A memory that colors my school years: I had a mail-order coin business when I was at Oberlin. It helped pay my tuition, and has become my career. But entrepreneurship was not supported in those days. Working for Food Service was supported. At the end of junior year my parents were living outside the US and I could not check in to summer housing until students had checked out, so there was a window where my coin stock (and I) had no safe place to go. Dorms were open for an alumni reunion but I was told my room in South Hall was needed as a rental. It was always emphasized that we students WERE alumni, and the Alumni Office had no objection to my renting my own room for a couple days. But when the South Hall house-mother learned of this irregularity, I was summoned by the Dean of Students. Learning from a lawyer that a contract is a contract, I showed up with a note-taking witness and completely flabbergasted the Dean. My security and housing needs cut no ice, I decided not to press the point, and agreed to be out in 24 hours. No help or alternatives were offered. It took exactly that long to arrange safe housing, move heavy coin stock, cabinets, etc. As we were heading out the door with the last load, campus security with a couple of town toughs were heading in, presumably to toss me and my rare coins out on the lawn. Turns out no rooms were rented in my wing and South Hall was mostly empty during the alumni event. This is mainly about two administration folks whose noses got out of joint when I found a way around their authority (spirit of the times!) but the underlying attitude of disdain for business is one that does not well serve the college. Oberlin started life with a mission to serve then-and-still under-supported minorities and has evolved into a grad school prep college. The downside is that in deflecting applicants considering careers in business or finance, it could be self-selecting a less affluent future donor pool at a time when endowments are evaporating. Not to mention leaving graduates ill equipped to handle the business aspects of any career path. I would have been motivated to give more to the college had I not nursed lingering resentments. Thanks to classmate Rich Petrick for reading this and drawing my attention to Section XII of: https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/content/about-oberlin/aapr/aapr_final_report.pdf , an excellent proposal to offer some degree of basic business education within Oberlin's current framework and mission. Given recent improvements in distance learning, the College could even partner with another institution. I hope something comes of the suggestions in this report.

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