Category: Articles

Individual Articles

The AdCil Spill

By James Fischbeck

In this week’s meeting of the Administrative Council, there were 3 items on the agenda, the first item was the approval of minutes from the October 10th meeting, the second being an overview of the admissions and financial aid plans for the future, and the third item was a discussion of the role and function of AdCil, including faculty personnel issues. The minutes from the October 10th meeting are being re-written to include more of the long discussion that made the last AdCil most memorable. After the discussion over minutes, Admissions and Financial aid gave an overview of their plan to attract future Antiochians. The admissions process works in 2-year cycles, meaning that they are making decisions that will directly affect the next 2 generations of students. The first question raised was is “How are we going to bring in the classes of 2007 and 2008?� Cathy Paige laid out the answer in 3 parts.

First, Antioch is participating in the purchasing of names of high school seniors from a company called Human Capital as they have done in the past. Last year, they bought about 120,000 names, and this year, they plan on buying around 80,000 – 90,000 names. Their reason for buying fewer names this year is conservation of resources and revision to the criteria to be used for the search focusing on Antioch’s strengths (co-op, community involvement, organizing for social justice). For example, they will be cutting people from the search who are looking for a religious education or intercollegiate sports since neither programs are represented fully here at Antioch.

The second portion of the plan is for the “self-initiated� students who talk directly to Antioch because of their preexisting interest and curiosities towards this institution. For them, the online system is being streamlined. When someone asks for information or applies online, the turn-around time is now about 24 hours. Speed is a major focus of the revisions, as they are implementing more changes to hasten the communication process.

The third part is a re-organization of admission councilors time away from campus. They have cut the amount of time they spend off campus by approximately 45%, encouraging more prospective students to come visit Antioch. This year, seniors will receive a sequence of 12 postcards that articulate 12 key points designed to spark student interest in visiting or applying to Antioch. For the students that decide to visit Antioch, the campus visit program is improving, with more communication prior to their visit, better scheduling of time spent on campus, and more follow-up after they depart for home. More emphasis is being placed on visiting because students are more likely to matriculate if they come visit Antioch in person.

They will also work with current high school juniors and sophomores to incite interest in Antioch. The major targets of admissions recruiters include people with diverse backgrounds, and Midwesterners, with a focus on Ohio in particular as 1/3 of the new students are from Ohio originally. Rick Jurassek explained that students nationwide are reluctant to travel far away from their homes and families, thus making the search for Ohioans imperative. Another factor is the money that the Ohio state government gives for financial aid grants and how that can be used to put the college’s finances back on track.

In the coming year, they are seeking a target number of 12,000 student inquires for information. The number for this year was around 10,000, with only 11%-12% applying at Antioch. They are seeking a larger pool of applicants with fewer expenses. New scholarships and scholarship programs have increased the number of students who have deposited money to enroll at Antioch, and the scholarship weekend programs will be continued this year with tentative dates for March 4-5 and April 1-2.

Robin Heise spoke briefly about the federal government raising loan limits, making a greater burden on the college financially. The college’s main focus with scholarship money will be towards students who are the first in their families to attend college, and multicultural students. Also, the school is awarding challenge grants to students that will increase in amount over their stay at Antioch. These grants are awarded to students that show considerable improvement in their academics while they are in college.

There may be an unwritten rule against marketing your college to students already enrolled in other colleges, but Antioch has so much vitality and potential that we are attracting a good number of students from other colleges. With the number of prospective transfer students increasing, one concern that was expressed is the difficulty in recruiting transfer students for a curriculum that currently doesn’t exist for 3rd and 4th year students. Antioch already has agreements with a few community colleges in the area and will encourage more involvement with them in the future.

The Next week, AdCil will be discussing its role as an advisory committee and how it can continue to function effectively. This meeting is arguably the most important meeting of the year and if you’re concerned about AdCil’s role in campus politics, come to the next meeting, Tuesday at 8 AM in the Main Building conference room. Or if you just want some coffee and juice in the early morning, you’re welcome as well. These meetings are open to all members of the community who want to attend.

Piano Broken, Replaced

By Foster Neill

20061027-piano.jpg

Last week, the piano in the Dancespace was destroyed. The socalled piano, a rotting instrument falling apart, though entirely out of tune and already broken in many ways, was often played, sometimes drunkenly, at parties and through out the day. Many loved the piano, many hated it. Loved for its freedom, hated because it sounded awful and few people actually know how to play a piano.

The destruction of said piano was raised during Community Meeting, and though it was admitted the piano was in poor shape, it was also decidedly a loss for the community. Many faculty members were especially concerned, as the behavior was largely seen as unnecessary and irresponsible.

The destroyer of the piano, who ever that may have been, was urged to take responsibility and compensate the community with a replacement. Later in the week an electronic piano of sorts was found in the area where the old piano had been, to both groans and glee. The replacement piano was last seen in the AIMAC recording studio where it was being played.

I [Heart] Voltaire: a DeClassified for the Ages

By Marjorie Jensen 

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it� –Evelyn Beatrice Hall, The Friends of Voltaire, 1906

Hall wrote this quote to summarize Voltaire’s attitude towards censorship. I’ll paraphrase one more time: I condemn what you are saying, but I will not let them decree what you can or cannot say just because I disagree. Yes, I am going to talk about censorship. Yes, this has been my theme for three terms now. Yes, I really do [heart] Voltaire. I can only hope that you’ll continue reading.

It could be said that the threat of censorship is what has motivated me to work for the Record. William Parke-Sutherland convinced me to go to my first Community Meeting by asking me if it was important to be able to keep writing what I wanted for The Record. As a writer, there are few things that I care more deeply about than freedom of speech.

I disagree with many of the texts that I encounter. Even if my ideals lie in complete opposition to what I am presented with, I find worth in deconstruction. I can strengthen my argument. Some works challenge me more than others, but I can at least laugh at the worst. I’d rather ask, ‘why would someone publish this,’ than ‘why did some one ban this or censor that.’ Given, controversy is one of the best things that can happen to a writer. If you want to increase readership, threaten censorship. However, I wouldn’t advocate for this method to increase notoriety. What is “unprintable� varies drastically over time. Not a dependable variable. It is a decree by someone in power who fears what is being said. This is only somewhat predictable. The irony of the threatening nature of a castration haiku to a male in power does point to some sort of obvious inevitability. Lacan possibly bumped his casket. This could be due to the patriarchy being deeply rooted in the symbolic power of the phallus. According to some feminist psychoanalytic perspectives, the loss of the phallus is directly related to the loss of power.

Therein, castration anxiety is a construct of a power structure that privileges men more than women. Being castrated, becoming more “feminine,� is threatening because women are afforded a lower social position. Is the administration’s latent response that becoming a woman is a put-down in a socio-political sense? Are they commenting on the male fear of the female “lack?� Who knows? Lacan’s not telling. Ironic latent motivations aside, the complaint could have been taken to the appropriate (existing) governing body and not been the rationale for threatening censorship in classic authoritarian style. Then again, I’m still dreaming this dream that our community governance system should be honored by the administration.

After reading something that leaves a bad taste in my mouth, I don’t think it should never be devoured again. Taste is subjective. When one decides on the basis of such a subjective standard what is “printable,� the outcome can only be unpleasant. Censorship is more unpalatable than any text. People have the right to decide for themselves what they find delicious. Have our admission policies become so lax that our student population isn’t considered capable to think for themselves? Unless someone puts a stamp of approval on the student-run newspaper, we will be unable to judge the material within it? In our much-criticized “culture of confrontation,� isn’t it likely that anyone who was “out of line� would get “called out� by the aggressive radicals?

It has been argued that our cognitive ability to write separates us from other species. While I think much of that ability lies in the evolution of opposable thumbs, there is some merit to the former point. Human complexity of thought is something that I value, despite my current existential crisis and postmodern hysterics. Voltaire, back me up here.

“We have a natural right to make use of our pens as of our tongue, at our peril, risk and hazard.� Despite the all too obvious connection that the pen carries power because of its phallic symbolism, the point remains that brains should come with warning labels: “operate at your own risk.� Let people say stupid things. Let people expound brilliant philosophies. Let them be at odds with one another. But above all, let people speak.

Bring on the HEAT!

By Madeline Helser 

Imagine that you’re walking back to your dorm from class in 30-degree weather. What is the one thing you are looking forward to? Being warm, perhaps? Did you ever stop to think about just where that heat is coming from and how much energy is being put into providing it? The Greening Committee asked that question, and instead of a straightforward answer, they received a tour of the basement of Main Building’s energy facility, more commonly called the boiler room.

As we arrived in the basement of Main Building, Stephen Sprague, the guy responsible for the heating, air conditioning, and plumbing, etc., showed us the ins and outs of the boiler room.

First, he showed us the new additions made in the energy facility. There are two new air separators, two expansion tanks, and bundles. The cost of all of the new equipment in Main Building was around $30,000.

The air separators are two yellow tanks that separate the air from the water in the expansion tanks. Previously, air would enter into the water tanks and stop the water from moving. This was obviously problematic. Because of this, they needed to attach a garden hose to the expansion tanks (which were located in the attic, as air travels to the highest point) in order to expel of the excess air. This made the two new air separators a replacement for the garden hose as well as a new-fangled contraption for our heating facilities.

The two new expansion tanks are now located in the boiler room. The old ones used to be in the attic, but because of the new air separators, they are now located in the basement. The expansion tanks are to contain water as it heats and expands in volume, which is then used to heat the building.

The bundles are basically a fancy radiator. Regulated by a thermostat, they convert steam into hot water. There are two burners that heat the water that is converted into steam. The steam needs to be converted into hot water because it is easier to control the temperature of water than steam. The boiler water is kept at 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Why is all of this important you ask? Well, because the building is heated by steam!

The water that is converted into steam is heated by natural gas. Antioch buys around half a million dollars worth of non-renewable petrol products each year. This gas comes from the Gulf of Mexico. It is shipped first from New Orleans, LA, to Dayton, OH, then on to us. Fun Fact: The shipment of the gas from Dayton to here is actually more expensive to ship than when it is shipped from New Orleans to Dayton. This is because the shipment of the gas from Dayton to here is regulated by the government, and the price of the shipment of the gas from New Orleans to Dayton is determined by free market trading!

Antioch usually buys a “winter strip� of gas for the period of October through March. The gas used to cost less that $2.50 per decatherm, or one million cubic feet of gas. Now, the gas costs $6.12 per decatherm. At one point last winter, the cost crept up to $16!

Where is all of this gas kept you ask? Well, I can tell you! According to Peter Townsend, natural gas is injected and stored in old oil fields all over the country. Right now, there is more natural gas being stored in our country than there has ever been before.

The main question being asked by the Greening Committee is, “Can we regulate thermostats in the dormitories in order to avoid losing heat to open windows if it becomes too hot?� Well, we can’t do anything in Mills and Spalt, because the heaters are located directly underneath of the windows. We can’t control the ones in Birch because they are mounted wall units. In North, although the heat is not controllable by the students, the thermostats respond to the exterior temperature of the building. So, for instance, if a window is open in North, although heat is escaping, the temperature of the inside of the building does not increase just because it becomes colder as a result of the window being open. In South Building, separate thermostats were installed around 10-12 years ago making the temperatures controllable.

The Greening committee and all who attended the tour were educated on how the heating system works, and how little control we have over it. So if you don’t want heat, but you don’t want to waste energy, the obvious solution is to wear bundle up and to go about your merry ways!

Editor’s Note: The Record office is very, very cold. If anyone has an extra space heater lying around, we could use it desperately.

A.E.A. Student Murdered in High Profile Homicide

5 students lived together during their internships Cuiabá, Mato Grosso and worked at the Uníversidade Federal do Mato Grosso (Biolab)

5 students lived together during their internships Cuiabá, Mato Grosso and worked at the Uníversidade Federal do Mato Grosso (Biolab).
Back – Left to Right: Jason Watts, Wesley, Jorge, Danielle Klinkow (’06) Front – Left to Right Anne Fletcher, Michelle Gardner-Quinn, Late Larabee (from COA)

By Anne Fletcher and Madeline Helser

Late on the evening of October 5th, 21 year-old Michelle Gardner-Quinn went out barhopping with her friends in downtown Burlington, Vermont for a birthday celebration and never returned.

Michelle began her academic career at the University of Vermont. After being enrolled in 5 universities in the past 4 years, Michelle finally thought she had found the school for her at UVM. A senior, she majored in Latin American Studies and Environmental Science.

Michelle went on Antioch’s Brazilian Ecosystems study abroad program last fall where she became close with a group of Antioch students. At the time, she was attending American University in Washington, D.C. and in the processing of applying to transfer to UVM. According to Anne Fletcher, a fourth year student who also was on the trip, Michelle clicked well with the Antioch students, who encouraged her to transfer here.

According to police, at around 2:15 a.m., Michelle left her friends at the bar to walk back toward campus. The Police believe that her cell phone wasn’t’ working, and she stopped to use a man’s cell phone; ironically to tell her friends she was alright. A six-day search followed Michelle’s disappearance. This caught the attention of both the national and local media. Dozens of University of Vermont students searched the greater Burlington area and the surrounding countryside searching for any signs of her.

On the afternoon of Friday, October 13th police found Michelle’s body on the side of Dugway Road, after receiving a tip from a concerned resident. In a press conference on the eleventh, Burlington Police Chief Thomas Tremblay said they found her on the side of a rural road in Richmond, about 15 miles southeast of Burlington.

A suspect, identified as 36- year-old Brian Rooney of nearby Richmond, is being held on unrelated charges of sexual assault, attempted sexual assault and lewd and lascivious conduct with a child while authorities continue their probe into what they concluded was her homicide.

Anne Fletcher recalls that during the first week of orientation in Key Largo, Michelle and four Antioch students (Anne, Jason Watts, Leland Reilich, and Danielle Klinkow (’06) had a fun time drinking tequila and skinny-dipping in the lagoon they weren’t supposed to. Leland recalls, “She just had a pretty good spirit that we all related to pretty quickly. Real open and honest.� Anne remembers her as being laid back and intelligent, on top of her life and where she was headed, and very on point with her devotion to social change. “It seemed like the kids from Antioch were on a different from the kids from the other colleges in respect to our ideals and social interactions, and Michelle was a part of that,� said Anne.

For their internships during the last month of the trip, Michelle, Anne, Jay, Danielle, and Kate Larabee(a student from College of the Atlantic) all lived together in a house in the Brazilian city of Cuiabá in the heart of the Pantanal and worked at the Biology Department at the Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso. There, in that house, was where the students all connected. Anne even expected to be roommates with her some time in the future after college.

“I felt her values were real,� said Anne.

The media attention around her disappearance and death has brought a feeling of surrealism to the whole incident. Police are investigating her death as a kidnapping and murder, and have identified Brian Rooney, a 36-year-old construction worker who resides in Richmond as a suspect, said the October eleventh press release. Brian Rooney has been identified as the man seen in a video taken from a jewelry store security camera talking with Michelle at approximately 2:30 a.m. the night she disappeared. The court papers that were filed last Monday said that he denied having anything to do with the incident when police interviewed him. Judge Kathleen Manley set his bail at $150,000 until the full court proceedings take place. Rooney is pleading not guilty.

For those who knew her, the facts are still sinking in. Anne said, “It brings me back to the reality of our lives now, the beautiful people we have around us, and how much they mean in our lives. I really regret that I can never talk or organize or celebrate with Michelle again, but I am so happy to have known her and that we created the great memories that we did.� Michelle will be greatly missed by all who knew her. The world is missing a wonderful, beautiful woman, and we should grieve, but also realize the possibilities and beauty in life, in ideals, in passion, and in friends.