Tag: art

“It Was Supposed to Make Me Cry” – Letter from Rowan Kaiser ‘05

  It was supposed to be the culmination of everything we’ve worked for. It was supposed to be what I’ve given my life to for the last four months. It was supposed to be an explosion of joy, or a session of focused rage. It was supposed to make me cry.

Somehow, that was taken away. I don’t mean lost. I mean taken. I have this feeling of something gone that should have been there. I had visions of the bell ringing, hugging sessions with whomever could be hugged, of lying down in the horseshoe deliriously.

Since I moved here, my primary focus was building up for Homecoming weekend. Getting the signs ready and distributed. Inviting the alumni. Preparing the community. I lived for the hour we spent on the Stoop, waiting for information, people-watching, distributing the nervous energy to and from all those present who had made the pilgrimage to see the fate of their college.

If we’d received this announcement then, these exact same resolutions and agreements, we’d have had the explosion of joy we wanted. But we had a week of anxiety, of paranoia, of just not knowing what the fuck we were supposed to do or how on earth we were supposed to feel. There was a hole where those emotions were supposed to be. I couldn’t cry when the suspension was announced as lifted, I couldn’t even stand for the round of applause.

At some point, I’ll devolve into nostalgia and kitsch, into narrating what’s happened. Ahhh, I remember meeting you that day, we had no idea what was coming, what a fine job we did! That could have been after the tears, before the party. But no time for that, it’s all business. We have to move fast into the power vacuum. I have to find an effective place for myself. Full speed ahead. No time for release.

It was supposed to make us cry. But they took our tears. I guess making us determined will have to suffice.

Rowan Kaiser ‘05

Letter from Louise Smith, ‘77 Professor of Theater and alumna

“I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers.”
-Blanche Dubois

Since the announcement that we have been given a reprieve from suspension, the theater department has been immersed and focused on the opening of “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams. All term, I have been struck with the resonances between the play and our situation here. It started when John Fleming, the director, put out audition notices in which he crossed out the word ‘Streetcar” and wrote the word “College” so that the poster read “ A College named Desire”.  Continue reading Letter from Louise Smith, ‘77 Professor of Theater and alumna

Letter from Shalom Gorewitz

When I was somehow elected Editor of the Record (I think it was spring, 69) many of the journalism students quit. My first act was to burn the paper at a meeting with staff, then we reinvented it as a subjective gonzo broadside, continuously experimenting with form and function. News about Antioch’s suspension was particularly upsetting
at a time when alternatives are becoming more crucial, yet rare. I felt relieved hearing that the coalition that formed around supporting the regular operation of the YS campus had won a major victory. This should lead to even more support by alumni and friends who treasure the innovative education experience offered by Antioch College

.-Shalom Gorewitz Undergraduate- 1967-70, Philosophy and Communication Art Antioch University individualized graduate degree program- 1983-85, MA, Video Art

To The Editors

To the Editors, Kim-Jenna  Jurriaans & Jeanne Kay:

It is hard to express all the feelings of joy and frustration, of elation and disappointment  from being on campus last week during the meetings of the Board of Trustees and the Alumni Board.  Particularly as decisions which we all hoped would have already been made are still on hold as negotiations continue.  But it is easy to be proud to be an Antiochian, more so now than ever.  Proud to see the Alumni rise up and support our college.  Proud to get to know the incredible alumni who have put together plans for the future and raised more money in four months than has ever been raised before in many times that period.  Proud to see the students led by CG pull together for the common good of the college which they clearly love as much as any who have graduated.  And who are as deserving of the degree as any who have gone before.  Proud of the faculty who have stood by the college and the students.  Proud of the staff who are working under the most trying of circumstances, with special kudos to the development staff who have accomplished miracles over the past few months without knowing whether it would be enough (it is, for now). Proud to walk around the village and see such support from the YS News and other local businesses. I arrived cautiously optimistic and, since the announcement that the AB had raised $18 million almost three times the  figure that the BoT said was required, remain optimistic that the suspension order will be lifted, the college will get its own board of trustees and will become sustainable on the model that we recognize as the heart and soul of the Antioch experience.
I look forward to being proud that the University Trustees will recognize the right thing and do it soon.  That they will soon acknowledge all the “yes” signs, large and small, around campus and the quality, dedication and potential of the current students who posted them.

Allen Spalt, ‘66

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, How Say You?

This weekend, the future of Antioch College is sitting in the hot seat of a court room. Antiochians, Yellow Springers, Alumni, members of the Board of Trustees (BOT), and many reporters with pen at hand have come to witness a decision that could be either a death sentence or an Antiochian Renaissance. No one, not even BOT members, knows what the decision will be, yet everyone has strong feelings about the outcome. Some people think that the Board’s decision to close is unlikely to be reversed. Others believe that the Board will keep the college open. Gina Potestio, a first year, is, “trying to stay optimistic, and hearing the feedback from the upper-level students saying it’s going to close is a little hurtful after seeing … what everyone’s doing for us.” Many students are in denial about the possibility of Antioch closing. “I just really didn’t want to think about [the closing],” explains James Kutil, a second year student, “so, I’ve kind of been in a numb panic, because the school closing means a lot to me.” There is still a gut feeling that the college just can’t close.

Continue reading Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, How Say You?