Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Prodigals, Yours, Mine and Ours: by Former SBG Prez!
An open letter to the Gallaudet University Community; I. King Jordan and Jane Fernandes:
The past two weeks have shown two views on how Gallaudet University can be perceived by the hearing world. They can see either how these misguided but brave students carry on theatrics or they can applaud a socially justified peaceful protest against perceived wrongs.
For those who can hear and exist outside the Deaf Culture, maybe there may be more views and debates on what goes on at Gallaudet University but that is beyond my reasoning. That said, I find at the moment I care less what perceptions outside mean as opposed to what I feel for those within.
Gallaudet, to myself and many, has always been our home, our little piece of heaven on earth. Maybe it has always been a transient place to call home, but it has been nonetheless home sweet home. Given that it has always been a place where our ilk can freely converse; breathe; face fierce competition in the fields, courts and arena of public opinion; expand one’s world; fall in and out of love; become one of many or a singular solitary individual; purely exist as one grows personally and how many of us cannot deny the times we have sat on the roof of Chapel Hall and gazed inwardly towards Kendall Green, with Peet on the left, Ely on the right and that spaceship of a library smack in the middle and claimed the whole view before us as our very own?
With my love of Gallaudet said and known, I can turn to I. King Jordan, who is still the once and future King for our generation, and implore him to go on another jaunt across the desert to gather his thoughts. While I am sure that in the past while pulling an ultra, he has spent countless hours considering the future of our university, wishing it love and goodwill. This time, rather than imitating old man Lear; wandering alone in the wilderness being the lone “voice” of dissent, he needs encouragement to just do it one more time and consider deeply that that he’s whiffed majestically on this one then publicly admit he was wrong. This is the one way he can leave his legacy, which has always been as impeccable as it could be in an university atmosphere, with a lasting respect rather than going out in sweet sorrow, a flaming blaze of tragic foolhardiness. Above all, he needs to be reminded that to err is human.
Jane, ah, Jane!
The individual against the collective. A thousand strong versus your will. Ever there was a messiah, you might be the one. But not today, not tomorrow, not ever.
The process was flawed from the start. It has always been nothing against you personally. Your background, personally and professionally, is yours and yours alone. Truth is, the only reason you are the Anti-Christ these days is your refusal to acknowledge what is apparent around you. Truth is, once you step down immediately, the Deaf Community will take you in with open arms and there, you will once and truly be able to experience Deaf Culture as a whole, for you see, after many years, we are a community. You met our demands, and for that single and giving act of stepping down, you will be respected immensely. To forgive is divine, and as a community, we acknowledge that. So, I implore you, resign and resign immediately.
With kindest regards to ee cummings, I shall impart:
Scorning the pomp of must and shall
our protesters moved through dooms of feel;
their anger was as right as rain
their pity was as green as grain
So all of you, students, faculty, staff and alumni…our guardians at the gate, our vanguards against piety – heroes all –
I thank you, we across the nation thank you, deeply, solidly and from the bottoms of our collective hearts that beat as one. For your actions from Day One to ensure that my Gallaudet, your Gallaudet and our Gallaudet shall forever be once again, purely Kendall Green for the generations to come that will make Gallaudet theirs.
In the words of Winston Churchill:
“Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never give up!”
Unity for Gallaudet!
Carl Wayne Denney
Class of ‘00
Student Body Government President 1995-96
Indianapolis, Indiana
The past two weeks have shown two views on how Gallaudet University can be perceived by the hearing world. They can see either how these misguided but brave students carry on theatrics or they can applaud a socially justified peaceful protest against perceived wrongs.
For those who can hear and exist outside the Deaf Culture, maybe there may be more views and debates on what goes on at Gallaudet University but that is beyond my reasoning. That said, I find at the moment I care less what perceptions outside mean as opposed to what I feel for those within.
Gallaudet, to myself and many, has always been our home, our little piece of heaven on earth. Maybe it has always been a transient place to call home, but it has been nonetheless home sweet home. Given that it has always been a place where our ilk can freely converse; breathe; face fierce competition in the fields, courts and arena of public opinion; expand one’s world; fall in and out of love; become one of many or a singular solitary individual; purely exist as one grows personally and how many of us cannot deny the times we have sat on the roof of Chapel Hall and gazed inwardly towards Kendall Green, with Peet on the left, Ely on the right and that spaceship of a library smack in the middle and claimed the whole view before us as our very own?
With my love of Gallaudet said and known, I can turn to I. King Jordan, who is still the once and future King for our generation, and implore him to go on another jaunt across the desert to gather his thoughts. While I am sure that in the past while pulling an ultra, he has spent countless hours considering the future of our university, wishing it love and goodwill. This time, rather than imitating old man Lear; wandering alone in the wilderness being the lone “voice” of dissent, he needs encouragement to just do it one more time and consider deeply that that he’s whiffed majestically on this one then publicly admit he was wrong. This is the one way he can leave his legacy, which has always been as impeccable as it could be in an university atmosphere, with a lasting respect rather than going out in sweet sorrow, a flaming blaze of tragic foolhardiness. Above all, he needs to be reminded that to err is human.
Jane, ah, Jane!
The individual against the collective. A thousand strong versus your will. Ever there was a messiah, you might be the one. But not today, not tomorrow, not ever.
The process was flawed from the start. It has always been nothing against you personally. Your background, personally and professionally, is yours and yours alone. Truth is, the only reason you are the Anti-Christ these days is your refusal to acknowledge what is apparent around you. Truth is, once you step down immediately, the Deaf Community will take you in with open arms and there, you will once and truly be able to experience Deaf Culture as a whole, for you see, after many years, we are a community. You met our demands, and for that single and giving act of stepping down, you will be respected immensely. To forgive is divine, and as a community, we acknowledge that. So, I implore you, resign and resign immediately.
With kindest regards to ee cummings, I shall impart:
Scorning the pomp of must and shall
our protesters moved through dooms of feel;
their anger was as right as rain
their pity was as green as grain
So all of you, students, faculty, staff and alumni…our guardians at the gate, our vanguards against piety – heroes all –
I thank you, we across the nation thank you, deeply, solidly and from the bottoms of our collective hearts that beat as one. For your actions from Day One to ensure that my Gallaudet, your Gallaudet and our Gallaudet shall forever be once again, purely Kendall Green for the generations to come that will make Gallaudet theirs.
In the words of Winston Churchill:
“Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never give up!”
Unity for Gallaudet!
Carl Wayne Denney
Class of ‘00
Student Body Government President 1995-96
Indianapolis, Indiana
# posted by Indy For FSSA! @ 6:38 AM 
