Tag: University

Letter from Zach Gallant

If anyone has taken a course with Scott Warren, they’ve heard his analogy of the situation at Antioch “It’s like the grandchildren walking up the stairs with a pillow to smother grandpa for the inheritance money”. Appropriate analogies have never been what I’d refer to as an Antiochian strength, but this is as accurate as it is vivid and amusing.
At the same time, let’s take a step back and ask ourselves, like I imagine the grandfather from that analogy might between muscle spasms and screams, how we let this happen. When people at home or work ask me why Antioch is closing, as much as I’d like to scream about the evil University, what I always end up answering is “Decades of mismanagement by radical liberals”. The University is certainly not innocent in its money-grubbing opportunism and disregard for history, tradition, or decorum, and the cowardice of these destroyers will not be forgotten. But they are simply vultures, looters attempting to squeeze another penny out of someone else’s hard work. They are not frightening aside from their prevalence. What’s much more terrifying to me is what allowed them this opportunity: The death of the Antioch dream. Continue reading Letter from Zach Gallant

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
 

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