By Jeanne-Kay

Research: Brian Springer, Kathryn Leahey, Jeanne Kay

Prelude: The Discourse of Toxicity

“Toxic Culture.” Steve Lawry’s infamous phrase is now part of the vocabulary of virtually all Antiochians. The year before the Antioch University Board of Trustees (UBoT) resolved to close the college, the key political issue on campus and the polemic that reached alumni revolved around the question of Toxic Culture–whether there was one, how it manifested itself, how to fix it or how to debunk its myth.

To alumni whose only contact with the community in years had been filtered through Media and University intermediaries, “toxic culture” meant a steady decline in academic excellence and increased political narrowness from their time at Antioch onwards; to conservative reporters, “toxic culture” came to be the perfect excuse to write diatribes against political correctness at liberal arts colleges; and to many observers “toxic culture” was a perfect shortcut to explaining how Antioch College had found itself in such an incomprehensibly dire situation: Antioch students were narrow-minded, unstable, out of control–they chased away new students, driving down retention and preventing Antioch from achieving financial stability. The toxic culture narrative made sense–and it was useful.

By Jeanne Kay

Many things were different about this week’s AdCil meeting: it was held in South Hall, it started a little late and there was no coffee thermos on the table; but the main difference was that Interim President Andrzej Bloch did not sit at the end of the conference table. Instead, it was Faculty member Eric Miller, who had called the meeting, who took stacks and chaired the session of AdCil in exile.

“AdCil is just not working and won’t work under the current conditions,” said Miller as an introduction, “and we need to see if there’s anything we can do about it.” After Andrzej Bloch, by announcing the University’s unilateral decision to reconfirm the suspension of operations at Antioch College on Friday February 22^nd, positioned himself as a mere messenger of the University, several calls for his resignation were made by community members in the week preceding the ad hoc AdCil. The members present on Tuesday morning—though short of forming quorum, were thus faced with the delicate task of redefining AdCil’s mission.

By Jeanne Kay
It was not easy, on Tuesday morning, for AdCil members to discuss the first items on the agenda as if Friday’s announcement had not happened.  The state of aggravated uncertainty brought to the community by the reaffirmation by Antioch University that operations at Antioch College would take an end under the University watch on June 30th made order of the day topics subordinate to dealing with the consequences of the new situation.
The Subcommittee for Campus Services submitted their report about the short-term needs of different campus services (including IT, Counseling and Wellness, Financial Aid, the Gym, the Theatre…) yet several AdCil members felt unable to take action to meet these needs given the level of uncertainty about the future of the college: “In order to meaningfully evaluate these issues we need to have a timeframe in our minds and we don’t have it” declared faculty member Hassan Rahmanian. Interim President Andrzej Bloch replied that although there was no clear picture of the future of the institution, the report pointed out “small things that could be fixed right away.” Union member Carol Braun, however, ventured that “The University is covering itself from a lawsuit by students… By going through a community institution like AdCil, so they can prove they’ve asked the community…and show that that they’ve tried to support students throughout the term.”

I. Preface
History of the RDPP
Since its student-initiated inception in 1997, the Racial Discrimination Prevention Policy (RDPP) has been the work of students, staff, faculty and administrators at Antioch College.  The College’s Sexual Offense Prevention Policy inspired the idea for a policy designed to support an anti-racist College environment.  There have been incidents on the Antioch College campus that demonstrated the need for this type of policy.  Procedural components to address prevention are also included in the policy as part of the mediation and resolution process.  The College’s Administrative Council approved this policy on April 25, 2006.

by Erin-aja grant
The shape of McGregor 113 is reminiscent of a Greek amphitheater, stadium seats and all. This week the agenda was lively with thank yous or yays first, with all the nays (Pulse) at the end. As the counsel formed, folks enjoyed the free ice cream on a rainy day. Although the only Caesars present were haircuts, people were heard and decisions were made. The first yay was from Milt Thompson, who thanked students for their ongoing participation in the smoking ban, even though there are still issues. Students were thanked and applauded while faculty, staff, and students sang praises for the muses of our community. Scott Warren was acknowledged for his orations during breakfast with Dialogia. Dennie Eagleson accepted her Community Member of the Week chocolate for her role at Antioch, mirroring that of Atlas. Much like Hermes the Cil updates were helpful and informative. Kim Jurriaans reported to the gallery about AdCil. She talked about the current happenings with the AC3 and future plans to raze G. Stanley Hall. Levi B. lectured on behalf of ComCil as the chair. ComCil signed confidentiality agreements, appointed committees, and debated the CG elections and how to proceed with the race. The chair also explained the no candidate option, while announcing the continuation of the election as normal. Announcements were spouted much like Zeus’s siblings from the mouth of Cornus. Story time is Mondays for all the Antiochians with an Achilles-style weakness for picture books, Wellness 9:30pm. Dialogia is discussing “chicks” this week, 7pm Thursday. Others had enticements much like those from Hades, $1 corndogs in the C-shop, and a Mustache party Friday at 11pm. The herald of Antioch, “The Record” reminded the public to email questions, concerns, and op-eds to the editors. Also noble CM Chelsea Martens beseeched the citizenry to send events for community day via mail by Friday. The CFB was at a whooping $4,665 while requests were made. Niko Kowell asked for reimbursement for a conference he and other students attended. Students Jamila Hunter and J-Bear requested $40 and $50 dollars respectively. The exiled Jimmy Williams was chosen as the commencement speaker, with Patricia Hill-Collins receiving the next bid. The next item on the agenda was the candidate’s forum for the “Fab Four” collective. Comprised of Jamila Hunter, Fela Pierre-Louis, Niko Kowell, and Meghan Pergram, they led a discussion on their hopes for the future. They also proclaimed their personal deadline for their continued participation in the race. If the school has no final decision by April 4th, the “Fab Four” collective will step down. Although this news was a shock, continued help with the hiring process was mentioned. As the questions began in true dialogue, OM candidate Meghan Pergram discussed the budget and projections for next term. Niko Kowell clarified what support for staff and faculty could mean. The collective does intend to have a community forum to hear about the needs of students and discuss the 4th position. While many issues and questions remain the “Fab Four” did address student morale, LEG code difficulties, and diversity struggles. CM candidate Fela Pierre-Louis cited the need for “Antioch to be accountable”. The meeting ended in true sophist tradition, with a pulse conversation of laundry. Some poised value questions, while some asked about Antioch’s sense of social responsibility. Kim Jurriaans just wanted to know where her bras and pants went from the north dormitory. True Greeks could have debated this topic for hours but in the end it is simple. Next time you hear the sirens tell you to take peoples stuff, pull a Dionysus and get some wine instead.