In 1993, it suddenly became national news that Antioch required anyone engaging in sexual activity on campus to ask for and grant permission throughout every step of the encounter. Conceived by a group called Womyn of Antioch, the policy stipulated that consent could not be granted through body movements, nonverbal responses or silence. Furthermore, it stated that "consent is required each and every time there is sexual activity" and that "each new level of sexual activity requires consent." Translation: dorm room make-out sessions were being punctuated by steamy questions like, "May I kiss you now?", "May I remove your (Che Guevara) T-shirt now?" and "May I … " (you get the idea).

Admittedly, this was the early '90s, a time when many liberal arts campuses were so awash in the hysteria of political correctness that it seemed entirely possible a lamppost could commit date rape. But the attention to the Antioch policy, which got as far as a "Saturday Night Live" sketch, not only came to symbolize the infantilizing dogma of the new left, it turned an already obscure college into a laughingstock.

Obviously, no single factor can be blamed for Antioch's demise. There appear to be management issues as well as public relations issues at play (and, for the record, the board of trustees is calling the closing a "suspension of operations" with the intention of opening a redeveloped campus in 2012).

Some baby boomers seem inclined to connect the college's closing with what they view as the career obsession and political apathy of the generations that followed them (as if 40 years of college students can be lumped into one generation). They see their successors as not activist enough or not activist in the right way (or, at least, possessed of unfortunate musical tastes). But, when deciding who's really "progressive," it's worth remembering just how profoundly the college (and, to a lesser extent, others like it) recast its notions of liberalism. It's not independent thinking that most people associate with Antioch, but an utter lack of it.