[Alumni-chat] a CONSTRUCTIVE suggestion for a change

[thanos fatouros]

I don't know about the rest of the people reading this chatlist, 
but it's looking to me like Antioch College has a shot at remaining 
open, with an infusion of funds even.  Maybe it's all a bunch of 
optimistic talk, maybe it's a mass suspension of disbelief, but I see 
real momentum which has not disappeared since the reunion and even 
seems to be spreading.

There are some experienced fundraisers out there gathering forces 
right this minute.  If we can imagine that the status and specific 
purposes of the College Revival Fund will be sorted out in the coming 
weeks, if we can imagine that MOST alumni will continue to hold strong 
in their support for the college, then maybe we should think about 
other things to bring to the BoT table. 

Excuse me if this is already being discussed in Yellow Springs, but 
I think the faculty and staff of Antioch College should put their 
heads together and have a good think about the longer-term questions 
of Antioch's mission.  Can they create a plan for a rejuvenated 
college?  Not just an open college - a dynamic college.  A college 
with relevance, volume and energy.  A place where things not only get 
fixed when they break, but where infrasructure and facilities are 
constantly improving.  If the people who devoted so many years of 
their lives to this place thought about redesigning it, what would 
be their vision?  Other than the limping underdog model.  
Can a self-sustaining and growing Antioch College be 
accomplished?  Are there ideas for creating a financially sound (OK, 
I'll say it - profitable) college in Yellow Springs?  What ideas are 
there for new, stable revenue streams that can stand up to first-year 
students' critiques?  (The ULC plan suggested international students, 
an idea which has saved many British colleges.  Is this worth looking 
into, or is it toxically incorrect?)  Maybe my memory is faulty, but 
I recall some really smart people teaching and working at Antioch College.  
Wicked smart.  Surely they have one or two things they could suggest.  
There's simply no one better qualified to come up with a plan.  We alumni 
can have all the goodwill in the world, but the college has to run itself.

If we agree that the current system of governance is unworkable, and that 
the current crisis was precipitated by years of university budget squeezes, 
followed by this tragic curriculum renewal thing (sorry, won't capitalize 
that) handed down from the board of trustees, then it's reasonable to 
assume that the people on the ground have a few better ideas.  It goes 
without saying that alumni will have opinions, but we're not there.  I 
think any proposal to reinvigorate Antioch has to come from the people 
who will be responsible for making it happen.  We alumni can offer advice 
and financial/professional support.  That should be our role.  

The evolution of the plan shouldn't be a free-for-all - god forbid we 
should try to hash it out on this chatlist.  But there should be a Plan.  
If only for the sound it makes (thump!) when it lands on the chancellor's 
table.

I want the firings to stop, I want faculty numbers doubled, and I want 
Antioch to remain a strong, clear voice for the progressive left in 
America.  How can we make that happen?

Thanos
'88


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