pursuit of perishable things | brooke bryan

This Youtube video shows an Antioch alum reclaiming the contents of one of Antioch College’s student organizations- The Woymn’s Center. If I remember correctly (I attended the College in ’99-’00), the Woymn’s center was one of many student organization’s whose funding came through the Federal Work Study Program (FWSP)–meaning student’s who had eligibility in their financial aid package could run the center while earning money towards educational or living expenses.

The Woymn’s center had a huge space on the second floor of the Student Union, and when I was attending there were some knitting circles (Stitch n’ Bitch long before the publishing industry got word) and sewing clubs (Etsy labs long before Etsy labs) and meetings and discussion groups for all things related to Woymn. I didn’t go much, but I did run the Alternative Library down the hall for a bit (think Murray Bookchin and Buckminster Fuller and anarchist philosophy study groups).

All student organizations were loosely organized, but chock full of materials that were sometimes rather old- curated by generations of volunteers and donations from many sources, oftentimes from local residents. I remember magazines (as in Zines) that were some of the most creative material I have ever seen, bringing together content, typography and graphics in fresh, bold ways.

I am shocked that a University- by trade an institutional conveyer of information and cultural history/heritage- could so simply toss a library housed in its halls into the trash without regard.

I understand that not everyone will recognize the value of dusty zines and shelves of old books,but the administration of a multi-campus University is not an “everyone.” They are accountable for the things they manage, and the removal of the contents of one of the most active (at least in my day) student organizations deserves notice of vacation, at the very least.

Youtube replies claim that the organizations themselves failed to remove their property, but if one understands anything about the process of the last year, these four things are apparent:

• The entire year was spent in a teeter-totter fashion with most remaining activists/students truly believing (necessarily so) that operations would continue uninterrupted
• The already low enrollment was emaciated after the University’s announcement to close
• The University actually took steps to prevent students/employees from removing property from the offices, actually locking them and requiring escorts for removal
• Communications between polarized parties have been less than civil

These conditions would have made student-initiated removal of the property of organizations difficult if not impossible. But the biggest reason I believe it wasn’t done is that no student would have felt the right- the community sanctioned right- to empty an organization’s contents because of the generations of community ownership and the University’s statements that 1) there was an intention to reopen as soon as possible, and 2) that preparations for closing were done responsibly and with foresight.

Whether or not you agree with the politics of any party involved in the Antioch College/Antioch University saga (I certainly don’t), the burden of responsibility lies with the University.

The lack of notice regarding the vacation of a student space (and it’s associated library) is, unfortunately, one more symptom of a systemic lack of communication and leadership.

Within these books are likely out-of-print (or original) copies of classics or independently published works- representing cultural and intellectual property that deserves a reasonable attempt to relocate.

One phone call to a local alum, one email to a McGregor professor, or one notice in the Yellow Springs News is all that would have been required to re-home this library for further consideration.

Thanks to McGregor Alum Mark Heise (http://rhythmsofleadership.org) for sending the video my way…