From The Editors

Luke BrennanDear Community,

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for the chance to serve as the content editor of our newspaper. While The Record has had some ups and downs this term, I hope that I have represented you faithfully and provided you with a quality publication. To those graduating this term, you will be missed, and I wish you all the best of luck in your future. As for the rest of you, I’ll see you next term, and I hope you have a great break. And don’t forget to observe the solstice on the 22nd, I think it’s a good omen that Horus is to be born anew the day we leave this place. Next term will be brighter and better, or so I hope.

Goodnight and Good Luck,

Luke


Foster Neill

Dear Commnuity,

This is the last issue of the Record for the Fall of 2006 and the last issue for me as your layout editor. Earlier today I asked myself whether or not I could keep doing the job if the contract were for a year. “Yes,” I thought to myself, and then, “I am glad this is over.” We’ve had our expected ups and downs, maybe a few unexpected ones as well, but we’ve also made it to the end of the term.

I want to tell everyone that due to Livermore Street’s inability to process submissions, we are holding off with printing until the end of Spring 2007. We hope to have an increased budget as well as to print a longer, higher quality magazine. Those interested in receiving a copy who will be gone in the spring are encouraged to email Livermore Street via our first class account. Currently, the mailbox is full, but we are working on creating space. Thanks to all who submitted.

This being the last issue, I can’t help but to reflect on my work. I’ve been looking through some of our past issues and been impressed and depressed with what I see. I know that I can do a better job than I have done, but I also believe that I have done a good job. I would say that I would like to continue with this type of work and I thank the community for allowing me such an opportunity.

One thing still bothers me though and that is the status of the Record both online and next term. The few days the Record was online were good days. The excitement Luke and I felt from the community was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. All of a sudden the community grew, broke outside our stupid bubble, ebbed and flowed, flew, alumnus mixing with the campus, voices as diverse as the birds. We need the Record online and I look forward to the day that it happens again, for good. What Luke and I leave behind for the future editors shouldn’t be a sinking boat or couch, chair and movie poster. The support for the Record comes from the community, whether it be in the form of funding, online operations or the creation of content. I have faith in many of my student peers and in much of the faculty and staff that they do both what they think is right and what they can. Luke and I have tried to find common ground with the administration. I can only hope that what divisions exist are but cracks in which seeds might fall to inevitable flourishing.

Yours truly,
Foster Neill
Layout Editor

From The Editors

20061020-luke.jpgDear Community,

Today I’m going to use this forum to reiterate my favorite excerpt from Antioch College’s mission statement for those of you who have yet to receive your student handbook.

“The primary mission of Antioch College is to empower students: the academic curriculum provides students with a broad liberal education that challenges their values and perspectives as well as their knowledge, ability to question, and general intellectual consciousness about the society in which they live; the cooperative education program provides life and work experiences which develop independence, confidence, and selfmotivation; and community structure offers significant responsibility for the social, cultural, financial, and policy issues that govern college life.�?

That last bit is my favorite. All that stuff about significant responsibility within the community seems at odds with the view that AdCil should be solely advisory, and that Community Government should be more educational than functional. What’s a primary mission anyway? We’re in the black, and our administration’s values are financial, not ideological. Still, I think its important that we remember what this place is really about, that we cling to the tradition of libertarianism and open mindedness that created Antioch, and not let some money grubbing suit destroy Horace Mann’s dream.

Love (mostly),

Luke

20061020-foster.jpgDearest Community,

What a long week it’s been. Hope I saw you in AdCil, Community Meeting and ComCil. If not, there’s always next week. Have you submitted to Livermore Street yet? Time is running out! The deadline is the 15th of November, but we are planning a party during which we will raffle off prizes for those who have submitted on the 11th of November, so get that work in!

Perhaps the reason the week has been so long is because it’s eighth week. I, too, though on co-op feel this pressure. Indeed, the demon lives. I would guess that this week were approximately eight inches long, at a speed of .5 snail.

At this point, I’m guessing you’re well aware that once again I saved this letter for last and have nothing to say. If you are, you are right. Nothing. That’s what I have to say. I’m tired, that’s what I have to say. I hope you like the Record. I hope you write us a letter. I hope you write a haiku.

Have you considered working for the Record? There are two co-op positions open for next term, and there should be seven FWSP open for staff. Doesn’t that sound exciting. Maybe that’s just because it’s next term and that means this term would be over. Indeed.

Foster Neill

Layout Editor

From The Editors

20061020-luke.jpgDear Community,

First, I need to apologize for being AWOL on community day, I would have loved to spend the day with you all, but the whirlwind of Black and Tan (which culminated in a postdawn trip to Kroger to purchase doughnuts for the Queer Center’s Black and Tan Recovery) really tuckered me out, and I barely made it out of bed before dark.

This week has been pretty stressful for me. I continue to struggle to credit my spring ’06 co-op (Organic farming, as it turns out, is for hippies.) Also, because of my general malaise, I did not make the deadline for turning in my time slips, and so am fast approaching broke. Unpaid speeding tickets have the state of Pennsylvania threatening to revoke my driving privileges unless I pay them $140 within the week, which because of the time-slip business, I may not be able to do. I’m scheming about possibly running to a DMV tomorrow to get an Ohio license in hopes that the trouble will disappear. I should do laundry, my room’s a mess, and somebody stole my beloved cactus from the living room of Unit 1.

There are a couple things I’m pretty pleased with though, one of them being this very fine issue of the Record that you’re holding. Our talented staff really knocked it out of the park with this one; I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. The community day pictures make us look especially wholesome, and I like that. I’m also gauging my ears. After losing some of my gaudy bling on the floor of Peach’s Bar and Grille, I decided it was time for a change. What I’m most pleased with though, is my community of vibrant, beautiful people that has shaped my character in a very profound way. I can say very surely I am a better person now than when I entered almost two years ago. My politics have changed, my understanding of our world has changed, and although our school doesn’t have state-ofthe- art facilities, a prostudent administration, a wide range of course offerings, a night-life to speak of, or a smoking tolerant dorm, at least we have each other.

And you all amaze me every day.

-Luke

20061020-foster.jpgDear Community,

Wonderful active people, please continue in your diligent efforts to bring about the change you yearn to see. Today at the Record, we have worked very hard into the morning to bring you this paper. I think that our dedication to the Record, as Community Day exemplified, is uniquely typical of this community. Of course, there is no end to the struggles we wrestle with and we cannot let down our guard, but a strong community of such workers as ourselves also plays hard. In that vein, hats off to Events Manager Melody and everyone who worked to put Black & Tan together.

Everyone get ready, this is the end of seventh week, which for those of us who have been here more than a couple of months know, means Eighth Week Crisis is right around the corner. Don’t let your guard up folks, not for one minute. Things are about to come crashing down on us, but our routine workout, if we have been good (which I think we all are ) will help us carry the load. Yes, we are pack animals of sorts, able to lift weighty burdens and carry them across the desert of academia.

I’m sorry. It’s 7:30 AM. This is, as usual the last thing left to do before we send out the paper. 7:30 AM means we have a half hour to get the PDFs to the printer. Not much time left. This is burden gets heavier. So, take a lesson for us in Main basement – Don’t procrastinate.

I swear, next week I will get to reviewing the Antioch Review.

Enjoy the paper.

Foster Neill

Layout Editor

From The Editors 10-13-06

20061020-luke.jpgDear Community,

Friday the 13th has reared its ugly head in October this year, 699 years to the day from the when this date first earned its infamy. Some of you may notice the shield of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon adorning this week’s masthead, and the last words of the Grandmaster above it all. You may also notice a strange, breasted goat somewhere within the pages of this week’s issue. The creature is a Baphomet*, which some contend is a representation of the Mother Goddess, and it is the worship of this icon which led to the arrest, torture, and execution of hundreds of Templar Knights in France on Friday, October 13th 1307.

I cannot elaborate to deeply on the mythos of Friday the 13th, but I thought it important to mention the original events behind the superstition we observe today, and to provide some context for the symbolism found in this issue. If you want to learn more, or if you want to wildly hypothesize about the fate of the Templar treasure, I’ll be glad to talk your ear off.

Good Luck today community,

Luke C. Brennan, esq.

20061020-foster.jpgDear Community, I want to start by apologizing for the end of last week’s letter. I understand how it is offensive, and for that I am sorry.

I also want to clarify that letters to the community to editors can be anonymous. Also, we do not censor DeClassifieds. The Haiku format does not limit what you can say, only how you say it – i.e. 17 syllable tercets. We do accept multiple, related Haiku and will do our best to print them in the order we get them.

I want to thank everyone who has been working for the Record this term. You’ve all been great. Also, I want to thank those students who have been elected to AdCil and ComCil for their dedication. Finally, thanks is due to the community for the support given to the Record.

Not much space left for me to fill here. I have laundry to do.

Foster Neill
Layout Editor

From The Editors

20061020-luke.jpgTo my Beloved Community,

There are several things I’d like to address in my corner this week, among them how little I had to do with the title “Bringing Censor Back�?, how much of a slacker a certain over-classman reporter has turned out to be, our new Declassified policy, and my increasing frustration with the state of our affairs; institutional, national, and international.

However, to save time, and space because we have another rather crowded paper this week, I will just talk briefly about our new Declassified policy. From here on out, we will only ‘declassify’ Haiku form poems. That means five syllables, followed by seven syllables, followed by five syllables. Some of you may be asking why we’d do something like this to you. Well, the answer is complicated.

1. I hate Declassifieds in general.
2. Most of them are not very clever.
3. The only ones to me are mean.
4. I expect more from my talented, beautiful community.
5. We need more poetry in the Record

So there you have it. Put on your thinking caps and make a subtle, sublime, structured tone poem to communicate your message. And try to cut back on the menacing and hateful speech; we’re reserving the right not to print it.

Love,
Luke C. Brennan Esq.

20061020-foster.jpgDear Community,

If you’re reading this, good. That means you’ve either already read Declassifieds or you are one of our most valued readers. Welcome. While many editors, including myself have left this portion of the newspaper until last, this week I am actually writing this days ahead of time. I actually have something to say. Any guesses?

Surprise! I want to talk briefly about the ‘DeClassifieds’ section of the Record. Great isn’t it? Indeed, as I suggested above and as we all know, many of us read declassifieds first, sometimes the only thing read at all. Fine. We can’t make you read the work people have put into the Record. However, a few points of respect would be appreciated.

Declassifieds are not news. Declassifieds are not even factual. You have no idea how many little declassifieds I’ve typed up, knowing full well that their sharp statements are entirely false. It is the Record’s job to know what is going on and inform the community. If we don’t report on it, it’s because there aren’t enough facts. If you think you’ve got a scoop, tell us and we’ll check it out. Declassifieds are not intended as a medium to stab at people behind anonymity. They are there for cute notes, crushes, thank yous and light hearted humor. It is not intended as a subversive political machine. Really. Got something to say to someone? Say it to their face. Leave them a note. Just keep the Record out of it. Everyone already knows the rumors and accusations so printing them in the Record only makes the Record accountable. The Record, as I said before, has printed absolutely false statements just to keep readers happy, but really, we have no business doing it, and neither the Record nor the greater community is gaining anything in this.

Also, flooding declassifieds with numerous, meaningless doggerel isn’t cool. It takes us time to fit all that in and it’s all fluff. Often, it’s not even witty fluff. Keep it short and have something to say, even if only to one person. And if you are addressing someone, it would be nice to let them know they were being addressed. If you are saying something not so nice, but acceptable, have the guts to put your name on or don’t submit it at all. You can always write us a letter, and opinion piece…there are lots of ways of getting our voice in the Record that actually make a difference. Do you get what I’m saying? Want declassifieds to stick around? Don’t want the paper to take shit over nothing? Don’t want the Record to get censored? Care about the community? Let’s have fun, but let’s be able to serious and thoughtful also. Think about what you’re saying, whether you really know what you’re talking about, factually and whether your putting it in the appropriate forum. In the name of respect for the community and yourself self, grow up.

Foster Neill
Layout Editor