9/28/07 meeting minutes — opened at 8pm; adjourned at 10pm
Moderator: Jeff Wood; minutes: Lynda White
Majority of attendees learned of the meeting from NYC email list, not antiochians.org Forums or website
Quick report from Ed Trippel about upcoming launch of revised www.antiochians.org website. Reported to be more user-friendly and searchable. Website communication team is sorting out technical issues and dealing with a lack of users understanding functionality.
Alumni Board (AB)/University Board of Trustees (BOT) October meeting
- AB presentation of business plan to BOT October 25th
- Open AB meeting October 26, 27, 28
If you want to attend some rooms are being made available in North Hall for $25/night. Contact Risa Grimes directly at the College about this.
All present were encouraged to subscribe to the Antioch Record, which happens automatically when Alumni become honorary members of Community Government (CG); which was also encouraged as a way to support the students on campus — Susan Opotow made Honorary CG membership forms available to attendees.
Ed Trippel talked about the campus being systematically starved, citing severe cuts in security, library, CG and cafeteria budgets. He added that the students on campus are being heroic and need our support.
In response to this comment about how painfully things are currently unfolding on campus, Noreen Dean Dresser spoke of the BOT’s decision to “cooperate” with the AB playing out simultaneously on two fronts:
- cooperation means AB has information for developing business plan, BUT
- the BOT are still doing things to actively close the College
This “pain” is an expected fall out of the decision to close.
We should focus on fundraising and not damage Antioch’s reputation, public perception is crucial and we should not feed the fire.
We need to counter the BOT’s actions with infusions of cash, creative ways to take care of students, and overall solidarity to maintain focus on our goals.
Susan Opotow (Alumni Board member) gave a brief update –
- The decision in June to close was shocking, but Alumni and the Antioch community snapped into action.
- The AB’s main task prior to the closure announcement was to plan Reunion; instead they are now in the role of governance, accreditation, fundraising to save the College.
- After 2007 Reunion, Alumni Board formed action communities:
Governance, Admissions community, Legal, Accreditation, Communication, and others
- Already we have raised more than $12 million in pledges and funds for the Antioch College Revival Fund controlled by the Alumni Board, not by Antioch University.
- The University leadership has been an unreliable negotiating partner, which can be frustrating
- Alumni have mobilized effectively. Susan asks that we stay together, don’t waste energy on in-fighting, and remember that given the situation, things are going amazingly well.
Events coming up:
- 2008 Reunion in June
- people going to campus to do teach-ins
On the issue of teach-ins Cynthia Rubin said that Rory Adams is organizing the events and is calling for lists of skill sets from interested Alumni.
She said that Bob Devine thinks that the next academic year the campus will be way down on faculty and will need to make use of all available resources
Question of current status of business plan being drafted by AB was addressed by Susan Opotow:
“AB hired Tracy Filosa, a higher education expert turnaround specialist. She is pulling together the business and governance plan that was worked on by various Alumni Board Committees that included interested AB members and alumni.
There will be a meeting in Denver on October 3, 2007 of representatives from the Alumni Board and some members of the University Leadership to further prepare for October 25th presentation to BOT. (Art Zucker, Toni Murdock, Jim Faecke, Nancy Crow, Ellen Borgenson, Rick Daly and others will be present)
It is hoped that the BOT will lift the suspension of the College soon.”
It was expressed that the alumni community is frustrated with the current lack of information and communication.
Michael Casselli, as a member of the AB Communications Committee spoke on this issue: The previous evening he took part in a two-hour phone conference with the Communications Committee and they are working on streamlining information flow.
“Good News from YSO” e-published by University employee Lynda Sirk is widely believed to be misleading. Murdock is asked questions and gives responses.
“Goddamn Good News” put out by Christian Feuerstein and Risa Grimes is a counterpoint to the University’s “Good News.” For example it will have answers to the same questions Murdock answers in “Good News” but with an alternate viewpoint.
They are hoping to be able to put out “Goddamn Good News” twice a week.
There was a communications meeting in YSO this week with Lynda Sirk. Christian Feuerstein and others flew in for meeting. The AB Communication Committee will confer twice weekly to address questions that will be answered and vetted, and released.
The Communication Committee is not going to accept limits; they will remain autonomous from the University to decentralize and democratize the communication process.
Noreen Dresser spoke to the concern that we may drown in the details with so much information coming out from many different sources. Antioch College’s reputation is valuable. If we allow the University to the feed negative information or stereotypes about the alumni (i.e., of being disorganized, which is not true at all), it is counter productive.
Michael Casselli’s response — Our goal is to get balanced coverage and link to the information, short and concise. As IC (Information Coordinator for NYC), he recognizes there is a lot of important information. It is therefore important to consolidate information and communication through the IC.
Noreen added that the media can pick up on blame, damaging the reputation of Antioch College. We don’t want our self-critique to be made public without providing the context for the critique. Doing so loses power. Instead we need to focus on real victory. Two ways the BOT may try to defeat us is either to drag out this “cooperation” process until it is too late to save the College, or to damage the College’s assets.
Dick Barnett, class of 1963, professor for 37 years, is very new to the crisis. Wondered aloud why alumni are currently fighting what he views as a losing battle against a powerful BOT instead of working on developing the “New Antioch” for 2012.
Noreen — Antioch was not the most failing part of the University but the BOT laid blame entirely on the College because the BOT is not dedicated to the College or a residential campus and wants to eliminate tenured faculty. If we lose the battle on October 25th, we are not ready to throw in the towel. The BOT does not support best aspects of Antioch’s future.
Ann Marie G. spoke: We can’t do anything except fight; AB is too soft.
Assume the BOT are going to do the worst; take over is the ultimate goal; we need more succinct communication, speak to peoples hearts; no compromise
Noreen: Be clear about what parameters are, this is a small board of a private College, self-electing, self-fulfilling, and beholden to no one.
Ann Marie: Efforts should be to prevent the College from closing; BOT has to realize they can’t (shouldn’t) destroy their own brand.
Ed T advised caution: When the BOT determines every thing about the battle, time, place, etc. we entrench ourselves in multiple ways. In contrast, the day of the near-simultaneous announcement of the Faculty Lawsuit and release of The Antioch Papers was a double-whammy and was great. Everyone must communicate.
Nan Rubin In the crisis about WYSO, two questions were on the table:
Q1: In terms of planning is there analysis on the buildings (assets) assessment?
A1: Noreen, Jeff, others: yes
Q2: The University came in to being while some of us were students. What about the accreditation of College and university? Is there still a direct tie-in between the accreditation of the University and the accreditation of the College?
Susan: The answer is complex. I cannot answer that with any certainty.
Nan: Barbara Danley, the president of McGregor is aggressively looking out for her interests (McGregor), clearly she looked out for McGregor, and with no leadership at the College to counter her, she rose to the top.
Noreen: Danley has not been effective about fundraising for the $12 million dollars for her new building (McGregor) quick fix policy, she came in on Guskin’s coattails; McGregor is cash cow of night school, a faddish idea whose time is past and without Antioch College in place, will likely fail when put up against local powerhouse of Wright State University.
Cynthia Rubin: be realistic, the Revival is an opportunity to develop new structure and curriculum and think positively about information sharing.
Susan Opotow: the governance locates the faculty as the appropriate place to develop curriculum. There are faculty working on this with some AB members.
Jay Hildreth (class of ‘41; deferred to ‘48 because of WWII): Will we adjust to new world change? I have seen Antioch under the Roosevelt regime but adjusting to align with the Bush regime would be terrible.
Jeff: agreed, but making adjustments to fully address the modern world and its issues/crises will always be needed
Faculty Lawsuit update by Jeff Wood, who had spoken with Peter Townsend, Faculty Legal Team spokesperson. Purpose of faculty lawsuit: (1) to prevent closure of College (2) preserve faculty (3) preserve all College assets including buildings, endowment, land, faculty.
Nothing will happen with Faculty Lawsuit until after October 25th BOT meeting.
Q: Would $12 million in Alumni pledges be considered part of Antioch assets for lawsuit?
Susan Opotow: no; it is being held by the Alumni Board, not the College or University.
Ed: depositions coming?
Jeff: yes, one possible before October meeting, and likely more if October meeting does not go well.
Accreditation question? There will be extension of university control because of accreditation, historical record? University accreditation dependent on College? AU could not have gotten accreditation without AC?
Brief discussion of OHIOlink/library issue.
Lucy — OHIOlink library deadline? Colleges aren’t accredited without a library, what about the OHIOlink fee? OHIOlink Contract must be renewed by Oct.1 for three years or it will expire in June 2008; University must sign statement of intent to renew to keep OHIOlink intact.
Opotow: University (McGregor in specific) is dependent on the contract with OHIOlink library system.
Ann Marie: Revival Fund contingent on money and outcome?
Casselli: pledge form very specific as to use of funds
Ann Marie: is someone taking PR advantage of this story (starving cafeteria budget or no library funding)?
Casselli: Communication Committee deals with info as a smaller group, sorting important info in smaller groups, and plans on making full use of these PR human interest stories.
Greetings from Antioch College, Postcard Show update:
- announcement cards presented by Lynda and Jeff and made available to take home (about 500 cards)
- guidelines/application forms made available
Noreen and Lynda: Postcard Show 3 things:
- local event up in Harlem, a classical home,
- Postcard show open to all Antiochans and the larger Antioch Community/friends of Antioch College
- a tax deduction for entry fee and sale price of donated artwork!
The most important thing you can do is — you all know 25 people — tell them to get involved! It’s a great way to get original artwork and Antioch is a creative group all the work will be great.Brief discussion of Toni Murdock at AdCil and the dispersions she cast on alumni at that meeting. Several reports conveyed that Murdock seems entirely out of touch with the campus and its governance structures — AdCil in particular. Ed Trippel: AdCil needs to be “given some legs”.
Chapter Resolution to send to October 25th AB/BOT meeting — a simple statement to support AB:
– adopt inclusive name to include more than just alumni: NYC Chapter of Antioch College Community:
“We, the New York City Antioch College Community, are resolved that the College must remain open and become autonomous from the University. We stand behind the efforts of the Alumni Board, faculty, staff, students and the Yellow Springs community to these ends. We will give these efforts our full moral and financial support, using all the resources available to us as citizens of New York City, the global capital of media, finance, law and the arts.”
– motioned, seconded, and approved by majority voice vote
Noreen: we should have response ready in the event that the BOT turns down the AB proposals
Michael: we need to support all organizations, cohorts and efforts that are leading to the continuance of Antioch College
Next NYC Chapter meeting tentatively planned for October 12 — for after the October 3rd meeting in Denver and prior to October 25th AB presentation to BOT.
Meeting adjourned 10pm
