Sesquicentennial Commencement 2003
By Rachel Moulton ’97

“I’d like to ask for a brief extension on my speech. By next Wednesday, I could do a really good job,” began James Loewen – educator, writer, historian, and Antioch’s Sesquicentennial commencement speaker. Loewen’s opening comments were met with laughter, but the laughter led to a much more serious message. Loewen invited the audience to participate in his speech through a series of pop quizzes about American history. His final quiz of the day was certainly the most poignant: “In a democracy there is but one two-part question. Are you using your gifts for or against the people? The second part of the question is: How? Part two is a take home quiz. You have your whole life to answer.”

Loewen, who spent two years at the Smithsonian Institution surveying 12 leading high school textbooks of American history, wrote Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your High School History Textbook Got Wrong. The book, a telling critique of these textbooks and a retelling of American history, shaped his commencement speech. “As you go on learning, start teaching your younger brothers and sisters, your parents, your teachers,” said Loewen. “Our job as Americans is to bring about the America of the future, one that we can all be proud of.”

The morning of Saturday, April 26, 2003 marked the beginning of a weekend of ceremonies. Loewen’s powerful but humorous message was matched by an equally passionate set of student speakers, bright sunshine, and the ringing of the bells in Main Building. “The bells are ringing for commencement for the first time in several decades,” President Joan Straumanis ’57 began as she opened the ceremonies for Antioch’s 150th commencement, “and I hope they cheer and encourage you.”

Straumanis introduced a number of honored guests including Bill Hooper ’49, Special Assistant to the Chancellor of Antioch University and representative for the Board of Trustees, and Wade Matthews, a co-op employer at CRUCE in Spain. This was the first time in many years that co-op employers were represented at graduation.

Student speakers included Daisy Cardenas, Kerstin Brooke Cornell, Nathaniel Evans, Jennifer Jean Hartzog, Jonah A. Liebert, Alexander Maria Malaspinas, Melanie Margaret Mead, Michael C. Phelan, Danna Pope, Anne Karnam Pritchard, and J. Robert Scott III.

Daisy’s speech was met with laughter as she read from the paper she wrote when she applied to Antioch, concluding with a more current observation: “Antioch is a microcosm of completely insane, wonderful people.” Danna later added, “The things I’ve learned at Antioch are things some Americans have never heard or learned.”

Others shared music and poetry. Karnum sang while Alexander invited her friend Suzanne Chilcote ’03 to join her at the podium. Jonah, while not the only speaker to praise the faculty, spoke for the majority of graduates when he said, “I’ll take the passion of the faculty with me. At Antioch, the human touch is important and priceless.”

Following graduation was the dedication of the Emilys’ Garden, a memorial garden and meditation space honoring the memory of Emily Eagen and Emily Howell who were murdered in Costa Rica in 2000. The memorial, created by Alena Schaim ’03, is located between the Science Building and Main Building. It consists of five female adobe figures. Speakers included the creator of the memorial; their co-op advisor Adam Howard; members of their families; and Scott Warren and Jimmy Williams, who were both in the Dean of Students Office when Eagen and Howell attended Antioch. The garden presents a quiet space on campus for community members to pause and reflect.

On Sunday, April 27 in the Miles “Budd” Goodman Amphitheatre, the entire community was invited to the wedding of Danna Pope ’03 and Andrew Batcher ’03. Greeted with bubbles, over 60 people attended the wedding for which community manager Tristan Owner ’02 played the guitar and Cheryl Keen, Dean of Community Learning, led the ceremonies.

Danna and Andrew invited all to celebrate love and promise and life. In addition, Danna asked those present to think about the political implications of marriage: “Anyone who wants to be married should be allowed to. Anybody who does not want to should be allowed not to.”

Ultimately the audience was asked to marry Andrew and Danna. With the guidance of Cheryl Keen, the group accompanied the couple in their vows.

A weekend full of sunshine, ceremonies, and departures began with the conferring of degrees and ended appropriately with a unanimously supported declaration of love.

Antioch congratulates the 150th graduating class, the class of 2003.

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