October
2006
For
the last few weeks, Gallaudet University has been torn apart by protests -
led by students but joined by faculty, staff and alumni - over the
selection last spring of Jane K. Fernandes, the provost, to succeed I.
King Jordan, the university's president for the last 18 years. Jordan, the
first deaf person to preside over the world's most prominent university
for the deaf, himself was selected after a 1988 student protest over the
hiring of another (hearing) person for president. Jordan had been
extremely popular, but Monday, three days after he ordered the arrest of
133 students who had been blocking access to the campus, the university's
Faculty Senate voted no confidence in him and the Board of Trustees, and
called on Fernandes to resign. On Tuesday, the same day he announced he
was calling off this week's planned homecoming activities because of the
continued turmoil, he spoke to Inside Higher Ed about the controversy and
about Gallaudet's future. Full
Story
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October
2006
Ask
Joshua Walker, a sophomore at Gallaudet University here, about technology
like cochlear implants that helps many deaf people hear, and he is
dismissive. "In some way, you're saying deaf people are not good
enough, they need to be fixed," signed Mr. Walker, 20. "I don't
need to be fixed. My brain works fine." Protests over the selection
of a new president, Jane K. Fernandes, have thrown Gallaudet, the nation's
only liberal arts university for the deaf, into turmoil. But the clash is
also illuminating differences over the future of deaf culture writ large,
and focusing attention on a politically charged debate about what it means
to be deaf in the 21st century. Full
Story
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October
2006
Signing
protest slogans with the animated flutter of their hands, about 2,000
demonstrators snaked through Northeast Washington from Gallaudet
University to the steps of the Capitol yesterday, demanding the
resignation of the incoming president of the nation's premier university
for the deaf. To the hearing population, it seemed a quiet protest,
lacking the roar and megaphone-aided chants that are staples of Washington
demonstrations. But for those familiar with American Sign Language, it was
a cacophony of emotion and words, with students voicing their opinions in
coordinated sign-language chants as alumni waved colorful posters and
thousands of members of this close-knit community engaged in signed
conversations after converging here from all over the country. Full
Story
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October
2006
The
protests surrounding Fernandes dwarfed the affair in 1988. Students, aided
and abetted by some faculty, blocked the main gates of the university and
roiled the school until the end of the year. Protesters demanded that
Fernandes be fired and that the trustees conduct a new search, with heavy
input from the students. It is difficult to pin down exactly the cause of
their grief. Complaints ranged from anger that Fernandes wasn't black to
criticisms of her personality. It is difficult to find a single
substantive criticism of Fernandes, other than the plain fact that many
students, alumni, and faculty do not like her. The source of this dislike
may be cultural. As Fernandes and Jordan explain, in many circles,
Fernandes is considered "not deaf enough." She has been deaf
since birth, but she grew up speaking and went to mainstream schools. She
did not learn sign language until her early 20s, married a non-deaf
retired Gallaudet professor, and has two non-deaf children. It may seem
silly, but in the world of deaf identity politics, these things matter.
Quite a bit, actually. Full
Story
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October
2006
Writing
about the Gallaudet protest on Oct. 22, The Post's ombudsman, Deborah
Howell, referred to Gallaudet as the center of deaf America. On the
contrary, Gallaudet is no more than the center (if that) of a very small
and very self-marginalized segment of deaf people in America. Most deaf
Americans do not know American Sign Language (ASL). Most deaf Americans
are not part of the so-called Deaf culture based on ASL. Most deaf
Americans have little or nothing in common with the protesting students at
Gallaudet, aside from lack of hearing, and do not identify with them. Not
only is Gallaudet not the center of deaf America, there is no center of
deaf America. Full
Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Editor: Here's the statement of the Gallaudet Board of Trustees on the
termination of Jane Fernandes' appointment as the next president of
Gallaudet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
October 2006
Today, we announce with much regret and pain that after serious
deliberation in a special, all-day Executive Session of the Board of
Trustees, we have voted to terminate Dr. Fernandes' appointment as
President-Designate (currently effective) and President (effective
beginning January 1, 2007) at Gallaudet University.
We understand the impact of this decision and the important issues that
in herently arise when a Board re-examines decisions in the face of an
on-going protest. The Board believes that it is in the best interests of
the University to terminate Dr. Fernandes from the incoming President's
position. Although undoubtedly there will be some members of the community
who have differing views on the meaning of this decision, we believe that
it is a necessity at this point. The Board is continuing to meet to
discuss transitional issues.
It has certainly been a difficult and trying time for our Gallaudet
community. Now is the time for healing. The hope of the Board of Trustees
is for our beloved community to come together to work for a stronger and
better Gallaudet.
On Reprisals
The Board of Trustees respects the right of people to express their
views in a peaceful manner. However, individuals who violated the law and
Gallaudet University's Code of Conduct will be held accountable. We expect
the University to honor its long tradition of respect for each other and
property and to return to normal.
