November 11, 2015
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Campus News ........................... 2 VOLUME 66 Community Voices ..................... 6 Arts and Leisure ....................... 9 ISSUE 01 The Record Question of the Month............... 12 ACCREDITATION SITE VISIT IS COMPLETE by Sequoia Young ’18 Antioch College’s much anticipated accreditation site visit happened on Nov. 2, 3, and 4. “The site team spoke highly of the preparation for the visit and the gracious, helpful, authentic and welcoming spirit of everyone on campus,” said President Mark Roosevelt in an email to the community on Nov. 4. “We have every reason to be proud of what we have accomplished and hope- ful that it will receive the recognition that it deserves.” The five members of the site visit team held meetings with different parts of the community, ate lunch with students, and assessed every aspect of the campus and school structure. The members are educa- tors and administrators from multiple other colleges and universities. “I think the most important thing is to thank everyone,” said Hannah Spirrison, director of institutional effectiveness. Spir- Sara Goldstein ’16 and Angelina Rodriguez ’18 laugh at Peifer Orchards in Yellow Springs. The trip was organized by the Antioch College Food Committee on Oct. 17. Photo Credit: Odette Chavez-Mayo ’18 rison was central to organizing the visit, and preparing the campus beforehand. She reflected on how large the turnout was to Comcil Approves Revised RDPP what’s inside meetings with the team. More than one hundred students attended the student ses- by Soleil Sykes ’18 Despite the RDPP’s radical commitment Student On Curriculum Committee..............3 sion and both faculty and staff met the team On November 3, Community Council to creating an “actively anti-racist” in high numbers. “[The team was] really (ComCil) passed the revised and updated institution, the current lack of an official Antioch College Village A Go.......................3 impressed with everyone’s support.” complaint form and clear institutional and Racial Discrimination Prevention Policy Now the college waits until June for a individual reporting procedures can lead Presidential Search Update.........................6 (RDPP), a pressing agenda item since ruling from the Higher Learning Commis- to confusion and uncertainty in cases of the beginning of the quarter. Tasked with Finding Myself In This Earth.....................10 sion (HLC). revising the RDPP last quarter, Diversity violation, a problem documented by the The site visit team will make a recom- Committee, a ComCil subcommittee, Diversity Audit conducted at the beginning Weston Update...........................................4 mendation which will go to the HLC on updated staff and committee titles and of the year. whether or not to grant the college accredi- clarified reporting and response procedures. “We have heard in a variety of different Gaerin on Gaerin.......................................8 tation . The decision will not be announced Institutional awareness of unmet student, ways as an institution how maybe we’re until June because the the two groups who faculty, and staff needs on issues of racial not meeting those aspirations,” says Jessica Olive Reads................................................8 review the recommendation will not be fin- discrimination and increases of people Martinez, chair of Diversity Committee Crossword................................................11 ished meeting until then. of color (POC) to 23% of the student and residence life coordinator. “There is population, according to the College, added definitely a disconnect between potentially Horacescopes...........................................12 The first group is the Institutional urgency to the process. our policies and how we’re talking about Actions Council, a committee within the HLC. Representatives of Antioch College, Some on campus see the RDPP, readopted things and how people are actually RDPP on October 13, ComCil sent the including the president, will go before the in 2011 when the College reopened, as experiencing the institution.” policy back to Diversity Committee for Council in a hearing in April. Then, the lacking campus presence. Odette Chavez- The gap between the policy’s intent and corrections and revisions. On November 3, recommendation of the site team will be Mayo ’18 serves as a ComCil student institutional implementation is a major ComCil approved the RDPP unanimously. presented to the board of the HLC when representative and facilitator of the POC factor in the current push to revise the policy, The policy now goes to SLT for final review. it meets in June. At that point, the HLC Independent Group (IG). “It’s always just which calls for community “education, The RDPP revision timeline generated may or may not chose to grant the college been pending,” states Chavez-Mayo, who orientation, and training” to prevent some frustration in the student community. accreditation, regardless of the recommen- also notes the disproportionate amount discrimination and advance accountability. Kabbeh Davies ’18, a facilitator of the dation made by the site visit team, because of emphasis the RDPP receives during Revising the RDPP has not been without Womyn of Color IG, felt the RDPP should they also have to take into account the orientations. Some students share Chavez- challenges. Diversity Committee submitted be in effect and “shouldn’t be something Assurance Argument, a many thousand Mayo’s sentiment about the lack of campus the revised RDPP to ComCil last quarter, that we should have to come in and do.” For page document detailing the college, which education and prominence surrounding the but quarterly ComCil turnover and other Davies, the recent increase in the POC the school submitted earlier this quarter. RDPP, although the policy is structurally agenda items pushed the approval process similar to the Sexual Offense Prevention into Fall quarter. After reviewing the Continued on page 4 Continued on page 2 Policy. RecordOnline.org [email protected] November 11, 2015 page 2 • • • Campus news 11.11.2015 • • • The record The Record Editors ACCREDITATION SITE VISIT Kijin Higashibaba ’16 Continued from front page live. During this call, Roosevelt Taylor Spratt ’18 The decision could go two ways. explained the results of a mock Layout Editor The first is that the HLC grants site visit that occurred August 10. Keenan Grundy ’17 Antioch early initial accreditation, “[The mock site team was] which would become valid imme- hugely confident in every aspect Staff diately after announcing in June. of our program, with one excep- Daniel Cox ’19 The second is that the college tion. They were nervous— we are Alex Malangoni ’16 remains a candidate for another nervous— about our cash situ- Ian McClung ’18 two years before going up for ation,” he said. “In truth, cash in Soleil Sykes ’18 review again. the bank has never been a strength Roosevelt and then-President since I’ve been here over the last Sequoia Young ’18 five years.” Staff Photographer of Community Council Amelia Gonzales ’17 held a “Tele-Town The mock site visit granted the David Kammler, associate dean of Academic Affairs and associate professor of chemistry, Odette Chavez Mayo ’18 Hall” conference call with alumni school valuable information and Sequoia Ponzio-Young ’18, and Meli Osanya ’18 chat and chew over kale dishes on in South Gym Faculty Advisor on October 7 to elaborate on feedback. The team reported that on Oct. 27 during KaleFest. Photo Credit: Odette Chavez-Mayo ’18 Brooke Bryan the state of the college and the we did well on four out of the five Mission accreditation process. Alumni criteria required (a clearly articu- of programs, and secure resources nizations require recipients to be were given the opportunity to call lated mission, ethical and respon- to support the school). The crite- accredited institutions. • To serve the information needs in with questions and Roosevelt sible conduct, quality teaching and rion the team said was the weakest Donations to the school are not of the community in a continuous and Gonzales answered them learning, review and improvement was the fifth criterion: finances. fashion. the only funding option opening • To provide all members of the The Office of Advancement up, however. More grants for fac- reported that the school raised ulty research will also be an option community with access to our once the college is accredited. newspaper. $123,870 from Alumni dona- • To serve as a reliable instru- tions as a result of the tele-town In theory, graduate school hall call. The school, at the sug- enrollment should not be affected ment for recording the college’s gestion of the mock site team, history. by the accreditation status of a also reworded and integrated the student’s bachelor program, espe- • To serve as a reliable instru- business plan into the strategic cially if the college is a candidate ment for education in civic and financial plan, which is one of the for accreditation. However, Spir- journalistic responsibility. documents the HLC examines. rison described that the process of The Record is Antioch’s student- Accreditation would change applying to graduate schools will run Community newspaper. The become easier once students do Record is an autonomous entity how many things on this campus work. The college has already seen not have to explain the school’s from the special interests of the the effects of candidacy, which accreditation status. administration, faculty, and Com- opened students up to federal