An Interview with Chris Smith

What will you be doing next fall (or when you start your new position)?  And how do you expect it will be different from your work here at Antioch?
I begin my new position in August.  I will be Assistant Professor of Psychology, Human Development, and Women’s Studies at University of Wisconsin, Green Bay.  Probably the biggest difference will be in class size.  For example, my intro to Psychology course will have 125 students. I’m going to a state school, and many of the students are first-generation college students.  I suspect they will have working technology, and if it doesn’t, they will actually have staff on hand to fix it.  I also expect that there will be soap in all the bathrooms.

What do you think you will miss the most about Antioch and what do you think you will miss the least?
I will certainly miss the students.  I love the fact that I can get to know my students because classes are small.  I love the fact that students are generally quite aware of world issues and that most people are politically liberal.  Students here tend to be intellectually curious for its own sake, which makes being a professor a wonderful experience. Antioch attracts a lot of great, funny, witty characters, and I mean that in the best sense.  I was talking in my Social Psychology class about how we sometimes cannot easily come up with reasons why we like or love something because it is so difficult to put into words.  This really is an amazing place and I will miss all the little things like knowing almost everyone on campus and being able to sit on committees with students. Continue reading An Interview with Chris Smith

Antioch Alumnus Shot in Coup Attempt

Jose Ramos-Horta, an Antioch Alum and current President of East Timor (Timor Leste), is in critical but stable condition after an assassination attempt at his house in Dili, East Timor. One of Ramos-Horta’s bodyguards was killed in the struggle following the shooting. Rebel Leader Alfredo Reinado has also been killed, reportedly from injuries sustained during the attack on Ramos-Horta’s House. Doctors say Ramos-Horta is expected to make a full recovery, despite suffering several gunshot wounds to his abdomen and chest area.
The attack has renewed fears of further violence in a country still reeling from rampant rioting and chaos following the expulsion of six hundred soldiers from the national army in 2006. It also exposes the bitter emotions and discontentment that still persists from before the country achieved independence from Indonesia in 1999. Continue reading Antioch Alumnus Shot in Coup Attempt

Lessons in Love With Bill Whitesell

Antioch love is a magical, magical feeling but where can you find sound advice on this campus about how do deal with your relationships? This week for Valentines Day The Record did your work for you. The Record presents Lessons in Love with Bill and Corinne Whitesell.

What advice can you give Antioch about love?
Bill: None everybody is so individual. Ask my wife.
Corinne: Well they went around and did this survey of people who were married more than 50 years to find out what the secret was and they found out they were more miserable, but they were able to put up with the misery better than others, they eventually just abandoned the survey.
Bill: That was very helpful to realize that people who managed to stay married 50 years weren’t all happy all the time, all through those 50 years.

Continue reading Lessons in Love With Bill Whitesell

The History of Nonviolent Protest

by Alex Mette

“Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”
– Martin Luther King Jr., December 11, 1964

The following story comes from a book by Scott Sanders: Antioch: An Episode in History, it can be viewed along with many others, in their entirety, at the Olive Kettering Library.
Continue reading The History of Nonviolent Protest

Antioch College vs. Japanese College

Antioch College vs. Japanese College
By Miyuki Sese

Since last fall, Antioch has had several Japanese exchange students from Ryukoku University. This university is located in Kyoto with another campus in Shiga prefecture. It is the oldest Buddhist university and was founded in 1639. According to the Japanese exchange students, there are many differences between Antioch College and Ryukoku University.
First, the biggest difference is the number of students. Compared with about 170 students of Antioch College, Ryukoku University has about 100 times more students, and it seems common that most students do not know other students in their class. This can be good because it allows students to have a lot of friends with different opinions and personalities. On the downside, compared with Antioch College, the relationships between teachers and students in such a large university seem weak.
As for housing, most students in Antioch College live in dormitories. Most Ryukoku University students live in apartments by themselves. There are some dormitories but they are only for students who belong to the Baseball or Rugby clubs and overseas students. That’s because the number of students is so large that the university does not have the capacity to allow all the students to live in a dormitory. However, Japanese students seem to enjoy their own life styles in Antioch College. “It is difficult for me to maintain both my private time and official time in dormitory, but I am glad to talk with a lot of my friends anytime.”said Eriko. “I am enjoying staying in a dormitory with my friends”said Rie. Continue reading Antioch College vs. Japanese College