BN: I apologize first to my fellow writers, second to the staff, and last (but certainly not least) to the readers of DeafDC.com. My blog this past Saturday morning was aytpical of the quality of writing that is expected at DeafDC.com, regardless of my position on the protest. I will aspire to maintain the quality of writing you have all come to expect from this phenomenal source of information and it’s amazing collection of writers. And as always, I’ll hope my son looks back in about 16 years, reads a blog of mine and says, “You know, my dad wasn’t so bad of a guy after all.” Cheers, David
“Sir, you’re going to find three kinds of people in this business,” he said. “First you’ll find the righteous. Don’t waste your time with them. You’ll find them on both sides of the cause, and they’re always going to appeal to the righteousness of their cause.
“Second are the collectors of arguments, the debaters. You’ll see them constantly collecting data that is slanted in their favor, trying to score points with the media or whomever is listening. If you want to get into a debate for academic purposes, that’s fine, but it serves no other purpose.
“The third group are the ones that count. These are the ones who want to figure out a solution on the ground, in the dorms, at the gate, in the HMB, and in the class room. These are the ones who ask themselves over and over: ‘How the hell are we going to get out of this terrible nightmare?’
“Focus on them,” he said, “and focus on what needs to be done, and then get it done.”
I had been selected as a mediator in the protest at Gallaudet, and I really didn’t know what to expect. I had learned a long time ago that a negotiator has to be non-judgmental. I vowed not to take a position.
The FSSA complained of a democracy of form, but not of substance. “Balloting is a sham when your collective voice is ignored by the board of trustees!”, they exclaimed. They wanted me to know what had led to the coup and why they and others had had no choice other than the one they took.
The administration complained the protestors had a marginalized view of Deafness, and that they were trying to lead the community into the next generation of globalized d/Deafness, where all varieties of d/Deaf folks could come together, thereby expanding the number of students that attend the University.
Who’s more right? Who has greater justice on their side? Who has suffered more? How can anyone measure these things?
As a mediator, you reach peace by finding a position that both sides can agree to and practice on the ground. We’ll never get there by trying to determine which side is more righteous or “deserving” than the other. It’s important to speak out about unacceptable actions, but your task is to help the parties find a lasting solution that all can live with over time.
BN (Blogger’s Note): Everything you’ve read above was fictional, but adapted from the book “Battle Ready” by Tom Clancy with Gen. Tony Zinni (Ret.), particularly the section of the book dealing with the Middle East Peace Process that Gen. Zinni was very much involved with.
Eventually that stage of the process was shut down when the President decided that the US couldn’t deal with Arafat and the Palestinian Authority had to be reformed (without Arafat) before the US would step back in.
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A lasting solution might be Fernandes’ immediate resignation and the expulsion of certain number of students, including PNG. That ought to calm things right down.
Hmmm.. I wonder if JKF’s influence has anything to do with the cancellation of this year’s homecoming @ Gally.
tsk tsk.
Looks like someone just dropped the anvil.
I’m going to post some lyrics, and I think it best describes this ordeal.
Another Brick In The Wall - Pink Floyd
We don’t need no education
We dont need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it’s just another brick in the wall.
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall.
We don’t need no education
We dont need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it’s just another brick in the wall.
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall.
Homecoming cancelled? Nothing on deafread or Gallaudet’s website. Please verify, thanks.
Someone is trolling about HC being cancelled.
Just read it on Elisawrites.com.
Oh well.. this will just piss off the protestors more. But it may be smart for the administration to cancel that as they wouldn’t want to sponsor/be liable for an event that’s guaranteed to get out of control.
It IS on Gally’s website. http://news.gallaudet.edu/?id=9575
Throughout the negotiation process there needs to be made ‘gestures of good faith’ by both sides. I’m wondering if this is a direct act by the administration of punishment against the students. And worse, like the Israel/Palestine conflict, what the reprisals will be.
We all know there are alot of people flying into town this week for homecoming. And now, with nothing to do, what will come of these people. Idle hands are the devil’s playground, I think the saying goes.
IKJ announced Homecoming is cancelled, but Andy Lange apparently has other ideas… Go Andy!
Lets celebrate Gallaudet’s recovery after the surgery removes the cancer that’s causing so much pain on campus!
A mediator would always have to be impartial to any side’s partisan or extreme views and learn to transit or transform those views into something comfortable or reassuring to the other side without sparking an angry reaction and vice versa. This way the mediators don’t get killed in the crossfire.
How dare you compare the situation to the middle East crisis. Get your head on straigt.
Any situation where negotiation is required is fair game in this case, I think. You could even draw parallels to the North Korea crisis as well. Where is the “how dare you?” Help us understand your outrage.
Middle East Crisis - negotitations has been going on since Kissinger. Most of the same folks are still involved I think.
Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement - After 30 years of secterian violence, an agreement was hammered out in 1998. Eight years later, Northern Ireland Assembly is being reassembled and set up once again (after 4 or 5 failures to implement). Ian Paisley a 80 something year old is still clinging to leadership and not compromising.
It’s fair to compare our situation with others.
Gallaudet Homecoming is cancelled for sure? However, if the homecoming is still going on as said by Lange, then will there still be booths set up??? There are many off campus companies/firms/organizations who want to set up booths. Is it possible the administration can override this decision to continue with it? Who has the control of the Gallaudet property? I am asking because I am one of the booth registrants and am wondering whether I am going ahead with it or not. I will wait till Friday night to confirm. Anyone has more information on this to please tell us. Much appreciated.
Gallaudet’s website says homecoming is postponed, not canceled. People who have airline tickets and hotel reservations for the event had best cancel them. Last I heard, airlines will give you credit for up to one year to fly another time. You may have to pay a charge. I think IKJ was wise to postpone HC, as I do not think he could have ensured the safety of everyone present, and keep the campus properties safe too. It’s really a shame, because this homecoming should have been a celebration as Dr. Jordan’s last homecoming as GU president.
Curious Eyes,
While postponing homecoming sounds like the best solution, it is not! Jordan has alienated many people with his decision to postpone homecoming. Regardless of whether flights can be changed, that’s not the point. Homecoming does not belong to the university — it belongs to the alumni and students. I completely disagree with Jordan. What difference does it make about having one gate open? Traditional homecoming events only have one gate open! The front gate. We will have 6th street gate open, and the protesters WILL be peaceful.
Jordan is getting more and more letters of disgust or disappointment from alumni, asking for JK’s resignation. Jordan has made two grievous errors in the last several days — the arrests, and postponing homecoming.
While I would have been reluctant to cancel Homecoming, I can understand the concerns that fed this decision. While the protesters may assure the administration that the event will be peaceful, no one has full control of the current situation. SBG was apparently asleep when the football players locked down the campus. Who would be able to control all of the factions and assure that even one person who simply “lost it” would not do something stupid and dangerous. With emotions so high, there is unfortunately this risk. Also, *from the administration’s perspective* (accurate or not, they believe this) there have been failed promises from the protesters, so why should they believe assurances now? The administration has to consider their legal liability if there are injuries or even deaths on campus. I wish there were another way to resolve this problem. Homecoming is an important part of Gallaudet. But, I am trying to see both sides of the situation.
The thing is Chris, Homecoming should not be anything about the protest. Homecoming is about having everybody (pro-JKF, pro-BoT, anti-JK, anti-BoT, neutral, what have you) there for a good time and root for our football team who is doing a fantastic job (4-1) at the games so far. It is the protesters’ intent on making Homecoming into a political rally because they refused Jordan’s request to relinquish the side gate. Jordan cited safety as a reason for the cancellation. Now, can anyone cite the sources regarding safety when you have a large influx of visitors on campus?
The protesters were never given the choice to open the gates for HC. They were never asked to. The “request” you speak of never existed.
And no, I’m not speaking of his generic request to “open the gates”. he could have asked the protesters to “open the gates for HC”.
He never did give the protesters an opportunity to gracefully accept or decline to open the gates for HC.
IKJ did ask protesters to open the gates. They refused.
“Currently there is just one gate that provides access to campus, the Sixth Street gate. Those of you who have used it to enter campus have found the going slow and frustrating. The long lines and wait time for people leaving campus in the afternoon have been even worse. The Brentwood Parkway gate near MSSD and the West Virginia Avenue gate near Kendall School are locked, closed and barricaded with tents and debris. We have made repeated requests, to the protestors to open these gates and each request has been refused.”
http://news.gallaudet.edu/index.asp?ID=9585
David: hold on a second. At the end of this blog, you said everything you’ve read above was fictional — you mean the italicized part about the 3 kinds of people? Or the entire blog, including the part about you being selected as a mediator in the protest at Gallaudet? You? A mediator for whom? surely not between the protestors and the GU administrators. Since a negotiator has to be non-judgmental, I don’t think someone who recently said “Irving is an (expletive removed) - in every sense of the word (or maybe that he has his hand in Jane’s in order to make her a better puppet)” would be a great choice.
it’s fact based fiction adapted from clancy’s novel. one can appreciate the satire in this.
Kaybee, sorry, not a novel. It’s more or less an autobiography about Gen. Anthony Zinni’s life that he and Tom Clancy wrote together.
The part where I was chosen as the mediator was fiction. If JKF chose me as a mediator, even her supporters would know she wasn’t fit for the job ;)
I heard that IKJ was born hearing and became deaf in a motorcycle accident in his 20’s. Is that a fact or myth?
That is a factoid right there.
So one argument here states that JF is not deaf enough where she was born deaf and did not use signs until she was in her 20’s. Does that make her a lot more deaf than IKJ in his lifetime?
Yes.
Which is why her arguement that she’s not “deaf enough” for us is ridlicious.
Rather it’s more like she is not “ASL-enough” when people have repeatedly made fun of her signing, even IKJ.