I agree with everything you said, totally!! Way to go to voice your opinion. I think Gally issue is one of the embarrasment that has happened on the news this week. I don’t care either so let that take care of itself.

Tim

I agree to an extent…except…I see how things that happen at Gallaudet eventually make their way in to deaf education, commissions for the deaf, associations for the deaf and, even into the interpreting world. So, while I’m not interested in the minutia,the dramas, who Fernandes did or didn’t smile at…I do have concerns regarding the direction the next president of Gallaudet University will take us in.

I care because we are HUMANS and our lives are leading to dangerous world (politics, cost of living, and of course politicians are greedy! Our Rights are not Freedom anymore! It seems like we are all controlled by the President/Senators/Congress

Thank you for sharing this with us and yes I am pissed at Gas and remember REPUBLICIANS are proud of this and they are oil people… and we are suffering under the hand of Republicians who do not care about middle class/poor people.

oops correction my comment - leading —- “led”

I completely agree with your point, Erin. I don’t think these people realize the magnitude of the *other* issues in the world. If they don’t like JF (whatever her name is), they could go to another school, right?
I’ve got a question - if JF was to be the president, if she has not fulfilled her role as the President? Could she be asked to step down?

first of all, Johnny i think you need to step back and think about what you are saying.=) because everythign you just said was naive at best. Neither the Republicans nor the Government control the oil flow =) (laughing) jesus christ, does the conspiracy theory ever end?

secondly, I think Erin’s thoughs and mine are quite similar. I only wish the bulk of the student population had a similar frame of mind. =)

i’m just amazed that you would write this. we’ve dealt with other issues everyday of our lives but for once, this is a HUGE deal. Its about us, Deaf people, Deaf culture, Gallaudet University, etc.

Sure, I’m not a Gallaudet student but I admire the university because it is one of the foundation of our culture.

There is always a ‘right and wrong’ side to everything so it makes sense for this issue to come out as an embarrassement but for some of us, it is a right thing to do.

There may be some people who may not care about this issue, but leave that up to us to deal with it. You’ve said what you wanted to but it just goes to show that you dont embrace Deaf culture, regardless that you are a Deaf person.

Its great to know you care about other things but this issue is a BIG deal to most of us, the students, faculty/staff, etc. They want to be heard… let them have it.

JBH, I am insulted that you call me naive.. watch what you say.

outsider, I never said anything about the people who are protesting. They have every right to do what they believe in. I’m just saying it’s not an issue for every single deaf person out there.

and I’ve already confessed in one of my blogs, back in February that I don’t see myself as a “Deaf person” nor do I “embrace Deaf culture” as you put it. It’s not the first thing I identify with. being deaf is just a small part of me, but certainly not the first thing I’d say about myself. and I’m okay with that.

sorry Johnny, it’s true. =) i’ll cry though, just the thoughts of me insulting someone is so devasating.

what you said was the biggest pile of rubbish since the Dewey/Truman election. (newspapers pre-printed the Dewey win.)

JBH, everyone have different opinios and perspectives… just respect their ways even you not have to agree with them or agree.

Well, you may not care about Gallaudet. I do because I have the deaf 4 years old son. I’m concerned about the deaf education because I was there myself. I know how the students feel about the administrators. I kept trying to communicate with the local deaf school administrator on the issue about my son’s education. Nothing can get through her thick skull. The students might feel the same about Jane.

So, what if you have the deaf children? You still don’t care about Gallaudet??

I’m kind with Erin, I don’t see why there’s such a big flap. I’m reading insults whizzing around like bullets.

I just don’t see the moral outrage for BoT doing its job. Employment law isn’t rewritten by protests.

Dr. Fernandes had the right to apply for the job and the right to be considered fairly. All this looks like smoke to cover a weak case against her. (I could be wrong, but I don’t care. Unless somebody can explain it to the world, the world doesn’t care. Full stop.)

Nobody has told me any real reason for the furor other than vague accusations about the process.

I want people to remember one thing: Unlike IKJ who stayed on a long time, Dr. Fernandes is not guaranteed to stay 20 years. She can well decide to step down or retire in 5-10 years or much less.

Of course, the average tenure for all Gallaudet presidents HAS verged on 17+ years plus, (other than Zimmer). Maybe it’s time to start changing that tradition.

We don’t need rock stars, we need leadership that changes with the times. 17 years nowadays is a blinding blur of change. Remember technology in 1988?

Remember whether there were computers, internet, and e-mail widely used by the deaf then? Relay services? Video relay? What did Gallaudet look like in 1988 compared to today in 2006?

Anyway, when she resigns, as she will eventually, there will be more highly qualified deaf to take her place with more fresh ideas and experience. Go get those Ph.Ds!

Drama, drama, drama. When I first heard about the protest my first thought was, “Whoa, did Gallaudet University appoint a hearing president again?” Then the issues became clearer… different president now. Ok, whatever. Are they protesting for the sake of protesting? Is it a few students taking advantage of the situation for a little bit of spotlight?

I’m neither an alumni of RIT or Gallaudet University. My dad was an alumni of Gallaudet University and my mom did go to Gallaudet University briefly before pursuing her Masters in Education at WMD College. My family is active in the deaf community and proud of who we are. However, that zoo called Gallaudet University is no longer the beacon of light for the deaf community but a thorn in our side.

Gallaudet University’s low expectation of students trickle down to schools for the deaf in America. I had to fight to make SAT available for college bound students at my school for the deaf. Of course, no one except me and maybe one other student made above 1100 on the SAT. Maybe they should call it Gallaudet Community College because their admissions standards are so ridiculously low.

Thank God, someone said it.

Glasses is a disaster - a social experiment gone wrong.

The deaf community cannot tie it’s identity to this school that doesn’t even emphasize education.

Low expectations of Gallaudet students DO NOT trickle down to schools.

In a deaf school I visited (and which I shall not name), has predominantly hearing faculty, and yes, some gallaudet alumni who were themselves graduates of that school.

They have to handle multiply handicapped students and students that lacked the skills necessary for mainstreaming from a very early age, and so on. Their expectations are stuck at low because the reading, math, and English teachers stink. They’re trying to get in better faculty and improve quality.

I liked Gallaudet– I doubt I would have had the opportunity to tutor in a hearing university. For undergraduates interested in Education, Gallaudet DOES make sense.

Dim Sum, most HEARING students don’t make much over 1100, at least under the old system they didn’t. I hear the new system inflates SAT scores.
I got 1415 and I was one of only 12 students out of over 2000 HEARING students to get roughly that high– under the old system. I was one of around 100 students in the whole county that year to get such SAT scores.

Thanks to Gallaudet and their secondary and elementary programs, I’ve met and talked to a lot of successful deaf. I never had a doubt I’d go to college and finish, and that I could study biology as I wanted to.

How can people develop higher expectations when they don’t know there is a place with deaf Ph.D.s in various disciplines?

Or to know there are deaf lawyers, there are deaf doctors, deaf professionals, deaf IT programmers, deaf veterinarians, deaf NASA engineers, deaf chemists and biologists, deaf performers, and so on.

Yes, Gallaudet is NOT the whole deaf community by any means. It still remains a valuable nexus for networking.

Erin,

Did you edit your article? I distinctly recall the part where you wrote that “being deaf is a small part of you” and other things of that nature. If you did, why did you remove those statements?

No I do not go back and edit any of my blogs. Once I post them, I don’t edit them. To me, posting my blogs is like printing them, you can’t go back and change your statement once it’s in print. even though I know I could easily do that, but that’s not my style.

Erin said that in a subsequent comment (#9), not the main post.

All I’m trying to say is Gallaudet University should be more selective with the students they accept. If they want to help those who got the short end of the stick then they need to have a separate program so Gallaudet University’s diploma will be worth its weight rather than toilet paper.

My father was one of those unfortunate deaf people who were subjected to low expectations in oral school. However, his math and analytical skills were through the roof. During his time Gallaudet University had a West campus which really helped improve his English skills before he joined the rest of the Gallaudet University students. During I. King Jordan’s presidency, this campus was closed. That also was when Gallaudet University’s education became seriously diluted.

I do not challenge Gallaudet University’s deaf education program, which is one of the best in the area, nor do I challenge its graduate programs, which also have received high marks from U.S. News and other such publications that rank colleges. I just believe that the culture and quality of education for undergraduate students is not anywhere near where it needs to be. The solution is to make the main undergraduate program more selective, but also provide those with academic potential a second chance through a separate program.

Tim , Good point I agree with you.

[…] *Caution* by Erin Himmelmann: Some people actually don’t care about what’s going on at Gallaudet! […]