2021: A Year in Photos

After working and studying remotely for 18 months, students and the Oberlin community returned to campus at the start of the academic year and adapted to new COVID-19 guidelines.

A woman pretends to give hand sanitizer to a camera lens.
A woman works at her off desk while wearing a face mask and enclosed in plastic barriers.

Most offices and classrooms are outfitted with clear partitions and indoor masks are mandatory.

A video camera films a chemistry experiment.

January 15: In-person and virtual classes were introduced. To accommodate students taking virtual courses, cameras were mounted in classrooms and experiments were recorded. This spring chemistry experiment was designed to highlight how chemical equilibrium can be impacted by a variety of factors.

JANUARY 25, MOVE-IN WEEK: The college moved to a three-semester year (instead of two) and reduced the number of students on campus to prevent the spread of COVID. Classes rotated their time on campus throughout the year. This week, seniors, juniors, and first-year students returned for spring semester.

Three students wheel luggage into a building.
People unload boxes and luggage from the trunk of a car.
A student's nose is swabbed during a COVID test.

JANUARY: Hales Gym was transformed into a COVID-19 test center.

FEBRUARY 2: Student take in-person and virtual classes.

A restaurant with partitions

Downtown eateries installed social distancing partitions.

People stand in a line at a dining hall.

Grab-and-go dinning was implemented.

FEBRUARY 5: Wilder Bowl was transformed into Winter Oberland. Throughout February and March, students were invited to gather around fire pits, ice skate near Mudd Center, take pictures with ice sculptures, and enjoy music, donuts, and hot chocolate each Friday.

Students ice skate at night in an outdoor rink.
People stand around a burning ice tower.

FEBRUARY 23: Students in an Archaeological Lab Methods course used clay to construct small pots in order to better understand materials and methods used by ancient societies. Pieces of clay were rolled, stacked, and shaped into circular containers.

A girl taps a sphere with a metal stick in a physics lab.
A student in a lab talks to her classmate on a computer monitor

FEBRUARY 24: Virtual lab partners.

Students in a large classroom

A class held in the language lab.

FEBRUARY 27: Quarantine Couture was the theme at the Black History Month Fashion Show. In addition to showcasing fashionable and creative clothing and accessories, the event provided participants with an opportunity to express and celebrate themselves and their beauty.

A college student wears business attire and shorts while holding a laptop.

MARCH: Spring in Tappan Square.

Three people do planks in a gym

MARCH 9: President Carmen Twillie Ambar joined Oberlin's football team in 6:15 a.m. works.

Two women receive shots in their arms.

MARCH 19: After waiting more than a year for a COVID-19 vaccine, people around the world received their first "jab." Here, Assistant to the President Jennifer Bradfield and President Carmen Twillie Ambar are administered the vaccine. (Photo Courtesy of Bradfield)

MARCH 21: Black artistry was celebrated with student performances in Wilder Bowl. Outside concerts and events are encouraged during the pandemic.

A young plays a cello at an outdoor concert.
A runner jumps a hurdle

APRIL 3: After a length break due to COVID-19, Oberlin College's sports teams are back in person competition.

Drummers get a thumbs up from their conductor.

APRIL 5: The Percussion Ensemble rehearsed in Warner Concert Hall.

A woman holds a vaccination kit.

April 6: The college received its first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine.

A nurse administers the first COVID-19 vaccine dose on campus.

A softball is thrown at a catcher.

APRIL 7

A jazz band performs in a park gazebo.

April 24: A concert of small jazz ensembles by students from the Oberlin Jazz Studies Department is performed from the Clark Bandstand at Tappan Square. 

A student plays violin to bugs.

TIMARA presented a virtual concert: Computers (2015).

A choir performs outside.

APRIL 29: The Oberlin Collegium presented a program of music by Palestrina, John Sheppard, and Thomas Tallis on Mudd Center's patio.

A choir performs outside.

APRIL 30: The Oberlin College Choir performed on the patio of the Mudd Center.

A trombone band performs in a park

The Oberlin Trombone Choir performed in Tappan Square.

Students sit on the ground and listen to a steel drum band.

MAY 1: Folk Fest in Wilder Bowl included student performances and a livestream concert by William Tyler and Haley Heynderickx.

A gospel choir gives an outside concert in a park.

MAY 2: The Oberlin Gospel Ensemble gave a concert in Tappan Square.

A student swings a baseball bat.

The abbreviated 10-game season for the baseball team ended at Dill Field.

A chamber vocal group give an outdoor performance.

The Chamber Singers.

MAY 9: The work of senior art students was celebrated with exhibitions in the Richard D. Baron '64 Art Gallery and Fisher Gallery.

An artist drawing of screaming people.
A small sculpture of a house with lots of windows.
An artist drawing of a winding staircase.
Workers lay large plastic squares down on a football field.

MAY 11: Workers prepared Dick Bailey Field for graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2021.

College students gather in a

May 13: A scaled version of Oberlin's traditional Illumination took place in Tappan Square.

May 14: In an effort to reduce the number of students and attendees in one space, exercises were held on the football field instead of in Tappan Square. The day's program included two graduation ceremonies—one in the morning and the other half in the afternoon.

A woman and college student bump elbows.

MAY 20: Oberlin's first summer semester welcomed back sophomores and other students who had studied remotely.

A food service worker places food on a plate for a student.

MAY 24: The college became one of only a handful of liberal arts colleges throughout the country to offer students a certified kosher kitchen experience when the doors of Heritage Kosher Kitchen opened in Talcott Hall on May 26.

A movie marquee.

JUNE 4: After a lengthy closure due to the pandemic, Oberlin’s Apollo Theater reopened.

JUNE 5: Summer semester Art Rental.

Three students walk through a courtyard carrying large paintings.
A woman at a podium speaks to an audience in a large lecture hall.

JUNE 14: Author and columnist Deesha Philyaw gave a reading of her work in Nancy Dye Lecture Hall.

A man wearing headphones speaks into a microphone while seated at his desk.

JUNE 16: Oberlin Conservatory Global offered a series of courses designed for music students, teachers, and lifelong learners of all backgrounds. The five initial courses included topics in music education, music theory, string playing, 1970s rock and roll, and online musical collaboration technology.

JUNE 19: Members of the Oberlin community celebrated Juneteenth with a parade, block party, performances, and a memorial service honoring Black Civil War soldiers and slaves buried in Westwood Cemetery.

A parade.
A small pride flag in the ground.

JUNE: 26: Pride Month was recognized with several events, including a 5k run that started in Tappan Square and ended on Baily Field.

Two people hold hands while dancing.

Pride Prom

Two people look at firework in a park.

JULY 4: Students watched 4th of July fireworks on the lawn of a nearby water park.

JULY 10: 2nd Saturdays during the summer months in Oberlin provided opportunities for visitors and members of the community to have fun, enjoy music and exhibits, and purchase baked goods, veggies, and crafts from vendors.

An aerial view of exposed pipes in a field.

JULY 7: The college's Sustainable Infrastructure Program (SIP) was well underway in July. The goal of SIP is to upgrade the century-old heating infrastructure serving the campus to a hot water system. This work will enable a large-scale geothermal system, add cooling to buildings, and implement other structural improvements.

A group students dance in class.

JULY 12: A Word and the Beat class gave a virtual performance in the Irene and Alan Wurtzel Theater.

A woman holds a petri dish.

JULY 14: Alzheimer's research was conducted in the Neuroscience Department.

Two students paint on canvas outside.

JULY 20: Students in an Introduction to Painting class took advantage of the summer weather and worked outside.

A group of people stand in a small parkland listen to a talk by a young speaker.

JULY 23: Green Legacy gave a tree tour of Tappan Square. This nonprofit seeks to promote international peace and friendship by spreading worldwide seeds and saplings that originate from trees that survived the atomic bombs.

JULY 31: Oberlin's first Drag Ball and Solarity event collaboration featured performances from drag queens and musical guests.

A large crowd looks at a dancer on stage.
Taiko drummers perform before an audience in a large room.

AUGUST 7: Natsu Matsuri, or summer festival, was held in the Root Room. This annual festival held by Japanese and Japanese-American communities during late summer includes games, food booths, and performances. 

Students sale handmade items at a market.

AUGUST 8: Oberlin College students sold handmade wares at a summer semester Maker's Market in the Science Center bowl.

Three students perform a modern dance number.

AUGUST 12: Ballet Oberlin, a student dance club, performed in Wilder Main Space.

A group of people paint a mural.

AUGUST 14: More than 100 people came out to a community paint day to complete the new mural that was added to the downtown Oberlin area. 

A large mural.
A large group of students sit in a park facing a stage.

AUGUST 18: An end-of-the semester showcase in Tappan Square featured students who took classes in the Department of Dance.

Dancers dance in a grassy park.

AUGUST 26: Students studied for final summer semester exams.

A long row of cars and people unpacking boxes.

SEPTEMBER 28 and 29: Move-in days brought all members of the student body back to campus in September, including those in the Class of 2025 who are 892 strong.

SEPTEMBER: 30: Member of the Class of 2025 were welcomed to Oberlin by President Carmen Twillie Ambar.

A woman talks to a small group of students.

President Carmen Twillie Ambar talked with new students at a reception.

A woman greets a student in a parking lot.

Newly appointed Vice President and Dean of Students Karen C. Goff greeted new students.

OCTOBER 1: First-year students embark on prepared to head to Cleveland for Connect Cleveland. The annual all-day experience is a presidential initiative that allows new Obies an opportunity to learn about Cleveland and greater Northeast Ohio; meet Oberlin alumni; and identify possibilities for future service, internships, and careers. This year students visited 50 sites.

Students sort books in a large warehouse
Students enter a theater building.
Students work in a city garden.
Students enter a building

OCTOBER 2: The Bonner Center, the Multicultural Resource Center, and Department of Comparative American Studies brought a group of Oberlin students to El Centro in Lorain for a special program to meet with community partners, learn about community organizing in Lorain, and view an the exhibit that celebrated 100 years of Latinas/os in Lorain.

A five member winds band sit on a large stage.

OCTOBER 4: The Imani Winds, a wind quintet based in New York City, held an on-campus special event that included a short musical performance, talk, and an open Q&A forum for those in attendance. 

OCTOBER 6: Members of the Oberlin community sampled cuisine from local restaurants and participated in games at Taste of Oberlin in Wilder Bowl.

A girl throws a ball at a target.
A man stretches his arms while speaking into a microphone.

OCTOBER 9: Oberlin’s own poetry slam student group—OSlam— gave a back-to-school performance at the college's Cat and the Cream Coffeehouse. 

A man speaks at a podium.

OCTOBER 10: Presentations by college and conservatory faculty touched on Greek poetry, influences related to the implementation of Oberlin's new music theory curriculum, and foul play in ancient sports in Greece and Rome, focusing on how magic could be used to ensure a win and defeat one’s enemies.

People file inside a tent

Faculty, staff, and students kicked off the academic year with food, fun, and raffles at the Asian and Pacific Islander Fall Welcome event.

People visit representatives at tables set up in a large field.

OCTOBER 12: Representatives from student and community organizations and campus departments answered questions about their programs and events at a fall Connections fair. 

Three students look at a drawing in an art exhibit.

OCTOBER 15: Students attended an art exhibition featuring visiting assistant professors Kat Burdine and Sophie Isaak.

OCTOBER 16: After the pandemic spoiled graduation for members of the Class of 2020, the college held an all-day celebration and ceremony in October.

Students carrying large pieces of artwork on canvas.

Across the street from 2020 graduation exercises, students rented one of the more than 350 pieces of artwork that were made available for them through the college's Art Rental program.

A long line of people stand in front of a art museum.
People cheer at a football game.

Homecoming

OCTOBER 19: Music, food, and gifts welcomed Oberlin College employees at this year's appreciation event.

Groups of people sit at tables under tents.
A small organ concert in a chapel.

Historical Performance faculty gave a concert in Fairchild Chapel on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the death of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562 – October 16, 1621). This program was part of the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Fairchild Chapel Organ at Oberlin College and Conservatory, the "Mary McIntosh Bridge Memorial Organ" built by John Brombaugh & Associates, Opus 25, 1981.

Two women sing into microphones with a band behind them.

OCTOBER 22: A live concert was held on the patio of Harvey House aka Spanish House in honor of Latinx Heritage Month.

A small group of voice students sing during a class.

OCTOBER 23: Opera theater professors and guest artists worked with conservatory students on a newly commissioned opera as it was being written. The performance will be staged during Winter Term 2023, followed by an off-campus presentation.

A line of students wait to ride a bucking pumpkin.

OCTOBER 27: A Halloween social in Wilder Hall included costumes, student organizations tables, and a mechanical pumpkin.

OCTOBER 29: Students held cellphone flashlights up during the Halloween edition of Organ Pump in Finney Chapel.

Two students walk through a city park on a fall day.
Students congregate at the bottom of an outside stone staircase.
Students walk along a path.
Two runners compete in a cross country race.

OCTOBER 30: Oberlin Cross Country finished fifth in NCAC Championships.

Five people give a musical performance.

NOVEMBER 1: Guest artists from NEXUS Chamber Music performed with Oberlin's Professor of Oboe and English Horn Robert Walters.

A woman speaks at a podium

NOVEMBER 5: Professor Jay Fiskio discussed her new book Climate Change, Literature, and Environmental Justice, as a featured President's Lecture speaker. She talked about the ways that environmental justice communities protect and repair the world through expressive culture, including dancing, cooking, and blockades.

A woman in an audience speaks into a microphone
A person sits alone in a concert hall and listens to an orchestra rehears.

Composer Theo Chandler '14 retuned to Oberlin to work with conductor Oberlin conductor Raphael Jimenez and the Oberlin Orchestra on a piece he created.

A male student sings into a microphone while two people play instruments next to him.

A fall semester jazz forum at the Cat in the Cream Coffeehouse.

The college welcomed 1,300 parents and family members to campus.

Two taiko drummers play outside and in front of a large audience.

Student taiko drummers played at a welcome reception for parents and family members.

A woman wearing a sports jersey plays a piano.

NOVEMBER 6: Sharing Stages shined a light on student artists in the Conservatory of Music and the Department of Athletics.  

A Quantitative Thinking course was part of a new Learning Lab program at Oberlin.

An orchestra plays in a pit while actors perform on stage.

NOVEMBER 12: This rehearsal of Acis and Galatea with the Oberlin Conservatory in Hall Auditorium  marked the first fully staged production with full audiences since fall 2019.

Student visitors too a science lab speak with a peer guide.

Students interested in the sciences and research visited 22 labs across campus during Lab Crawl.

A girl looks at an instructor in a classroom.

An Academic Writing Through Transition course is part of a new Learning Lab program.

A woman sings in front of a small choir.

NOVEMBER 17: The Oberlin College Choir performed in Finney Chapel.

A male swim team member competes.

NOVEMBER 19: Richard Ellis '21 dug deep during a three-day Oberlin College Invitational. Competition came to an end with the Yeowomen finishing in first place with 1,231.5 points, while the Yeomen placed fifth with 816.5 points.

NOVEMBER 30: A large flatbed truck brought the first of 126 trees to be planted in Oberlin this semester. The arrival of trees marked the end of the first of five phases involved in the Sustainable Infrastructure Program (SIP), a major step toward achieving a carbon-neutral campus by 2025. 

Two college students instruct grade school students in a classroom

DECEMBER 1: Oberlin College students worked with members of the Langston Middle School sixth grade choir.

Two men plant a small tree.

DECEMBER 2: Workers planted trees as part of the Sustainable Infrastructure Program.

DECEMBER 3: OSwing presented live music, a workshop for new swing dancers, and crash courses throughout the night in Wilder Main.

A girl loads groceries into the trunk of a car.

Students helped with food distribution at the Oberlin Community Services Center.

A trio gives a performance on a large stage.

DECEMBER 4: The Nicholas Payton Trio (featuring Vicente Archer, Joe Dyson, and Payton) performed in Finney Chapel. Payton is a Grammy award-winning multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, producer, essayist, arranger, and social activist. The event was presented by the Oberlin College Black Musicians Guild. 

A girl lights a large menorah

DECEMBER 5: A Grand Menorah Lighting took place in Tappan Square.

A student makes a pair of earrings at a market.

DECEMBER 5: Handcrafted goods made by members of Oberlin's student creative community were sold at this semester's maker's market.

A group of dance students point their toes during a performance.

DECEMBER 11: Fall Forward, an annual tradition featuring student and faculty choreographed works of varying genres, was performed in Warner Gymnasium.

DECEMBER 11: Oberlin's Pottery Co-op and community volunteers sold 600 bowls and mugs at the Empty Mugs fundraiser this month. Proceeds from the annual event were given to Oberlin Community Services, an organization that provides local residents with access to utilities, food, and housing.

A older male conductor conducts a college orchestra.

DECEMBER 12: Fridays at Finney Chapel presented the Oberlin Orchestra in an all-Beethoven program with guest conductor Robert Spano '84.

A man conducts a bassoon orchestra.

DECEMBER 13: Bassoon Christmas took place in the conservatory lounge.

A woman stretches during a yoga class.

A yoga workshop for conservatory students focussed on meditation and movement exploration through. 

Contact Us

Name
Email
Message

2025 © Oberlin College