Letter from ‘The FAB Four’

Dear Community,
As we approach the CG elections in just one week, we are anxious, excited, and motivated to move forward. As we have said before, we are a collective team of passionate and devoted community members and we intend to provide the Antioch College Community with leadership that will encourage sustainable education and progressive activism.
We realize that the CG elections have been stressful for all of us but we hope that you are still excited about legitimizing community governance through your participation in the upcoming election. While acknowledging that the options are limited, we hope our work and energy spent over these past several weeks convey that we are committed to reflecting all of the community’s voices.
Our next collective step is to support the community in the development and finalization of the 4th position job description. This process is incredibly important and we are committed to doing this work regardless of the outcome of the election. We recognize that the sustainability of Community Government is more important than who is in CG next year and will do what it takes to secure a strong 4 person CG for the year ’08 to ’09.
We believe in the words of Algo Henderson, “Freedom must be matched with responsibility”. It is imperative that we as a community make the necessary efforts to preserve shared governance and our Antioch community. We look forward to working with you in the coming months and to continue honoring the process of shared governance at Antioch. Thank you.

The FAB Four

Jamila Hunter
Niko Kowell
Meghan Pergrem
Fela PierreLouis

From the Editors – Edward Perkins

The Giants Super Bowl win was significant for me, but this had nothing to do with the events on field. As a Manhattan native, I’m always glad to see a local team win a title, but this had little to do with my emotional response to a most unlikely championship. I didn’t even realize the implications until the very end, when I was suddenly struck by a somber but triumphant wave of nostalgic memories.
My first conversation with former Dean of Students Jimmy Williams began with a conversation about sports. We were in his office, and I noticed various items of New York sports memorabilia, including the Giants and Jets, our two football teams. I being a Jets fan, and Jimmy a Giants fan, we discussed the merits of the two franchises. I didn’t know Jimmy was a New Yorker until this point, and this friendly conversation created an instant sense of familiarity and camaraderie which was present throughout all my later encounters with Dean Williams, who I came to regarded as my closest friend within the Antioch administration. Jimmy’s recent selection as commencement speaker can be seen as a glorious return to his former community, and the Giants return to the top of professional football provides the perfect metaphor for his return to Antioch College. Continue reading From the Editors – Edward Perkins

Antioch College vs. Japanese College

Antioch College vs. Japanese College
By Miyuki Sese

Since last fall, Antioch has had several Japanese exchange students from Ryukoku University. This university is located in Kyoto with another campus in Shiga prefecture. It is the oldest Buddhist university and was founded in 1639. According to the Japanese exchange students, there are many differences between Antioch College and Ryukoku University.
First, the biggest difference is the number of students. Compared with about 170 students of Antioch College, Ryukoku University has about 100 times more students, and it seems common that most students do not know other students in their class. This can be good because it allows students to have a lot of friends with different opinions and personalities. On the downside, compared with Antioch College, the relationships between teachers and students in such a large university seem weak.
As for housing, most students in Antioch College live in dormitories. Most Ryukoku University students live in apartments by themselves. There are some dormitories but they are only for students who belong to the Baseball or Rugby clubs and overseas students. That’s because the number of students is so large that the university does not have the capacity to allow all the students to live in a dormitory. However, Japanese students seem to enjoy their own life styles in Antioch College. “It is difficult for me to maintain both my private time and official time in dormitory, but I am glad to talk with a lot of my friends anytime.”said Eriko. “I am enjoying staying in a dormitory with my friends”said Rie. Continue reading Antioch College vs. Japanese College

Looking Back & Moving Forward: An RDPP Panel

Looking Back & Moving Forward: An RDPP Panel
When:  Saturday March 1st
Where:  Antioch College
Who:  The Antioch College Community
What: Antioch College’s Community Government is proud to host the historical Racial Discrimination Policy Panel.  This panel is not an exercise in nostalgia but a galvanizing effort that will continue to further the purpose and charge of the Racial Discrimination Policy.  Now is a critical time at the college, and making sure that the RDPP continues to be present in our community and institution is an essential component in the transition of the college. The college is at a critical juncture and the needs of the RDPP must not be left behind in the chaos.  This panel of alumni stands to remind the community of the impetus and importance of the policy. The community can then inform the panel of how the RDPP currently functions and together we can decide on a plan to move the RDPP forward.  Continue reading Looking Back & Moving Forward: An RDPP Panel