Antioch College students have produced their own publications since the earliest days of the College. Beginning in 1869, they created the longest-running title in Antioch history, a monthly magazine for students, alumni, and friends called The Antiochian.
By the 1910s The Antiochian had become a weekly campus newspaper. In the 1930s it turned into a monthly magazine again. The title The Antioch Record can be traced to 1941 when it was recorded as a weekly source of campus news that over time broadened its scope to include the poetry, art, and photography of Antioch students.
Over much of its history, the newspaper engaged students through the Co-op program, and each term a student (and sometimes a collective of students) was selected as the editor-in-chief. As a result, the direction of each publication of The Record can differ tremendously from the publications that came before. After the closure and reopening of the College during 2008-2009, highly motivated students resurrected The Record in 2013 although publishing happened on an irregular schedule.
The Record experienced another hiatus starting in 2018, and current students, S. Quinn Ritzhaupt ’23, and Jacob Philip ’23 have taken the initiative to relaunch operations. Read our Q&A below to find out about the mission of The Record and the experiences of S. Quinn and Jacob in reestablishing it.
How did you choose your major at Antioch?
S. Quinn: I came here as a Creative Writing Major. During Winter 2020, I applied to work at the Olive Kettering Library and was hired as the Archive Assistant. Since then, my major has undergone a full change. Archives is a perfect fit for me – I love history and having the opportunity to preserve it is so special. I feel very passionate about it.
Jacob: Well, my tentative title is Language of the Arts, but I have not decided on a permanent title yet. When I started my studies at Antioch, the language courses kind of reignited a passion of mine that I had from High School. I was learning foreign languages and took Japanese here my first year. Now I’m taking French and I plan on taking Spanish in the Fall.
Why is it important to you to bring The Record back?
S. Quinn: Antioch has such a beautiful and unique history. There are things that are very special here, and without someone to continue them on, they just stop. I just mentioned that I love history, and it’s true: I think having these living traditions is so important, even just to preserve some of what Antioch has always stood for. My older sister is an alum of 2020, so I’ve been hanging around campus since 2016. I remember Camelot 2018, and I remember always wanting to write for The Record. When I came to Antioch, these things weren’t running anymore, so I felt it was sort of up to me to keep them going. I’m really happy about them both.
What has been the most enjoyable aspect of working on The Record?
S. Quinn: For me, some of the most enjoyable aspects have been reaching out to people and seeing their enthusiasm about it. We have a lot of support from students, staff, faculty, and alums alike, and it’s really cool! I also got to write a piece on Camelot, which was a lot of fun. It’s also the knowledge of us reviving something so deeply ingrained in Antioch’s past, and giving it life again to continue past us.
Jacob: The most enjoyable aspect has been the ability to pace myself. Working on The Record has been something that I wanted to do for a while and it is intensive work, but it doesn’t really feel like work when it comes to the grand scheme of things because it’s something that I really enjoy doing. My position is the layout coordinator. I’m the one who puts the paper together and I’m working with Quinn who edits what goes in. It’s working on the muscles that I’ve had from working with the Adobe suite that I’ve really missed using, and I like being able to choose the artistic direction of the Record and the way it is designed.
What has been the most challenging aspect?
S. Quinn: The deadline is extremely tight. It’s difficult to get submissions in time, and I think Jacob and I are really feeling the stress and pressure of it.
Jacob: The most challenging part is the coordination between so many different people and keeping track of projects and deadlines.
S. Quinn and Jacob are currently collecting the final submissions and aim to publish the newest edition of The Record at the end of June. The Record will be made available in both print (limited amount) and online. Stay tuned for updates!
