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Opinion

Protests unfortunate at Gallaudet 

Christian Palmer
Opinion Columnist

The protests of students of Gallaudet University have not fallen on deaf ears since their wishes were granted Oct. 29 with the termination of Jane Fernandes' (the school's provost) coming presidency of the nation's top school for the deaf.

Since being selected in May, tensions have been running high as Fernandes' qualifications have been called into question. 

The issue of hearing aids versus the use of sign language as the primary mode of communication in the deaf community has been the topic of several demonstrations.

Fernandes didn't learn to sign until she was 23, and students feel that as president of a deaf university, she should be doing more to encourage acceptance of deafness rather than relying on the quick fix provided by hearing devices.

Fernandes had been given the opportunity to help bridge the gap between what would have been her constituency and unite the students. 

In an update to the story published in Newsweek, Sarah Childress, a Newsweek writer, said in parentheses, "It's still a hearing world, so even at Gallaudet, not all professors are fluent in American Sign Language, forcing students to rely on interpreters during class."

This should not have to be the case. One would assume that at the nation's top school for the deaf, instructors would be able to communicate effectively with students. 

Even if a growing segment of the deaf community has decided to embrace the hearing aid, it is no excuse to abandon the majority of students. Proficiency in signing should be nothing less than a prerequisite for hiring professors there. 

It would be ridiculous to have a professor who uses sign language teaching at a school for the blind. The less hindrance in the classroom, the better. It is nice, however, to see students taking a break from the typical debauchery that defines the college experience to take a stand for something they feel strongly about. It is even more refreshing to see that the board of trustees took them seriously and gave in to their demands. 

After all, these students pay extraordinary amounts of money to go such a specialized institution, and their paid tuition should be able to influence the experience for which they are paying.

Not to mention, students should be able to relate to the person who is their president. In 1988, they helped I. King Jordan become the first deaf president of the college. 

Jordan reportedly told Newsweek that the earlier protests were "for an ideal that pulled together everybody … Now this protest is not for anything. It's against a person. It's hurtful." In her story update, Childress also said, "Students said Fernandes didn't listen to their concerns and wouldn't address brewing problems with campus racism and audism -- discrimination against deaf people." 

This controversy comes at a time when many cultures and other groups are looking to maintain separate identities and don't feel the need to assimilate to any standard. 

However, maybe in this case, pride has gotten in the way of tolerance. Oddly enough, those used to being on the receiving end of discrimination might be exercising it now. Fernandes should have been given the opportunity to change their world and be accepted. 

Send comments to dccampus@mail.uh.edu