August 30, 2007

Editorial

A pause for celebration

Many Antioch College supporters seem cautious this week, not wanting to get too excited over the university trustees’ decision to consider the alumni plan for keeping the college open. These folks have good reason for caution: the trustees did not, at their special meeting last weekend, lift their decision to suspend college operations next July. Rather, they agreed to allow the alumni board two months, until the trustees’ October meeting, to present a workable plan for a sustainable Antioch College future. While this is a significant shift, the task is huge and the work is far from done.

But hey — let’s celebrate anyway.

Let’s celebrate Antioch College, which has inspired unreasonable love and devotion from alumni, students, faculty, staff and the people of Yellow Springs. This devotion was clear in the many moving testimonials delivered to the trustees last Saturday morning. No one thinks the college is without significant challenges and yet — so many people believe that it must survive, that at its best it offers a unique and compelling way to learn about the world. Something about Antioch College — its funkiness, its calls for justice, its outsized ambitions — tugs at our heart.

Let’s celebrate the Antioch College alumni board, whose leaders have thrown themselves into saving the college. These are not ordinary people. Ordinary people, faced with the trustees’ decision to close their college, would be sad, perhaps angry, but would shrug their shoulders and decide there is nothing they can do. These Antioch alumni don’t seem to think in those terms. They have minds that hold bigger dreams than most people hold, and perhaps hearts that can take greater risk. They provide the best case so far for the necessity of Antioch College — the world simply needs more people like this.

Let’s celebrate the Antioch College faculty, whose eloquent statements Saturday morning made clear the depth of their caring for, and intellectual engagement with, the young people in their charge. And let’s celebrate those students — there are more this fall than expected! — many of whom on Saturday defended their college with charm, wit and passion.

Let’s celebrate the Antioch University board of trustees, who showed clear evidence of listening closely last weekend and who took the risk of stepping back, at least for a while, to consider new options. Doing so took strength, humility and a deep caring for Antioch College.

And while we’re at it — let’s celebrate ourselves and our town. Many villagers devoted countless hours to saving the college, raising money, holding meetings, organizing strategies. Why do we care? Sure, we know a thriving college is good for the town but there’s much more at stake here than finances. Something about saving the college also seems to mean saving ourselves, our hopes for community, our longing to win a victory or two for humanity.

Sure, more work needs to be done. We can’t stop for long. But let’s pause for a moment and say — good job. Now let’s carry on.

—Diane Chiddister