Michael Goldfarb's Article 'Where The Arts Were Too Liberal'

568 Words3 Pages

In the article, The Trouble with Coeducation: Mann and Women at Antioch, 1853-1860, Mann is viewed as the creator of one of the first coeducational colleges in the United States that promoted educational reform in women’s education. Women, who sought a liberal education, gathered from all over the country to attend Antioch College, but eventually, some became disenchanted as they felt limited in the subjects they could choose. Consequently, the women held demonstrations, demanded the right to speak in public about their cause, and fought against discrimination and inequality. Antioch College closed in 2008, as it had been poorly managed and went into debt; this is what I had read. However, Robin mentioned that it was not the first time Antioch …show more content…

In Michael Goldfarb’s article, Where the Arts Were Too Liberal, I became acquainted with the additional failings of the college. Goldfarb, a former Antioch student, and presently a public radio correspondent, …show more content…

By the 1990s, the college evolved into an institution of indoctrination with unyielding socialist and radical views, predominantly in gender politics. The situation peaked in 1993 after Antioch College’s infamous Sexual Offense Prevention Policy (SOPP) or (SOP) dictated that men would have to ask permission from women during each stage of seduction. The aim of the policy, created by feminist students, was to protect women from violence and rape n campuses. The historical event, created by Womyn of Antioch, was considered to be so bizarre that it received national headlines, and was used in a skit for a Saturday Night Live Television broadcast. It makes perfect sense that Horace Mann’s forward thinking philosophies in education and social reform attracted particular mindsets of students who wanted a liberal college lifestyle. The writings suggest, even as early as the late 1850’s, that students who came from all over the country had determination, and could be problematic. The students’ mindsets, no doubt, impacted the small village of Yellow Springs throughout its history. Still, Antioch College is proud of its students who participate in institutional decision-making and for being one of the “first to make a commitment to community