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.

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Uncertainty, for a change: Nonstop in Limbo

ProTem Board Member of the Week: Atis Folkmanis

Nonsters Return: Students Ready for Round Two

Campus North Opens at Millworks

Newsbriefs from Yellow Springs: The Future of CRF, Risa Grimes on Fundraising, and ProTem Board to visit Nonstop

Meet Your New Cil Representatives

Art and Culture in Mali: “It was Glorious”: an interview with Shea Witzberger

Letter to the Editor

Some Notes on The Reader

Question of the Week

Classes Resume at Nonstop

By Eva Erickson

It’s the beginning of round two for the Nonstop Liberal Arts Institute, and the Nonsters are back and ready to fight. They come in all different shapes, sizes, and styles including  self-proclaimed: smelly nonster (1^st year Rose Pelzl ), hermit nonster (2^nd year Stacy Wood-Burgess), awkward, yet joyous nonster (2^nd year Ashley McNeely),  an artsy-fartsy/party nonster (3^rd year Shea Witzberger), and even a stick-to-your-ribs nonster (8^th year Jonny No). Team Nonster has lost a few teammates since last semester, but has gained many former Antioch students and returnees from Antioch Education Abroad in Europe and Mali, and even a few fresh faces.

Katie Connolly, one of about three totally new students to Nonstop, came here from Chicago after attending three years at Northeastern, and decided she wanted to be in a smaller college with a stronger sense of community and more personal connection between the faculty and students. She’s also interested in learning how to make documentaries and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make one with Anne Bohlen in the “Toxic Tours” co-op. She learned about Antioch through her older sister, Kelly Connolly, who graduated in 2003 and is currently involved with the Chicago Alumni chapter. She also wants to learn the history of Antioch College’s transformation to Nonstop.

By Dennie Eagleson

I spent some time last week talking to Shea Witzberger, current Nonstop student, about her experience in Mali this past fall. Shea is currently co-oping with Anne Bohlen, working on Anne’s documentary film project, Toxic Tours, and taking classes in painting and theatre.

Dennie: Can you say where you are from, and a brief summary of your history at Antioch College and Nonstop?

Shea: I am originally from all over. I was born in Arizona, but mostly I am from Iowa City, Iowa. I entered Antioch in 2006 right out of high school, and spent two years there, and this fall, I did the Antioch University program in Mali: Arts and Culture. When I was at Antioch, I determined a focus of political theatre and community building. I originally entered thinking I was going to study Peace Studies and Environmental Studies, which is connected for me to community building. I would like to focus more on the arts, so I am doing theater, and now my specific focus in theater is puppetry, which is what I was studying in Mali.

Why did you chose Mali?

By Tim Peyton

Students can’t make it out of the side of North anymore due to the broken step.  Walking out the front door from North only leads to a gigantic puddle in front of the Union.  “We were thinking of getting boats to cross it,” said first year Stacy Wood Burgess. In the Caf all the tables by the window are gone.  Red ‘caution’ tape surrounds where they once were.  If you ever decide to play pool, chances are you won’t find a stick because they are broken so often.  Students trying to work in AIMAC can barely stand to be in there because of the broken window.  This sounds like some sort of nightmare but unfortunately this is the state of Antioch College these days.

Some students are even getting injured because of these issues.  International student Yoshitomo Kawai fell the other day walking up the steps to North.  “ I was holding a glass of wine and it got everywhere,” Yoshi said.  Some students are also having trouble getting to class on time because of the ice and large salt cubes on walkways.