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In 1835 Oberlin became the first institute of higher education to make a cause of racial egalitarianism when it decided to educate students \"irrespective of color.\" Yet the visionary college's implementation of this admissions policy was uneven. InConstructing Black Education at Oberlin College: A Documentary History,Roland M. Baumannpresents a comprehensive documentary history of the education of African American students at Oberlin College.Following the Reconstruction era, Oberlin College mirrored the rest of society as it reduced its commitment to black students by treating them as less than equals of their white counterparts. By the middle of the twentieth century, black and white student activists partially reclaimed the Oberlin legacy by refusing to be defined by race. Generations of Oberlin students, plus a minority of faculty and staff, rekindled the college's commitment to racial equality by 1970. In time, black separatism in its many forms replaced the integrationist ethic on campus as African Americans sought to chart their own destiny and advance curricular change.Oberlin's is not a story of unbroken progress, but rather of irony, of contradictions and integrity, of myth and reality, and of imperfections. Baumann takes readers directly to the original sources by including thirty complete documents from the Oberlin College Archives. This richly illustrated volume is an important contribution to the college's 175th anniversary celebration of its distinguished history, for it convincingly documents how Oberlin wrestled over the meaning of race and the destiny of black people in American society.

Ten years ago, amateur photographer and school bus driver Cynthia Stewart dropped off eleven rolls of film at a drugstore in Ohio. The rolls contained photographs of her eight-year-old daughter Nora, including two of the child in the shower--photos that would cause the county prosecutor to arrest Cynthia, take her away in handcuffs, threaten to remove her daughter from her home, and charge her with crimes that carried the possibility of sixteen years in prison. The disturbing case would ultimately attract national attention, including stories in USA Today and on NPR. Written by poet Lynn Powell, a neighbor of Cynthia Stewart's, this story plumbs the perfect storm of events and people that threatened an ordinary family in a small American town.--From publisher description.

Background Nerve transfers are a cornerstone in the surgical management of traumatic brachial plexus injuries (BPIs) to restore elbow flexion. Common donor nerves include intraplexal sources like the ulnar and median nerves (fascicular transfers) and extraplexal sources like the intercostal nerves (ICNs). Despite the widespread use of both techniques, the optimal donor nerve remains a subject of debate. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to compare these techniques for restoring elbow flexion in BPIs. Methods A systematic search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science to identify comparative studies. The quality of the studies included was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS). Meta-analyses were performed to compare motor recovery (≥ M3), time to M3 recovery, and complication rates between the two surgical approaches. Results The analysis included 13 studies with a total of 537 patients. In the overall cohort, which included mixed injury patterns, fascicular transfers showed a statistically significant advantage for achieving ≥ M3 recovery (RR = 0.84, 95% CI [0.75, 0.94]). However, when the analysis was restricted to patients with only upper-BPIs, there was no significant difference in achieving ≥ M3 strength between fascicular and ICN transfers (RR = 0.92, 95% CI [0.82, 1.04]). Fascicular transfers resulted in a significantly faster time to ≥ M3 recovery by approximately five months (MD = 5.25, 95% CI [2.87, 7.62]). Donor-site morbidity (18 sensory, 10 motor deficits) and wrist co-flexion were reported in fascicular transfer groups, whereas pneumothorax (4 cases) was the primary complication for ICN transfers. Conclusion In patients with upper-BPIs, fascicular and ICN transfers yield comparable elbow flexion strength. The choice of procedure is a trade-off between the faster recovery offered by fascicular transfers and the better rehabilitation course of ICN transfers.

The story of the building of the Adam Joseph Lewis Center at Oberlin College in the context of ecological design, institutional learning, and the green campus movement.The story of the Adam Joseph Lewis Center at Oberlin College-the first substantially green building to be built on a college campus-encompasses more than the particulars of one building. In Design on the Edge, David Orr writes about the planning and design of Oberlin's environmental studies building as part of a larger story about the art and science of ecological design and the ability of institutions of higher learning themselves to learn.The Lewis Center, which has attracted worldwide attention as a model of ecological design, operates according to environmental principles. It is powered entirely by solar energy, features landscaping with fruit trees and vegetable gardens, and houses a Living Machine, which processes all wastewater for reuse in the building or landscape. Orr puts the Lewis Center into historical design context and describes the obstacles and successes he encountered in obtaining funds and college approval, interweaving the particulars of the center with thoughts on the larger environmental and societal issues the building process illustrates.Equal parts analysis, personal reflection, and call to action, Design on the Edge illustrates the process of institutional change, institutional learning, and the political economy of design. It describes how the idea of the Lewis Center originated and was translated into reality with the help of such environmental visionaries as William McDonough and John Todd, and how the building has performed since its completion.College and university administrators will spend 17 billion dollars on new buildings over the next few years. Design on the Edge is essential reading for architects, planners, and environmentalists who need to sell the innovations of ecological design to wary institutions, and for educators and students whose profession is undermined by the very buildings they work in-and for anyone who has ever tried to change an organization for the better.

Background: Predicting functional recovery after selective nerve transfer remains challenging. Intraoperative nerve action potential (NAP) recording is widely used to confirm axonal continuity in peripheral nerve surgery; however, its quantitative prognostic value in selective nerve transfer has not been clearly established. This study evaluated whether intraoperative donor fascicle NAP amplitude predicts functional recovery following selective ulnar-to-musculocutaneous nerve transfer (Oberlin procedure) for restoration of elbow flexion. Methods: This retrospective exploratory observational study included 20 patients who underwent selective ulnar-to-musculocutaneous nerve transfer (Oberlin procedure) with standardized intraoperative neurophysiological mapping and quantitative donor fascicle NAP recording. Functional outcome specific to elbow flexion was assessed at last follow-up using the Medical Research Council (MRC) grading system. Time to first electromyographic evidence of biceps reinnervation was recorded. Associations between intraoperative NAP amplitude and functional, temporal, and clinical variables were analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and non-parametric tests. Results: Donor NAP amplitude demonstrated substantial interindividual variability (range 60–400 µV; median 137.5 µV, IQR 87.5–200 µV). No significant associations were observed between NAP amplitude and final MRC grade (ρ = −0.103; p = 0.666), time to electromyographic reinnervation (days: ρ = −0.123; p = 0.617), patient age, or time from injury to surgery. A moderate negative correlation between NAP amplitude and lesion severity was observed but did not reach statistical significance in this small cohort (ρ = −0.419; p = 0.0659). In contrast, shorter time to electromyographic reinnervation was significantly associated with improved final functional outcome (ρ = −0.559; p = 0.013). No patient reported postoperative hand weakness. Conclusions: In this exploratory cohort, intraoperative donor NAP amplitude was not associated with time to electromyographic reinnervation or final elbow flexion strength following selective ulnar-to-musculocutaneous nerve transfer. Although intraoperative NAP mapping remains essential to confirm axonal continuity and conduction viability of the donor fascicle, NAP amplitude did not demonstrate prognostic value in this cohort and should be interpreted cautiously as an isolated predictor of functional recovery, particularly given the limited sample size and exploratory design. These findings suggest that recovery after selective nerve transfer may be influenced by broader biological determinants, including regenerative timing, rather than by isolated intraoperative amplitude metrics.

Background/Objectives: Selective transfer of an ulnar nerve fascicle to the motor branch of the musculocutaneous nerve (Oberlin technique) is widely used to restore elbow flexion following upper brachial plexus injury. Intraoperative neurophysiological mapping allows quantitative recording of compound muscle action potentials (CMAPs) during donor fascicle selection; however, its prognostic relevance remains unclear. This study evaluated whether intraoperative flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) CMAP amplitude is associated with time to electromyographic reinnervation of the biceps brachii and with final functional outcomes. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted including patients who underwent selective nerve transfer to the biceps brachii between 2006 and 2025 at two tertiary referral centers. Donor fascicles were selected using intraoperative neurophysiological mapping with quantitative CMAP recordings from three ulnar-innervated muscles. Primary outcomes were time to electromyographic evidence of reinnervation and final elbow flexion strength assessed using the British Medical Research Council grading system. Associations were analyzed using nonparametric statistical methods. Results: Twenty patients met the inclusion criteria. Higher intraoperative FCU CMAP amplitudes were associated with a shorter time to electromyographic reinnervation (Spearman ρ = −0.572, p = 0.0106). No association was observed between CMAP amplitude and final elbow flexion strength (Spearman ρ = −0.168, p = 0.479), or between time to reinnervation and final functional outcome (Spearman ρ = −0.276, p = 0.253). A positive association was found between the injury-to-surgery interval and intraoperative CMAP amplitude (Spearman ρ = 0.681, p = 0.000943). Conclusions: The intraoperative FCU CMAP amplitude facilitates objective donor fascicle selection and is associated with earlier electromyographic reinnervation. Nevertheless, it was not associated with final elbow flexion strength in this cohort and should be interpreted as a technical adjunct rather than a standalone prognostic indicator. Functional recovery following nerve transfer appears to reflect multifactorial biological and temporal determinants beyond a single intraoperative neurophysiological measurement. These findings should be interpreted cautiously given the limited sample size.