I won’t deny that right now there’s a jumble of opinions, facts, non-facts, as well as shouts of protest, spirit, and venom. It’s hard to keep your head clear and remember the basic points of the protest. Everyone has their own take on the protest and reasons for supporting it. The two unifying goals, though, is for Jane K. Fernandes to resign and re-open the presidential search.
Why do I support those goals? I’ve been thinking about it ever since May 1st, when it was announced that Fernandes was chosen for the next president and students swarmed to close the front gates. It wasn’t until this past Monday when I met with my professors and students from the linguistics department that it all came together.
What convinced me?
I am a graduate student in the linguistics department and interested in the academic world of linguistics, which includes research, conferences, and teaching. I believe in collecting facts and interpreting them, looking for the larger meaning. It isn’t always easy. But such a process requires open dialogue and respecting other people’s input. I believe very strongly in this kind of environment.
That is not happening now.
I can’t tell you about the past six years when Fernandes was provost, about how Fernandes failed or didn’t fail in her leadership, and about any personal experiences with her. I wasn’t there. I don’t have an opinion about that. (Although countless of other people do and have expressed so in their blogs, in their letters, in their conversations with others on campus, in their interviews with the media.) What I do have an opinion about is what I’ve seen for the last few months.
I’ve seen that Fernandes doesn’t come to talk with the Gallaudet community of students, staff and faculty. Although, she did try last spring with her open forums, I saw a patronizing attitude and outright denial of other people’s opinions. I saw that the open dialogue I believe so strongly in isn’t there. The respect that should be accorded to others isn’t there. That’s what convinced me.
Such behavior should never come from the president of a university. Especially Gallaudet, a place that Deaf people turn to for answers. It surprises me that the Board of Trustees did not take the community’s input in consideration when choosing the next president. Perhaps if the lack of support for Fernandes was marginal, such a lack of response from the Board of Trustees could be justified. But that’s not true. The response from the community was overwhelming.
A common criticism of this kind of thinking: the students, the faculty, and the community don’t have the right to contribute to the appointment of an university’s president. My rebuttal to this: Gallaudet isn’t a typical university. It can’t follow typical procedures that other universities do.
Furthermore since such a large part of the Gallaudet community and the Deaf community has expressed a clear distrust of her leadership, I keep wondering about how she can lead with such distrust. One of my linguistics professors told me that he had been here a few years and had yet to feel encouraged by the Gallaudet administration. He constantly struggled with the negative environment. When he saw Ron Stern speak last May, he finally felt inspired and ready to roll up his sleeves to make Gallaudet a better place for learning. That is what a leader is supposed to do.
Fernandes isn’t doing that. One of the protest t-shirts says, “Clueless leadership. No leadership!” That sounds about right to me.
That’s why I’m compelled to join the fight.
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“One of the protest t-shirts says, “Clueless leadership. No leadership!” That sounds about right to me.”
This can be said about the student body government members who are leading the protest. Just because lemmings follow you doesn’t mean that you’re following an intelligent or well-thought out strategy.
I don’t agree with the name-calling here, but there is a lack of coherency at all levels, that in the student leadership, and in the leadership at Gallaudet as well.
An unpopular war, a president called a baby-killer, long haired hippie freaks, and a blind righteous fury among the young about racism, sexism, and assorted hosts of perceived social ills.
Why does this all seem so familiar?
Deaf students appear to be about thirty to forty years behind the curve.
Just as the world discovered, protesting and sit-ins don’t change the world — the world changes you.
“protesting and sit-ins don’t change the world”
This is an interesting statement. Would you care to elaborate? It had been my impression that protests of a variety of colors had in fact changed the world considerably over the past fifty years (and before). One particularly pertinent example would seem to be the DPN protest, which did in fact result in positive and measurable change.
Students (not Deaf students, just “students”) at universities across the country continue to hold sit-ins in the (apparently misguided) belief that there is value in adding their voices to the fury about racism, sexism, and other social ills. Without calling anyone names or insulting their hairdos, can you explain why it is that you believe protests to be so distasteful?
http://www.crmvet.org/images/imgcoll.htm has changed the world for sure. :-)
WELOCOME abroad, my fellow linguist!
“WELOCOME abroad, my fellow linguist!”
You call yourself a linguist? Might as well as call yourself a cunning linguist. :rolleyes:
It sounds like a bad word…cunnilinguist. Tsk Tsk get to the confession box now! rofl
Julie —
It is kind of interesting that people who are not in favor of the protest are not doing anything about it.
Instead, they hide out in their rooms and submit pessimistic (or rather, nasty) blog entries/comments on their computers.
Why… shouldn’t you all be out there with a bunch of pro-fernandes supporters and show your anger? Perhaps, set up your own “Sleeping Bag” city? Jane can be your mayor and do the famous Mayor Corrigan cheer!
We are doing something that we firmly believe will improve the educational setting at GU. You guys are either indifferent or simply scared of the major changes that may occur in the near future as a result from this situation.
Trust us, we are doing you a favor.
Oh yes, you are doing everybody a favor by protesting only for a pure ASL deaf president.
There’s one small problem with this vision. There just aren’t enough “D” deaf students for Gallaudet. Do you think that Congress will be satisfied with funding a $100 million institution on the behalf of 300 some students, some of which cannot be bothered to graduate on time or even to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge available to them.
Such self-centered attitudes do not do you any favors. The world doesn’t owe you anything.
Your real problem with the inadequate state of deaf education is with the state schools and not Gallaudet.
300 students? Haven’t you heard? Several members of the alumni and more than 40 faculty members are supporting the protest. In addition, the Clerc Center Staff just announced in a letter sent to the administration that they want Dr. Fernandes to resign. More are coming. Clearly, something is WRONG with the picture.
Your numbers are definitely OFF. Go retake a math class or something, ok?
Yes, but there’s the underlying issue of what it means to be “Deaf” and what kind of leader should claim that mantle of “Deafness” along with the cultural identity issues that is ongoing on the Deaf community. People keep saying it’s about Fernandes’s lack of leadership (which I agree with, btw) but they keep tying it back to her deaf identity.
Yes, I understand that people out there have been receiving “that” message. They need to push that out of their minds, as we emphasized again and again that the “she is not deaf enough” is NOT the issue here. I ask this: Based on what you have seen/read in the past several months, would you deem Dr. Fernandes worthy to represent us all?
Be honest, please.
In addition, when the selection process began earlier this year - we were rooting for Glenn Anderson. What does that tell you?
No, not from her record as provost of Gallaudet. But I do see protestors talking about her lack of “Deafness”–so that message has been sent over and over again to the outside world as an issue of cultural identity. I am not pro-Fernandes, but I am not in favor of this protest either, not with its current strategy and tactics.
like julie said, there are many different takes on the protest. i, for one, protest for reasons absolutely nothing to do with ASL.
While the protests aren’t primarily centered around the measurements of Fernandes’ cultural deafness, there IS an implicit message about how her poor leadership is connected to her oral mainstreamed background. That is hard to ignore. One has to question about one’s place in the Deaf community where there is an existing hierarchy of cultural standards. Fortunately and perhaps unfortunately, power is never permanently fixed and stable.
Ben,
I think you should reconsider and include grievances about language issues on campus as part of your protest. Audism is a large part of the protest, as you should know. It is important to see that had the ASL users felt completely at home at Gallaudet, on every square inch on campus, this protest would have been about something else. Jordan and Fernandes have failed to deal with serious language issues that have been around for a long time, even before Stokoe came around.
I hope Julie and others can tell us more about the history of ASL oppression at Gallaudet. When did this oppression begin? Right after Milan? And why did this oppression come about? We have a few books/articles on the language attitudes at Gallaudet among deaf and hearing individuals in the 1960’s. What has happened in the 1970’s and 1980’s before Jordan became president? And I suspect there is a sufficient amount of evidence implicating Jordan in the institutional oppression of ASL.
I think chronicling a history of ASL oppression at Gallaudet would be a good project. It’s not yet done. I can’t imagine where to start. This would be something that one of the professors in the Linguistics or ASL and Deaf Studies Department should do.
Protestors are the true redeemeres of the school. Arresting them means arresting the future of Gallaudet. It is a rape aganst the Deaf community and against humanity. Social justice will not be taken hostage an sacrificed on the altars of the self-gratification of an inept, arrogant and consciusless leader, Jane Kelleher Fernandes!
I’m a little uncomfortable with how you used “rape” to illustrate the arrests of the protestors. It’s not a fair comparison of the violation of an individual on a physical and mental level. How would rape survivors interpret the R word when it’s loosely applied todo a political situation?
I like metaphors as much as you do, but not all work well in certain narratives.
The rape is not the arrest itself. The rape is the arrogant and insensitive forcing of the designate through and against the will of the community. Capisce…???
I talked with a friend of mine today about the point you raise about “only 300 students” protesting. I asked whether it was okay for a small percentage of the student body to take control of the campus to fight for change. He said, “In the last election, only 25 percent of the population voted. Most people don’t seem to care. They’re the ones who don’t go and vote. The ones that really care go and vote, they’re the ones protesting.”
While I don’t mean to say that all who aren’t in favor of the protest don’t care, I do mean to say that just citing the number “300″ doesn’t really prove much.
In addition, I’m not advocating the view that we need a “pure” ASL president. Besides, I don’t even believe in the concept (which you would’ve knwon if you read one of my earlier blogs).
Actually it was 40% who voted. Not 25%.
Thank you for that clarification. That’s what happens when you trust hearsay. My point wasn’t the precise number, however, just that a smaller perecentage of the population did something. But thank you, though.
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/20.....president/
I’m aware this devitates from the topic, but I do believe it’s important to provide documentation to back up your statements. :)
:)
I’m not sure where the number is for how many Americans voted. Maybe it’s from watching too many rallies and lack of sleep…
The main argument that she is not “deaf enough” is an embarrasment to the deaf community and makes deaf culture a laughing stock.
who said that? JKF. excellent leadership in her part to smear thousands of deaf people.
true, some deaf people think it’s ok to deride her for growing up oral. there are bigots everywhere. regardless, the central reason for protesting her is her leadership style.
You are the only one bringing up the “Not Deaf Enough” angle.
Main arguement of who? I dont’ see any protesters making those arguement. the FSSA coalition as a whole is not making this arguement. This is as dumb as the sign “She didn’t say hi”, defining the whole protest.
I think a lot of people are using the “not deaf enough, hence, invalid protest” to avoid taking a real look at the issues and reexamine their own beliefs.
What makes JKF a bad leader?
Tell me, please. Enquiring minds want to know. What makes JKF a bad leader? Give me specific examples of her wrong-doings, that everyone can point at and say, ‘Yeah. That’s wrong. That’s bad. That’s a good example of why she shouldn’t be president.’
And telling me that she won’t show up and talk to the protestors doesn’t cut it, in my eyes. I wouldn’t either, because if I were in her shoes, I would be feeling that my life would be in danger if I met with the protestors.
I agree with everyone in the sense that things need to change at Gallaudet. Their standards definitely need to be raised. But the tactics and reasonings of the protest? It blows, and it’s making the ENTIRE Deaf community look bad.
ok read this letter from those who have directly experienced her leadership:
http://news.gufssa.com/2006/10.....ter-staff/
That is a powerful letter.
Wow. Okay. That’s definitely powerful. But you know, there’s strength in numbers. Why are those people afraid of reprisals if there’s so many of them? JKF can’t punish them ALL for exposing this. People need to come forward with their stories, because I guarantee you, the media would jump all over this kind of letter if there were faces attached to it. And that would lead to JKF resigning.
I say that with the experience of leading 3 protests. I know what I’m talking about. You need to have faces along with those stories.
And regarding the protestors - I read this in the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/....._metro/dc: “The football players who have become the gatekeepers since deciding to shut the school down allowed voting faculty members in at 11 a.m. for a meeting, shepherding them through campus in a group so they could not sneak to their offices.”
I’m sorry, but what the heck? To the people looking from the outside, this smacks of a hostage situation! This isn’t gonna garner sympathy!
Oops, I posted a response to this comment further down. I’ve copied it here:
That comment in the Post about the faculty being shepherded in so we wouldn’t “sneak off to our offices” was totally off base. I was in that group of faculty and the writer was trying to add drama that wasn’t there.
deaf pundit,
of course you realize that gallaudet is run by a system created by jordan/fernandes. it is not enough to kick just the both of them out. they need to weed out other administrators, paul kelly included.
you’re right about strength in numbers thing, but i imagine paranoia is high among faculty and staff. hopefully last night’s arrests will bring more faculty and staff to the protest.
fight the power,
Yeah? I would think that the arrests would scare the faculty and staff even more. People should have been documenting JKF’s wrong-doings. If people are brave enough to be arrested, then they should sure as hell be brave enough to DOCUMENT what JKF was doing!
I agree 100% with what KBM wrote. Too little, too late.
faculty and staff scared even more? heh, wanna bet?
a large wave is coming…alumni!!!!
never too late to do anything about jkf
and what is brave about documenting anything without revealing the names of witnesses?
anyway isn’t it already clear since may and especially this week how jkf cannot lead gallaudet? can you sing praises about any of jkf’s actions?
deaf pundit,
i checked out kbm’s article. very interesting. content is worth thinking about and discussing.
but tone turned me off. felt ann coulter-ish. she could have dazzled us…feel feel she has the potential.
but you said “too little, too late.” me puzzled. what’s too little, and what’s too late?
Too little, too late means you guys missed the boat. The general public isn’t supporting the protest, because they don’t, and never will, get why the protests are happening.
There is nothing brave about documenting things without witnesses’ names. It’s hearsay. Documentation means squat if you don’t have names to go along with it.
You guys had *six* years to document JKF’s incompetence. With enough people, and doing the documentation in the proper way, this entire protest wouldn’t have ever happened.
Jane Fernandes pushed down academic standards, admission and punished faculty who achieved. As a consequence, the academic morale is at an all time low. She hurt oppressed and fired many competent faculty, especially men. She is an academic nitwit with zero achievement. Her bias against male scientists and her academic incompetence makes her uncapable to lead a university.
Getting more shrilly there.
But JKF quintupled the Honors Program budget in order to build a stronger academic culture and higher standards when other administrators allowed it to languish or even tried to cut it.
Too many intelligent students are so bored with Gallaudet’s academic challenges. So they upgraded their academic standard and named it “honor’s program.” They were hoping to keep the students at Gallaudet otherwise they would go elsewhere.
That letter tells you a lot about JKF!! Now you get the vision of what she is like.
sorry, anonymous letters just don’t cut it with me.
BTW, thanks Julie.
No, thanks to you, J.J., for asking me to clarify my position. That is EXACTLY what needs to happen. We need to enter a dialogue about the whole situation. Citing erroneous facts and name-calling is not what we need right now. Instead we need to start speaking out loud about what we think and with other people who can ask intelligent and guiding questions. That’s what you did. Thanks!
300 deaf people are protesting?? I thought that was the number of the ENTIRE Gallaudet students, graduate and undergraduate! Pls correct me if I am wrong. If so, then what’s the actual number of students at Gallaudet this year?
Taken straight from the GU admissions site:
Gallaudet University’s enrollment (as of Fall 2005) is 1,913 – consisting of 1,274 undergraduates, 466 graduates, and 173 professional studies students. Of that total – there are 1,632 degree-seeking students (1,213 undergraduates and 419 graduates). These degree-seeking students represent 49 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. These students also represent 31 other countries.
For enrollment statistics, go to:
http://www.gallaudet.edu/x2294.xml
“Gallaudet University’s enrollment (as of Fall 2005) is 1,913 – consisting of 1,274 undergraduates, 466 graduates, and 173 professional studies students.”
Wow Noelle, we posted at the exact same time!
If only 300 or so are participating in this protest, what about the rest of the student body? Where are they? What are they doing?
Actually way more than 300 students are protesting. 300 is the number you’d see at a given time on campus. Students do come in and go. I, for one, live 30 min away from campus and am not there as much as I should be.
See Julie H’s post above (#23537) for a good answer to that question.
The numbers can never be ascertained for two reasons. 1 being the one that Ben mentioned, they come and go. 2nd, there’s no official sign-up list, with which we can collect more accurate information as to how many people have supported the protest. Such a sign-up list would be difficult to implement though.
it’s interesting to read all the postings the past all week…it sure brings out the best and worst in ourselves. I think it’s not going to be over till the fat lady sings (no offenses intended to overweight people out there). I think we’ll learn more in the next few days or next week. BTW, I’m a Gallaudet alumnae and if you check my article as a guest blogger on DeafRead.com called “TAking Back the Destiny,” all social changes/unrests/civil rights movements usually give birth to messy beginnings before a smoother sailing can materialized and be experienced (Shane, I’d wished you’d respond to my request to be a guest blogger on this site!)
Kristi’s comment has been moved to a guest Blog titled, “A Fictitious Protest for Fictitous Reasons” so the comments related to her posting can remain separate from this Blog.
Ha. Well said KBM. Glad to see someone’s kicking ass and taking names.
Incredibly powerful, KBM. Everybody involved in the protests- and those on the outside- should read your post.
eloquently stated, KBM! thanks.
Thirded. Er, Fourthed?
I appreciate reading frank opinions from independent observers, especially if they’re from a minority group and they don’t support the protests. Thank you for sharing your story with us.
People are a bit high from inhaling ballonons of empty social justice rhetoric at the moment.
National Association of the Deaf (NAD) tends to jump in the bandwagon when the protestors are winning. NAD is not the same anymore. :-(
I will admit that it is a nice counter-argument. Tell me if I’m wrong but I detected in the tone of your comment that you praised David King to the heavens. I guess it’s nice to have a sexist in lieu racist or audist on your side:
“Look at me into my eyes, I am David King and who the hell you think you are? Who the f**ks are your sl*ts? Name them or get lost with your cheap blackmailing and character assaulting.”
Isn’t it? Even as a Ayn Rand conservative female, it insults me. From here, David King is losing his credibility as a “leader” in the political-battling climate and my respect, assuming that it’d mean anything to you or that leader.
Every leader has their dark side. Hadn’t someone said that beggars cannot be choosers?
Although, you had presented a nice counter-argument.
This is sad. Protester looks like idiots! Okay, so you made your point. But your not helping the future of Gally by cutting classe and skipping mid-terms. If you’re going to change the world, at least finish your education. Can’t have it all. Hey, your former ex-president Gally, IK Jordan, supports her. Or otherwise he could have stayed for couple more years to get the lamest protestor out of Gally.
You look more like an idiot than the protestors to me.
Dr. I. King Jordan was forced to retire. Not by the Board of Trustees but by the federal government.
Why was that? Maybe too many years of this:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/......2005.html
I. King Jordan does not want a new president to investigate further so with Jane Fernandes he is safe. Why do you think he came up with a $2 million dollar agreement if Gallaudet decides to push her out and she will collect? The Board of Trustees are going to say, “We cannot get rid of Fernandes because she will collect $2 million dollars of tax payers/government money.”
This is a give away sign for the federal investigators in case they need to do investigation.
The federal government does not force anyone to retire. That would be age discrimination.
There may be exceptions for certain areas of law enforcement.
One of my professors told us students that he would do his utmost best to catch us all up once this blows over. That we wouldn’t have to be worried about losing our education. He also said that, this is an important time for us to observe people and see how they deal with issues like oppression and so forth. We can engage in dialogues that we will most likely remember better than any one lecture by a professor. Attending a university is not just about going to class.
By the way, we never get a choice to choose our college president. Go to Congress and get that change if you really want to have the power to elect a college president. The world is not protesting against G.W. BUSH… instead, just dont vote for him if you dare to complain!
Opening a whole other can of worms, but I think we SHOULD be protesting against Bush. Anyway that’s besides the point here. You’re right in saying that students don’t have the right to choose their college president. That’s a point I raise in my blog. Since Gallaudet is a unique institution, I think that the normal procedures should be considered and modified accordingly, including the right to choose a president. But you’re right, we should perhaps bring up this issue with congress… that’s a thought.
I never went to Gally, so I do not know much about the funding issues. Who cares if she get $2million if she were to go? She probably will spend it fast! And who cares if she stay… you should be out of Gally in four years or less..and start becoming a member of the board at Gally. Now, is Gally funded by Congress? Isn’t there certain procedure when being funded by Congress, ie who set the rules and established them on Gally campus, Mssd, and Kendall? It seems so, since the school were built together to control you! Gally should start shutting down MSSD and Kendall and est their own locations like other deaf school in the world..lively independent and freely from the government. Again, where is your leader? Im been watching the news….. and hoping for a leader to pop up in the spotlight!
testing_the truth…what are u talking about?? I’ll probably graduate before you will.. and if you already a graduate then get a life will ya.
i have so much to say, but im going straight to my facts. Alots of times, media interviews people who protest against something but I notice something different. Ok so I got couple of deaf people opinion about the protest, but where are the leaders? If you going to protest about something, then you need leader to lay the cards on the table. Gally is in the heart of politics….do you have anyone on campus that the world will recongize as your leader of the protest? if not i suggest the crackheads and hippies go to class and become a true leaders for student of gally
It is a noble effort to feel compelled to join the fight, but when you state the following: “I believe in collecting facts and interpreting them, looking for the larger meaning.” and yet say the following: “Although, she did try last spring with her open forums, but what I saw was a patronizing attitude and outright denial of other people’s opinions.” I felt the need to correct you on this.
When she attempted to open the discussion for everyone, the people who attended this meeting were all dead set toward one purpose: Demanding her to resign.
She is clearly dead set against this idea.
By refusing to listen to their demands, she is seen as a patronizing person? She is seen as someone who deny other people’s opinions?
There is dialogue. Then there is a line drawn in the sand so far apart from each other, that both parties are actually guilty of the sins you declared.
She is not leaving. So what are you going to do about it? Continue to protest? My, how constructive.
If you wish to show actual leadership, then perhaps you should do what leaders do — negotiate appropriately.
Instead, what I see here are a bunch of people who wish to enact a coup on the whole system.
As much as I hate Bush, I am patiently waiting until this fall, and the fall of 2008 to make a big difference. Perhaps you should negotiate a term limit for the President of Gallaudet. Or perhaps you should negotiate for the Proverst to compenstate for the President (who is actually responsible (and highly skilled at that) for keeping the money rolling in to Gallaudet.) Your Proverst can repesent your roles.
But no…
You just have to do a coup. That is why I do not support you.
The coup was invented by a grassroots group, independently from SBG and FSSA. It might not have been the brightest idea. But now we are back to square one. Fernandes has to go!
You may be right that a vast majority of people who attended the forums were against JK. That was the EXACT reason for those forums. She knew that most people wanted her to listen to them and talk with them. JK didn’t do a very good job.
I wish we didn’t have to take over the campus. It was really the actions of a smaller group of people. But it happened, now we need to do what we can to resolve this whole affair.
Here is a good question….if Fernades steps down or is removed, then who should be president of Gallaudet?
Hypothetically, the Board of Trustees chairperson OR the Provost could assume the interim presidency since Jordan officially retired from his post (but still retain presidential authority until January 2007). This is not the first time. Dr. Jerry Lee left his post less than a year before the DPN of 88, so there was no official president in that time and the chairperson of the BoT, Jane Spilman, was a temporary leader of the university.