campus-life - THE RECORD

Benchpress Burlesque visits Campus Again

“Does anyone have a bike helmet?” Ok! I must admit that when James Kutil asked the audience this question the first thought that ran through my head was, I thought they’d be talking about a different type of protection at a production from a group called “Bench Press Burlesque.”

Sadly, James’ plea for a helmet went unanswered. However the show went on.

The politically and religiously irreverent burlesque performance was sexy, bold and hilarious. Not many performances can keep on audience laughing after making informed commentary on Christianity and the Moral Majority, Israeli/U.S. foreign policy, the empowerment of women, and safe sex.

This display of politically charged fabulosity may however not appeal to the more puritanical. Theoretically, having someone who looks like Jesus coming out on stage, having his clothes removed, revealing S/M gear, then being handcuffed to a crucifix and whipped could be interpreted as disrespectful or offensive by some, however I like to think that offending certain people is the responsibility of an act that describes itself as a “radical multi-gendered, sex-positive, feminist feast of political performance art.”

Although it is obviously a low-budget performance, Bench Press is still an amazing experience that engages and simulates the audience, that has the added benefit of being hilarious at times, and even though some of the skits fell a little short, overall the performance was mind-blowing. Besides, who would pass up the chance to see a show that ends with an on stage dance party?

For Your Health-Check out the First Floor of North Hall

In the rush of modern life, we must feel pressure from various problems.

At Antioch College, there are four reliable organizations to help you rejuvenate your mental or physical health, all located on the first floor of North Hall: the Wellness Center, the Counseling Center and the SOPP office.

In the Wellness Center, you can take a relaxing time with some snacks and some silent rooms. Any student can use the center whenever they want for free.

Run by five FWSP students, all third and fourth-years, Wellness offers a full schedule of services and activities, starting with the Icarus Project on Mondays. For a de-stressing time of lazy listening, Story Time on Tuesday is the place to be. Next, there are Friday Night Events and Chem Free Parties at 9 or 10 p.m., followed by Vegan food prep and potluck, hosted in Mills Hall at 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The Counseling Center provides courteous treatment for your mental health free of charge. When you want to contact get into with a staff, you need to make an appointment by phone, email or in person. “The Counseling Center is important for students,” said Linda Lee Sattem, Director of Counseling and Wellness Center.

The numbers of sessions logged in the Counseling Center on average, amounted to more than 900 visits every year. Problems that students encounter are anxiety (from academic stress or money trouble), depression, relationship problems with their family, friends or clashes with professors.

All staff are certified counselors that interact with each student on an individual level by listening to their problems and using therapy.

As for other services, Third Party Consultation is there to solve problems that concern a student in interaction with another another person -faculty, staff, student or family member.

Then there is the training of RAs at the beginning of each term and email therapy, using the net to provide counseling services for students on co-op and on travels over the summer.

In the SOPP office, located in the Counseling center, the SOPP advocate or the Director of Counseling and Wellness will provide an accurate advice and guidance. They also give SOPP training to the SOPP coordinator and SOPP educators. The SOPP budget remained at $1,300 that salary comes from the Counseling budget. (over 8-9 months)

On the whole, there are five Wellness officers, of which three are counselors. Tracy Hunt Cupp provides general counseling and specializes in cognitive behavioral loss, career and transitions. Cheryl Smith’s expertise lies in the field of chemical dependency and health issues. As director of the Counseling and Wellness Center, Linda Sattem provides general counseling and runs daily operations at the Center. Completing the office staff is Office Manager Jennifer Baker and Ann Hembee as the SOPP advocate.

“I have been in the field of Counseling since 17 years old,” says Sattem. “I think this work is not difficult but it’s very rewarding.”

If you feel a little tiredness in your life, how about stopping by at these support organizations?

First Impressions

Between mandatory meetings, the Sexual Offense Prevention Policy, the Racial Discrimination Prevention Policy, partying, registration, going to class, and trying to keep the school open, the fi rst week at Antioch College has been a baptism by fire for the first years. Students arrived for orientation and move-in on Thursday, the 23rd. They were given an eleven item check list, and went from station to station getting room keys, filling out paper work, and being handed bags of free stuff. Carmen Atlee-Loudon described her first impression of Antioch College as “slightly disorganized but really welcoming.” When Gina Potestio, arrived at Antioch her first thought was “this is going to be interesting”. Eric Kobernik’s first impression of the college was “hardcore.”

After the first day came the mandatory meetings scheduled back-to-back, sending students from one building to another. Friday was the most tightly scheduled, with both the SOPP and RDPP meetings being held that morning. First years were anything but overwhelmed with the myriad activities planned for them. “I was stoked to do everything; that’s why I came here,” said Kobernik.

That evening a community gathering was held to prepare for the Board of Trustees meeting, and at six o’clock in the morning the next day students, alumni, and villagers gathered outside of Antioch Hall to join the caravan to Cincinatti. Among the students who woke up early that Saturday morning, there were more then a few first years, a number of which also had the opportunity to address the board at the morning meeting.

“It was one of the most amazing demonstrations of solidarity among a group of individuals that I had ever seen,” said Jay Casale, one of the first years who spoke to the board on Saturday, “It struck a really deep chord in me.”

The effort to keep Antioch open was very visible to all the fi rst years.Some even felt a little lost in the hustle and bustle surrounding the issue. “It was kind of overwhelming, in the way that you want to get involved but you’re not really sure what to do,” said Atlee-Loudon.

While stopping the college in which you just enrolled from closing is not the normal freshman concern, fitting in is, although first-years at Antioch seemed to be taking that in stride. First years were being shuffl ed around together, and had plenty of time to socialize, something they found easy, because, as Atlee-Loudon put it, “everyone is so welcoming and friendly that it easy to start conversations.” Even socializing with the upperclassmen (usually represented as big and scary in cliché) came easily to the members of the entering class. “[at Antioch] they want to be your friend, in other schools upperclassmen shit on the freshmen, [but] here it is much more social,” said Kobernik.

Maybe the biggest challenge posed to the class of 2011 is answering the question “Why did you come to a school that you were told would be closing in a year?” This year’s entering class is here to make the most of this year and do everything that is quintessentially Antioch. Students want to get in their last walks in the Glen, engage with the SOPP and RDPP, attend Board meetings, and take advantage of their classes. The climate of solidarity on campus and the exceptional community mobilization since the June announcement might also have weighed in the balance. As Eric Kobernik put it some students are here because of the closing, and they might not have had a shot at such an exhilarating orientation anywhere else.

First Impressions

Students arrived for orientation and move-in on Thursday, the 23rd. They were given an eleven item check list, and went from station to station getting room keys, filling out paper work, and being handed bags of free stuff. Carmen Atlee-Loudon described her first impression of Antioch College as “slightly disorganized but really welcoming.” When Gina Potestio, arrived at Antioch her first thought was “this is going to be interesting”. Eric Kobernik’s first impression of the college was “hardcore.”

The effort to keep Antioch open was very visible to all the first years.Some even felt a little lost in the hustle and bustle surrounding the issue. “It was kind of overwhelming, in the way that you want to get involved but you’re not really sure what to do,” said Atlee-Loudon.

While stopping the college in which you just enrolled from closing is not the normal freshman concern, fitting in is, although first-years at Antioch seemed to be taking that in stride. First years were being shuffled around together, and had plenty of time to socialize, something they found easy, because, as Atlee-Loudon put it, “everyone is so welcoming and friendly that it easy to start conversations.” Even socializing with the upperclassmen (usually represented as big and scary in cliché) came easily to the members of the entering class. “[at Antioch] they want to be your friend, in other schools upperclassmen shit on the freshmen, [but] here it is much more social,” said Kobernik.

Senior Profile: Jessica Davis

T- “What year did you start coming to Antioch?”

J- “The fall semester of 2002.”

T- “Why did you choose to come to Antioch?”

J- “I grew up in Fairborn, and I wanted to stay close to home. So it was either Antioch or Wright State. Most of my high school went to Wright State, and I didn’t want to go back to high school again. My mom also really encouraged me to come to Antioch.”

T- “What is your major?”

J- “Biomedical Science.”

T- “What was your last co-op?”

J- “Well, it was this last summer in San Francisco, where I worked at an addiction pharmacology research lab. Its probably one of the coolest co-ops that Antioch has to offer.”

T- “What are you doing for your senior project?”

J- “For my senior project I have teamed up with a creative writing major, Dayna Ingram, who is taking an independent study this term to help me with my senior project. She wrote a murder mystery novel that she will use to set up a murder mystery with the help of several students, and I am going to attempt to solve it forensically. It’s a lot more complicated and expensive than I thought it was going to be, but it should be pretty awesome.”

T- “What are your plans for when you graduate?”

J- “Well, I still have to do a hanging co-op this summer, which has to be a cross cultural science co-op. then I plan on graduate school for forensic science. Hopefully I will be going to Scotland for a Ph.D program in forensic toxicology”

T – “How do you feel about being an HA this semester?”

J- “It’s different, I have always worked with the ASC until this term. It is definitely a change of pace. I have a lot more time, which is why I choose to do it. It has also helped me get to know some of the younger students, because I never really hang out with fi rst years, but now I’m getting to meet some of them. I feel better about some of the changes Antioch has been making, because I get to hang out with the younger students and get a different perspective on things.”

T-“How do you feel about the separation between first years and then upper-level students?”

J- “I think it has its good points and it bad ones. One good point from an upper-level perspective is that when first years come to college they are on their own for the first time and they can get crazy. I don’t really want to be around that so much, because I’m older and I need to get my work done. It’s not party time it’s work time for me. I also feel this separation does a disservice to the younger students, because they don’t get any of Antioch’s oral history like we did when came to Antioch.

T- “What do you think about all of the changes going on with Antioch right now?”

J- “Some of the changes I think have been for the better, but I think some have been very bad. Antioch does need help increasing its student retention. I think the new drug policy is fairly ridiculous. I never thought there was too much of drug problem here, and this is the fi rst time I have seen students get expelled for drugs. I think that is really sad, because Antioch used to be a safe place to do things like that.”

T- “It’s not going to be an open environment basically.”

J- “Yeah, and that’s not good. When I first came here you could walk up to somebody and they would be giggling at you. You would be like well what’s wrong, and they would say well this person is tripping on mushrooms. Now you won’t do that, because people are afraid of getting turned in for drugs. I understand why, I just don’t agree fully.”

T- “Do you have any messages you would like to give to new students?”

J- “Hang in there, wait until after you first co-op to leave. Co-op changes you a lot and you don’t even realize it until you come back.”