Antioch University Announces Closing

An article in yesterday’s Inside Higher Ed reports the closure of the main undergraduate college of Antioch University due to low enrollment and a small endowment, stating that the school’s total enrollment had dropped down to just over 300 students for the upcoming semester.

 

Through the years, Antioch had become known for its drastic measures to enforce a politically correct climate on campus, illustrated perfectly by a policy enacted in the 1990s requiring explicit verbal consent before any sexual act. We can’t help but wonder if students wised up to Antioch’s well-known tactics and began to choose other institutions with less repressive atmospheres.

 

If the language of Antioch’s policy rings any bells with loyal readers of The Torch, it’s probably because that policy is not a far cry from the now notorious sexual misconduct policy at Gettysburg College. Gettysburg’s policy still remains on the books there one year after the school agreed to reconsider it, and FIRE is still waiting for the school’s promised revision.

 

Perhaps Antioch’s fate should act as a warning to other institutions like Gettysburg that maintain repressive policies. Perhaps the lesson to be gleaned from this situation is “Change your policies, or your students will leave.”