- Transcript by John Hempfling

The Record interviewed ProTem Board Chair Lee Morgan and Consultant to the ProTem Board Matthew Derr on Monday, February 16th

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The Record: Could you both define your role in the process leading to the definitive agreement? Lee what is your role?

Lee Morgan: Technically I’m the chair of the board ProTem, that’s my role, but I was nominated by the Alumni Association Board of Directors to represent alumni on the Task Force to negotiate the LOI.

What are you doing during the 90 day period, what does your schedule look like?

Lee: I’m trying to raise fifteen million dollars and we have to hammer out the definitive agreement and there are problems with the definitive agreements. I made some mistakes in the LOI one of which is mine, so I’ll fess up… which is the reversion clause in the LOI.

You said at the Seattle meeting that this was a deal breaker?

Lee: It is, for me it is, now Matthew might talk me out it but right now to me it’s a deal breaker.

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.”

This week’s issue spends a lot of time discussing love at Antioch. Our readers hear it from our staff, faculty, and even our layout editor. Given the amount of attention given to this topic, it would seem redundant for my editorial to also discuss love at Antioch, but I am talking about love of a different kind, and a different Antioch.
In Roman times, Antioch was the largest city east of Constantinople. It was also of great importance to early Christians. One of these early followers of Jesus was St. Ignatius, the third Bishop of Antioch. It is to old Saint Iggy, rather than Saint Valentine, that I turn to for a lesson in love.
St. Ignatius was captured by the Romans, and sentenced to death in the Colosseum. During the long journey from Antioch (in present day Turkey) to Rome, he was subjected to all kinds of hardships. His writings tell the grim tale: “I fight with wild beasts, by land and sea, by night and by day, being bound amidst ten leopards, even a company of soldiers, who only grow worse when they are kindly treated”. Yet his beliefs did not waver, and he actually attracted large crowds of followers during his trying journey, turning desperate times into an educational experience. Upon arrival in Rome, Ignatius was taken to the Colosseum and put in front of a bunch of hungry lions. His love of his beliefs was so great that right before he was torn apart by these bloodthirsty beasts he is reported to have cried out to his followers “I am dying willingly for God’s sake, if only you do not prevent it. I beg you, do not do me an untimely kindness. Allow me to be eaten by the beasts, which are my way of reaching to God. I am God’s wheat, and I am to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts, so that I may become the pure bread of Christ.” This is true love, though certainly not of a romantic disposition, but love for a belief system and ideas.
As we at the Antioch of modern times face the wild beasts of disappearing financial aid, disintegrating facilities, and dwindling student services, and possibly the ultimate test of our ideals, the closure of our institution, I ask those who truly love this place, and its virtues and principals, to remain steadfast. Follow the example of St. Ignatius, and if the death of the college does transpire, let your love move you closer to everything it represents, even as we are ripped to shreds by the merciless teeth of the Board of Trustees. Love, Live, and Prosper.
Happy Valentines Day Molly!
-Edward Perkins

As the community holds its breath in anticipation, many students have begun examining their options and preparing for the worst. For some students, this means transferring to a more financially stable school, but for others, it means a mad rush to the finish in hopes of graduating from Antioch College before it’s too late.
Regardless of the fate of the college, all students not graduating at the end of this term will have to start the financial aid process all over again. If the bid of the Antioch College Continuation Corporation is successful, and the college achieves independence, the college will need to reapply for government sponsored financial aid for students. Antioch University is the owner of the coveted school number that is written on the FAFSA and that all students from both the college and the satellite campuses use to apply for financial aid. Were independence attained, a new number would need to be acquired for only the college.
According to Robin Heise, director of financial aid at the college, there are a number of steps that must be completed before students can expect stability in financial aid at the college post-independence.

By James Fischbeck

In this week’s meeting of the Administrative Council, there were 3 items on the agenda, the first item was the approval of minutes from the October 10th meeting, the second being an overview of the admissions and financial aid plans for the future, and the third item was a discussion of the role and function of AdCil, including faculty personnel issues. The minutes from the October 10th meeting are being re-written to include more of the long discussion that made the last AdCil most memorable. After the discussion over minutes, Admissions and Financial aid gave an overview of their plan to attract future Antiochians. The admissions process works in 2-year cycles, meaning that they are making decisions that will directly affect the next 2 generations of students. The first question raised was is “How are we going to bring in the classes of 2007 and 2008?�? Cathy Paige laid out the answer in 3 parts.

First, Antioch is participating in the purchasing of names of high school seniors from a company called Human Capital as they have done in the past. Last year, they bought about 120,000 names, and this year, they plan on buying around 80,000 – 90,000 names. Their reason for buying fewer names this year is conservation of resources and revision to the criteria to be used for the search focusing on Antioch’s strengths (co-op, community involvement, organizing for social justice). For example, they will be cutting people from the search who are looking for a religious education or intercollegiate sports since neither programs are represented fully here at Antioch.