Antioch Blame Wrongly Placed – letter to the Berkshire Eagle

Saturday, July 14

To the Editor of THE EAGLE:

As an Antioch College alumni (1968), an Antioch University Trustee
(1995-2007), and now a member of the Antioch College Alumni Board, I would
like to make a few comments about Meghan Daum’s op-ed essay of July 8.

There is plenty of blame to go around for the decline of Antioch College,
but don’t point the finger at “insufficient alumni support,” and the “Womyn
of Antioch.” Since the board announced the 2008 closure, thousands of alumni
have come forward to organize chapters, raise money (more than half a
million was raised in two weeks) in the hopes of convincing the University
Board that it made the wrong decision, with wrong and incomplete information
and through a process that was (as we would call it) un-Antiochian.

The alumni of the college are passionate about their alma mater. They were,
however, suspicious of the university and concerned that the university was
not committed to the college. As we all now know, those suspicions proved
correct. It is also wrong to claim that the Sexual Offense Prevention Policy
(SOPP) “did the college in.” Sexual codes of conduct always existed at our
college, as well as every other college or university.

It was an unwritten code, and it existed largely for the benefit of the male
students. Since the SOPP was instituted, the college has one of the lowest
rape statistics of any equivalent institution. I have two daughters who did
not go to Antioch and the stories they told me about drunken sexual violence
and sexual assaults against women at their colleges were horrifying.

Far from being a national “laughing stock,” many colleges quietly adopted
Antioch’s innovative policies regarding sexual conduct. Why? Because these
policies had a beneficial effect. There were so many problems facing our
college, the historic small endowment, demographic as well as political and
social changes, the legacy of the 1973 strike. But the ultimate cause of the
college’s closure rests with 30 years of poor stewardship and governance —
and that lies with the university Board of Trustees and the university
leadership.

BARBARA WINSLOW

Williamstown July 8, 2007

FAQ: Is my donation to the College Revival Fund Tax-Deductible?

Yes.

The College Revival Fund is an Ohio nonprofit organization and has  been granted  tax-exempt status as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  For purposes of identification, the Employer Identification Number is 26-0709828.

Yellow Springs Emergency Town Meeting: wrap-up and news coverage

Hello from Yellow Springs, the village that continues to hold the constant-beating heart of Antioch College…

I write to you all a brief update on our Emergency Town Meeting we held on Tuesday, July 10, 2007. I keep it brief because I believe that Diane Chiddister, editor of the Yellow Springs News, summed it up best, in her article in the latest issue of our local paper. Despite the unbearable heat of the day, over 300 people crowded into and outside of the meeting space, staying well past the agenda schedule. It was encouraging to see that most of the meeting attendees were in support of keeping Antioch College open (based on their applause and public questions and comments.). We, the meeting organizers, now know that we had over 300 attendees because 280 people signed in as they entered, and well over 20-30 more people entered late, filling in the standing room-only spaces outside and throughout the hallways. The Yellow Springs group to keep Antioch College open has officially increased 7 times from its original number of 40 people! Now, to continue the momentum… The meeting can be heard in its entirety on the WYSO website, where they have kindly loaded a podcast onto their site. It’s good to listen to while you’re multi-tasking (almost 2 hours-worth of listening). Link to WYSO podcast of Yellow Springs Emergency Town Meeting or you can click play directly at the end of this post.

The next meeting we urge people to attend is the Village Council Meeting at which chancellor Toni Murdock and president Steve Lawry will be presenters. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be on Monday, July 16, at 7pm at the John Bryan Center. Two more important dates for Yellow Springs: July 21, 2007 – A fund raiser screening of the film, “The Antioch Adventure” (1967) will be at the Little Art Theatre, time TBA. July 23, 2007 – Next major meeting for subcommittees from the Yellow Springs Residents in Support of Antioch College Revival Resolution, will be at 7pm at the Senior Center.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to the town meeting presenters, to the attendees, to members of the press, to the members of the First Presbyterian Church (which housed the town meeting) and especially to each of the hard-working individuals who helped to organize and volunteer at the town meeting!

Onward,

Judith “juju” Wolert-Maldonado, ’05

(attended ’94-’96, then ’03-’05)

juju70@msn.com

ysrfora07_05_075×10.jpg
Ad from YS News.

More Coverage in :

Executive Committee Report as of July 11, 2007

LETTER TO ALUMNI Nancy Crow, Alumni Association President, has written a letter to all 17,000 College Alumni, reporting on alumni actions since the closure announcement. It will be distributed soon and can be viewed by following this link.
CAMPAIGN TO DATE College Revival Fund pledges and cash : $525,000.

NONPROFIT STATUS The process has begun to incorporate the College Revival Fund as a § 501(c)(3) nonprofit, separate from both the University and the Antioch College Alumni/ae Association. The mission of the College Revival Fund is to develop a business plan for the College, build a separate governing board for the College, and to raise funds for the continued operation of the College.

ROLE OF ALUMNI IN DECISION-MAKING College Alum President Nancy Crow is an ex officio voting member of the University Board of Trustees. In that role, and as representative of the College’s 17,000 alums, she will be working on governance and fund-raising. She will carry the Alumni Association’s governance, fund-raising and business plan proposals to the Board of Trustees and seek the participation of the Alumni Association’s Committees in that process. The Alumni Association represents thousands of alums who are passionately committed to the College, and can marshall resources that the BoT cannot tap for the sur/revival of the College.

  • There has been an outpouring of passion, ideas, and funds. Alumni/ae Chapters are being organized in over 30 cities around the world — that is the foundation on which Antioch College’s future can be built.
  • Many alums have been sitting on their checkbooks because of deep skepticism about the University system.
  • The Antioch College Alumni Association Board is the only entity that can bridge the chasm between College alums and the University BOT.


ACCESS TO INFORMATION In order to be an honest broker between estranged College alums and the BoT, the Alumni Association needs access to all of the documents and financial data that underlie the decision to suspend College operations; and the BoT has or is considering relating to plans for the operations and assets of Antioch College.

OTHER STAKEHOLDERS The Executive Committee of the Alumni Board has established liaisons with the faculty and other stakeholders, and is including them in developing a detailed plan to present at the next meeting of the Board of Trustees, now scheduled for August 24-26.

Letter to Alumni Association from Nancy Crow, President Alumni Board

Dear Fellow Antiochian,

On June 12, 2007, the Antioch University Board of Trustees announced the closing of Antioch College on July 8, 2008 due to financial exigency, with an expectation to reopen in 2012 as the “new 21st century model.”

Ten days later, more than 500 Antioch College alumni, spanning more than 70 class years, challenged that decision. They resolved at Annual Reunion that Antioch College is worth fighting for, affirmed their commitment to the uninterrupted continuation of the College as an institution of higher education with a tenured faculty, and raised more than $500,000 in support of that goal.

At the opening session of Reunion in Kelly Hall, alumni heard from members of the Board of Trustees about their decision and from College President Steve Lawry, who called for a change in governance that would provide separate boards for the College and each Antioch campus.

For the next 48 hours, alumni engaged in an active, urgent, organized process, led by members of the Alumni Association and facilitated by former Community Managers. Alumni:

Raised more than $200,000 for the College Revival Fund in 50 minutes, with the total swelling to $400,000 by the end of Reunion, and more than $525,000 today.

Instructed the elected Alumni Association Board of Directors to negotiate with the Antioch University Board of Trustees and the President of Antioch College for establishment of a Board of Trustees for Antioch College, and for the protection of assets of Antioch College for use by Antioch College. All funds will be under the exclusive control and management of the Alumni Association.

Mandated campaigns to raise funds from individuals, private foundations and corporations.

The College Revival Fund will be distributed for the benefit of Antioch College under the direction of the Antioch College Alumni Association Board of Directors.

More than 20 community Chapters have been activated in the past 14 days. To find one in your community, go to antiochians.org/chapters and to organize a chapter, contact Risa Grimes rgrimes@antioch-college.edu or Aimee Maruyama in the Alumni Office: amaruyama@antioch-college.edu. Address and phone number for the Alumni Relations Office, Antioch College, 795 Livermore Street, Yellow Springs, OH 45387 1-800-411-6780. The Village of Yellow Springs held a parade in support of the College, and will host an emergency meeting this week.

I urge you to go to the website and access the listservs right away for up-to-the-minute information, articles about this incredible groundswell of support, opportunities to become involved, and to make a generous donation. Together, we will not only save the College from closure, but also produce a successful and financially sustainable Antioch experience for years to come.

Be ashamed to let it die!

Nancy Crow, President Antioch College Alumni Association