| | Where do I begin? There was a meeting on the 2nd floor of the cafeteria with the Board, about 10 or so of them, and "selected student representatives." However, Elisa Abenchuchan, Erin Moran and myself - I love Elisa and Erin, by the way. They're two of the most beautiful and passionate people I know. I was glad to have them on my side. - talked our way into the meeting. Carl Pramuk, bless his soul, helped grease the rails.
We tried to impress upon them the prevailing issues - oppression, the culture of fear and the lack of confidence in leadership based on the past 6 years. It was very difficult to chisel away at the brick wall known as the BoT. My impression is that they do care very deeply for Gallaudet, but they simply don't really understand. I got the feeling that what they know isn't entirely accurate. They get information from the President's office. An example is that one BoT member, after I explained that the majority - students, faculty, staff and alumni consisting of THOUSANDS of people who CARE - clearly expressed our lack of confidence in Fernie, responded by saying that it wasn't the majority at all. I later countered by alluding to the poll last year that the SBG/FSSA conducted, and where 81% of the students voted that they did not accept old Fernie as president.
Here's the shocker. Apparently this guy, this member of the BoT, was under the impression that the poll was conducted at a specific one-time meeting! I interrupted - politely - and explained that the poll was done at a table in the Student Union Building and for two days anybody who walked by could vote. He paused and said, "Thank you for clarifying that."
WHAT HAS THE DAMNED PRESIDENT'S OFFICE BEEN TELLING THESE PEOPLE??!!
I wish I was more prepared for the meeting, though, because when they asked for examples of oppression (they asked with extremely doubting and skeptical facial expressions - like our oppression is a figment of our frigging imagination!), my mind was racing all over the place. It was all I could do to stay calm and be passionate, yet rational. Audism was brought up, and it was here where Jane K. Fernades LIED to the Board of Trustees.
I repeat, she lied to the Board of Trustees. It was approximately 6:15 p.m. on the second floor of the Gallaudet University cafeteria, and let it be written in history that she LIED to the Board of Trustees in front of my own very eyes.
We put forth that she had done nothing about Audism and Elisa asked her point-blank how many times she'd met with the SBG about the audism mandates. She said many. many times and was extremely empathic on this point. Furrowed brows, she said with strong and firm sign language, "I've met with the SBG many, many, many times about this."
After the meeting we followed up on our suspicions. Linsay Darnall, Tawny Holmes and Brendan Stern confirmed that Fernie met with them only a few times, and these meetings were not productive and resulted in nothing. I also discovered that the Student Congress asked her to show up to a SC meeting three times to engage in a dialogue. Guess how many times she went? ZERO!
Other issues discussed was the language policy. The ASL policy here includes SEE, SimCom and other methods. SEE and SimCom has been repeatedly proven to be a failure and not a language at all, but a communication system. It is an insult, and it is oppressive to the masses of ASL users and the mountains of research on ASL to have a policy thereof at Gallaudet that does not recongize ASL as a true language equal to English. We tried to explain that SimCom is NOT full access because ASL users, like me, would not understand someone SimComming. And to argue that ASL alone isn 't full access either is bogus because those weak in ASL CAN learn the language whereas what am I supposed to do? Learn SimCom, a system that is a proven failure? It's two languages simulateously, for God's sake! It's lingusitically impossible and paradoxical.
The board seemed firm. A couple members seemed to understand our pain. Well, not understand why we were in pain, but that we were in pain. They seemed so determined to justify their choice and to remain a consenus.
At the end, I explained to Jane, with full eye contact, that I respected her accomplishments such as the Shared Reading Program, but that for whatever reason her tenure as the Provost did NOT inspire confidence in her as our leader and urged her to resign and contribute to the Deaf Community in other areas. I then stated to the board that my position remained the same, and the other students present expressed their agreement.
It's time for drastic action, folks. We need your help. We need money. We need bodies. We need a FIRE, damn it. I'm off to crash the BoT Gala at the GUKCC! Godspeed!
Jesse
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| | Posted 10/5/2006 7:44 PM - 134 views - 2 comments
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