This protest has evolved to take on much larger dimensions than the spontaneous gathering on May 1st (yes, that one that I prematurely declared “abortive”).
It is no longer a movement to solely force Dr. Fernandes’s resignation or to reopen the process, even though that last demand remains the main objective of the protest.
The students - no, it’s not the students anymore. It’s the faculty, staff, students, and alumni (FSSA) who have moved beyond this being about Dr. Fernandes. They have promoted this to a referendum on the perceived inability of the Gallaudet administration to listen to its key stakeholders.
The protest is now called “Unity for Gallaudet.” Not DPN2. Not BDPN (Better Deaf President Now). And what an uplifting name! Unity! Have the divisions that were so clearly drawn last Monday (ASL vs. oral, pro-Jane vs. anti-Jane, white vs. color) really been pushed aside as they all unite to speak with one single, loud voice?
For now, if you walk among Tent City inside Gallaudet’s fences along Florida Avenue(see Michelle McAuliffe’s pictures), you will feel that the answer is yes.
The FSSA is protesting over the way things have been run for the last several years. The selection of Dr. Fernandes was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Yes, the personal attacks against Dr. Fernandes are wrong. Even if the BOT insists that the process was totally fair, and even if the community didn’t participate fully in the process, Dr. Fernandes does not deserve the complete scorn of the community. She has worked hard as Provost. She has also worked hard in the last few days to interact with the FSSA via question-and-answer sessions at a couple rallies and being present during the Unity for Gallaudet event in the Field House. She deserves commendation for that.
But enough about Dr. Fernandes. It isn’t about her anymore, as I’ve said. To ask for Dr. Fernandes’s resignation is to ask for a lot from a deaf woman who has been appointed through a legal and time-honored academic procedure.
What is clear here is that the FSSA feel they are not being taken seriously. There is a widespread feeling that they are not seen as equals. The Board and the Administration really needs to seriously consider the community and their concerns. You can argue against those “complaints” as hard as you want, but these grievances are very legitimate in the minds and hearts of the community.
A protest is sometimes a good way to get somebody’s full attention, and, in this case, it’s working. It only works as long as the participants remain peaceful (and that includes not blocking main entrances with U-Haul trucks). The students deserve commendation for their completely peaceful conduct throughout this week. Their spirits are high. Their cohesiveness is astounding. Their embrace of diversity is refreshing. I am, above all, extraordinarily inspired.
The rumors flying around about alleged improprieties in the process need to be dealt with. The myriad of stories popping up about faculty and staff getting shafted must be considered. Both are dire symptoms of the community’s deep distrust of their administrators.
People are not happy. It is unfortunate that Dr. Fernandes has, perhaps undeservedly, become a symbol of strife. That is a sign that the administration clearly needs to listen. Changes are needed.
Two changes will not happen. The decision will not be reversed. The process will not be restarted. Dr. Fernandes is Gallaudet’s ninth president. However, there are hundreds of other changes that could–and should–happen.
When Cecila May Baldwin, the Chair of the Board, meets with the community tonight, I will hope she understands that the community simply wants to be heard. She has already decided her position in a letter released today. Answering tonight’s questions with “The Board will not back down! Dr. Fernandes will not resign!” is not the right approach.
Instead, listen.
The university community believes that Gallaudet is broken. That belief is one of the most demoralizing feelings anybody can hold about their cherished alma mater, their place of employment, or their current institution of higher education.
Let’s put Gallaudet back together.
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Well, I guess my rantings were a bit off the point as I read the posts in your previous blog entry. Horrowshow posted links that I forced myself to read which mentions that the protests have taken a new direction.
At the start of all this, it began as a tantrum thrown across the nation which kept me on the hatred stereotype until today. I guess the involvment of the faculty and alumni instilled my confidence in what needs to be done.
As long as the this whole thing does stray from the fact that jane fernandes is our 9th president, I will remain quiet and supportive. Why? Because I used to work for Deborah Destefano and got a glimpse of how separate the administration and the student body actually are. One teahcer tells me to go to the administration then they send me to the department which the teacher works, then back to the admin again, ping pong all day.
Good luck everyone and as much respect as I have for Mr. Stone, I hope he continues his ventures.=) be reading yah.
J.
JBH-
Thank you for taking the time to read the articles. After reading more comments here, I am very sorry for what you were subjected to when you studied at Gallaudet. NOBODY should experience that.
I’ve ranted too but I will always read Adam Stone’s entries. I may not agree with certain opinions or choice of adjectives, but Adam’s entries ARE thought provoking, and I do agree with some of his insights. I won’t deny that he has influenced my opinions more than once.
Regarding improprieties, its hard to tell fact from fiction. It was said that certain BoT members were asked to not come and vote because there were concerns of conflict of interest (association with Ron Stern). Huh? How could the BoT members who voted be impartial if Jane is the Provost and worked with the BoT?
JBH - thank you for finally stop bashing and demoralizing these students. They know what they’re doing.
Quite frankly, it is just sad that it was the confirmation of the faculty and staff participating in the protest that finally got you to change your take on the protest. For that very reason, you’re still pathetic.
I haven’t changed my mind about the students. =) But I’m glad to oblige. =)
i understand also. perhaps important to remember they *are* still students? i went to a Little Ivy and students there did plenty of stupid things.
What’s sad is that a bunch of whining students and their friends are getting national attention and demoralizing an entire culture.
Shame on you for supporting such balderdash.
You say her critics shouldn’t get into personal attack, but her personality is part of this, especially since it may predict the way she would govern the university. A friend of mine worked at MSSD and that’s where Fernandes first worked at Gallaudet. They called her “The Ice Queen.” She ruthlessly downsized the school, forced a new teaching approach on the faculty (since largely discarded), took away tenure for the the faculty, belittled them by downgrading their title from “faculty” to “teacher”, away such priviledges as sabbaticals, and spread fear and low morale throughout the school. She gathered loyal syncopants around her and ruled autocratically and cruelly, coming down hard on those who dared disagree or object. Sorry if that is “personal” but it might give an indication of how she plans to run the college, so I think it is a fair subject for discussion.
Gallaudet definitely needs some rebuilding and it needs to start now and CONTINUE. I am stumped that it took such a divisive woman to mobilize the students. When I came in as a freshman I was always wondering why can’t things be better? I wanted a better education, I wanted better opportunities, even the career lab couldn’t get me internships and I had to seek them out myself. I asked these questions many times and most students didn’t care because to them Gallaudet was more of a cultural climax for them as they grew up in a hearing world and now that they were in a very inclusive environment they wanted to enjoy every minute of it instead of challenging our education to become better.
Now if the students I see protesting really are serious about making a change, I hope they will start acting serious both inside and outside of the classroom. It takes action and compromise. I would like to see students do big things and establish new programs and organizations that will bring the campus together and bring international recognition to the campus (yes we are already known all over the world but only because we are the world’s deaf university but not for what we do on campus).
Regardless of what happens at Gallaudet, I challenge the students to come back this Fall with a new mindset. I challenge them to find better ways to represent the Deaf community. Capitol Hill is less than a mile away from campus, why can’t they mobilize 1,000 deaf students to go over there and say we want better captioning standards to over internet media content and new portable content (iPod) that are not captioned yet. Why can’t we have 1,000 students go over to Capitol Hill and ask congress to recognize the importance of schools for the Deaf and ask them to pass a resolution encouraging states to keep their schools for the Deaf open instead of shuttering them? Why can’t 1,000 Deaf students march to Capitol Hill and let congress know that we want a fair chance at serving in the military? Sure we can’t serve in combat but we can serve in leadership roles. There are many of us who want to serve our country and can’t and those who do not want to go to college can obtain training through the military and receive good pay, why can’t Deaf people get that opportunity too through civil service? If Gallaudet students start participating in the issues that affect our culture then they can truly unite and work to make a difference and deaf youth around the world will say wow Gallaudet students really fight for us because they are just like us… instead of them simply saying wow there is a university for the Deaf. I hope Gallaudet students will come back next fall with that new mindset instead of just coming here for fun and passing classes at minimal effort because that is not what Gallaudet should be about.
Well said P.! Your last paragraph hit the spot.
However, do keep in mind that the current state of K-12 deaf education is in a rather sorry state, resulting in many, many deaf students showing up at Gally unprepared for true college-level education. Without a solid educational core, it is rather far-fetched to believe that they can go off and fight for even higher and better causes. All in all, until the day we are able to raise the standards here at Gally, k-12 education MUST be one of, if not THE, top priority of the next administration. It really saddens me every time I meet somebody who reads at the 4th grade level and see him/her eventually be admitted to Gallaudet just to meet the “numbers”.
King Jordan was a good president overall, especially in the area of public relations and fundraising. But he really stank at at times with the internal stuff, with faculty/staff/student relations, and only those who were/are here can understand what I mean. For about 10 years I have been saying that the next president must be able to maintain what IKJ has done on the outside WHILE spending a renewed amount of energy on the inside, on making Gallaudet a more transparent and unified place for all, in addition to somehow finding a way to raise the level of k-12 deaf education and consequentially the number of deaf college-ready students coming out of high school.
Courageous decisions need to be taken in the area of k-12 education. Fernandes apparently failed to make much of a positive impact on KDES and MSSD during her time there so that is not exactly the best way to start off.
I am glad to see the protest start to become more cohesive because this should all be about the community’s right to be heard. I think that over the years, King’s arrogance has built up in his dealings with all of us and this was just the last straw. People are starting to come out of the woodwork (King did a good job keeping them in there!) and saying “enough is enough!”
I was born and raised in Gallaudet, and even though I left before Fernandes became provost– I do believe the process was fixed in some way to help shoo Fernandes through. Based on the way the administration has been run (Say what you want about IKJ, but his administration has NEVER been transparent) and the way they have reacted so far to this protest (inadequately) leads me to believe this.
Also, I repeat myself here but can anybody tell me how Dr. Roslyn Rosen doesn’t make it to the final three? How many of you know that King and Roz aren’t on speaking terms? Dr. Rosen deserved at least to get to the final round. Unless somebody explains to me why she failed, I’ll keep thinking that it’s a fix and that IKJ felt threatened by her and wanted her eliminated early on in the process. Excuse my pessimism here, but this pessimism is something that has been created over being in Gallaudet for 11 years of the Jordan administration.
Exactly what I’ve been trying to tell people, the FSSA should have protested long before Jane was appointed. If the issues were underground, why did FSSA wait until Jane’s appointment? Were they waiting for their favorites to be appointed? My stand is “LET JANE STAY” as I believe she can make a difference, I doubt Ron Stern nor Steve Weiner can run the University as they have too many frat brothers running the show behind. Jane is neutral and we want a neutral President…. Go Jane!
I was thinking exactly the same thing as I read Adam’s blog.
Why wait for a few years until Jane’s appointment of presidency to protest? I am suspecting they realized their original reasons were ridiculous and they have finally discovered something justified to bitch about to save their faces.
I cannot blame the BoT for wrongly approaching the people involved in the protest. They’re probably miffed that they were not heard either, I am sure they feel that way. Disrespect was shot back and forth between the BoT and the protesters…..I am not making excuses for the BoT but how can you expect someone to show respect towards you if you don’t give them the same treatment? Well, two wrongs don’t make a right so either side, please step up and kill ‘em with kindness ;) kinda corny but true.
Anyway, I am hoping this protest will bring a good change to Gallaudet University and promote unity between all kinds of Deaf people and between the adminstration and the faculty/staff.
I am sure President Jane K. Fernandes will do a splendid job enhancing unity with the support of the community. Prez JKF cannot do it alone; no one could.
You cannot use frat involvement against Stern and Weiner; it is just not cool. I dont need to explain…… right?
Thanks Adam for another great blog.
Thank you, Adam. It’s a relief to see that you are a reasonable person, willing to listen. You were starting to sound like you’d decided the whole thing was moronic without looking at the issues.
You and I are on the same page in that some things are being done that are wrong.
You are, however, not changing your opinion based on popular opinion. You stand by your previous statements that the stated reasons for the BoT to change its mind are not good enough, and I respect that. But I truly appreciate the fact that you are willing to sift through the issues and acknowledge some of why this is happening. Thank you, Adam.
Adam,
I appreciate your articles. You are very perceptive. This whole situation is actually blessing in disguise because now we are able to analyze everything that went wrong and start the path towards putting Gallaudet University together. If Jane F was not chosen, we would have kept the issues buried, hoping they would go away. So, the magnitude of this mess is really necessary for us to see after years of minimizing and denying cultural, political, racial, and language issues. Granted, we did go through hell with mud slinging and inner fighting which is normal for any oppressed group finding themselves in a power vacuum. I agree this situation cannot be ignored. Hopefully, the BoT will start acknowledging the issues and embrace what has been going on in order to develop unity. This is the only way we can start resolving the drift between the administration and the students to end the status quo.
I have several thoughts about this whole “Unity for Gallaudet” movement (I’m not calling it a protest as the word itself seems negative and ineffective). I applaud you for standing up for your beliefs and that you want to see changes to take place for the better. But…
I am trying to grasp the main reason on why the Unity for Gallaudet movement (UFGM) is getting together: Their reasons keep contradicting each other after reading your blogs (letters) and talking with people. So, please help out with the questions below and with that in your notion, please discuss these questions with other people, it will clearly help the movement in a short or long run.
1. What are the reasons behind the “Unity for Gallaudet” Movement?
A: Improper Search Process(PSC-BoT)?
B: Jane’s skills as an Administrator is questionable?
C: Diversity is not present?
D: Fernandes is not Deaf to Gallaudet’s standards and expectations?
E: The Presidency is Gallaudet’s Beacon to the world and Fernandes during her provost term has failed to prove to the worldwide community that Fernandes will be the one to do it successfully?
My thoughts:
One would need to get more information-”substantively”- about the PSC/BoT search process before concluding that the process was indeed flawed and corrupted. We are crossing a very, very dangerous line here. We are prone to repercussions if the process itself was indeed proper and tangential to the bylaws/rules. You need to set a committee to focus exclusively on this process without deterring to other “issues” like Jane is not DEAF! Diversity is not present! Jane Sucks! Ignore these. Get FACTS. You are doing that but keep it up. And, it’ll be very helpful not to get carried away with the rumors. Rumors are what is hurting the movement here. Filter it.
I’ve read the FSSA and community’s blogs and stories regarding Provost Fernandes’ administrative skills in her line of duties at Gallaudet. I am indeed sympathetic with people who had to encounter such situations with Jane.
But, you need FACTS to show that Fernandes was indeed an ineffective Provost throught her term for several reasons. (You all have reasons, name it with FACTS based on substantive records, reports and so on, rather than the “oral” testimonies. Statements like “She doesn’t say hi.” “I don’t like her” will not get far this time just as we can’t play the “Jane is not Deaf enough!” card or “Jane is not diverse enough!” card.
Diversity. I am sorry to say this but you can’t use this card. It’s done and over with. If I see the UFGM going forward on the “diversity”, then you are bound to see the movement going nowhere. You need to have “substantive” facts and allegations to show the vetting process regarding diversity was indeed flawed. I tell you something. I’ll be damned if many of you do not think that Fernandes is not symbolic of a successful “Diversity” process regardless of her administrative skills and her approach to students. I am not talking about what Provost Fernandes has done: I am talking about Diversity itself: Gallaudet University has finally appointed a woman president. In itself, it calls for a success, but indeed, it has prompted a great outcry from the public-which is very, very understandable.
But, if you want to play the Diversity card, the movement is over. That’s my opinion.
I see that the UFGM is starting to move away from the idea that Jane is not Deaf! card. That’s good. I am sorry to say this but Jane is D/deaf. She has deaf siblings and relatives. She has a deaf husband. She says she’s deaf, so she is deaf. No one can speak for her and decide for her that she is not D/deaf enough regardless of her signing skills (some people say she signs and articulates just fine like others, while other people laugh at that notion.)
It is not her deafness that you all are objecting to, it is her “personality” that you are stricken with. I call it “Jane” personality as it seems to me that her personality is indeed a very complicated one. But one way or other, you can not use the “Jane is not Deaf” card! That’s absolutely ridiculous!
People claim…the Presidency is a beacon to the worldwide deaf community and we need a person to do the job well. From my understanding, the UFGM has a very good argument, “How can we expect Provost Fernandes to be the one to represent Gallaudet after all she has done during her six years as the Provost for Gallaudet: restrained relationships with the faculty,staff, students, alumni and the community, ineffective management, taking up different priorities and so on?” The answer is, “I don’t know and damn if we do and damn if we do not”, but the point is that Fernandes is not the president yet and she has yet to prove herself as the 9th president of Gallaudet University, so I wouldn’t exactly play the ” Jane will not be a good representative, as the Gallaudet University president, to the worldwide deaf community” card yet.
In a nutshell, if you wish to continue the UFGM, get FACTS.
I wish Gallaudet University the best of luck. I am referring to everyone of you who is directly or indirectly involved with this matter.
Deaf is not body or friends. Deaf is not ear or eye. Deaf is a culture and community; this is why it’s capitalized. When people act to improve the culture or community, they are approved of; or, when the involvement of that person benefits the culture or community, they are approved of. If their actions have somehow not benefited or instead detracted from the community, they will not be approved of. The feeling will not be clear. It will be a narrow “no” in the pit of Deaf stomachs. They will not themselves understand why. They will just know that there is a way forward and if this person is on that way, there will be no forward movement. And there must be forward movement, for, like sharks, cultures and communities need movement if they are to live.
Just thoughts. Little thoughts… I’m still waiting for it all to come together. I have a Masters’ degree in Deaf studies; I have been trying to understand Deaf culture for a long time…. which usually means, find a way that’s easy to explain the beauty and power of it to hearing people.
It is not that Jane can hear; she can’t. It is not that she can’t sign: she can. It seems the problem is that people are convinced she has her own interests at heart, not those of the University. Gallaudet is an institution, yes. Adam has pointed this out. It is not an institution that works quite like a corporation, because it is the face of Deaf people. Deafness has been called the invisible disability: well, Gallaudet is the place it can be seen, clearly, and this puts power in hands which move like mountains.
Just thoughts.
YES, Joseph. You’ve articulated what I’ve been struggling to say. That’s the crux of why people are saying she’s not Deaf enough.
Dan,
I agree with all your points. Playing those cards as you pointed ain’t do any good. Getting FACTS is important and will get influence on the decision makers that is the Board of Trustees. However, the students don’t have any resources for getting the documentations needed to prove their case. It would amount to dirt digging. Faculty and staff at the midlevel of management would have more of this ability of producing evidence to argue their case. JKF actions as administrator tend to be sealed to outsiders. BoT cannot micromanage the internal administrative matters to be able to apraise of her administrative and diplomatic skills. So it remains for the students to show the “I don’t like Jane”-card based on their previous interactions with her which includes her reputation. BoT now needs to know how the relevant constituents (faculty, students, and staff) view her as the next president. This body needs to consider carefully this aspect. Would they want to present someone as president that a good portion of the Gallaudet community does not like and believes to be detrimental to the community?
I agree with Dan and Joseph. I am looking back on this whole thing. Definition of Deafcentric has never been clear. Everyone has his/her own definition of what this means. Deafcentric is not the true issue here.
The big D and little d was created as a tool for Deaf people to use to identify their own personal journey of Deaf identity. However, it has been blown out of proportion. Big D/little d became vulgarity. It is like name calling now.
Lessons are being learned from this whole thing. We CANNOT to be discriminatory of each other with the big D and little d. It is why the protests did not work in the beginning. With the Unity theme, FSSA is working on putting those issues aside to focus on what is really wrong. I hope that NAD is recognizing that Deaf studies and Deafhood movement has gone too far with labels of D and d as well as audism. We are hurting our own Deaf community by doing that. I also hope NAD will take a strong position on inclusiveness and unity for the upcoming conference this summer in Palm Desert.
I did not like Joey Baer s first ASL Blog video (www.JoeyBaer.com) (although I admire his beautiful ASL skills) with its strong its push for the 9th Gallaudet University President to be Deafcentric by excluding other deaf people. Colin P. in the video clearly used the word “exclude”. Many viewers were angered by Colin’s statement. This approach backfired in my home area. And it had the same resonance in Washington DC. The community SPLIT because of the gross misuse of D and d, audism, and especially the word Deaf Uncle Tom (DUT) as reprisal to those who do not feel comfortable with the protest. A good number Deaf people stayed out of the protest, because of their historical oppression by their own Deaf peers’ habitual labeling of audism.
Once this audism situation was put aside, more Deaf people started to come forward and support the protest focusing on the real issues. Dr. Tom Holcomb eloquently expressed what is wrong without demeaning other Deaf people. I am very inspired and touched by his presentation, which you can find in Joey Baer’s third ASL Blog. Tom convinced me that the Gallaudet situation is painfully bigger than ourselves.
The BoT also seems cold and unsympathetic which is adding fuel to the power vacuum. In reality, the BoT is scared, too. They do not realize they are the missing piece in our attempt for Unity. All the BoT needs to do is to just talk with us, meet with us where we are, and discuss on what we can do together.
Gallaudet’s current situation is unprecedented and no ones knows what it will take to resolve. The Deaf world is watching to see what unfolds. It is only a matter of time before we know.
Healing together,
Julie
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!
Now we’re getting somewhere here. Mark, P. & Dan raised terrific points here. That’s what I was looking for - FACTS.
One claimed that Fernandes revamped the academic curriculums at Kendall and MSSD which was a total failure. If this is true and we gathered evidence on that to prove that claim, then that would strengthen the argument that she was an ineffective administrator. That’s one.
Another claimed that Galladuet’s current intership program is weak. If there is enough statistics that shows that there is a low number of Gallaudet students applying for interships or post-graduate employment opportunities and if that is one of the Provost’s responsibilities, then that’s two.
I wish I had more information about the presidential search process like Dan said. My first question: Are the procedures of the search process available to the students and faculty? If so, where can we get them? Maybe we can do some sleuthing here.
Finally you come around!
Apparently, the line, “She doesn’t say hi” is prompting people outside of the Gallaudet to scorn the protest and to look at us with disbelief as like what the hell is this all about? I’m saying this nicely.. so far there are three websites/blogs mocking the protest, which Ridor referred the readers to go and look up.
I do have my opinions about this protest but I do understand the UFGM’s intentions and goals in moving forward with this movement.
But, you will need to do some serious propaganda to repair the public relations damage by explaining that the line “she doesn’t say hi” is not REPRESENTATIVE of the involved people in the movement at all, let alone the deaf community in general.
If this line continues to get picked up by people outside of Gallaudet, you will have a harder time explaining the real objectives of the UFGM. Remember, Congress, the U.S. Department of Education and other venerable institutions outside of Gallaudet may generate opinions toward this movement without hearing the full reasons on why this movement is going forward.
So, my advice, one of you folks(a media representative) get in touch with Washington Post reporters again and clarify this matter and contine to update the process. The more information the readers receive, the more they will understand. The same goes for the Gallaudet’s Administration and BoT.
Do not forget the public. The public is out there watching the movement as well. You may focus your energy on the Gallaudet’s BoT/Administration, but please also use your energy to explain or collaborate with people outside of Gallaudet. Washington Post has already written three articles with the last one being most fitting and tangential to the movement, but it is not enough.
Do not forget Washington, D.C. We are in a bubble. Pop the bubble.
Be aware of the surroundings.
And where are the links to those mock websites
I was at Gallaudet on Thursday and Jane said HI to me.
(She seems to have been rather hurt by that comment.)
One thing she does NOT do well is “bright” (happy friendly).
She would be better off being herself more. One thing that would help if she was more comfortable doing more open-ended questions with other people. It’s a common unconscious tactic for oral deaf to ask questions that demand more yes/no answers, because it’s easier to understand the answer. Yes, that can stifle what other people say to her.
On the positive side, she has a good grasp of details. She was able to answer my questions on the future of the biology program at Gallaudet. Thus, she should not be BS’ed so easily. That I always like.
I know nothing about the procedure. I’m just going to be openminded for now. If there was a system to unfairly penalize candidates who got demoted at Gallaudet for disagreeing with IKJ, then that has to be reviewed and the candidates given their very fair say.
That’s the problem with having so few places to cultivate deaf educational leadership– intense competition for limited positions, no opportunity to grow fully in such a crowded environment.
I appreciate the thoughtfulness of the comments on this website. But I want to add that there are many faculty and staff, including myself, who support the process of choosing our Ninth President and the decision of the Board of Trustees. A hiring process is by nature confidential. We don’t know what “deal-breakers” may have affected some of the potential candidates. What’s more, Jane Fernandes has been the most supportive of diversity, including race, glbt issues, religion, and audism, of any administrator in my experience at Gallaudet. I have been involved with these issues for all of my time at Gallaudet, teaching diversity intensive courses from the beginning.
I am hearing, have been at Gallaudet for 25 years, and have no problem as a hearing person of supporting Deaf leadership for Gallaudet. I’m an “unheard” minority at Gallaudet and that’s fine with me. It’s a Deaf University. But I think we have had a breakdown in the deaf community. I watch helplessly from the sidelines as people seem to be self destructing.
What on earth must Congress think of us? What parent wants to send their kid to a school where someone is judged not “deaf enough”? Why should I as a taxpayer want to support an institution that connot govern itself in an orderly way? What does the international deaf community think of Gallaudet?
There are deep wounds from this that will take years to repair. It makes me very sad.
Earnest and Jane Hurst– I have to be amazed at your supposed concern about what Congress and the outside world thinks of this protest.
If they think about this in a negative light, that must only mean that a paternalistic mentality has creeped into them.
Did you know that not long ago Harvard students protested requesting the resignation of their president? Protests and boycotts happen all over the country all the time in the hearing world. That is one of the tenets of America– the right to speak up and to be heard. This is a free country, after all.
What do you actually expect, Hurst and Earnest? Deaf people to remain docile and to accept what gets thrown their way?
Look at the African-American movement. Has it been all roses? hell, no… there are the pacifists and the militants and it took them time to get cohesive and push for a single cause. They still have to struggle with the image of all black people being from the ghetto, slinging drugs, and creating menace all over the place.
Now, what do you want people to think? Do you want people to feel bad or sad because the wounds will take years to repair? Do you want parents to be scared away?
If at all, people should be glad that Gallaudet people are finally speaking up for what they believe in, just like any other discontented group would do in this decent, free society.
Now, Hurst and Earnest, spare us this paternalism. I am speaking from the outside but I can see the group navigating towards cohesiveness and I do believe that their arguments are very justified. The only problem is getting past some people’s preconceptions. I don’t know why Hurst said this protest is about Fernandes not being deaf enough, but it is not about that and it should not be! I am sure the FSAA is aware about trying to pass along the right message to the outside world but it’s tough when people like you, Hurst, who are actually experiencing this stuff UP CLOSE, and still are unable to interpret this situation correctly. THIS is what makes me sad.
Again, My frustration is advocated by this particular post. No offense to you at all “Gally Grad,” but as Congress appropriates most of the funding that Gallaudet recieves each year, I’d say it’s important as to how they percieve it’s students and adminstration. Jane Hurst is trying to plaster the BIG picture of things, which evidently is being overlooked. Please understand, as this whole protest (second one IN A ROW) has gotten out into public, it will become more difficult for us graduates (such as you) to obtain a job by people who read “BS from Gallaudet University” and not think “oh boy a protester on our hands.” Not just the job market, but also for the University itself in terms of PR for the future prospectives.
I understand now, that it is not entirely the fault of the student body, but the administration as well. I truely believe there could have been a better way to handle this, If ONLY FSSA had jumped on it prior to the spark (the JKF protest.)
I truely hope, for all of our sakes, that this protest ends soon and the bridge between the FSSA and the Administration is built to ensure that everyone is heard and recognized.
all the best,
J-
You raise some good points, JBH. I agree with you that the FSAA was late to dinner.. they should have made some preventive measures by being active and vocal from the beginning of the process. That would have gave this movement a lot more credibility. But, the folks at Gally can be compared to a hibernating bear. I guess it took this to shock them out of their long, deep sleep.
As former EIC of the Buff n Blue, my foremost goal going into my term was to shake Gallaudet out of its apathetic state. Trust me, we TRIED. But at the end of the year, despite what I consider positive results from the newspaper we put out, I still felt unsatisfied because this specific goal was not accomplished.
Not to generalize, but the environment at Gallaudet really is not dynamic and aware. Anybody who is/was at Gallaudet AND is alert enough to recognize this fact can attest to it.
Now, I have seen IKJ at work up close. He is a very good president for the outside. He provides Gallaudet with good PR and brings in the dough… oh yeah, that he does well!
But when we look inside 800 Florida Avenue, what we see is a sick being. Gallaudet is NOT healthy and has not been for a while. You can see rampant apathy, discontent among faculty/staff, too much unprepared students, low levels of expectation, weak departments and programs. You see the best and brightest deaf students go elsewhere.
Jane Fernandes has had time to try to turn this around, and since she is Provost her main responsibility is exactly this. Obviously she has not done a good job since the FSAA are still as discontent as they were during my time at Gallaudet.
So, now, what should we do? Should we really worry about Congress? Hell, no. If we stay docile and accept the status quo, then Gallaudet is NOT going to get better. It might get worse… and at that point nobody will care if Congress doesn’t give us any more money, eh?
On another tangent if Gally happened to be as aware and active as we all wish, the entire population would then move on to protest for bigger and better issues facing deaf people such as the sorry state of k-12 education, right? Or should we not do so to appease Congress? Do we need to sit down and be quiet like good dogs in front of them? Or to fight for what we believe in and be respected for that?
Those who do not want the status quo, and want the best for Gallaudet, recognize this problem, hence the protest. I think that the rest, who like things they are, are just seeing things through rose-colored glasses. And for ignorant folk like Joe Dirt, I won’t even bother sparing a word.
By accepting the status quo, we are also perhaps giving a death sentence to Gallaudet. Do you realize how serious this is? In this time of rapid change, we need a person who can *CHANGE* gallaudet to keep up with the times and to eventually attract better and brighter students into a more inclusive community where morale is high, education is strong, and pride and love for the university will be instilled into all students so that they can go out in the working world able to encounter anything.
To sum this up, Fernandes will *NOT* bring this change simply because she has been there for a good while now without making decisions & changes that have made a positive impact on the general state of the University.
Gallaudet is sick, has been for a long time, and Congress and critics be damned, this protest is the only way we can hope and try to turn things around. Wake up, people!
jane hurst, are you joking? name one person of color that fernandes has appointed to any position overseeing the departments, schools et al in 11 years at Gallaudet?
Well, there is none.
it has nothing to do “not deaf enough” — it has so much to do with how you allowed the administration to distort and cajole many into submission. Why do you think the OMB rated Gallaudet as ineffective?
R-
Wow. You disappear for a couple of days and come back to a brand-new environment in the blogsphere!
I’m very glad to see that the protest has evolved to a more mature, appropriate level. I sincerely hope this kind of thing continues… We need some serious dialogue like this!
I have to second Dan’s comment about reaching out to the media again, to correct the original perceptions sent out there. You really need to do that, or the Unity Movement won’t gain enough steam to make a serious impact on the BoT and nationally.
I also have to say that I really hope the protestors there and the D/deaf community as whole remembers that we need all kinds of people - Deaf-Centrics, D/deaf mainstread, hearing parents, CODAs, even some educators - working together so the Deaf culture remains and continues to evolve with the times. There are enough threats out there to the culture without making our allies another threat!
As a lowercase “d” deaf person, I have to say that I am lukewarm toward the protest. Insistence that Fernandez isn’t deaf enough just serves to establish the stereotype in the oral deaf and HoH community that Gallaudet serves only the needs of the big “D” deaf. Until the protesters stop propagating this nonsense, I will not support the protesters at all.
Also, come to think about it, the attempted monopoly of power by the big “D” culturally deaf community may be a form of racism and exclusion, no matter how you call it. Why should the federal government (and me, through taxes) pay for a Gallaudet that only serves the needs of 10 percent of the student population (the big “D” crowd)? You’re free to have whomever you want for your leader, but be prepared for the federal spigot to shut off. Gallaudet will die without the contributions of the small “d” population and fed money.
Second, your protest over the selection process may or may not be valid. But your points about this are not really being explained anywhere. Your protest is weak, disorganized, because, for one thing, no clear cut leader, and no clear cut issue has emerged from Tent City.
Glasses is broken, indeed. Just take a look at the enrollment information. Scary stuff.
The fact is that the enrollment problems have, slowly, trended in a positive direction. The matriculation has improved. Etc. All under Fernandes’ term as Provost. All under Jordan’s term as President.
I don’t care one whit whether Fernandes is friendly, she has improved the school and the numbers prove it.
I liked some of the other candidates better, some of whom did not make it to the final 3, but Fernandes is qualified and has a proven track record of improving not just any school but Glasses itself.
If results don’t actually count any more to these students, I think that explains the 27% matriculation rate for first time students.
Thank you, Adam, for another well-written blog. A friend and I were discussing this situation the other day, and agreed that it’s unfortunate that Fernandes has been placed in the situation she has. She’s an incredibly qualified candidate, but, as you said, this is about more than “who’s the most qualified.”
The protests are continuing, they’re growing stronger, and they’ve developed a purpose. No longer are people going around saying, “She’s a meanie. She doesn’t say ‘hi’” (a comment that makes me cringe every time I see it).
These protests and sit-ins are going to continue well into the fall if changes aren’t made at Gallaudet. I personally can’t wait to get there in August and see all the excitement for myself.
Well, they better make plans on who will be Provost next and how they can leverage their influences to ensure they get the right one into position.
Boring. Boring. Boring. Your little revolution is over. Condolences! The bums lost… the bums will always lose. And yes, I am saying you miserable protesting cretins are bums. You keep changing your mind while your protesting, what you are protesting about! meanwhile a semi-satirical article gets posted in the post that Gallaudet can’t decide who their Indian Chief will be. How. You Kemo Sabe. You lone Ranger. Me Tonto. Let’s send-um smoke signals.
Gallaudet is not the face of your deaf world, morons. Gallaudet was a gift to deaf people from the taxpayers of this country so you could get an advanced education. So far, it doesn’t seem to be working. So what do you do when your hand gets infected? You cut your hand off. What do you do when deaf people won’t evolve? Get rid of SSDI, they will die out. Welcome to the 21st century. Now get your education or commence with pumping my gas, losers.
Ouch… My feelings… =(
JBH, Consider the insultor: somebody who enjoys being racist against native americans, as well as nasty to deaf people. Even his name reflects who he is. Dirt.
As for a “gift”, my whole family pays our taxes, I paid my way through college, and international students pay through the nose to come here.
It’s far less of a “gift” by the taxpayers than jailing somebody for life.
Not entirely sure where you are coming from, but I get the feeling that this is an intellectual moralism.
It’s simple, every thing that happens has a cause and an effect, these protests don’t have a justified nor pleasant cause nor effect.
sure, a guy who chooses not to associate with someone cuz of the color of their skin or their infirmity is dirt, but that’s the way the world works. it’s always been that way, John Lennon isn’t gonna sing you a song, Mohandas K. Ghandi isn’t going to go on a hunger strike to force conformation, mother theresa isn’t going to say a prayer for you, and Martin Luther king isn’t going to croon a speech for you.
R. Kelly is still going to think about molesting kids, Bob Kennedy is still going to drink a fifth every morning to get by, some children out there are still going to think it’s “cool” to carry guns to school, so on and so forth. It’s the way the world turns, you can’t please every one nor change everyone, if you try to please every one it’s the only surefire way to fail in life. =)
develop a career, focus on a sucessful life, get a dog or a cat, oh… maybe even meet someone and have a couple kids. That, my friend, is something worth fighting for, not some university or difference in “D” or “d” that would only recieve a celebration 10 years later like DPN or maybe even an illustrated book? I’d rather have a child that says to me “I love you no matter what you do.” Rather than stress for the love of the BIG D that would just abandon you for the sake of itself, damn good example… would you fight for Ridor? If you did, do you honestly think he’d “love” you the same way?
I think you got my point.
“You can’t please every one nor change everyone.” So, why care about HIS opinion?
Ridor can take care of himself JUST fine.
I’ve known him since I was 15, when we attended Youth Leadership Camp together.
You seem to mistake me for somebody “fighting for a cause”. O-kay. I’m just nosy, actually.
I know too many of the people involved NOT to be curious about this. This controversy affects the careers of a lot of people I know, and the education of other people. It’s not abstract to them. That much is clear. This is a very poisoned workplace right now.
Um…children never say “I love you no matter what you do.” They are more apt to say “I hate you!” when you have to say NO.
You may love them no matter what they do, that’s up to you. Just don’t count on your kids returning the favor in full.
I’m glad you recognize that I got your point, but I think you are missing mine. =)
anyway, we don’t need to beat this down to a nub, so lets just agree to disagree and go about our own ways. =)
all the best from your delightful audist J -
To be honest, no one cares if you or your family pays taxes. Gallaudet is a federal institution and that means the university is open to everybody, and not just the capital “D” population that demands a “do over” every time there is an unwanted result.
please please please. this protest is not, and must not be, about “D” vs “d”, and so on. if this is the case i would be against it 100percent and so would the majority of the protesters.
carefully read the faculty senate resolutions to understand what this protest is about.
those of you who continue to interpret this the wrong way are just plain ignorant. please wake up! thank you.
Where can we find the faculty senate resolutions?
=) the only thing that makes absolute sense is the the protest to help unite the FSSA and the Admin, i’m very aware of that. what doesnt’ make sense and is still being interepreted BY THE WASHINGTON POST, happens to be the useless banter by certain individuals that walk around saying “DOWN with JKF” and “D not d!”
A Coldly Dispassionate Observer:
Exactly. Gallaudet is not a “gift” to anybody in particular. It was established as a college when nobody thought deaf people could go to college.
Today, I know deaf people who have gone to Harvard, U of PA, Boston U, and many other excellent colleges. Without Gallaudet, that would have been harder.
I travel to other countries and I see how fragmented and diverse the sign languages are. There is NO way for interpreters to be trained and reliably certified for the instruction of deaf children in mainstreaming situations, let alone college. Heck, it’s hard for deaf to understand each other if they’re from 100 miles away.
Again, Gallaudet helped set up an uniform sign language across America (with many dialects), through gallaudet graduates teaching at deaf schools and people coming together from all over to teach each other sign language.
So I look at other countries where deaf people can barely get in college even with top test scores, and there do without interpreters and a bare provision that they can only show up for exams, period… and I say “they need their own Gallaudet.”
Not just for the brightest, but for the others who can disseminate information into their deaf communities.
Nothing else to help deaf people progress into the mainstream of culture as educated professionals can possibly start without a Gallaudet available for people in such countries.
http://www.xanga.com/elisa_abenchuchan
there,on the 2nd or 3rd page you ll find the fac senate resolutions.
i think that Deaf militants are just a small but vocal percentage of the population and perhaps the media are finding this slant somewhat more interesting, even if they detract from the whole point of this protest.
hey, palestine had (has) hamas, islam has osama bin laden, black america has the ghetto stereotype, white america has branch davidians… hey, this social phenomena is not strictly limited to us deaf people! grins… the important thing is that we continue to be consistent with getting the right message across. if militants like ridor continue to hold center stage then this can only get farcial, no question about it.
in the meantime we can only appeal to reasonable folk who are willing to go read the faculty senate resolutions, voted on by what might arguably be the most sensible, intelligent, mature and balanced group on campus, to get the real idea behind the meaning of this protest. thanks
Graceful Exit
Dear Folks,
the Board of Trustees is confused. Celia Baldwin was misled. BoT members are arriving to the campus and they experience the power of the protest. Celia and Tom Humphries were not allowed to show sign of weakness or even flexibility last week. Why? Because they are just two members who were dispatched to calm the protest. But they could not succeed because of the determination of the protesters.
As soon as the full Board is here, there will be more flexibility shown It it because the real power is not in stubbornness but in flexibiliy that is being able to change! The Board will want a change and they need to find a reason to make the change. They already have zillion reasons, starting with the protests, the resolutions, the non-confidence votes, etc. Now they’ll need a chance for graceful exit from the situation.
And it is the point now: we need to provide them a graceful exit. We need to find an obligatory reason, beyond all the above, that gives them excuse to change their minds. Tom Humphries told me that he has never heard about the problem of international faculty before. Many of the Board members might be in the same shoe. So why don’t we tell them about it, so that they’ll all know the truth?! If we are able to convince them that equity was deliberately hurt by the Fernandes administration regarding labor certification for international faculty, then we’ll hit two flies with one hand:
1. we found an example of serious mistreatment of a group of Gallaudet faculty during the Fernandes years
2. we found a contradiction between the preaching of JK and the reality showing her double standards, double speaking and hypocrisy.
These should suffice to make the Board to take action, while maintaining the respectability of its members by providing a graceful exit from this unfortunate situation that is becoming more and more a quagmire.
Dr. Zoltan
*whistles* If you read Elisa’s blog, you’ll find Baldwin’s resignation. One reason listed in her letter were ‘aggressive threats’… This does NOT bode well for anyone involved! :(
Aggressive threats against Baldwin doesn’t make the protesters look good. In fact, it simply raises the issue of a small minority that chooses to terrorize anyone who does not recognize its own PC demands to monopolize Gallaudet.
The FSSA says they got information that some emails were sent to Celia Baldwin from the West coast. These has nothing to do with the protesters here.
As always I find your comments refreshing Dr. Zoltan. I’ve had extreme discomfort about all of this, and have worked to see both sides. I hope that the community has come to see that this sort of problem is best pre-empted. This protest, if good results are achieved, will also be at great cost.
Best of luck to you, and the rest of the faculty on the best resolution possible.
-r
From what I have been following the social movements, I believe the hidden message the orginal Deaf Faculty that they demand to have a Deaf Person with a “cultural appropriate” social affilification such as Kappa Gamma or other. Two of three final candidates are member of that affilication so these folks make so much efforts to find a way for its affilifation to be a President as they want to control the destiny of Gallaudet. However, their attitudes toward other people on campus are so egoistic that they rejected or hurt others feelings or not want to welcome others. Th