Month: September 2007

Transfer Fair Digest

For many students on campus, Antioch College was their first school of choice and they expected it to be their last. Unfortunately, under the current mandate of the board, they are in a predicament in which they cannot count on the college’s full operation next year. In an effort to alleviate the stress of finding possible universities to attend in the event that Antioch does close, the Office of Transition held a transfer fair on September 15 and 16 in the Herndon gallery, bringing potential schools to us. Representatives attending the fair, however, were not pleased to visit Antioch under these circumstances.
“As and admissions director, this is the most horrible thing I’ve ever done,” said Mike Warner, of Alaska Pacific University at the outer-university transfer day on Sunday. “Our hope is that [Antioch] will stay open, and we won’t have to get any [transfer students from your college].”
Variety- Representatives from over 30 universities scattered over 16 states traveled to Yellow Springs to inform prospective students about various programs, perks, and other general information about each college. The majority of schools advertised environments and curriculums similar to that of Antioch. For some students this likeness was appealing, others wanted more variety to choose from. Yuko Tanaka, one of 75 first-year- students that decided to attend Antioch regardless of the announced suspension, admitted, “The schools were not that varied; they were all very ‘Loren Pope’.”
Associations- This was no coincidence. When asking schools to come to Antioch for the fair, the Office of Transition sought schools with related interests to show Antiochians that the college is not alone in its unique culture and that there are other schools that can cater to their interests. All member schools of the Eco League, a consortium of six liberal arts institutions all sharing similar environmental and social value systems, were also at the fair. As the true representatives of the Popian ideas, constituents of the Colleges That Change Lives association, a dynamic group of 40 colleges and universities compiled by College counseling guru Loren Pope, answered to queries of non-graduating students.
Engaging- The afternoon did more than just inform students. It also provided a chance for other school’s counselors to get an impression of the infamous Antioch students. “I talked to representatives of the colleges who were just stunned at how intelligent and engaging our students were,” said new director of Admissions Angie Glukhov.” They were not expecting that.”
Hooks- In light of the college’s current position, many of the schools are offering special benefits to transfer students from Antioch. Oglethorpe University of Atlanta, Georgia, is offering complimentary AirTran Airways flights for students and one parent or guardian who wish to visit the campus. Educationally, the school focuses on urban ecology, and co-curricular engagement with the city of Atlanta. New Century College of George Mason in Fairfax, VA modeled is curriculum after Antioch, and they are waving limits on transfer credits, so that students may enter with as many credits as possible. Its three most popular majors are Elementary Education, Organizational Business Communications, and Child and Family Studies, respectively. Other colleges are waiving application fees, among other things.
Program perks- Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, prides itself with its Education program that let’s students begin real classroom observations in their first year. Students can expect one-on-one attention in all programs, the counselor said, but applicants should prepare for very competitive financial aid packages.
Yellow bikes and open doors- Eckerd College is located on 188 acres of land in St. Petersburg, Florida. This school has mentor programs for interested students, and operates on an “open doors, open minds” policy, where office doors of faculty actually lead to the outside world, not brick walls, the info package says. The school also has a yellow bike program in which public bikes are available for student use; you take a bike to your destination and leave it behind for the next person in need.
Alternatives to co-op- One school offering what could be called “co-op light,” is Alaska Pacific University (APU) in Anchorage, Arkansas. For one month during each semester, students have the option to go on a “travel class” where they “learn by doing.” During this time students can, alternatively, complete one class for credit.
Transfer within Antioch University- In an attempt to highlight transfer options within Antioch University, Saturday gave space to Antioch Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Seattle, New England and McGregor to present their offerings. Advertisements around campus for the Saturday fair, however, failed to attract numbers similar to those on Sunday. The mission statement of all Antioch campuses is alluding to common institutional ideals of equality and social justice, yet large differences exist between Antioch College and its University counterparts. Apart from being the only residential campus in the University structure, the college offers a full undergraduate liberal arts program with tenured faculty. The remaining five campuses offer graduate degree programs, with Antioch in Keene being strictly a graduate school. Although none of them offer residential life, they do promise help in acquiring housing.
Degrees-The Los Angeles chapter offers psychology tracks in both clinical psychology and individualized psychology. In addition, they have a very strong creative writing department and a specialized script writing course. Alluring with an ocean-side campus, Antioch Santa Barbara offers a wide variety degree options, from Liberal Studies to Organizational Management. The main educational focus of Antioch of Seattle is its teacher certification program. For all that can afford a Yellow springs rent, Antioch McGregor, allows students to finish their degree in Yellow Springs. Apart from a new 25 million dollar campus, the school offers a Human Development program and a certificate in Project Management.
For more information on various offered perks speak with Angie Glukov, and for information on the schools that were at the fair, visit www.antioch-college.edu/student/transition/transferfair.html, and click on your school of interest

They too were once young

Eric Miller–Professor of Cooperative Education

Where were you when you were 20?
I was here at Antioch.
What were you studying?
I was a psychology major. When I entered I was into education, but I switched.
Who was president of Antioch when you were here?
Bill Berenbaum
What was the student’s opinion of him?
The students generally hated him. That was kind of the birth of the university system in 1977 when I was 20. The university system was created under Bill Berenbaum. The writing on the wall that we saw was that Bill was a New Yorker, so he wasn’t here. He would come in once a month for a few days. A lot of the campus policies were ignored back then.  He had a manager which was very similar to Andrzej’s current position. He was the main operating manager while the president was away. Students and faculty were not very fond of this arrangement. People complained about it a lot, it was a big issue in AdCil.
What was going on politically in the United States?
It was the Carter years. There was a lot going on in Central America, especially with the war in El Savador. Things were also starting to heat up in Nicaragua and Panama as well. The issues that I mostly paid attention to were going on in Central America. Carter, even though he has a good boy image now being a retired president who was involved with peace issues, was supporting the School of the Americas which trained South and Central American militants here in America. That school is still some what going today.
Were there any books that influenced you at the time?
The thing about being in college [was] you don’t really get to choose the books you read. Just remember I was 20 at the time but I was really into the Carlos Castaneda series. I was really all over the place with my reading.
What sort of music were you into?
Well the late 70’s were not the best for music. Punk and New Age were just coming into the scene. Disco was still around, but the good stuff from the late 60’s and early 70’s was not really happening anymore. I always liked jazz and especially the jazz fusion going on at the time.

Fourth week, None Missing

On August 23rd, 66 new students* unpacked their luggage in North Hall. Four weeks later their rooms might be messier, but  none moved out. College Registrar Donna Evans confirmed that as of September 17th, no single drop-out had been registered among the entering class.
A 0% attrition rate has not been known since the days of Bob Devine’s presidency. Director of Institutional Research Doug Wamer stated that perfect retention had not been reached since the Fall of 1998.
In Fall 2005 the attrition rate was 12% for the same period, according to data from institutional research and the registrar’s. In Fall 2006, we had lost 9% of the entering class by fourth week.
Director of Admissions Angie Glukhov ventured several reasons to account for the resilience of the class of 2011. More accurate information was given to prospective students about Antioch as the new curriculum was more clearly defined, and there was better targeting of potential Antiochians. “The last two years, we have been working very hard in admissions to recruit students for whom Antioch is the absolute right choice,” recounted Glukhov. She also mentioned recent community efforts to improve retention; “campus visits, meetings with faculty, creating networks on campus to help retention really made a difference,” she declared. The fact that a preliminary screening process naturally took place after the June decision is also to take into account. “I think the announcement set everyone thinking very hard about Antioch and their educational options,” said Glukhov, “The Office of Transition made sure that everyone knew what to expect if they decided to come.”
Some might see an irony in achieving an exemplar retention rate in the current circumstances. But despite having to make it through their first term of college in an institution with a minimal operations budget, having to work their schedule around the limited open hours of most facilities, taking up to 22 academic credits with a library that is not fully functioning, having to deal with the anxiety caused by an uncertain future, and, last but not least, having to save their college, first years are hanging on. And we might come to ask ourselves, with Registrar Donna Evans, “If we hadn’t had the suspension of operations, how many students would we have retained?”

* degree seeking, full time students (not including exchange)

Mish’s Movies: Paris Je T’aime

Paris Je T’aime is an omnibus narrative, the likes of which haven’t been seen this side of the indie/horror circuit since Babel, which showed at the Little Art last year. Twenty directors were invited to create 6-8 minute shorts around the theme of love in Paris- in essence, writing a cinematographic love letter to the city. Just a glance at the poster was enough to have me twitching in the theatre, dreading the inevitable accordion chords and quaintly plinking piano melody that I anticipating accompanying a Wes Anderson cum Amelie flick about glamorous neurotics falling in love in a sexy, quirky European city. To my surprise, Paris Je T’aime had me liking it in the first five minutes. A series of neighborhood based vignettes who’s first line- in Montmarte, no less- is “Shitty neighborhood!”? I fell in love.
Paris Je T’aime is best consumed as an appetizer plate. A wide selection of everything, from directors (Wes Craven through the Coen Brothers), actors (Steve Buscemi through Natalie Portman), and themes (paternal through unrequited), it’s guaranteed that everyone will find something they love and something they can’t believe was committed to film in this movie. For me, the Cohen Brothers’ hilarious story of Steve Buscemi as a guide-book reliant tourist caught up unwittingly and unwantingly in a fiery Parisian relationship was worth the price of admission. At the same time, I could’ve done with less of that quaint Parisian custom involving white makeup and being trapped in invisible boxes. I’m looking at you, Sylvain Chomet.
Paris Je T’aime is a multifaceted love story, where love is used in the fullest, most inclusive sense of the term. Expect to walk out fantasizing about plane tickets.

Paris Je T’aime is playing at the Little Art on Thursday (tonight!), at 9.20. Run!