By Jeanne Kay
On Friday, February 22nd, Interim President Andrzej Bloch announced to the Antioch Community “the reconfirmation of the decision to suspend operations of the college on June 30th for at least one academic year.” Students, faculty, staff, alumni and Yellow Springs residents gathered, like they had many times since last June, for an emergency community meeting in McGregor 113. The Interim President had just flown back from Los Angeles, where the Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting was still being held, to present the college community with the resolution of the trustees’ discussions concerning the immediate future of Antioch College.
The discussions took place on Thursday the 21st, Bloch specified in a later interview; they started early in the morning and lasted until the mid-afternoon. The negotiating team, composed of Chancellor Toni Murdock, Chair Art Zucker, Chief Financial Officer Tom Faecke, and two attorneys, presented the trustees with a report based on their negotiations with the Antioch College Continuation Corporation (ACCC.) The trustees, Bloch said, “concluded that there weren’t sufficient material, sufficient grounds, to take action.” Therefore he decided, with the approval of the board, to come back to campus to inform the community. Continue reading Community Confused by Announcement
Tag: faculty
Report from AdCil
By Jeanne Kay
It was not easy, on Tuesday morning, for AdCil members to discuss the first items on the agenda as if Friday’s announcement had not happened. The state of aggravated uncertainty brought to the community by the reaffirmation by Antioch University that operations at Antioch College would take an end under the University watch on June 30th made order of the day topics subordinate to dealing with the consequences of the new situation.
The Subcommittee for Campus Services submitted their report about the short-term needs of different campus services (including IT, Counseling and Wellness, Financial Aid, the Gym, the Theatre…) yet several AdCil members felt unable to take action to meet these needs given the level of uncertainty about the future of the college: “In order to meaningfully evaluate these issues we need to have a timeframe in our minds and we don’t have it” declared faculty member Hassan Rahmanian. Interim President Andrzej Bloch replied that although there was no clear picture of the future of the institution, the report pointed out “small things that could be fixed right away.” Union member Carol Braun, however, ventured that “The University is covering itself from a lawsuit by students… By going through a community institution like AdCil, so they can prove they’ve asked the community…and show that that they’ve tried to support students throughout the term.” Continue reading Report from AdCil
Letter from Jude Logan Demers ’97
My People,
As an Antioch College Alumni ‘97, I am proud to share that I stood front row at Sen. Barak Obama’s presentation yesterday with my fiancé and 12,000 people. I am also happy to share that I “taped” it and have uploaded it to our web site www.youtube.com/judemers . I invite you to watch this motivational and inspirational speech in five parts.
The reason that I write this in my opening paragraph info is that us Antiochians are humanitarians. It is time to appeal to Sen. Obama in seeking help and assistance for Antioch College. I am offended and insulted by Antioch University’s Board of Trustees treatment of Antioch College’s Staff, Faculty, Administration, and Students.
We Antiochians of Antioch College fame have been the source of the philosophies, missions, moneys, knowledge, and wisdom that created Antioch University and it’s many Universities. Continue reading Letter from Jude Logan Demers ’97
Dispatches from Community Meeting
By Erin-Aja Grant
In the last 7 days there have been two community meetings held, mainly about the same thing. The much-anticipated University BOT meeting held in L.A. was supposed to provide some clarity about the intentions of the AC3 and the status of acquiring Antioch College. Both meetings talked extensively about the BOT meeting and the AC3 but differed in their message.
On Friday Andrejz Bloch called an emergency community meeting that was facilitated by ComCil chair Levi Cowperth-Waite and fourth year Sara Buckingham. There was no CFB, announcements, or ‘thank yous’ but it was very much a community meeting. This meeting was met with great anticipation from the community since Andrejz and Linda Sirk had been in L.A. and CG remained in L.A. for the results of the University BOT meeting that commenced this last weekend. When Andrejz made his announcement on Friday the community had a mixed bag of emotions. Many did not understand, as Andrejz described, “As the University’s reaffirmation that the college will be closing as of June 30, 2008.” Faculty members like Chris Smith asked questions as well as community members, staff, and students. Many felt disheartened by the news because the media was awaiting the community’s’ reactions about the closing of the college. Antioch Alum, former staff, and AC3 member Steve Schwerner was openly in opposition to Andrejz’s announcement. He said the AC3 asked for Eric Bates and David Goodman to go to L.A. and they were not allowed. As questions were fired at Andrejz many were left unanswered. Continue reading Dispatches from Community Meeting
Letter From Carl Hyde ’48
To the Editors:
The announcement at the community meeting on Friday contained no new information. We already knew that the University would not continue to operate the College after July 1. Why then was it presented as though it were news?
I believe that Toni Murdoch has her own agenda. She has managed to make a simple issue so complicated that “we don’t have enough time to resolve all the questions!” That kind of detail is not what we need now. We need a simple statement of intent that the University plans to transfer ownership of the College to the ACCC effective July 1. Details can be worked out before and after that date.
Toni wants the College to close and has consistently worked toward that end.
The longer she can delay any resolution, the harder it becomes to keep the College open.
She sent Andrzej Bloch back by night flight to tell the students and faculty to “Look to your own career needs.” In other words, “please go away.” She wants the campus empty. I believe she is surprised and annoyed that students and faculty have stayed firm and refused to abandon ship. She has no understanding of the strength of the Antioch spirit.
Please keep the faith. We can win this battle.
Carl Hyde ‘48