By Kim-Jenna Jurriaans & Alex Borowicz
Only a week after the Antioch University Board of Trustees announced the recision of the resolution suspending the operations of Antioch college, a lawsuit filed by members of the college’s faculty was dismissed without prejudice.
But the legal battle may not be over. Dismissing the lawsuit “without prejudice†gives the faculty the option of refiling the same claim at a later date and this is but one of the legal cards that the college faculty now hold.
Professor Peter Townsend, lead plaintiff in the faculty lawsuit, stressed the need for collaboration between the university and the college faculty. “It’s really important that the university start negotiating in a functional way with all the parties,†Townsend said. He noted that the faculty would be willing to reinstate the lawsuit, but that the main point of the lawsuit was simply to keep the college open.
Other lawsuits may still be options for the college faculty, and these options have already been reviewed. “We’re holding them in our pockets and we’re hoping to get some collaborative behaviour from the administration of both the university and the college,†he said. “If we do, then we won’t need these suits, and we’ll be working together, which is what we’d like to do.â€
The faculty are more than willing to begin collaborative negotiations, as they feel that the faculty contract they hold is still being violated. A letter was sent to the legal team of the college stating that the lawsuit was to be dropped and that fair negotiations were expected by the faculty.
Townsend admitted it was unlikely that the previous lawsuit would be reinstated, but contended that “there are other lawsuits that are options with the faculty that we could file.â€Â But the weeks to come remain unclear, and the faculty are uncertain if further legal action will be necessary. “The current situation changes minute to minute now,†Townsend said. “Predicting two weeks is nearly impossible.â€
Tag: Antioch College
Imagine…
By Matt Baya
I’m an Antiochian and one of the side effects of this affliction is that I have a pretty big imagination. This is a blessing and a curse. The curse in this instance is I can imagine how exponentially better the current situation could be with just a few small changes. Continue reading Imagine…
Hell, High Water and Hope
By Linda Sattem
It is hard to accept that Antioch College is in bad shape when daily we work with such wonderful students. The following are comments and feelings I have had since the closing announcement this summer that I don’t often have a chance to share.
Hell
This summer was very hard with the second round of layoff of staff. Then when I offered requested programming about grief, loss, searching for jobs, etc., there were complaints that I was “giving up†on Antioch, that I was undermining the good fight.
In fact we were acknowledging what had already begun to occur. We were both mourning the loss of friends and colleagues while still trying to prepare for a difficult year with a skeleton staff.
It is difficult to work, with ever increasing workloads for Student Affairs staff, especially with the criticism that we are not working to save the college. We all care deeply about the college and we are working to support the students still here.
High Water
This term has been equally hard. We are watching students struggle with their course work and organizing. They are struggling with decisions most people never face.
Many are struggling to keep their heads above the rising tide of fatigue, anger, hopelessness and feeling powerless. How do you feel good when you have done all you can, and it still is not enough?
As we work with students we have to help them figure out what is best for them. Maybe they have to leave, so that they continue to be strong and balanced. Only then will they ever be able to come back, as alumni, as faculty, as staff, as parents sending their children to Antioch College.
Hope
The recent efforts of alumni/staff/students/faculty and the faculty lawsuit are where I receive hope. There was genuine shock over the uproar about the closing. (And I firmly believe that the end game was to never reopen.)
At a church I once saw a hand printed sign that read:
The church is what is left after the building
burns down and the minister leaves town.
They can tear down as many buildings as they want, send away as many people as they can, and Antioch will still be here. When we reopen it will be with residential students and tenured faculty.
All staff in the various student services feel privileged to work with students day in and day out, in the dorms, in the café, in the ASC, in the gym, the library, Main Building, in counseling and wellness. For our amazing students — present, past and future — who are brilliant, compassionate activists, will not let us die.
Why I allow Antioch College to drag me across the floor on a daily basis
By Molly Thornton
At this point in time, we are all coming to the realization that the rollercoaster of the last three months is still rolling, and there is no end in sight. We are all at wits ends, and reaching dates in the timelines of our lives at which decision making can not be prolonged. In this time, the fight for Antioch can feel futile and exhausting, and better left abandoned than lived through for another moment. In this time of great struggle, and want to give up hope, the only thing I can think to do is to share with you some of the thoughts I sort through when in extreme doubt, which give me the strength to fight for one more day. Continue reading Why I allow Antioch College to drag me across the floor on a daily basis
Chancellor Murdock Visits AdCil Again
By Jeanne Kay
Andrzej Bloch opened AdCil on Tuesday morning by apologizing for the tone of the letter that was sent to the faculty on November 9th, confirming the fact that they would all be fired on June 30th, 2008. “It may have come through in a very harsh manner,†he said, “But the reality is quite harsh and the letter reflects this reality.†The letter would he retracted and redrafted, but, he specified, the content would remain the same. Continue reading Chancellor Murdock Visits AdCil Again