CRISIS AT GALLY: IS THE WORST OVER?

On Sunday, October 29, word went out that Gallaudet University’s Board of Trustees, meeting in a closed-door session in an off-campus hotel, had voted to revoke Jane Kelleher Fernandes’ appointment as Gallaudet’s ninth president. The announcement followed nearly a month of turmoil on campus—public rallies, protests, barricading buildings, blocking the campus gates, mass arrests, some injuries, and widespread criticism of the way GU President I. King Jordan and Dr. Fernandes handled the crisis. The Board of Trustees also came under attack for its “flawed search process” and its refusal to listen to protesters.

Dr. Fernandes had served as Provost (chief academic officer) since 2000. Although she had an impressive record as a teacher and administrator, she was unpopular at Gally. Dr. Fernandes believed that she was being targeted because of her mainstreamed background (the oft-repeated complaint of her being “not Deaf enough”), but her opponents claimed that she had proven to be a “divisive and ineffective” administrator during her tenure as provost.

Despite the theme of the protest, “Unity for Gallaudet,” not all members of the Gallaudet community were opposed to Dr. Fernandes’ appointment. She had support from the administration and a number of faculty, staff, students, and alumni, who believed that the search process had been fair, and were looking forward to her taking office. They argued that it was unfair to blame her for the persistent problem of low Deaf literacy. Others were angry and embarrassed at the protesters’ tactics, and argued that they were doing far worse harm to Gally’s image and future than Dr. Fernandes ever could.

The protest was publicized in the local and nationwide mass media, and through the Deaf cyber-community, through the new media of blogs, text pagers, Webcams, E-mail, and video clips—one of the main differences between this protest and the “Deaf President Now” uprising of March 1988. The “DPN” strike swept Dr. Jordan to international fame as a hero and Deaf Community icon. Ironically, by his unwavering support of Dr. Fernandes and by actions such as authorizing the arrests of 133 protesters on October 13, he was now seen by many as a villain. No protesters had been arrested or injured during “DPN.” Several students were hospitalized as a result of the campus Department of Public Safety’s blockade-busting actions on and after October 13.

Protesters insisted that they would continue until Dr. Fernandes resigned or was removed. They blocked all gates to the campus, although classes continued. Anticipating their arrests, they posted instructions: don’t resist arrest, go limp, or else you’ll risk being beaten. Tim Rarus, one of the four DPN student leaders, was among the first to be arrested. He and others blocking a side gate were hauled off to a police-training academy, where they spent the night on mats, and were released next morning after paying $50 citations. They rejoined the protests. When bulldozers were brought in several days later to remove the “tent city,” several students were injured.

Attempting to break the stalemate, Dr. Fernandes met with student representatives, without arriving at any resolution. But some praised her calm and civil demeanor during the crisis.

While the prevailing mood among the protesters is elation (“JKF F-I-R-E-D!!! Let’s Celebrate!” as one post was titled), others are saddened. Aside from Dr. Fernandes, the main issues of the protest—racism and audism, for example—remain unresolved. The search process will be reopened, and, we hope, a satisfactory president will be appointed. Whether Dr. Jordan, who was to have stepped down at the end of 2006, will stay over during the transition period remains to be seen.

“The time for healing”

This is the official release from the Board of Trustees:

Today, we announce with much regret and pain that after serious deliberation in a special, all-day Executive Session of the Board of Trustees, we have voted to terminate Dr. Fernandes’ appointment as President-Designate (currently effective) and President (effective beginning January 1, 2007) at Gallaudet University.

We understand the impact of this decision and the important issues that inherently arise when a Board re-examines decisions in the face of an on-going protest. The Board believes that it is in the best interests of the University to terminate Dr. Fernandes from the incoming President’s position. Although undoubtedly there will be some members of the community who have differing views on the meaning of this decision, we believe that it is a necessity at this point. The Board is continuing to meet to discuss transitional issues.

It has certainly been a difficult and trying time for our Gallaudet community. Now is the time for healing. The hope of the Board of Trustees is for our beloved community to come together to work for a stronger and better Gallaudet.

Statement by I. King Jordan

“The struggle during the past several months has been very painful for all of us. I am deeply troubled by the divisions among us and by the anger that overtook reason, respect, and civility.

“Now we must all come together for the sake of Gallaudet, particularly for the sake of Gallaudet’s students—those who are our students now and those who will be students in the future.

“I want to thank Jane Fernandes for her dedication and courage and her standing up for what’s right. I am personally saddened—for Gallaudet and for Dr. Jane K. Fernandes—that she will not have the opportunity to show Gallaudet and the world what a great president she could have been. Her vision and her plans to make that vision come to life would have guided the university we all love into a bright future. The Board of Trustees saw that promise when they selected Dr. Fernandes as president. In order to resolve the current stalemate the Board has deemed it necessary to steer a different course, and I accept their decision. Now we must all put down our weapons of words and seek to restore a sense of community.

“In my Town Hall speech last November I said there is more that unites us than divides us. I think we lost sight of that for a time and we must work together to refocus on the core values that unite us. We should not look for a resolution to the struggle of recent months in terms of winners and losers. If we do, Gallaudet and our students will be the losers.”

Posted on October 30, 2006