Open Letter from Leaders of 1988 Deaf President Now Movement - Part 1

Editor: Here's a pretty clear and concise statement of the Deaf students who are opposed to the selection of Jane Fernandes as the next president of Gallaudet.

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October 16, 2006

To: Dr. Jane K. Fernandes, Dr. I. King Jordan, and the Board of Trustees of Gallaudet University

FROM: The Student Leaders of the 1988 Deaf President Now (DPN) Movement in support of the Students, Alumni, Faculty and Friends of Gallaudet University

Much has been said and written about the last several days, weeks, and even months leading up to the recent arrests at Gallaudet that occurred on Friday night, October 13, 2006.

The decision to arrest over 130 leaders has tainted the spirit of the Deaf President Now movement and reversed King Jordan's legacy.

In May 2006, as soon as the current crisis emerged, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl flew from California to Washington D.C. to gather information about the conflict to bring to the larger Deaf community. She repeatedly requested to meet with Dr. Jordan only to be avoided. After so many efforts, she finally met with him but was granted just five minutes-five minutes for a leader who was instrumental in putting Dr. Jordan in the position of president. During her stay at Gallaudet, she was appalled at the intimidation stories she heard from faculty, staff, and students.

Upon her return to the Bay Area, Bridgetta wrote Dr. Jordan a personal letter urging him to consider the accomplishments of the Deaf President Now movement, the implications for the current movement, and its lasting legacy for the sake of deaf children who are isolated all over the country, who have never seen deaf adult role models nor heard of their success stories. She emphasized that the Deaf President Now movement provides them with hope. Dr. Jordan approached Bridgetta at the National Association of the Deaf convention-after announcing to the participants that "there was no crisis at Gallaudet"-and told her that he simply disagreed with her letter. She received no further explanation or opportunity for dialogue.

Living in the D.C. area, Gregory Hlibok has remained an active and impassioned member of the community as well as a symbol of Deaf empowerment. He has gone to campus several times during the current crisis to speak with students, faculty, staff, and the larger community. He has expressed growing concerns with his lack of access to the current Gallaudet administration as well as their lack of communication with the students in their care.

Prior to Tim Rarus' now well-publicized arrival, he sent e-mails to King Jordan informing him of his concerns and of his impending arrival on the Gallaudet campus. He requested the opportunity to meet personally with Dr. Jordan, but, unfortunately, received no reply. He was left to roam our renowned campus of Gallaudet on his own. Although Tim had been following the events closely from South Dakota, nothing prepared him for the shock of what he witnessed Friday afternoon. The sight of the rift between the constituents and the administration as well as the escalation of the crisis saddened him.

Crucial issues to address:

* The Refusal to Meet with the DPN Leaders
* The Function of Gallaudet University as More Than a University
* The President-Designee's Infamous Track Record
* Lessons from the 1988 Deaf President Now Movement
* Our Voices are being Dismissed
* Our Demand of Dr. Fernandes

THE REFUSAL TO MEET WITH THE DPN LEADERS

Because we were denied the opportunity to have a dialogue with I. King Jordan, Dr. Fernandes, or the Board of Trustees, we cannot begin to explain why they have allowed this crisis to escalate to the point of arrests. What we can tell you is that our students are frustrated, angry, and desire to ensure that the Presidency of this fine institution is treated with the dignity it deserves.

The Function of Gallaudet as More Than a University

The President's office at Gallaudet represents more than a typical university. It's not just the bricks and mortar that make the buildings. It's not the programs and curriculum that make the educational foundation at the university. Gallaudet is unique from all other institutions of higher learning because it represents the work and dreams of us, our community, our culture, our language. It represents the hopes of deaf people all over the world and the future generations that will attend this fine institution. It is nothing less than the Mecca of the Deaf world. Gallaudet has earned this distinction as the only liberal arts university in the world that is run by and of the Deaf and serves the Deaf community including its many deaf and hard-of-hearing students. So, this university represents more than just the educational programs offered on this campus-it lives and breaths the ideals, dreams, and aspirations of deaf people-a place where deaf people can realize their full potential as human beings. This is a place where communication barriers and their resulting frustrations should not exist-a place that we can call home. This is why all that happens on these hallowed grounds is sacred to all of us within the Deaf community near and far.

The President-Designee's Infamous Track Record

We believe it is crucial to distinguish this movement from a popularity contest as some have alleged. The fact that Dr. Fernandes has served as provost of this university has given us an intimate look at her management style. The campus community has already experienced her arrogant, vindictive, autocratic, and retaliatory style of leadership. These traits are not becoming of a university president or productive for a learning community. They are certainly not becoming of a university president who also serves as an icon to the Deaf community. Dr. Fernandes has earned few admirers on campus which has led to concerns from students, staff, and alumni as well as financial contributors to the university. These concerns came early in the search and selection process. Many constituents predicted that Dr. Fernandes was going to be difficult to work with as a leader and a representative of the community.

We do not dispute that Dr. Fernandes has an excellent resume and appears to be very qualified on paper. Throughout her career, she has made contributions to Gallaudet in various ways. The majority of us from the Gallaudet community and beyond do not question her record of service or qualifications. We ARE questioning, however, the quality of her service, and why our input was disregarded by the current administration. The problems stem from not only the process used by the Board of Trustees to select the new president but also from the alarming fact that they refused to listen to us and honor our input-the crucial concerns expressed by the students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and friends of Gallaudet.

We believe that the heart of the crisis at Gallaudet isn't just the fact that we have evidence that Ms. Fernandes is not deserving of our confidence in her ability to lead the university, but also that the Board of Trustees and the University Administration have cast our input and experiences aside. For thousands of years, people have cast the souls of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people aside. For thousands of years, we have been objectified, oppressed, discriminated against, trivialized, patronized, and dismissed. The last place we expected prudential and stereotypical attitudes towards the Deaf community to prevent equity and justice would be at our own Gallaudet University.