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Campus News:
2002 Commencement
Antioch Welcomes a New
Dean of Students, Patricia Whitlow
Antioch Up for Accreditation
The Connection Between
Alumni and Admissions
The Antioch Area Theater
Around Campus
Antioch
Welcomes New Community Members!
The
Antiochian is published by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.
Articles submitted for publication should be addressed to the Antiochian
Editor, Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387-1697. Or send via email: alumni@antioch-college.edu Editor:
Rachel Moulton '97
Contributing
Writers:
Laurien Alexandre
Derek Ali
Patricia Corrigan
Masha J. Etkin '63
Lauren Heaton
Dan Kaplan '76
Fred Kraus
Mary Laskowski '02
Meredith Moss
Rachel Moulton '97
Robyn Overstreet '96
Anne Townsend '03
Photography:
Dennie Eagleson '71
Lauren Heaton
©2002
Antioch College
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Antioch
Welcomes a New Dean of Students, Patricia Whitlow
By Robyn
Overstreet '96
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| Patricia Whitlow, Dean of Students |
Patricia
Whitlow, Dean of Students since August 2002, brings to the position
a diverse range of
academic and professional experience and
a new vision for the Dean's role.*
Whitlow holds a BA in anthropology from Wellesley College and an MBA
from the University of Arizona, and has recently defended her doctoral dissertation
in sociology at the University of Kentucky.
Her doctoral work involved qualitative research on women
in their early 40s through late 70s who have made a conscious choice
not to have children. "I
tried to look at women across a wide spectrum," she says, "because
I think that all women make decisions about fertility. A lot of research
in this area has only been about married women, because the assumption
is that only married women would be having children. "
Whitlow was the Associate Director of Residence Life at the University
of Kentucky. She also worked in housing departments at the University of
Illinois, the University of Arizona, and Morehead State University.
After many years in housing, Whitlow says, she was seeking
new challenges and opportunities for growth. Many of those challenges
greeted her upon her
arrival at Antioch. "Several people, when I came here, said 'it's
not really the Dean of Students, it's the Dean of everything'." Indeed,
at Antioch, the Dean of Students is responsible for coordinating a
number of campus offices, including Securities, Counseling and Wellness,
the Academic
Support Center, the Center for Community Learning, and Housing and
Residence Life.
Whitlow sees her role as Dean of Students as a sort
of mediator, a person who can negotiate conflict and remind community
members to listen
to and respect each other. "I see a significant need for the Dean's
office to serve as a more neutral space," she says. "There's
so much passion in this community and with that comes a lot of tension. And
those things clash. I think oftentimes we [in student services] help pick
up the pieces." While Whitlow hopes to offer students a safe and neutral
space during large campus conflicts, she is among the first to assert that
there are many issues on which the Dean's office will take a strong
stance. Students can look to this office for leadership and support.
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| Patricia Whitlow, Dean of Students, talks to
Community Manager Tristan Owner and Vivian Harbert-Erceg '06. |
Whitlow approaches her role as Dean with a method of
problem solving that combines compassion for the people involved with
no-nonsense level-headedness.
Recognizing that her position is highly visible, Whitlow hopes to put
forward a model of respect and fairness as she tackles the responsibilities
of her
job. "As a day-to-day practice, I'm really trying to operate
from the very most ethical standpoint I can occupy, and being very
consistent about that. "
In addition to meeting the immediate needs of students,
the Dean of Students' office will improve its methods of follow-up and documentation,
and will evaluate existing procedures "[We will] look at resources
in our office and say 'how can we put those to the best use?'"
Ultimately, Whitlow believes, the Dean of Students' job is to facilitate
the education of the students. "At Antioch," she says, "we're
all educators. We all teach in some ways, and learn, in this community. I
think for Dean of Students' staff members, we would consider that role
part of our identity. "
Patricia Whitlow encourages alumni to contact her with comments and
suggestions at pwhitlow@antioch-college.edu.
* Former Dean of Students, Scott Warren,
stepped down after 6 years in the Dean's role and continues his appointment
as Associate Professor of Political Science and Philosophy. [Top
of page]
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