By Natalie Martin
After the obligatory approval of the previous week’s minutes, ComCil heard a petition from student Meghan Pergrem regarding the upcoming CG officer elections.
During its last session, Comcil decided to set October 26th as the application deadline, which Pergrem felt did not give potential candidates enough time to process the information from the October 25th Board of Trustees meeting. After some debate about whether or not to shorten the amount of time dedicated to campaigning or the time ComCil reserves to interview the candidates, it was generally agreed that the application deadline should be pushed back.
A long and somewhat heated discussion ensued regarding the deadline and whether it should be extended one week or if the whole election should be postponed until next term. Those who believed the election should be postponed until next term argued that the extended deadline will increase the pool of students who will apply. They stressed that some form of electronic voting could be used for students who graduate in December. Those Comcil members opposed to this idea argued that the level of participation will be much lower with an electronic vote and that holding the elections is a symoblic show of support for Antioch.
A motion was proposed to extend the application deadline and interview dates one week, to November 2nd and November 8th respectively, and not change the other agreed upon dates. Discussion continued for some time after the motion was made, until Comcil member Scott Warren made a motion to call the question. In doing so he moved the discussion to a vote. After some confusion over what ComCil members were voting for, the result was a rare split – five in favor of the motion, and five opposed – requiring that ComCil Chair Fela Pierrelouis cast a tie-breaking vote. Pierrelouis voted in favor of the motion, and the CG election deadlines were extended one week.
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Community Day – Fall 2007
“It’s Now or Never” Denver Meeting Sets Benchmark: $8 Million More by October 25th
The development office of Antioch College has two weeks to raise an additional $8 million that will be readily available by June 2008, in order to convince trustees to lift the suspension of operations at the school that is scheduled for the end of the academic year. This is the benchmark established during a closed meeting held in Denver last week between members of the Board of Trustees and the Alumni Board, said Director of Institutional Advancement Risa Grimes on Wednesday.
“It’s now or never,” Grimes stressed from her new office in the recently reopened Weston Hall on the college campus. According to Grimes, the alumni initiative, thus far, has raised 12 million dollars in cash and pledges, of which $4 million are expected to be liquefiable by the end of the current academic year. This currently leaves the college around $8 million short of achieving the benchmark of $12 million in funds that will become immediately available for spending at the end of the current academic year in June 2008.
Continue reading “It’s Now or Never” Denver Meeting Sets Benchmark: $8 Million More by October 25th
Founder’s Day 2007: Party Like it’s 1853
On October 5th 1853, Horace Mann delivered his inaugural address to three thousand spectators converging on an Antioch campus then still in the making. Horace’s wife, Mary Mann, described the throng as “a motley multitude that would have made a splendid show if their costumes were as brilliant as they were various.” In appreciation, Horace delivered a two hour address, which the prominent Unitarian clergyman T. Starr King described as containing enough inspiration to make a college flourish in the Sahara.
154 years later, we’ve still got the costumes, the motley multitude, and the college that’s flourishing in Saharan conditions. And on October 5th 2007, we partied like it was 1853 all over again.
Founders Day 2007 kicked off with a speech in the Inn by Jim Malarkey, Professor of Humanities at Antioch University, entitled “The Dazzling Vision and Relentless Passion of the Founders.” Shortly after, the silk screening group got to work on its mission to cloth the entire campus in Antiochian uniform. Old clothes turned art through the DIY application of slogans and symbols. So much for wearing your heart on your sleeve; on Founders Day, community members wore their values on their bandanas, pants, skirts, and underwear.
Admissions 101
Active and engaged members of the extended Antioch College community are critical to a healthy admissions effort. Current students, faculty, staff, and alumni demonstrate what it is like to live Antioch College and they demonstrate what an Antioch College education does—for the individuals who take up the challenge and for the communities in which they live.
College admissions is a complex, fascinating profession that mixes counseling, marketing, research, education, community building, and ethics. In an effort to meet the needs of Antiochians eager for more information about admissions—at Antioch and in general, I bring you “Admissions 101,” regular admissions training bits for the greater Antioch community. Training alumni and others in the Antioch community in admissions is also a responsibility outlined in the admissions code of ethics, The National Association of College Admissions Counseling Statement of Principles and Good Practice (SPGP).
Antioch Admissions Do’s & Don’ts
Officially, Antioch College will suspend operations on June 30, 2008. Alumni, students, faculty, staff, the Yellow Springs community, and other friends of the College are working toward the continuation of operations. Until an official change in status is announced, however, it is unethical to recruit students to Antioch College.
Along with our own consciences, the governing organization of the admissions profession, the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), does have the power to censure colleges and universities who violate the code of the ethics which guides the profession. Antioch College’s membership to NACAC and adherence to its “Statement of Principles of Good Practice” are arguably as important as maintaining the College’s accreditation. Without the NACAC seal of approval, our national recruitment efforts would virtually grind to a halt.
So what is to be done?! Here is a quick guide of Admissions Do’s and Don’ts to get us through this period of ambiguity.
DON’T
• Encourage students to apply for Fall 08 or beyond, in any way, explicit or implied.
• Contact schools, college guides, organizations, counselors, and/or companies for the purpose of advancing Antioch College as an option for students.
DO
• Celebrate Antioch & Your Achievements—Continue submitting your love letters to Antioch. Wear your College hoodie, t-shirt, cap and display your Antioch bumper stickers/window clings. Tell those who ask how Antioch College changed your life.
• Show Antioch—demonstrate in your community what an Antioch education means, not just talk about it. A great example of “showing” would be to work with your local alumni association chapter to organize a workshop or training related to the skills/knowledge gained through your Antioch experience. Make the educational event free and open to the public. This is not recruitment—it is a great community service activity that increases the visibility of the College.
• Be Honest—when you are asked about the situation at the College, be honest.
• Encourage Interested Individuals to Watch the Developments at Antioch College—it is not unethical to encourage someone to watch what is developing at Antioch. Antiochians, past and present, are extraordinary and the College itself is genuinely distinctive in the landscape of U.S. higher education—in short, we are worth watching.
• Remember, students come first—the interests, needs, and success of the student is paramount.
If you have questions, ideas, suggestions, please contact me at aglukhov@antioch-college.edu.
Angie Glukhov
Director of Admissions & Transition Services
Next Week: Enrollment Management and Prospect. Management.