A Centuries-Old Parallel to the Gallaudet Protest
By Chris Kaftan on Mon 9 Oct 2006 |
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As the former SBG president at Gallaudet, I have been frustrated at times by the lack of support and understanding I received from administrators at Gallaudet. I have had my triumphs with them, and my frustrations as well. My biggest gripe was never being able to understand why the higher-ups at Gallaudet did not want to meet with me — the leader of the undergraduate student body on campus — on a regular basis. Instead they told me to meet with Dean Carl Pramuk. Sure, I understood why I had to — he was my direct contact, but I felt it was equally as important to meet with the president and the provost.
As Karl Ewan mentioned in an e-mail earlier today, I will always respect the abilities and leadership President Jordan has demonstrated during his 18-year tenure. One evening during my SBG presidency, President Jordan invited me to go to a fundraising reception at the Capitol. It was there that I met Abe Pollin, the owner of Verizon Center and the Washington Wizards. Jordan has an amazing ability to connect with people, and to fundraise. I will never question Jordan’s ability to increase the University’s endownment to more than $180 million dollars.
But, I see that Jordan has lost his ability to connect with the people that mean the most to him — the Gallaudet community. The recent e-mails from President Jordan have sparked outcries of anger and frustrations. Today, more than any other day, I have seen angry e-mails from alumni members and from students speaking to the media, rebutting claims made by President Jordan. This whole inability to connect with FSSA and the student protesters has created factions within the Gallaudet community similar to what happened 219 years ago.
James Madison, when drafting the tenth Federalist paper, defined factions fighting to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Madison described factions as “groups of people who gather together to protect and promote their special interests and political opinions. Although these factions are at odds with each other, they frequently work against the public interests, and infringe upon the rights of others.” To me, I see two factions. FSSA and the students currently occupying HMB, along with the University at odds with these two.
To Madison, there were only two ways to control a faction: one, to remove its causes and the second to control its effects. The first is impossible. There are only two ways to remove the causes of a faction: destroy liberty or give every citizen the same opinions, passions, and interests. Destroying liberty is a “cure worse then the disease itself,” and the second is nonpractical.
The causes of factions are thus part of human nature and we must deal with their effects and accept their existence. I see exactly the same happening now. Students on both sides of the controversy are seeing their liberties violated — those who are passionate for change at Gallaudet, and those who want the best education they can receive at Gallaudet.
The tenth Federalist reads, “… an attachment to different leaders ambitiously contending for pre-eminence and power…have, in turn, divided mankind into parties…rendered them much more disposed to…oppress each other than to co-operate for their common good.”
It is hard to conceive of a more perfect example of the concentration of idea and meaning than Madison chieved in this famous sentence.
As Madison described two centuries ago, this very same essence of thought is occurring right now on Kendall Green. The chasm between the two factions will continue to widen until action is taken to repair the rift in the community.
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18 Comments
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Chris I am glad that finally your realize how double-faced Irving Jordan is. I would not shy away from going even more back in history and point out that his power structure at Gallaudet University is a 21th version of the old Byzantine empire of the Middle Ages. Lies, intimidation, deception, terror. These are the major tools he employs against any legitimate criticism of his crumbling legacy.
He enshrined himself while still in office by naming a building after himself, and forced her wife’s name on the art building, too. Why would he think people will accept that? He is like Kim Il Sung II the dictator of North Korea, building up a pesonal cult around himself. As soon as he left, his name will be probably spit on and erased forever.
The defeat of his unbridled lies and manipulations is the best interest of education, otherwise his example will spread. His teaching, that moral corruption is perfectly okay until you are caught, sends the wrong message to kids who look up on Gallaudet University.
You are right. His lies divide our community. His desperate manipulations, like faked bomb alarms, will not achieve anything. He won’t be able to wreak havoc and rule, as he intends.
He has no more authority. He is like the naked king in the tale who thinks he is well-dressed. He preaches his nonsense until a little kid yells to him: “Hey king you are butt naked!” as everbody burst out in irrepressible laugh. We can only hope that ‘our King’ will come to his senses before this very same tale story happens to him, as well.
Concisely and well written! Welcome to the fraternity of former SBG presidents!
Carl — thanks! What year were you the SBG president? I was the president in 2001-2002.
There’s certainly a considerable disconnect between the highers up and the students.
I would think that the higher ups would have read the mood of the students.
Agreed. Methinks the whole disconnection started on May 2, 2006 — the day Jordan and Fernandes met the protesters at the DPS Front Gate Kiosk to talk with the students. The day the students saw that Jordan would not budge, is the day they knew they had lost him as the leader of the University. From there, everything changed.
Back in the 90’s Dr. Jordan was an amazing person and easy to deal with. He enjoys being around students and his presence was full of grace. Today, as I read it looks like Dr. Jordan has burned too many bridges. I wondered why he did that? Many people are making assumptions about his credibility as a person and president of Gallaudet University. This is not a good legacy to leave behind.
May be relevant or not… I posted this on Gallynet-L as a Quote of the Day entry a while back. Up to you to interpret it in any way you want. It’s a quote by Alexander Hamilton in the Federalist #70:
“Men often oppose a thing, merely because they have had no agency in planning it, or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike. But if they have been consulted, and have happened to disapprove, opposition then becomes, in their estimation, an indispensable duty of self-love. They seem to think themselves bound in honor, and by all the motives of personal infallibility, to defeat the success of what has been resolved upon contrary to their sentiments. Men of upright, benevolent tempers have too many opportunities of remarking, with horror, to what desperate lengths this disposition is sometimes carried, and how often the great interests of society are sacrificed to the vanity, to the conceit, and to the obstinacy of individuals, who have credit enough to make their passions and their caprices interesting to mankind. Perhaps the question now before the public may, in its consequences, afford melancholy proofs of the effects of this despicable frailty, or rather detestable vice, in the human character.”
I don’t subscribe to GallyNet, but that quote works as well!
Jeez! You, CK, don’t know the past SBG presidents!!!
I never was the Gally SBG president myself, but know all the Gally SBG presidents since the 1948(??). I had the official picture of all SBG presidents til 1996.
How sad for the Gallaudet adminstration do not value the relationship with the SBG representing the undergraduate students!
IKJ uusally appointed the meek and submissive individuals or honor students to various student-faculty committees or dictate the nomination of student appointees.
From my past “write-in” SBG presidential campaign for the democratization of the Gallaudet SBG and Gallaudet adminstration were the direct election of student representatives to student-faculty-adminstration committee(s). So the SBG and the adminstration could not manipulate or dictate the wishes of undergraduate students.
The questionable ethics of the Buff and Blue special writer and the currentChief Justice of the Gallaudet SBG for the special edition of the Buff and Blue student newspaper this week.
The real ongoing problems with the sense of ethics within the Gallaudet SBG and IKJ adminstration for past 18 years.
Mason,
Surely you don’t expect me to remember every single president since its inception. Gimme a break.
And, what’s your point about the Buff and Blue and the CJ of the SBG? I don’t see the relevance to my post or any of the comments posted here.
I recall that you, Carl Schroder wore the beard as the SBG president in the year of 1975-6(??). I do not have my SBG president materials right now with me.
Lamberton (50s), Ausma Smits (60s), Stanley Bertowitiz, the first Gally SBG president are few examples of well-known deaf individuals.
Several Gally SBG presidents were undeservely elected.
don’t I love this site! excellent writing! Intelligence oozes not only yours (Chris) but as well as other bloggers like Adam & Julie, et al. I could float!!! Comments by others are fascinating too
I been to many basketball games at the Staples Center and whenever players attempt field goals theres people supporting the opposing team creating visible ruckus in front of the basket post. The basketball players are well trained to ignore these detractors.
The same thing we see here with the Gally protests. People can build tent cities everywhere around the globe and create blogs everywhere.
Well that’s not going to work because the administration seems to be well trained to ignore these detractors from the old deaf guards thats running the dissent were seeing in Gally. And that’s going to be very easy for them because the old deaf guards and the dissenters have played many roles in the catastrophic alterations of many deaf leaders’s lives through many of their childish tricks, scourge, and pranks over the past decades. Even I. K. Jordan was a victim to one of their pranks in the Tower Clock yearbook. You can see where the roots of their positions come from. It’s not them, its YOU deafies started it.
The administration is doing good at ignoring the people who have represented the scourge of the deaf communities. Unless there’s fresh blood in the dissent, it will be easy to call the protests the old deaf guard’s bluff.
This is the heavy price the old deaf guards are paying for making the deaf communities their playground over the decades.
Chris- I thought your point was that there are power-hungry leaders in all the factions at Gallaudet. Not just the GU admin.
CK, the SBG successors ought to know their past precessdors and learn from their successes and failures.
Memeserzing the historical past of the SBG probably will not help the successors at all. Look at GWB and Karl Rowe and LBJ and Nixon unnaturally obsess with the outlooks of their presidency, ex. historical perspective.
That’s what exactly happened with the IKJ and JK adminstration. They really didn’t think of the long-term consquences of brushing off the protestors and pretended otherwise. IKJ and JK clinged to their arrogance and selfishness, instead of appealed to the human decency.
I was kinda concerned about the current SBG’s Chief Justice blurred her own role as the Buff and Blue special writer, instead of issuing out the official statement within her given duties.
Seperate and equal branches of every government or adminstration works very well. The students at Gallaudet University really need their SBG officials and Student Congress representatives in guiding them on the clear path without blurring their own postiton(s) or compromise the official standing of student government. The elected student officials and representatives need to look at the whole picture of what is really going on and provide the strong leadership for the student body.
Emotions run pretty high for every side(s)on the Gallaudet campus and across the country. We need the middle ground to resolve the whole matter and put our emotions aside.
No questions about the IKJ/JK adminstration doused gasoline all over the place. The fumes and remains from gasoline kept burning and burning. The blackened clouds left protestors more determined and radicalized. Whose fault?
With due respect, Richard Roehem. What are you talking about the old deaf guards? No such thing like the old deaf guards!
Karl Ewan - Old Deaf Guard? Aha! Ryan Commerson - Part of the Old Deaf Guard? *stifled laughters* Other FSSA student leaders are not part of the “Old Deaf Guard”!! Please get your facts checked before making wild assumptions!
Ryan Commerson did not commit pranks on IKJ in the 2001 Tower Clock yearbook. He just put the yearbook together with the so-called satire of IKJ from the Tower Clock staff as an EIC (editor in chief). Why not!!
The higher education atomsphere ought to be all about the real freedom of independent thinkings from any kind of fear or intimidation or threat.
The Tower Clock yearbook(s) are belonged to the student body, not the university adminstration.
The best policy for the higher education institution is to encourage and embrace the freedom of creativity, memorable prank and whatever college life offers for all of us!
The deaf communities at large over three decades dearly paid the price for being too nice with the likes of you!
[…] Congratulations to Chris Kaftan and David Evans whose Blogs, “A Centuries-Old Parallel to the Gallaudet Protest” and “Ensuring the Freedom to Communicate” appeared today in Marc Fisher’s popular Washington Post column at: http://blog.washingtonpost.com.....audet.html See related posts:DeafDC.com Blogger in the Washington Post WeekStart Roundup: The Deaf Also Rises DeafDC.com Blog in Express! […]
[…] If you don’t have access to today’s Express, download it here. Caution, though - it is a big PDF. Willard’s Blog was also included in the online version of the Express (second blurb). Since the Gallaudet protests began again after a hiatus over the summer, Evan’s “Ensuring the Freedom to Communicate”, the Kaftan’s “Gallaudet Interim Provost Announced“, and Allison Kaftan’s “Worlds Apart: Divergences in Perspectives on the Protest” DeafDC.com Blogs have appeared in the Washington Post Express. The Express is one of the most widely read commuter newspapers in the DC Metro area! In addition, Chris Kaftan’s “A Centuries-Old Parallel to the Gallaudet Protest” and David Evans’ “Ensuring the Freedom to Communicate” DeafDC.com Blogs appeared in Marc Fisher’s popular Washington Post column. […]