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President-Elect 'Not Deaf Enough' for University
The newly chosen president for the nation's only liberal arts college for the deaf is drawing protests from faculty and students, some of whom question whether she is "deaf enough" to lead their school.
Last week, Jane K. Fernandes was named to succeed I. King Jordan as president of Gallaudet University. She isn't scheduled to take over until January, but already the school's faculty has called a meeting for Monday afternoon to consider for a no-confidence vote against her and students have carried out a weeklong protest.
Fernandes, 47, says she is caught in a cultural debate.
She was born deaf but grew up speaking, and she didn't learn American Sign Language until she was 23. She now characterizes herself as a "fluent signer" who can understand and be understood by everyone on campus.
"There's a kind of perfect deaf person," said Fernandes, who described that as someone who is born deaf to deaf parents, who learns ASL at home, attends deaf schools, marries a deaf person and has deaf children. "People like that will remain the core of the university."
Story Continues Below She noted that 86 percent of the deaf and hearing impaired students in the United States now attend public schools because of improvements in technology, medicine and education.
Jordan became the first deaf president to lead the school in 1988. He got the job after student protesters marched to the Capitol demanding a "Deaf President Now" after a hearing president was named.
But Jordan has rejected comparisons between that movement and the current protest, which he describes as "identity politics" fueled by a refusal to accept change.
"We are squabbling about what it means to be deaf," he said. He contends that cochlear implants and other technology have changed deaf culture.
Jordan also influenced the search process in favor of his hand-picked successor, Fernandes, who was the school's former provost, the demonstrators say. They want the Board of Trustees to reopen the process.
"She does not represent truly our deaf community," said professor E. Lynn Jacobowitz, citing Fernandes' personal background. "There might be a few who disagree ... but 99.9 percent of the people here support this protest."
Some protesters argue that Fernandes is not respected on campus and cannot speak for the majority of its students.
"She has not won us over in six years. She does not make a good first impression," said Anthony T. Mowl, 21, an English major from Fishers, Ind. Exams are over for the students, but about 100 people were still camped out on campus Monday, continuing a weeklong protest. They had created a tent city outside the gates, blocking entrances and creating a visual display of their opposition.
Jordan said the board's choice for president is "not the winner of the popularity contest" and that this movement should not be compared to the one that swept him into office. If the board gives in, he said, it would be dangerous for the future governance of the school.
© 2006 Associated Press.
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