to say about Oberlin College students and the college itself.

Interviewee 4: They, they don't have no, what's the word I want to look for? respect for people that don't go to that college. And they walk in the street like it ain't shit. I almost hit a couple. Because they just cross the street thinking like y'all, they are not road bumps. And I've heard rumors about that college. They said that the females or the males are not allowed to interact with the people in town. Say for instance, say for instance if you met a guy and the guy was interested in you but he didn't go to college, he stayed in Oberlin; they was told not to interact with college kids. That's the rumor that I've heard. Yeah. Might want to ask about that.

Natalie: In light of this information, we talked to deans of the college and the director of campus safety [00:04:00] who confirmed that no college policy exists that suggests students should not interact with people in the town. All of them affirmed that students are encouraged to make connections with community members during their time at Oberlin College.

Cristal: Whereas other locals have expressed appreciation for the students.

Natalie: Steel Magnolia is a local food truck, restaurant, and catering service that is family owned and operated and often partners with the college for events.

Cristal: Does your daughter run Steel Magnolia?

Interviewee 5: That's my daughter. That's my daughter. Shante is my daughter. She's still Magnolia and we, you know, we'd be up there with y'all a lot. And then, you know, a lot of y'all come to our church, you know, and we appreciate that. And we let y'all know. We appreciate y'all.

Talia: How do you think Oberlin students view the town?

Interviewee 5: The ones that I met because I have dealt with 'em a lot because my daughter she comes to the college with, you know, and she be in with the kids. And first I know it was nice and I, [00:05:00] and. As far as the college go, I really don't know too much about the college because I haven't spent too much time, you know on the college. The kids that I had met and spent time with, I enjoyed being with them and I enjoyed being out with them and I enjoyed encouraging them because they were away from home. And if it was my kids, I would want somebody to enjoy, you know, encourage my kids and, you know, reach out to them.

Lucy: How do you think the Oberlin students view the town?

Interviewee 3: I think that the vast majority of the students see the town as like, just something that's here. Like I'm here to be in college, and it so happens that Oberlin Town is here. And they take it, they, they benefit from some of the stuff that it does have to offer, whether it's the food, whether it's different stores. I don't know if the students see quote unquote, a value. in the existence of a town around the college. It's kind of like a given. Like, yeah, of course we have the stores. Of course we have everything here.

Cristal: Do you feel [00:06:00] that there could be an improvement between the relationship between the school and the town?

Interviewee 3: That is actually a very interesting question because I think that there should be some kind of relationship. I don't know what that relationship should look like. On one hand, the college is a private institution and students pay a lot of money to come here and they should be able to benefit from all of that the college has to offer. At the same time, the college is also amidst a very small town. And the few people that live in the town are very affected by the college students. And the college itself as an institution. So, I don't know. I think there should be a relationship. I don't know what to say what that relationship looks like.

Natalie: Thank you for your time. Thank you so much.

Talia: Thank you very much.

Interviewee 1: Yeah, no problem. Glad to help you out

Another day. Yeah.