Gallaudet University trustees bowed to campus protesters Sunday, voting to fire incoming president Jane Fernandes two months before she was able to take the job.
Demonstrators for nearly a month have disrupted the campus over the selection ofJane Fernandes as the next leader of the country’s premiere liberal arts school for the deaf and hard of hearing. Protesters took over the main classroom building, blocked off entrances, halted classes for several days and marched to the U.S. Capitol. More than 133 protesters were arrested and homecoming was canceled.
Fernandes, the school’s former provost, released a four-sentence statement Sunday night: “I love Gallaudet University and I believe I could have made a significant contribution to its future. I hope that the Gallaudet community can heal the wounds that have been created.”
The school’s board of trustees met behind closed doors Sunday before issuing a letter announcing their decision. “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 ongoing protest,” the board said in a statement. “The board believes that it is in the best interests of the university to terminate Dr. Fernandes from the incoming president’s position.”
Brian Riley, an alumnus who said he’s worked 16 hours a day to help organize the demonstrations, said he was “numb” after learning of the decision to fire Fernandes.
“I just can’t get the image out of my mind of the thousands of deaf students in the future whose well-being was hanging in the balance. They have haunted me for the past months,” Riley said. Board members said they hoped the decision would help heal the deaf community.
Demonstrators said they had different reasons for opposing Fernandes.
Most said she would be an ineffective leader and was insensitive to their needs.
Fernandes has said the protesters didn’t like her because she’s not deaf enough. Fernandes was born deaf but grew up speaking and did not learn American Sign Language until she was 23.
