Once again, the inmates have stormed the asylum and the rebellious bunch at Gallaudet University have fenced themselves within the walls of the building they call school. Usually when students are present in class their teachers and parents consider them engaged and desperate for knowledge. However, when the purpose is to disrupt education by screaming, jumping on desks and displaying other acts of civil disobedience then it’s fair to compare these protestors to simple thugs. So, what’s at the heart of the matter? What could possibility cause the cancellation of an entire school semester? Simply put, the appointment of Jane K. Fernandes as President of Gallaudet University has students and faculty frenzied.
This isn’t the first time that students at Gallaudet have protested the appointment of a potential University President. In fact, the university has had recent history with tomato throwers and slogan shouters. Gallaudet University was the first school established for the advanced education of the deaf, and was officially recognized by Congress before President Abraham Lincoln signed its charter in 1864. Students at Gallaudet are required to be proficient in American Sign Language (ASL), English, and foreign languages. However, there were no such requirements for the University President, and for many years there was a line of presidents that were not deaf.
Many students were displeased by this, and that discontent reached a boiling point in 1988 when Elisabeth Zinser was appointed University President. After the appointment, students took to the streets, started striking, and created a movement called Deaf President Now (DPN). Less than a week after the protests begun, the university caved to the DPN’s demands and named I. King Jordan as the next president of Gallaudet. Recently, Jordan announced his resignation, and after a lengthy process, Fernandes was named the new president-designate; soon after, the strikes began again. However, these strikes are cause for confusion; in fact, Fernandes was born deaf and has impeccable credentials; she was the vice president of Gallaudet from 1995-2000, and is currently the provost of Gallaudet until Jordan steps down after this year. After studying Fernandes’ résumé the obvious question is: What criticisms could she possibly engender?
Would you believe she is not deaf enough? Indeed, when the protests first began, Fernandes, her mother, and her brother were all criticized because they used spoken language while deaf. When those reports started to spread protestors were quick to squash them with the mantra, “It’s not that she’s not deaf enough. She’s not enough of a leader.” Apparently, Gallaudet students have only been enlightened to Fernandes’ poor leadership skills after 11 years with the school and directly after she was appointed president-designate. Incredibly, some have criticized her for disciplining students for cheating and plagiarism during her term as provost. Furthermore, her denial of tenure to a professor during that time most likely resulted in the recent vote of no confidence from the faculty.
Responding to the condemnation that she isn’t deaf enough, Fernandes suggests, “I think that’s probably at the heart of this matter. I think the other messages that are being sent out are distractions. Some people think I’m not deaf enough. There’s a kind of perfect deaf person. It’s someone who was born deaf, has deaf parents, learns [sign language] at home, goes to a deaf school … gets married to a deaf person, has deaf children. There [are] a lot of people like that here, and they have been the core of the university.” Indeed, Fernandes argues that elitists are responsible for this “movement,” and their statements seem to confirm that fact.
Without a doubt, there have been some preposterous, selfish, and absolutely snobbish reasons to resist Fernandes. When Renca Dunn, a student at Gallaudet, was asked why she opposes Fernandes, she responded, “We the students feel we were ignored. We are the deaf community.” Wow! Does Gallaudet speak for the entire deaf community? Is every deaf individual associated with Gallaudet University? Ms. Dunn surely forgot other colleges, including The National Technical Institute for the Deaf and The Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf, which also represent the hearing-impaired. Yes, surely Ms. Dunn forgot…or she simply didn’t care.
Another student leader, Anthony Mowl, arrogantly condemned Fernandes for “not enough commitment to ASL as the dominant form of communication.” Mowl cites Fernandes’ support of the advancement of hearing aids and implants and her desire for Gallaudet to include a more diverse deaf population as evidence for his statements.
Moreover, Mowl also points to a lack of diversity among the candidates of the selection process. In fact, students claim they were shocked when Glenn Anderson, a strong black candidate, was not considered for appointment. So, forget that Fernandes could be the first woman president of Gallaudet; when it comes to a contest between race and gender it’s clear to what side of the aisle the students of Gallaudet stand on. Still, the criticisms range from the absurd to the extraordinarily insignificant, “She didn’t say HI to me when I saw her on the grounds.”
Fernandes’ is taking the process in stride, and appears committed and steadfast, “When I become president — and I fully intend to be president — I’m going to have a huge challenge to re-establish good relationships with students, faculty and staff.” That said, currently it appears that even Helen Keller would have a difficult time getting support from faculty and staff for being too blind to accurately represent the Deaf community. Unfortunately, if history helps man prepare for the future, then Fernandes might be doomed. Nearly twenty years ago Gallaudet relented to the strikes that rocked the university; now, one can only hope that history doesn’t repeat itself.
Matthew Hickman is an intern at Accuracy in Media.
