Xenophobia comes from a Greek word meaning "fear of the foreigner". We have here aclear example of a vicious circle: I fear those who are different because I don't know them and I don't know them because I fear them.Similar to discrimination and racism, xenophobia feeds on stereotypes and prejudices, though it has its origin in the insecurity and the fear projected onto "the other". This fear of the other is often translated into rejection, hostility or violence against people from other countries or belonging to minorities.

Xenophobia has been used by powerful elites to "protect" their countries from outside influence as we can see in the following 'poem':

"He who takes strangers to heart
May the dogs eat his parts
May the waste eat his home
May ill-fame eat his name!"

How xenophobia is related to Gallaudet? Well, look first what had tobe said by eliminated presidential candidate Dr. Glenn Anderson to Trudy Suggs: "Given Gallaudet's rather public announcements about its commitment to diversity and its inclusion of diversity among its eight strategic goals, I would be extremely disappointed if race indeed was afactor in why I was not selected as a finalist!"

http://www.deafprofessional.net/index.php?optionfiltered=com_content&task=view&id=257&Itemid=40

Whoa! What powerful words!! Yes, Gallaudet has strategic diversity goal, yes! Fernandes made sure about the words. The WORDs only. As a characteristic feature of her leadership style, the WORD does not necessarily mean the THING. I could add to Dr. Anderson's comment above: international faculty would be extremely disappointed if their national origin was a factor why their basic needs were not accommodated!

Why? Well, after Fernandes took office as Provost, some newly hired international male faculty members started to have troubles with immigration needs. They were delayed indefinitely from a signature for work permission by Gallaudet without much explanation. This seriously raised the suspicion of prevalent, secretely held and practiced xenophobia among administrators. Faculty Senate leaders expressed concern that internationals will loose their chance for tenure because they won't obtain 'green card' on time and they will have to leave the country!

A possibility of EEO investigation prompted Fernades to augment Faculty Guidelines, but she made the text to include that in the first 3 years no international faculty would have the right to get  the signature. This paragraph is still in the Faculty Guidelines of this institution that was built on the foundation of social justice!

Xenophobia means that people of other countries are not equal just because they were born in other country. And this is the view the actions of the Kelleher-Kimmel administration reflect.

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