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| | DISCLAIMER: As always, thoughts about this particular situation are my own, and have no bearing on my position as an Adjunct Professor at Gallaudet University. You wanna disagree, fine. Disagree with me, not what I do.
Campus-wide lockdown, Day Two
Wow. A lot has happened since the last time I blogged about the goings-on on campus. And once again, I wish I didn't have to write about this... I'd give anything to be writing entries about, say, the upcoming Democratic majority in Congress after the November elections. Instead, I'm riveted to events on campus of my beloved alma mater. Yeah, I teach there. But I've always considered myself an alumnus first and (part-time) faculty a close second. Gallaudet's always been my home.
Now. I'm saddened by how events have spun out of control. Taking over HMB, that was one thing. Disrupting the main academic campus is a very serious act, true... but at the same time, classes were permitted to be held elsewhere. Then, yesterday, things got WAY out of control. Taking over the entire campus? Simply because the organizers' results weren't met in the blink of an eye? Sorry. That crosses the line in a big way. It's immaterial how I feel about the demands of the Coalition of Gallaudet Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni (FSSA). The objectives are one thing. The methodology of the protest is another. If students wish to protest in a nonviolent, nondisruptive manner, they can. As I mentioned in my previous blog, that's protected under the First Amendment. But once you disrupt the lives of those whom I suspect make up the majority of those on campus -- those whose first priority is to obtain an education, well...
As I said in my previous post, I consider the right to have an education to be sacrosanct. I also consider the right of students to make a decision, free of duress, whether or not they should either protest, pursue an education, or some combination of the two. Taking over the entire campus as the organizers of FSSA did didn't just take away the right to an education at Gallaudet, but also at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School for the Deaf and Model Secondary School for the Deaf. The students at both schools have no bearing on the goings-on regarding the future President of Gallaudet University. Even during the DPN protest in 1988, Kendall and MSSD classes were held as normal. Does the FSSA really have the right to take away access to an education? Not just education on the part of Gallaudet students, but also the Kendall and MSSD students as well? In my view, the answer was, is, and always shall be an unhesitating, resounding ... NO.
Okay. Let's talk about perspectives. Since the takeover of HMB last Friday, things have gotten a bit chaotic. Tensions have certainly risen. I was just there to, well, I suppose "bear witness" is a good way of describing things. Metro Police officers are parked across the street. I counted maybe 20 or 30 motorcycles. Lot's of media. Scores of students milling about the main entrance. And yet... beyond that... nothing. Earlier this afternoon, I went over to the front gate and I asked a few students if they supported the protest. Pretty much all said, "Hell yeah!" When I pressed for details, I got embarrassed giggles and blank stares as though they didn't know what to say. Predictable, to be honest. So clearly, a considerable number are out there linking arms (or whatever) for the simple reason of getting an impromptu vacation from classes. G-d willing, I'm sure it's not a majority. A considerable percentage, most likely.
When I talked with some of the more knowledgeable supporters (or at least interested bystanders), I got a slightly more clear picture. Some people are trying to make this more than just about the selection of Jane Fernandes as the ninth President of Gallaudet University -- expand it to include "fixing" the system. Sounds reasonable, right? Let's look at some of the complaints:- Students do not have representation on the Board of Trustees. Uh, wrong. Granted, students don't have a vote on the Board of Trustees, but they do have representation. Several years ago, the President of the Student Body Government was a guy named Linsday Darnell. He was one of the first to demand student representaton on the Board of Trustees. Yet, as is my understanding, at the time (and to my knowledge, to this day), the Board does have an "observer" seat for the President of the Student Body Government. He or she may not have a vote on matters brought before the Board, but he or she may sit there with the Board of Trustees, participate in debate, and express the concerns of the student body. Wanna know how many meetings of the Board of Trustees Mr. Darnall sat in on? None. That's right, zero. And from what I hear, none of the succeeding SBG administrations have taken advantage of this privilege as well. So let's look at it from the Board's point of view -- "You say you want a full vote on the Board of Trustees? Well, why haven't you sat in in your Observer seat?" A wise man once said, "Decisions are made by those who show up." If students want a vote on the Board of Trustees (and I see no reason why they shouldn't have a seat), they should take advantage of the access that they do have to prove that they deserve that seat. Eleanor Holmes Norton represents D.C. in Congress, yet (shamefully) doesn't have a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives. Does she stay home in protest? Of course not. She takes every advantage that is open to her, to ensure that someday she (or her successor) will have full representation in Congress -- possibly including the Senate as well! She knows (and the protestors out there need to realize) that important change doesn't happen overnight.
- The Presidential Search Process was flawed. Uh, not quite. I've heard this one before, to be sure... but how was it flawed? Because Jane Fernandes was selected? Because people of color weren't on the final list? I've never been one to wave the "-ism" card simply because I'm disappointed. I have my doubts that simply because Glenn Anderson (an African-American), the former chair of the Board of Trustees or any other person of color wasn't even a finalist automatically means that every member of the Board of Trustees has a Confederate flag tattooed on his or her ass. Sometimes, the best (or one of the best) for the job is white. I've been rejected for jobs before. Only once has it been because I couldn't hear. Let me make this simple. Simply because the "wrong" person was picked doesn't mean that the process itself was flawed. Here's an example. The United States has been a representative democratic republic for more than 230 years. We've picked some good people to occupy the Oval Office like John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Jimmy Carter, Dwight Eisenhower, and even (arguably) Ronald Reagan. At the same time, we've picked some real assholes like Richard Nixon, Herbert Hoover, Benjamin Harrison, John Tyler, and so on. Does the fact that the American people have picked jackasses to be our leader for four (or eight) years mean that our political system is flawed? Hardly. I think a majority of the people who demand that the search process be reopened, that the methodology of the selection of the President of Gallaudet be examined, and so on simply don't like Jane Fernandes.
- Jane Fernandes will be a bad President for Gallaudet. I really have only one thing to say to that: Give her a chance. Is it really too late to give her the benefit of the doubt? She's made some mistakes as Provost, sure. But can't someone learn from those mistakes?
Disclosure: I will say that back in May, I had my concerns about the search process and the Board of Trustees vote as well.
But saying "We want Jane Fernandes out and give the Board a chance to try again!" won't solve anything. Suppose the scores of students out there take my advice and disperse and allow classes to resume, and everyone adopts a "wait-and-see" attitude. If Jane Fernandes was a bad choice, we'll find out in due time. The Board of Trustees will find a way to force her out, she gets a seven-figure golden parachute, and then maybe the process can be fixed. But what if Jane happens to be a better President than Provost? A huge part of that job is to fundraise -- get money from corporations, alumni, supporters, and (most importantly) Congress. Will she be as effective as I. King Jordan has been in that regard? Most definitely not. Another aspect of the job is public image. Granted, at present, hers is tarnished. But it's not too late. The fact that she's percieved to have started off on the wrong foot gives her the perfect opportunity to try to improve the system. - Not enough input was given by the students/faculty/alumni/whatever. Sad to say, Gallaudet isn't a democracy. The university charter specifically says that the power to select the president of the university rests solely within the Board of Trustees. When I. King Jordan announced his retirement, various groups asked for participation in the selection of his successor. It was granted. But the charter doesn't give students or faculty a vote, nor should it. I'll be the first to agree that the general community should have received more information about how the Board ultimately reached the decision to unanimously designate Jane Fernandes as the ninth President of Gallaudet. That's absolutely a given. But the fact is, the Board of Trustees simply is under no obligation to give the concerns of students', faculty, staff, alumni any weight whatsoever when looking at the names of candidates. None of us were at the hearings where the Board listened to the views of any of the candidates.
So... what do I think of the lockdown of Gallaudet University that's going into its second night? I gotta oppose it. I can be neutral about the protest, the rhetoric that's being bandied about, and so on. But when it comes to interfering with students' rights to an education -- all students, not just those who are enrolled in the University -- that crosses the line in a big way. And frankly, I can't see any way out of it. The actions of students on Tuesday night have pushed the two sides past the point of negotiating something that will at least make both sides somewhat happy. Time to end it, and end it fast.
Decisions are made by those who show up. Of those who have shown up, has the right decision been made? | | | Posted 10/12/2006 3:08 PM - 53 views - 3 comments
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