Friday, May I}. I?“

SCARLEI ‘ND BLACK

Page Fin

 

The Liberal Liberal Arts College and Its Students: Part III

 

Antioch Seen As Historically ﬁeld-Edi?

ED. NOTE: The third — and rinal «
installment oi “The Liberal Liberal
Arts College and its Students" is writ-
ten by Ralph Keyes, a junior at An-
tioch College and the Communi -
Manager there. He writes of an “odd-
hall" college and the problems “in
paradise” that exist there

Antioch College has historically heeii
all otldrball schooli in the early 1550's
Horace (“Be ashamed to die until you
have won some victory tor humanity")
Mann torsook his patrician New England
envlomment to come to the cowtown
oi Yellow Springs, Ohio, and become
Autioch‘s first president. At that time,
in addition to academic excellence, Atl-
tioch pioneered in such areas as cured
and interracial education. In the early
1520's Arthur Morgan and this noted
engineer, philosopher, and educator al.
most singlehandedly restored Antioch
as a leading inuovational college. The
experiments he initiated included a Com-
pulsory work-study plan tor all students,
a general education rather than elective
program, widespread independent study,
and much more. Tnday, Antioch’s edu-
cational and social program might be
termed unusual in the tollnwmg areas:

1) Cooperative Education: Placing
heavy emphasis on the iiiterrelaiedness
oi “Real Life students, “Real Lite,” and
academic work, Antioch requires ail
students (not just technical or physical
science majors) to work on jobs located
by the college for every other quarter in
a ﬁve year, year-round program. "Co-
op jobs” range irom running copy in
a newspaper oiiice to setting up adult
education programs in Canadian mining
camps; troni interning tor senators to
working [01' Civil Rights. The deliiiitinn
or a “valid work experience" is quite
itexihle and a variety oi jobs or inde-
pendent projects can quality.

2) Free Social Environment: Antioch
contends that students mature best. in
the least restricted environment. There-
iore, restrictions are kept to minimal
standards and regulations which give the
students wide latitude to set their own
pattern oi lite. Women have no special
rules, dorm intervisiiation is permitted
almost halt the hours or the day and
political activity is barely regulated.
However, some regulation such as those
against illicit sexual relations on campus
property and against illegal dnig uses
are viewed as minimal and essential. The

PAGlIAI'S
PIZZA

Now Serving

CHICKEN
SPAGHETTI
SHRIMP

Nightly 6-12

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To Hull 'Lounqes Only

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4-1 Mon-SAT.
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236:5331

limitations which d0 extst are left large
iy up to peer enforcement through a far-
reaching Honor System.

3) Communitv Government: in 1926 a
group at farsighted insurgents succeeded
in abolishing student government and re-
placing it with joint studenirlacultyralh
ministration community govemmentt
Community Council composed of six stu<
dents and three iaculty elected at large
has lul‘idiction in the general area at
“Community Livmg”, They have control
over “Hall Hours” (intervisitalion times),
most community standards, and the hon-
or system, Community Government also
has a bookstore, newspaper, radio sta-
tion, $100,000 budget, and several employ-
ees including a community manager,
business manager, bookstore manager,
radio station manager. etc.

4) Student Participation in Governance:
Following some years oi agitation, by
the early 1940’s students had achieved
the right to sit on all major lacuity com<
mittees, including Administrative Coun-
cil which, With six faculty and three stu-
dents (elected), makes the college’s maj.
or ongouig policy decisions in such areas
as budget, taculty tenure and curri<
culum. Two to [our students also sit on
all administrative committees in areas
ranging irom student tenure to faculty
development, and admissions to cum?
culum revision. Students normally are
included in new taculty screening com-
mittees, departmental review boards,
and groups considering new buildings.
In addition they played a major role in
initiating, planning and executing Arl-
tiochs new First Year Program:

5) The New First Year Programi
For the past year Antioch has had a radi<
cally new approach to education tor
freshmen. New students are not required
to attend classes but instead can Volun-
tarily attend special seminars and “pre
sentatlons." Each treshmao is placed in
a ”preceptoral group" presided over by
a preceptor who is a sort of combinae

} ’Ad Hoc’

(Continued (mm Page 1)

taken in changing the residence hall
system.

One suggestion that did not appear to
the proposals was senior or treshmeii
dormitories. That concept was rejected
as being “both unrealistic and undesir-
able,” according to Kent.

With regard to resident advisers on
North Campus the proposals call for
“some adult concern and effort." Kent
said that could be interpreted as mean-
ing maintaining the current number of
residents but having them work in a dif-
ferent manner.

The proposals also reportedly contain
an extensive list at physical improve.
ments needed on North Campus.

At the start oi the proposals the Ad
Hoc Committee listed their goals. They
BIB:

“a. An environment in the residence
halls conducive to a student’s best dear
demic pretormonce.

“b, A social atmosphere that will per‘
mit young men and women to teéliza
their group and individual responsibility.

”c The freedom for the individual to
term. close friends ovena number of
years of ball associations and the chance
to choose a variety of living experi-
ences."

[inn teacher, dean, adviser and father
figure, and a student preceptoralrtellow
who helps out, With the assistance oi his
preceptor and (allow the freshman works
out a study plan, There are no grades in
this program—only evaluations.

Most of the above sounds like a press
agent's delight and probably strays Wide
or a realistic, balanced picture, There
is trouble in paradise, and none DI the
good things at Antioch are without their
price. To even our:

1) The cooperative program has re-
mained virtualy unchanged in 4!) years
time and many question whether simply
“going out on jobs” meets todays com—
plex educational needs. To be told that
your three boring months spent empiyr
ing bedpans in a hospital was a “growing
experience” is not always soothing. Still,
the variety oi experience available under
the coop plan surpassed almost any
{are available at more traditional insti-
tutions.

2) No matter how free Antioch’s social
environment is relative to other schools,
many rail against the restrictions which
do exist — the sex standard, closing hails
at midnight, etc These remaining limi-
tations are regarded by many as an
itilringement or the individual’s right to
total autonomy. The Honor System is
violated with too trequent regularity by
too many. But the general ireedoro and
nonpunitive social system do frequently
produce remarkable growth in Antioch.
ians.

3) Though Community Government
does have more power than most student
governments, and does have really (it
sometimes reluctant) iaculaty participa—
tion, it is deiioitety student oriented and
is often confronted with rampant apathy
as anywhere. interest and participation
go up and down from quarter to quarter
and issue t0 issue.

4) Though Students do participate more
broadly and at a high level at govern—
ance than almost any other institution

Tanager: Pick
Four Members

Diana Brown, Betsy Power, Peg
Stice and Karyn Zimmerman were cho-
sen new members of Tanagers for 196%
67 following recent tryouts.

The women‘s octet will be completed
with returning members, Ginger Clark,
Sun Schaeier. Cris Swanson, and presi<
dent—elect Susan Rice.

in the country, students are in a minorti-
ty- on all major policy committees. There
are deﬁnite, it often obscure, limits on
their inﬂuence, Having dealt with stu-
dent participants for decades, Antioch
bureaucrats have developed an admilar
ble tacility for generally getting what
they want, even it delayed occasionally
by the obstructions oi the democratic
process. However, student participation,
it not always resulting in direct iniluence,
does torce a wider perspective on ad-
ministrative proposals, and gives stu<
dents an opportunity to work on pro-
grams as equals with older community
members.

5) Many on the iaculty are not too
happy about the First ltear Program
tor a variety or reasons ranging itorii
specitic complaints to a general c m-
mitment to more traditional to
methods. Having gone through a year
at an almost total commitment to free»
dom, “random access", “mixed media
presentations”, etc. The First Year Pr0<
gram now finds itself retrenching for
survival against critics and its own ale
cesscs. As with any new approach, the
second year is often the best.

The above is Antioch, but it isn't. It
doesn’t catch the bards, motorcycles,
the Wild dresses (“Antiochians no long-
er wear clothes, only costumes"), tho
arrogances, the demonstrations, the v12
tality, the crackle. it misses the ideate
ism, the hangups, the sickness, the creek
tivity, the drugs, the commitment.

Antioch is a mutant — an urban gratt
on a country town gaming all the strength
and weaknesses that this implies. it is a
place you love tor its novelty in your
ﬁrst year, learn to hate with a disillu-
sioned passion in your second, and grow
to love again With a more temperate
peispective in your third year. it is a
bittersweet college, paying tor exagge
rated virtues with giant size faults. But
in the end Antioch can't be explained,
it can only be felt,

Student Art Sale

A sale of student art work will he
held tomorrow 1mm 1 to 5 pm. and 1
to 9:30 p.m. in the South Lounge.

items tor sale will he iron-i both the
student exhibition and other class Worka
Kinds or art available inchtde porreiy,
jewelry, water colors, oil paintings,
prints, sculpture, and drawings. The art.
ists maintain that prices will be reason-
able.

 

SUPPLIES

For All Your

SMOKING

Hustle Down To The

* VARSITY, . ;

”7 Bread

 

