Someone who is hearing impared and knows: please let me know: Gallaudet

[YOY]

My wife and I were watching the evening news and they were talking about the Gallaudet protests here in DC regarding Jane K. Fernandes and the students' demand that she resign. They never say just why she is 'controversial' but those students look pissed and I want to know just what is going on?

What did this woman do exactly? Why is she so controversial?

I just want to know, the local media's coverage blows.

[Hawkeye-X]

1. IIRC

I was just reading this earlier this morning.

The student said she's a failure as a provost.

(I didn't go to Gally, but I did support DPN movement when I was young, as did my wife)

http://www.gallaudetfssa.com/

[FunkyLeprechaun]

2. I don't know either

And I've been following the protest since May. I've asked a lot of people who supports the protest and they would just say they didn't like her.

I think they should just give Fernandes a chance. She overhauled the honours programme (raised standards) as Provost. I really do think it's down to her being "not deaf enough."

She doesn't really have a case to resign.

[kdpeters]

3. Same here. Difficult finding details, but from what I know,Jane F must go

Unfortunately, that's just a gut feeling based on few facts, but based on listening to her give her side of the story. I tend to trust my gut when I listen to people, and when I listen to her, I get the sense that she has a Messiah complex and has no respect for the people protesting.

I just started hearing about the protests recently so only today thought I should do my own searches to make up my own mind whether or not to support the students. Two of the first articles were by Jane K. Fernandes herself, and I really wanted to hear her side of the story. I assumed I'd have a better understanding of her perspective, but she really repulsed and disgusted me. Read for yourself and see if you get the impression of a woman who respects and listens to the students who clearly have some very serious concerns.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/17/AR2006101700872.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/13/AR2006101301492.html

The Washington Post gives her two chances to give her side and I have yet to see any of the protesters allowed to speak for themselves. But even in her own words, she comes across as a pedantic, self-serving, elitist who knows what's best for her students much better than they can possibly know what's best for themselves.

From those two articles alone, I no longer wonder why they'd rather close the school than have her holding the reins.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

4. The problem

I have with her resigning is if the Board of Trustees pick another president and the protestors don't like the BOT's second choice?

They do need someone like Jane Fernandes. Maybe I had been hasty in my last post but, if the faculty voted no confidence in her twice, then maybe she should resign.

However, Gallaudet needs to be open to more deaf people. The deaf people that only cue or use only oral. Currently, NTID at RIT accepts ALL deaf people (cuers, oral, signers) and many people, like myself, felt welcome at NTID at RIT. This isn't so at Gallaudet. It is required that you know ASL to go to Gallaudet, and in my situation, I don't need to sign (in high school, of the 4 deaf people in my year, none signed). Gallaudet needs to open its doors to people like me. If a deaf person wanted to be with other deaf people but didn't want to sign, shouldn't we give them more options?

That's the dilemma. You have to have a president that welcomes all methods (which is what Jane probably does). You need a president who can communicate with the politicans (Gallaudet is federally funded) AND the deaf people. Which is what Jane does.

The protestors aren't clear about what they want for the next president if Jane resigns. Do they want a pure ASL Deaf person?

Jane Fernandes IS qualified to lead Gallaudet. One part of me says: "Give her a chance. Let her lead for a couple of years and if she's not good, then she should resign." The other part of me cannot ignore the faculty vote of no confidence in her, and that part says, "Maybe she should step aside."

I think the former is a good compromise, let her run the university for a couple of years and if the University suffers then she should resign.

[China_cat]

5. You need a president there that can 'speak'

to all levels of deafness. Fernandes does not sign and is dismissive of those who do. If she took that into account, she might get more support.

Gallaudet never had a deaf president at all until 1988. Having one that wants to pretend she isn't deaf isn't much better.

Correction...she does sign, but only started learning 2 years ago in order to take this job. The result is that her level of signing is about equal to that of a second grader. If you were in college and the president spoke to you that demeaningly, how would you feel about their ability to do the job?

[liberalhistorian]

6. I totally agree; I support the protestors, as I did

back in '88 during DPN. It's truly insulting to the students of the university to have a president who doesn't sign or just learned to sign and who is very dismissive of signing and many other aspects of the deaf culture. She needs to go and the board needs to get their heads out of their asses and actually listen to the students, the very heart of their university.