The alumni newsletter of Antioch College Fall 2004
The alumni newsletter of Antioch College Fall 2004
Those who truly believe in the philosophy and mission of their life’s work, as so many Antioch College co-op employers do, might find that employing an Antioch student for a term is like an opportunity to mold the next generation in their image. Youth educator Judy Accardi wants the chance to pass on her school’s self-directed education philosophy to a student who might eventually teach. Cell biologist Gary Rudnick ’68 wants to be able to excite a potential young scientist about research on protein transport. Refugee rights worker Andrea Black wants to raise awareness about the immigrant’s plight for the next wave of graduates, whose values and choices will affect those who come to this country next.
Many of those already working in their field know they have some level of responsibility to make sure their objectives continue to be met in the future, and to inspire those who follow with the same amount of conviction and humanity they themselves started out with.The benefits of the co-op experience for students are obvious. Having the opportunity to collaborate with experienced mentors in a professional environment without the full set of qualifications is a luxury Antioch students have always been required to attain. But how can employers, many of whom are small non-profit organizations, afford year after year to devote the time, money and resources necessary to hire a student who has little or no previous experience?
Many employers believe so strongly in the effectiveness of the co-op program that they can’t stop talking about the many partnerships that have allowed them to rekindle a passion in their own organization and its purpose. Many of them know, from the all-consuming way Antioch students engage, that even if they choose other pursuits, students have been changed by their co-op experience. And employers get personal satisfaction by instilling experiential values about educational philosophy, human rights, racism, free speech, self expression and other ideas that students will in turn pass on to others. Co-op employers acknowledge that their interns come to learn. Students come to study the philosophy of the organization, to meet those who provide services and those who use them, and to observe and participate in the daily operations of their chosen business or organization. But Antioch students also bring with them a commitment to the ideals and founding missions of their employers.
Students begin their education at Antioch exploring what it is to serve humanity, to seek to create social justice and equality and to express their individuality. By the time they get to their first co-op site, they already have a fundamental hold on some of the goals that are important to many of their co-op employers. They approach it in theory in class, and co-op gives them a chance to apply it in the field. Play Mountain Place is a preschool and elementary school in Los Angeles where Antioch students have been co-oping since the 1960s. The founders of Play Mountain believe children thrive best by having the freedom to interact in a rich environment and choose their own course based on their individual interests.
Self-motivated learning is one of the founding principles of Antioch College, whose students gravitate toward and respond to an educational philosophy similar to Play Mountain’s. “Antioch students say Play Mountain is like an Antioch for young kids, and we say Antioch is like a Play Mountain for older kids,” Play Mountain director Judy Accardi said.
Students at Play Mountain are encouraged to express their emotions and work out interpersonal conflicts with guidance from their teachers. The liberal aspect of self-expression is familiar to Antioch students, Accardi said. They bring an openness and a genuine interest in the students at Play Mountain that forges a mutual respect between the children and the co-op students.
Antioch interns usually form fast bonds with their students, who gravitate toward them and come to trust them completely. Over the years, Antioch and Play Mountain students have formed many deep and influential relationships that sometimes last long after the co-op students leave. The attachments are real, which makes the emotional learning that occurs between them very powerful, Accardi said.
Many co-op employers find that students with sincere intentions to serve the community are very effective in reaching the people their organizations mean to serve. The Florence Immigration and Refugee Rights Project in Arizona has collaborated with Antioch’s co-op program for over a decade to provide legal and social services for immigrants facing deportation. With just 11 staff members serving over 6,000 people in some way every year, the Florence Project demands a high energy advocate able to work in a deadline oriented office and collaborate with attorneys and social workers on group and individual efforts.
Corrections:
Gary Rudnick ’68 is a Professor of Pharmacology and runs his own research lab at Yale University. His research is separate from that carried out in the Steitz lab and references in which his work is attributed to the Steitz lab are incorrect. Rudnick is referred to as a cell biologist that studies protein transport, which is inaccurate. He is a biochemist and studies neurotransmitter transport. The research done in his lab has the potential to augment the process of discovery for drugs that treat psychiatric disorders. The statement “brute force psychological drugs” is misquoted. Rudnick actually said that some pharmaceutical companies discover drugs using a brute force approach.
The caption “A co-op student working with Gary Rudnick ’68 at Yale” should read “Leslie Matthewson ’04 working with Gary Rudnick’68 at Yale.”
One year ago, the Antioch University Board of Trustees took the historic step of confronting head-on the challenges that Antioch College has faced for decades. To that end, the Board appointed a Renewal Commission to outline a sustainable vision for the renewal of Antioch College.
The Commission met on more than ten occasions, each for periods of at least two days, as well as by teleconference, and engaged in extensive discussions and exchanges of material via email and phone. Our work was assisted by the entire Antioch Community, including the administration, faculty and student body of Antioch College, the Board of Trustees, and the University Leadership Council. With the help of a generous grant from the Mellon Foundation, we were also able to broaden our reach, enlisting the aid of top educational experts from around the country.
The result of our work is captured in the Renewal Report available for your perusal at www.antioch-college.edu/renewal. Fully implemented, we believe it lays out a blueprint for change that will renew Antioch for the 21st Century, insuring its long-term financial viability while maintaining Antioch’s core values of improving the human condition and preserving the centrality of experiential learning that has defined the Antioch Experience for more than half its history.
