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University putsch changes climate on campus

Sentiments at Antioch College are changing fast these days. Euphoria over the August 27 announcement that the Board of Trustees of Antioch University is willing to work with college alumni on a business plan to keep the College open past June 30, 2008, over the weekend has been replaced by distrust and fear.
On Friday, University Chancellor Toni Murdock in a series of press releases announced college CEO President Steven Lawry stepping down effective immediately, to be replaced by a an “administrative team,” headed by former dean of faculty Andrzej Bloch who assumes the new title of chief operating officer (COO) at the college.

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BOT to collaborate with Alumni Board on plan for viable future of Antioch College

Stakeholders’ Meeting“This tree is not ready to die. New twigs are budding; you’ve heard them today,” faculty member Hassan Rachmanian told Antioch Trustees and close to 200 stakeholders assembled at a Kentucky airport hotel on Saturday morning. Whether it was his plea or that of dozens of others last weekend, the Board of Trustees of Antioch College on Monday announced its willingness to collaborate with the college Alumni Association to further develop a business plan for the future of a viable Antioch College. In addition, the trustees in a separate vote expressed their willingness to consider the creation of a separate Board for the college with “significant authority”.

The Board adopted a resolution to that affect on Sunday, following a weekend hearing of stakeholders from the wider College and Yellow Springs Community whose collective efforts over the last two months have brought to the table over eight million dollars in cash and pledges to keep the doors of Antioch College open past the academic year 2007.

Andrzej Bloch to become Antioch’s Interim President in January 2008

On July 26, Antioch College president Steve Lawry announced his resignation to the community, effective by the end of December of this year. “My family and I have taken this decision in light of the June 9th, 2007, decision of the Antioch University Board of Trustees to suspend operations at the College from July 1st, 2008,” Lawry said in an official press release by the College. “I look forward to contributing in other ways to the advancement of the kinds of values Antioch has traditionally taught and honored—engaged citizenship, free and open intellectual inquiry, and respect for human dignity.”

Shortly after Steve Lawry’s announcement, several newspapers published the news that Chancellor Toni Murdoch had asked Antioch College dean of faculty Andrzej Bloch to assume the role of interim president on the first of January 2008. However, as yet there has been no formal announcement as to whether Andrzej will accept the new title.

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Sign Here Please

A wind of panic spread among Antioch students upon their return to campus last week. Along with the traditional contact sheet that they were asked to fill out, they were requested to sign a “Student acknowledgement of suspension of operations of Antioch College”.

Paragraph four, in particular, (reprinted below), constituted a source of worry, as it appeared to be protecting the University from any potential legal action by non-graduating students based on a breach of contract.

Community Government, acting upon the advice of alumni legal committee members, published on Pulse a message to enjoin students not to sign the form, which could potentially waive their legal rights. The possibility of signing “under duress” was also discussed, as a significant proportion of students had been under the impression that they would not receive their dorm key if the document was not signed.

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Alma Matters

By Kim-Jenna Jurriaans

For Joan Meadows, former library assistant, the last five months have been turbulent. In February she was one of four library workers burdened with the task of keeping a highly understaffed Olive Kettering Library running after the unexpected death of Joe Cali. Now she is filing for unemployment as one of 20 staff members who were the first to lose their jobs after the announced closing of Antioch College by its Board of Trustees in June. The board claims continuing financial deficit on the part of the College as reason for its decision.

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