United Poultry Concerns - [link removed]
3 February 2020

Protest Farm Program at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio:
Your Voice is Needed!

As described to United Poultry Concerns by Sociology Professor David Nibert of
Wittenberg University, Antioch College was once one of the most progressive
colleges in the country. The college closed around 2009, but reopened five or
six years ago with a new program, Antioch Farm, pitched to students as a
sustainable and ethical alternative to factory farms.

Antioch has raised lambs for slaughter and is killing chickens and ducks. The
college emphasizes that these animals are "livestock, not pets" - just like a
factory farm. And like a factory farm, the animals are treated impersonally by
their "caregivers." Ten to fifteen chickens and ducks are kept in a couple of
crummy-looking sheds at night and let outside in a small fenced area during the
day. Last year's nine lambs were indifferently given food and water before they
were sent away to be slaughtered. During most of their time at Antioch they were
covered with painful burs and forced to sleep on the ground. "I never saw anyone
from the college spend time with them," Professor Nibert told UPC.

Since 2019, Professor Nibert, who lives near the Antioch campus and can see much
of what goes on there, has run a strong campaign, including a Change.org
petition with thousands of signatures and coverage by The Daily Beast (see links
below), but without success: The college administration has behaved in an
insular and callous manner, and thus far, students at Antioch have not been
allies. The college recruits them for their interest in learning about
"sustainable farming," David Nibert told UPC. "During my campaign to save the
lambs, not one student stepped forward to advocate for the animals."

On January 20, 2020, UPC President Karen Davis sent a letter to the President of
Antioch College and the Farm Manager and forwarded it to the Yellow Springs
News, a weekly published every Thursday. It was rejected for publication by the
editor, Megan Bachman, as too "speculative about aspects of production at the
Antioch Farm" and "too far out of compliance with our policies to be easily
edited." Read the letter here: Letter to Yellow Springs News:
[link removed]

I asked Professor Nibert, who shared my letter on his Facebook page, if he felt
it would help the cause if I shared my letter and his information with our
supporters. In response, he said he believes "the best hope for the animals is
to bring their plight to a larger audience and to generate calls and emails to
the college calling for justice and sanctuary for the animals."

In his view, "Necessary changes are not likely to come from within Antioch
itself, as they see the 'farm' as their 'brand' in their efforts to attract
students at a time of declining student enrollment nationwide." At the same
time, he said, "I think increasingly they are coming to realize that science is
not on their side, and I believe only a couple of administrators there are
resisting reevaluation of their oppressive program. So, in my opinion, posting
your letter online through UPC would be good idea."

What Can I Do?

You are encouraged to express your concerns to Antioch College administrators
and to the Editor of the Yellow Springs News in a polite, caring and compelling
way that focuses attention on the animals and on the fact that animal farming,
regardless of scale, is not a solution to global warming and other human-caused
environmental problems. You may add your voice to those of us who suggested
veganic gardening as an Antioch farm project, a form of farming promoted in a
recent article in The Guardian, Are vegetables vegan? The man taking aim at
animal products in organic farming:
[link removed]


Contact:

Tom Manley, President
Antioch College
One Morgan Place
Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387
Email: [email protected]
Call: 937-319-6164

Kat Christen, Farm Manager
Antioch College
One Morgan Place
Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387
Email: [email protected]
Call: 937-319-0084

Megan Bachman, Editor
Yellow Springs News
Email: [email protected]
Call: 937-767-7373



Learn More:

Petition update:
- The Antioch Lambs are Gone - Change.org
[link removed]


The Daily Beast:
- Vegan Professor at War With College to Save 9 Baby Lambs From Slaughter
[link removed]


The Daily Beast:
- Antioch College Says You Can Save Its Condemned Sheep for $1 Million
- But It'll Just Buy More for Slaughter
[link removed]


United Poultry Concerns:
- Letter to Antioch College administrators
[link removed]


--
United Poultry Concerns is a nonprofit organization that promotes
the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl.
Don't just switch from beef to chicken. Go Vegan.
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