Alison and Kathy (and others who have spoken up recently),
Thank you for your courage in speaking up about what you seeing happening
around you at Gallaudet. It is ironic that universities are supposed to be
havens for freedom of expression and opinion...yet what you describe so
poignantly illustrates just how far removed Gallaudet seems to be from this.
As an alumna and adjunct faculty member of the Department of Counseling, I
can share my disappointment regarding the fact that the two recent hires for
pre-tenure and tenure track faculty positions are both hearing. To me, this
seems like just another example of the oppressiveness of the whole
university, especially when the DOC ratio of Deaf to hearing faculty is
still weighted in favor of hearing professors.
I realize in speaking up that I may be putting myself in line to become a
casualty of the system. My adjunct faculty work, however, is not my primary
job, which makes it easier, but still not easy, for me to speak up. I feel
for those whose Gallaudet jobs are their primary jobs and can imagine how
trapped they feel. It cannot be easy to put aside very real fears about
losing one's job and take the risk of speaking up.
We need to find a way to work together to stop this oppression.
Best,
Candace A. McCullough, Ph.D.
Reprinted with the permission of the author. The opinions expressed by the author does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Mishkazena
Personal Comment: I am inspired by the bravery of the Faculty members for speaking out, knowing that their careers may be jeopardized by their actions. I applaud their courage for doing what they feel is right and sharing with us, the readers, the real issues plaguing our beloved alma mater. As we can see from these faculty members and one student, it was never about 'Not being Deaf Enough' as claimed by IKJ and JKF.
This way we can start tackling the serious issues and try to resolve them. Hopefully then Gallaudet will start to heal and become a healthy and strong environment for its members to prosper. elizabeth
Comments (5)
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Working Brain, I don't know if Dr. McCollough has a Xanga account. I'll see if I can get in touch with her.
But I hope you won't mind me answering some of your questions. Like you, I agree on the importance of having a qualified professional as a university educator. This is problematic where there is a severe shortage of qualified deaf scientists especially in physics and engineering fields. However, since there is an ample supply of qualified deaf people working in the helping professions, i.e., social work, counseling, and psychology, I find it hard to believe that none are interested in teaching, especially at Gallaudet.