Protests over the appointment of Gallaudet University’s president have created a national frisson.
Students at the world’s only liberal arts college for the deaf threatened to shut down the university Wednesday, their third day of protest over the naming of Jane K. Fernandes as the school’s ninth president.
Their protests have galvanized the deaf community, many of whom say that Gallaudet’s presidency is a vital post in the struggle for the dignity of the deaf.
Fernandes could not be reached Wednesday for comment. She has said she has no plans to resign.
On Wednesday, the National Association of the Deaf, the nation’s leading advocacy group, issued an open letter backing the protesters, saying that Fernandes’ hiring “may not reflect deeply felt values of students, faculty, alumni and other community stakeholders.”
Critics say that Fernandes’ appointment was fixed because she is a favorite of outgoing president I. King Jordan. She was placed against two other finalists, neither of whom had Ph.D.s or higher education experience.
And critics say candidates such as Glenn Anderson, one of the first black deaf men to obtain a Ph.D., and Roz Rosen, a former Gallaudet provost and board member of the World Federation of the Deaf, weren’t even offered interviews.
Fernandes has been provost of the university since 2000.
During that time, critics say, Gallaudet’s reputation has taken a beating. The White House Office of Management and Budget found that Gallaudet was “not performing” and “ineffective” in meeting its federally funded education goals.
Critics also say that Fernandes is personally abrasive and condescending. A student poll before her appointment reported that 87 percent of the student body considered her an “unacceptable” candidate for president.
But Adam Stone, a Gallaudet alumnus who runs the DeafDC.com Web log, came to the aid of the embattled Fernandes. He said her foes “are grasping at straws” because she made an unpopular decision to discipline students after a rowdy homecoming party caused thousands of dollars in damage to a downtown hotel.
“She’s drawn out grand visions for the university and promoted an inclusive, deaf community,” Stone wrote in an e-mail Wednesday.
In 1988, students protested for and won the appointment of the university’s first deaf president — Jordan.
Gallaudet University
»Founded by an act of Congress in 1864, its charter was signed by Abraham Lincoln.
» More than 1,900 students are enrolled for the 2005-06 school year.
» The White House Office of Management and Budget issued a report last year that found that Gallaudet was “ineffective” at meeting its educational goals.
