A college whose motto used to read “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity” now, for many, reads “Be ashamed to let it die!”

The fight to save Antioch College started June 9, when the Board of Trustees announced that the college would close by July 2008. The fight may end this weekend, as the board is in closed deliberations over proposals presented today by the Antioch College Alumni Association.

The trustees decided to close the college because of financial troubles and low enrollment. The board hopes to reopen the college in 2012, but has said it won’t be easy. The Alumni Association, however, has been fighting hard to avoid any type of closure, temporary or not. The association has announced that it raised $12-million so far to secure the future of the college, but officials of the Antioch University system have said that even to close down the campus for four years, fix it up, and reopen would take at least $50-million.

In today’s meeting, Alumni Association members presented a business outline, including fund-raising and recruitment goals, for the next seven years. Rick Daily, executive director of the association, said the most important aspect of the meeting was that the association showed the board that it had exceeded an October 3rd goal of $6-million in donations for the 2008 fiscal year by raising $10-million. He said that as the board considers changing its previous decision, “it’s going to be a question of ‘do we have enough confidence in the overall structure of this plan?’”

Throughout the meeting, board members shared in presenters’ enthusiasm and hopes of keeping the college open, but an announcement will not be made until the conclusion of their deliberations, which could go until Saturday. —Anna Weggel