Tension in Oberlin

<p>I was just looking at the Oberlin Review (school newspaper) and read an article about the assault of three Obies in two days during Thanksgiving break by a group of teenagers. The article can be found here:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.oberlin.edu/stupub/ocreview/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.oberlin.edu/stupub/ocreview/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I know that crime occurs everywhere, but the article said two things that esp. concerned me;
1. This article said this really wasn't out of the ordinary at Oberlin.
2. One of the victims said he thought the attack may have been motivated by socio-economic tension between the school and town. Are the"town- gown" relations really that bad?</p>

<p>I don't know, maybe I'm blowing things out of proportion...what do ppl think?</p>

<p>Quoting from the article you linked:</p>

<p>"According to data released by the office of Safety and Security, there were four aggravated assaults and one robbery on campus last year. In the two years before that, only two robberies and one aggravated assault were reported. </p>

<p>“We have our peaks and valleys,” Jones said, who stressed that the incidents last week are not part of a trend. “It was a fluke of a thing…these guys got together and just wanted to commit havoc.” "</p>

<p>Hi! I haven't been on this website in over a year, but it's Reading Period and I'm procrastinating, so....here I am peeking at the Oberlin section of this discussion board.</p>

<p>I was on campus for part of Thanksgiving Break and know one of the students who was assaulted by the teenagers. This is my third year at Oberlin and I've hardly ever felt unsafe walking around campus. It can be a little creepy at night if you aren't in a well-lit area, but I've never felt in danger. Usually, the most that will happen is people stealing unattended backpacks in the library, or students stealing each others food from the communal refridgerators (which is really really annoying!).</p>

<p>The town and the college don't have the closest relationship, but I don't think the tension between the two are bad. The college could do a lot more to help the town, but there are many students who volunteer in the schools, etc.</p>

<p>I don't know how satisfactorily I answered your questions, but I hope my answers at least give you a clearer picture of what it's like here at Oberlin.</p>

<p>=)</p>