[Alumni-chat] Laura's post

[imabused at aol.com]

Laura I appreciate your post on the various spins on the origin of the College's financial struggles. As usual, I am back to the topic of inclusivity and transparency -- I know *yawn* -- but there I am stuck. 

Had I received a mailer in the past decade which informed me of the?small enrollments ... of the loss of programs ... the loss of whole departments ... yes I was broke but I would have responded with some dollars! 

Even better, had I been thereafter asked to contribute a brief paragraph or two on some things that I got out of my Antioch education... it would have stirred my emotions and recollections and moved me to action. I may be getting up in age but I continue to be an activist. Eliciting people's opinions, concerns, questions, and needs can really be a powerful energizing force.

I'm not saying yell "Fire!" but something close to that would have been good. Now we have an actual fire and it's hard to put it out. And the current lackadaisical "owners" of the house haven't shown interest in even encouraging the fire fighters to stop the blaze because they seem to feel their insurance policy will make them richer. Crazy!

So in looking at the past events leading up to the current manufactured crisis by the Board, I feel the biggest failure was in allowing a system to develop which lacked inclusivity. All of us who care about Antioch College should work toward building a well-informed community whose members feel valued and included.

Thanks again Laura.

Jane Slater
Ashland, OR
Class of '80


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