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One
of the new maps that were erected on the Antioch campus.
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Finding
the way at Antioch
With sparkling grape juice and a toast to Beverly Viemeister, a volunteer
committee charged with helping people find their way on the Antioch College
campus finished almost a year’s worth of work with a ribbon cutting
ceremony Tuesday, Nov. 26.
The “wayfinders committee,” co-chaired by Viemeister, was charged
with selecting a final design for the new maps and building plaques, which
are going up around the Antioch campus this week.
“Joan [Straumanis, president of Antioch College] called me and said
‘we need a way of welcoming people to campus,’ ” said Viemeister.
The suggestion came out of a larger discussion on the Antioch Admissions
Committee on how to make the campus more accessible and navigable to both
prospective students and visitors.
Viemeister contacted Robert Allen of the Andco Company, which typically
specializes in making maps and directional signs for stadiums and campuses
all around the country. Allen agreed to donate his time and design skills
to Antioch, although he had never set foot on the campus before he and
his wife, Alice, visited to plot out his design. However, he does have
ties with the college, since he is the son-in-law of Joeand Nell Maloney,
both Antioch graduates.
The Village Planning Commission approved the plans in October, and production
began shortly afterwards.
In December, the Antioch Class of 1953 will launch an initiative to cover
the nearly $50,000 cost for the signs. If the funds are raised solely
from the 1953 students, the signs could be considered a class gift.
“We’re proud of ourselves,” said Viemeister. “We saw
a problem and we dealt with it.”
Michael Murphy, dean of admissions and financial aid at Antioch, told
a small group on Tuesday that the committee was a pleasure to work with.
“We’re hoping prospective students can find their way around
now, and not get lost,” he said.
The committee to select the design consisted of a mix of village residents,
college students and administrators and alumni, including David Battle,
Matt Minde, Jocelyn Robinson, Callie Cary, Sean Creighton, Bill Hooper,
Shalani Deo and Ed Remy.
One minor setback occurred when some of the sign sites were found to have
limestone beds or thick tree roots under them. The process was slowed
temporarily.
As a special thanks to everyone who helped in the selection committee,
Murphy planned to distribute compasses. “This way, everyone will
know where they are,” said Murphy.
—Michael
Hogan Jr.
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