This sounds like April fools but it's not. today Ella H posted this http://www.dailykos.com/... about the sale of Antioch college. I am proposing that we, as kossacks, buy it!
After comments, I have changed the title. The previous title was "Buy Dkos a College" and this was confusing. What I meant is that as a community we have the financial ability to actually buy a college. It would obviously take the development of an entity to deal with the financial part of it, such as a 501c-3, but people here are resourceful. This is meant as a call-out to those who think it is worth the trouble, those who may think they can contribute expertise and anyone who is willing to see an effort like this.
According to a comment below, the college is not actually for sale, but the current admins are trying actively to kill it so the assets can be sold. Accckkk!
Ella H's diary says this:
The problem of selling a small private college dates back to last Summer when Antioch University and its board announced to close the college down for 4 years. The Alumni of Antioch College rallied to save the college. Within days of hearing the closing of the college, more than 500 Alumni showed up for reunion 2007 on a short notice to plan for the survival of their beloved college. For two days, after lots of angry exchanges and crying, they put a plan to save the college. It was a multiple front line battle: They would focus on fund raising money and separate the college from the University. The University and its board, college graduates feel, were more concerned with the satellite campuses around the country and failed the college, misused the college endowment and lacked the leadership required to continue the existence of Antioch college as a liberal arts college with tenured faculty. Negotiations started and continued for many months, but finally failed for reasons that are not clear. So this is the point when the University in now asking buyers to make an offer, asking price $12M dollars.
So $12 million to save and re-orient what has been one of the bastions of liberal education in America. At plus or minus 160,000 Kossacks, that is $75 each. I am willing to put in $1,000. At that rate it only takes 12,000 Kossacks.
I know this sounds kind of wacko, but remember the words Rabbi Hillel: If I am not for myself, who will be? And when I am for myself, what am I? and if not now, when?
Saving a liberal institution is an action of being for ourselves, supporting our beliefs. If we do not have such places who will be for us in the world of Republican controlled media? And when we support such an endeavour who will we be? We will be the protectors of the freedom of thought and speech in America.
And if not now, when?
I know this is unusual, but i can't see any reason why it cannot be accomplished here, on this site, with these people who are exceptional.
Update: Arkaeyn reports the following in his comment below:
First of all, the $12.2mil figure quoted is based around the alumni group's (ACCC) offer of that for a college that they could keep open and be independent from the university. However, the ACCC determined that it was too late to keep the college open and accredited as an independent body. So what is "for sale" is a damaged (closed) college at the cost of an open one.
Second, the university press release which has been picked up as "College for Sale!" didn't actually say that directly, but it was poorly worded so it looked that way. What they were actually trying to say was that they were looking for help in guaranteeing that part of the ACCC payment ($6.2mil over a period of years) would exist. The lack of guarantee is what made the university negotiators not do the deal, according to their statements. This apparently surprised the university board, who wanted the deal to be done.
This leads to the greater problem, which is that the university administration - the chancellor, CFO, chair of the board, and other key figures do not want Antioch College to survive(my emphasis). They wish to have it die, then sell the assets to support their non-residential, non-tenured, profit-based brand of education.
OK, so this is actually worse than just being for sale. Anyone have any great ideas? Many below have expressed a willingness to help.