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Author: S. Quinn Ritzhaupt

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S. Quinn Ritzhaupt / Author

sritzhaupt@antiochcollege.edu

S. Quinn Ritzhaupt is a fourth-year student, majoring in Archival Preservations at Antioch College. A history lover since childhood, she has found her place in the College's archive, Antiochiana, and currently works at the Olive Kettering Library and as the editor of The Record. Outside of classes, she is the co-coordinator of Chess Club at Antioch, and can often be found boring her friends with stories of Antioch's past.

Find Me

sritzhaupt@antiochcollege.edu
https://www.instagram.com/moldy_books/

SKILLS & INTERESTS

- Copy Editing - Historic Preservation - Writing (journalism, academic, personal) - G-Suite - Leadership - Communication - Organization Skills - Fact-checking - Self-confidence

My Work

Accomplishments

Gallery I

Gallery II


 

Dealing with Antioch’s Past and Present: Ritzhaupt ’23 at Antiochiana and The Record in Yellow Springs, Ohio

Nov 04, 2021
 
My third co-op is a bit like my first one, as I am writing again. It’s also a bit like my second co-op, considering I am still employed within the Olive Kettering Library (OKL). However, despite these similarities, it’s nothing like either of my previous experiences. In essence, this co-op represents a continuation of our collective work of reviving some of Antioch’s core institutions while also an expression of my personal commitment to open up discourses that would have otherwise remained obscured. One-half of my job is at Antiochiana, Antioch’s archive. Although these holdings are housed on the second floor of the OKL, I’ve spent the majority of my time operating out of the first-floor common room where I’ve been spinning through reels and reels of microform. My focus has been on preserving correspondence between the college and external associations, such as various accreditation bodies and honor societies. These reels of film were photographed in the 1950s, though the correspondences themselves were written anywhere between 1929 and 1938. As a result of its age, the film itself is degrading. Fluctuations of humidity, temperature and even pollutants in the air are eating away at the celluloid and damaging the actual images. My job is to save them before that can happen entirely. The work I do is methodical and focused. Though I can’t do much for the physical reel, I am running the film through a program called ViewScan on an old computer. I straighten, sharpen and adjust lighting for each of the images, saving them to the PC as I go. A lot of the material is uninteresting: Former President Algo Henderson saying he can’t make it to a meeting via his secretary, Power Plant charts, letters from the Tax Commission of Ohio, just to name a few. Its charm is mostly in its age, though the eye strain I get from hours of staring at text glowing through a viewer makes it lose that charisma a bit. There’s a certain level of pride in preservation too, regardless of the perceived value of the letters. As of week 9, I’ve rescued more than 750 pages. I am something of a sentimental person, whose love of archives is motivated not so much by nostalgia but by fear of the future in a world where truth often feels under siege. Knowing that someone took their time to type or write these nearly a hundred years ago, I find comfort in these letters and graphs. I marvel at how this college was run, and compare it to how it is currently run. I also feel a bit lucky knowing my work here could provide data for a student or researcher in the future. The other half of my co-op is being the editor of The Record, Antioch’s student-run newspaper. Following its untimely and unfortunate demise in 2018, the publication laid in its shallow grace until my dearest friend, Loretta Philip, and I dug it up, forcing it back into existence to once more represent the voices of Antioch students. We produced Issue 1 this June, followed by Issue 2 in August. By summer’s end, I came to accept the reality that The Record will be a part of the rest of my Antioch career. It was only natural for me to make it a part of my co-op this fall. Reviving The Record has been as wonderful as it has been stressful. The tight deadlines and regular lack of submissions nag at the back of my mind constantly, though we’ve successfully pulled it off three times now, and are currently working on our fourth issue. The day-to-day work varies. Sometimes I’m conducting interviews for a story. Other times I’m (lovingly) rotting away at ComCil meetings, hoping to hear something interesting. Additionally, I edit submissions as they come in and organize them into a Drive so that Loretta can work her design magic and put it all together. I hassle my fellow students for their submissions, I go to weekly Record Advisory Board meetings, and I do my best. It’s right on the nose to say I’m someone who is particularly concerned with history, considering my major and my job(s) here at Antioch. The Record is the longest-running consistent publication at the college, constituting its own archive and demanding my attention in both of my roles. Fielding inquiries in my work with Scott Sanders, we’ve had to consult old Record issues more times than I can count. Much like the microform I’m preserving, I believe the work I’ve done with this newspaper will someday serve coming generations of Antiochians in addition to those here right now. I thus feel like I am offering a bit of insight into a special time that is passing fleetingly, as well as an opportunity for current students to make their voices heard.

 

Archival Aspirations and Watching the Dust Settle: Ritzhaupt ’23 at the Olive Kettering Library in Yellow Springs, Ohio

Feb 16, 2021
 

Five days a week, I walk to the Olive Kettering Library for my co-op. 

Any student living on Antioch’s campus will be familiar with the OKL – a building from the mid 1950’s, filled with shelves of books and serials, CDs and DVDs, computers, and a healthy dose of mold. The ground and basement floors are just that; an extensive collection of anything a student could ever need for research. My favorite part of the OKL, however, is the second floor.

The second floor is home to the College’s archives, Antiochiana. Dusty books, files upon files, and oddities relating to Antioch live in Antiochiana, waiting for an email or a visitor to come look at them (but never take them!). Most of it is organized, but some is scattered about the main room and the additional storage spaces boxes of papers and photos yet to be incorporated.

I worked in Antiochiana in Winter 2020, and I expected to again in Winter 2021. 

Things have a way of working out on their own. After a tumultuous hunt for a safe co-op job in Fall 2020, I was again in a situation where I was unable to travel. I told my advisor, the unparalleled Richard Kraince, that I wouldn’t mind staying at Antioch, particularly if I could once again hold my position in the archives. A few pulled strings and a call received at Dollar General later, I was informed that this would be my reality for the next three months: an archive assistant to Scott Sanders. I was elated to be up there again, breathing in the dust and handling whatever old thing Scott would give me.

Four days prior to the beginning of my co-op, I was informed that our library director was departing the college. Short-staffed and the only student worker with enough hours to fill the void, my position was hastily changed to being a library assistant. The archivist-turned-acting-director, Scott, was in a cheery mood on my first day there, though let me know he wished I (and him!) could be in the archives. I shared this wish.

I’ve worked as a library assistant at the Olive Kettering Library for six weeks now. It’s not what I expected, but I love it nonetheless. My tasks vary from day to day: sometimes I’m sitting at the circulation desk, making sure it “doesn’t float away” (according to Sandy, who I enjoy working with immensely), sometimes I’m finding and copying periodicals for the Inter Library Loans system, sometimes I’m watering plants and changing light bulbs. I shelve books and CDs, I creep around the basement, I watch the dust settle. My favorite tasks are the ones where I have the opportunity to return to my love, archival work. Sometimes I’m sent to Antiochiana on quests to find 50 year old articles from the Record, or photograph address books from an alumna c. 1890. I get to use my dear friend, the microform machine, to preserve century-old senior papers. All of my job is good, but those are the parts I really adore.

I get to hear a lot of stories in the OKL. Scott is a natural storyteller, both of history and of his own personal life, and there’s a lot of downtime at the library. I rarely leave a shift without some new facts about Antioch to bore my best friends with, or a tale to post to my co-op Instagram

The Olive Kettering Library is an intrinsic part of this campus, beyond just a home for books and the mailroom. It is a gathering place, a study hall, a venue for clubs, and much more. Even with a skeleton crew running it, nothing can stop the OKL from continuing its immense and beautiful presence, just as it has for the past seven decades. It is truly an honor to be a part of its staff.


 

Co-Op During a Pandemic: Ritzhaupt ’23

May 16, 2020
 

When I began at Antioch College, I had no idea what my first co-op would be.

I went through my Fall and Winter quarters in close contact with the co-op department, knowing I didn’t want to travel far, but not knowing what exactly I wanted to do. It came to me in an epiphany one night – horror stories. As a creative writing major with little actual creative writing to my name (past “novels” written as a young teen), it could be a good start to getting my work out, and something I could do from anywhere.

My friend and colleague Loretta Philip, ’23, was also searching for a close to home co-op that he could do, and so we decided to collaborate. I would be writing around a dozen short horror stories about campus, with Jacob creating corresponding illustrations. Together, we could create a book, physical copies of our work.

Ever since coming to Antioch, I’ve heard tales of what allegedly haunts the place. After a class I took in my first quarter that included interviewing staff and students about ghost encounters, my interest in Antioch’s long and varied history with the supernatural was piqued. Rather than directly taking ideas from already-existing stories, however, I wanted to come up with my own.

For my process, I started by writing down every building on campus – the setting for all of these stories – and narrowing it down to 10-12 buildings. I mostly chose older buildings, or ones that I’ve heard prior spooky stories about from those involved with Antioch. I typically write late at night, drafting and re-drafting ideas until I can come up with something more solid. I’m interested in unique formatting and micro-fiction, so most (if not all) of these stories are under 100 words. I write using pen and paper, but once I’ve made my final draft, I transfer it to a digital form and share with Jacob.

Since I was doing a self-designed co-op, I was able to adapt and change how my co-op was set up. Less face-to-face time with Jacob and our advisor was a bit of a downer, but it was a relatively smooth transition for me from one plan to the next. I was (and am) able to work from home while socially distancing, writing weekly for my half of the book, as well as having time for developing other skills.

Additionally, since I do not work for an organization or employer of any kind, I have more freedom. I am able to choose for myself when I want to work, in a place where I am comfortable. I was unsure of what this first co-op would be, but I’m happy with what it is. It’s flexible, fun, collaborative, and something I love.