Happy Halloween Birthday, Jay!

Here is a self-portrait of my son-in-law Jay in a typical pose. There are several photos like this around here (though I could not find the others). Most of them feature spoons. This is the only one with HOOKS.

Anyway, happy birthday to a great husband (to my daughter Sally), father (of Joe, Sam, and Annie), writer, editor, and son-in-law. He has great taste in cars, too.

You're right, Peggy....he doesn't look much different now from when we all lived in Iowa. I think it's the hair....

Washington Post editorial for today, October 31, 2006

Gallaudet's Loss
The ouster of the university's incoming president defeats her vision of a more diverse institution.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006; A20 (Lead Editorial)

THE BOARD OF trustees at Gallaudet University certainly showed who was in charge when it voted to terminate Jane K. Fernandes's contract as president. Sadly, it wasn't the members of the board, who are supposed to serve the interests of the university. Nor, for that matter, were reason or right in evidence Sunday as the trustees ousted a woman they had recently judged to be the best person to lead the renowned school for the deaf. Instead, what triumphed was lawlessness and the principle that a university president should be chosen on the basis of popularity.

If this were just the story of another university administration crumbling under pressure, it might be of interest to the larger public only to the extent that Congress is Gallaudet's chief funder. But more was at stake: Alternative visions of Gallaudet were at war during the past months. Ms. Fernandes promoted a school that would welcome all sorts of deaf and hard-of-hearing people; that would accommodate itself to improving technologies, which in coming years will allow more and more deaf people to function in the hearing world; and that would emphasize tolerance of diversity. The protesters were promoting a university that celebrates what they call Deaf (with a capital D) culture, prescribes American Sign Language as the only acceptable medium of communication and relates with suspicion to deaf people who choose to function in the hearing world. To the extent the latter vision won out, it does not bode well for Gallaudet's future.

When students launched their protest against president-designate Fernandes in the spring, many of them stated the objection that she was "not deaf enough." Though deaf, she grew up speaking and lip-reading; she did not learn sign language until she was a young adult. That protest theme didn't play well beyond Gallaudet, and it was dropped from public discourse; students and faculty soon were reacting angrily if it was ascribed to them. But the protest movement never came up with a convincing alternative explanation for their anti-Fernandes passion. All that was left was a series of relatively petty complaints about her executive style as provost.

In a way it's too bad that the underlying debate couldn't have been played out more openly. The protesters' fealty to and pride in their language and culture are admirable and understandable. Not very long ago, deaf people were often regarded as substandard and were treated accordingly. Amazingly, Gallaudet's current president, I. King Jordan, is the school's first deaf leader, and it took a round of protests to persuade the board to name him in 1988. That technology and genetic science might provide more alternatives to deafness just as deaf pride has achieved a breakthrough is an understandable source of anxiety.

Neither nostalgia nor pride, however, are sufficient bases for educational policy. We have no doubt that Ms. Fernandes, a tough and qualified educator, will find other ways to contribute; her behavior throughout this painful time was exemplary. More consequential to the university is how long it takes for her inclusive and progressive vision to be accepted.

© 2006 The Washington Post Company

Our Own Daily Digest

“All the New that Fits, We Print” Published Every Thursday, give or take…
October 31, 2006, Volume 1, #6 (OK, so it’s Tuesday…so sue me!)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
Some very short skeletons; princesses; miscellaneous cats, bears, and pumpkins; superheroes; tiggers (yes, TIGGERS…remember Winnie the Pooh?); and at least one pirate dropped in on PID this morning and cleaned out the candy bowls. We were not supposed to give them candy, but gee whiz…if word got out that we were giving out nonsugary items like orange-and-black paperclips, as suggested, the wee folk would not show up next year, and Susan Flanigan would not get to wear her coal black fright wig. Cat tried to pawn her electric blue one off on yrs. truly, but your reporter doesn't like wigs. They itch.

THE FUTURE OF GALLAUDET
Now that the protest is over, there’s understandable nervousness about the future of Gallaudet University. Please relax. I have it from an excellent source that the Gallaudet campus and buildings will become the new deaf town, supplanting the place in South Dakota, which is just too doggone cold and far away from Metro. Don’t be surprised next spring to see condos springing up on the football and soccer/baseball fields. The most desirable units, however, will be in the historic buildings: the Gate House, College Hall, Chapel Hall, Fowler Hall, and Kendall Hall. Ole Jim will become a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week casino, the revenue from which will support the new "Gallaudet Experience in Total Deaf Living" (formerly known as Gallaudet University). The Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center will remain and be used as a hostel for family members, lawyers, and visitors.

ASL-O-RAMA
To increase the ASL skills of all Gallaudet community members, what’s left of the administration announces that an ASL-O-RAMA will be held every weeknight at 4:30 p.m. in the Jordan Center’s Rathskeller for the foreseeable future. Free beverages and snacks will be supplied by the Board of Trustees’s aptly named slush fund. The Board has decreed that everyone on campus will understand everyone else in ASL or be run off the property. DOT employees will serve as designated drivers for participants so nobody gets hauled in for DUI. See ya at the Rat!!

Roast in Heck....

Well, if I ever wondered what the key to increased readership was, I discovered it last night when I fired off a hasty post about Jane's getting the boot. Nothing like an inflammatory headline to draw readers! My usual readership includes my two oldest daughters, my oldest grandson's wife, Susan-my-dear-niece, and occasional others...Mad Cabbie, Helen of Troy, and Squeaky Days drop in every once in a while...maybe it receives a grand total of 7 or 8 visits in all per day. (I have many other dear nieces, too, but they don't read or even know about my blog.) I had 177 visitors for November 30th alone by this morning at 7:30 a.m.!! Some of them left comments, most of them did not.

But to repeat: I still feel that Jane Fernandes is one of the century's great deaf women, and that she has been much maligned here. I've known her for a long time, and I've always admired her. There are other people besides me on campus here who are broken-hearted over the turn of events regarding Jane. Some very fine people supported Jane, and other very fine people did not. One of the comments on my early blog said "You lost!!!" I think they lost, too, but many of them don't know it yet.

Sad day.

NE Minneapolis girls

Here it is, Peggy! I do have a photo of Sushi, you, and Sally on 8th Grade Graduation Day, it looks like...or was it Confirmation?? Such lovely young ladies....

Here you and Sally are again with Michelle Stone. As you say, your Girl Scout leader next door, Theresa, had a hand in creating and encouraging you to wear these outfits for Pioneer Days at the Hennepin History Museum, which is close to the Minneapolis Art Institute.

On Nonviolence and Civil Disobedience - by Dr. Jane Hurst

Dr. Jane Hurst is the chair of Gallaudet's department of philosophy and religion. She has this to say in a post on the Gallaudet website (http://news.gallaudet.edu/?id=9583) today about the current protest:

On Nonviolence and Civil Disobedience

By Dr. Jane Hurst, Department of Philosophy and Religion

I want to clarify the terms nonviolence and civil disobedience. These terms refer to a specific approach to challenging power. Nonviolence is the idea that each person has the power to change things not by inflicting suffering on others but by being willing to undergo suffering for a cause. Hence there are nonviolent hunger strikes and marches and protests in which the protesters show their inner dignity by standing for a cause. Nonviolence never attacks other people, but rather attacks issues and power structures. As Martin Luther King stated, "Nonviolent resistance does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win his friendship and understanding."

According to this definition the current protest at Gallaudet has not been nonviolent. The threats to students who are trying to get an education (email, photographs taken if they attend classes, personal coercion), the threats to various members of the campus community (faculty, staff, board of trustees), and the personal retaliatory attacks on I. King Jordan and Jane Fernandes are all indications of the violent nature of this protest, whether or not anyone has actually been physically assaulted or not. The mood of this protest is not the way a nonviolent protest feels. In a nonviolent protest, the spirits of the protesters are uplifted. Their anger is transformed to hope. The feeling tone of the current protest is angry and vindictive. Emotions are running high, and spiritual dignity is lacking. This is NOT nonviolence.

Civil disobedience is a technique of breaking the law and being arrested to achieve a goal. As Wikipedia says: "In seeking an active form of civil disobedience, one may choose to deliberately break certain laws, such as by forming a peaceful blockade or occupying a facility illegally. Protesters practice this nonviolent form of civil disorder with the expectation that they will be arrested, or even attacked or beaten by the authorities. Protesters often undergo training in advance on how to react to arrest or to attack, so that they will do so in a manner that quietly or limply resists without threatening the authorities." Gandhi, who essentially developed the idea of civil disobedience, taught that civil resisters should harbour no anger against the opponent, but rather seek to transform the opponent through the justice of the resister's cause. Again, personal attacks are not acceptable.

The current protesters, faculty and students, can't have it both ways. If this is true nonviolent civil disobedience, the anger and attacks and threats must stop. The complaints about being arrested are ridiculous, since being arrested is the point of civil disobedience. "How could King do this to us?" He did not do anything that was not requested by the protesters wilfully breaking the law. He was acting his part in the drama of civil disobedience. The protesters were acting theirs. These are the rules of this kind of protest.

The continued complaints, anger, threats, and retaliation (which is how I read the shameful vote of no confidence in President Jordan at the faculty meeting yesterday) show that this protest is NOT civil disobedience and it is NOT nonviolent. There is no hiding behind these labels while disrespectful, angry and threatening behaviour and words as well as wilful lawbreaking continue. This shows disrespect for the protesters' opponents, and worse, disrespect by the protesters for themselves and their ability to achieve their goals peacefully.

For reference, below are listed the principles of nonviolence from Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

I. Mahatma Gandhi's rules for civil disobedience (from Wikipedia)

1. A civil resister (or satyagrahi) will harbour no anger.
2. He will suffer the anger of the opponent.
3. In so doing he will put up with assaults from the opponent, never retaliate; but he will not submit, out of fear of punishment or the like, to any order given in anger.
4. When any person in authority seeks to arrest a civil resister, he will voluntarily submit to the arrest, and he will not resist the attachment or removal of his own property, if any, when it is sought to be confiscated by authorities.
5. If a civil resister has any property in his possession as a trustee, he will refuse to surrender it, even though in defending it he might lose his life. He will, however, never retaliate.
6. Retaliation includes swearing and cursing.
7. Therefore a civil resister will never insult his opponent, and therefore also not take part in many of the newly coined cries which are contrary to the spirit of ahimsa.
8. A civil resister will not salute the Union Jack, nor will he insult it or officials, English or Indian.
9. In the course of the struggle if anyone insults an official or commits an assault upon him, a civil resister will protect such official or officials from the insult or attack even at the risk of his life.

II. The Principles of Nonviolence as Outlined by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. From the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia

1. Nonviolent resistance is not a method for cowards. It does resist. The nonviolent resister is just as strongly opposed to the evil against which he protests, as is the person who uses violence. His method is passive or non-aggressive in the sense that he is not physically aggressive toward his opponent, but his mind and emotions are always active, constantly seeking to persuade the opponent that he is mistaken. This method is passive physically but strongly active spiritually; it is non-aggressive physically but dynamically aggressive spiritually.
2. Nonviolent resistance does not seek to defeat or humiliate the opponent, but to win his friendship and understanding. The nonviolent resister must often express his protest through non-cooperation or boycotts, but he realizes that non-cooperation and boycotts are not ends themselves; they are merely means to awaken a sense of moral shame in the opponent.
3. The attack is directed against forces of evil rather than against persons who are caught in those forces. It is a struggle between justice and injustice, between the forces of light and the forces of darkness.
4. Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform.
5. Nonviolent resistance avoids not only external physical violence, but also internal violence of spirit. At the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love.
6. Nonviolence is based on the conviction that the universe is on the side of justice. It is the deep faith in the future that allows a nonviolent resister to accept suffering without retaliation. The nonviolent resister knows that in his struggle for justice, he has a cosmic companionship.

The principles of nonviolence, based on a speech given at University of California, Berkeley, June 4, 1957, and an article published in Christian Century in early 1957.

Posted: 19 Oct 2006

So He Cancelled Homecoming!!!

Dear Reader complaining about Gallaudet's Homecoming being cancelled:

It blows my mind that people don't realize the danger of having all those people in such a large space with only one egress/exit. I mean, the place is fenced in for blocks, and the "students" (well, that's what they call themselves, but they don't seem to be studying) have barricaded all but one gate!! I'm sure the fire department and the emergency people would say no. I'm sure IKJ consulted with them--or maybe they even came to him and said "Forget it."

If Gallaudet did go ahead with Homecoming and there was a fire or medical emergency and the trucks could not get there in time because of the crowding and lack of egress, then everyone would blame IKJ for not cancelling the Homecoming activities.

Who the hell are these people who think they can second-guess absolutely everything the man does. He's just an ordinary schmuck like the rest of us but with tremendous responsibility. I mean, he's got a campus full of "students" who are blocking the gates and trashing the grounds, he's got a bunch of asshole faculty voting no confidence every time he turns around, he's got a board of trustees telling him to stay the course, and a successor who wouldn't quit even if Donald Trump said "You're fired."

Dear Reader, give the guy a break! He was just a popular teacher when DPN propelled him into office. Please don't add your voice to the chorus of bloodsuckers.

This protest is all about personality, not about justice, not about
education. It's not a worthy cause. It sucks.

Project Runway

Michael Kors, l., Nina Garcia, r. Tim Gunn, l., Heidi Klum, r.










Tomorrow night's the season finale for PR on Bravo. Who will win? Will Jeffrey get the boot?? Or will he win only to have Angela's mother there to hand him his prize? (Besides the other loot, is there actually a prize to hand out, like a trophy? Another one of those awkwardly outsized checks?)

And next season: Will Heidi Klum have another baby? Will we get to see Michael Kors's mensch of a mother again? Will Nina Garcia show her human side?

Heidi Klum has become my favorite personality on the show. She's from Westphalen, like my mother. Maybe her ancestors were neighbors with my ancestors. Maybe her ancestors said my ancestors dressed like a bunch of Belgians.

Any suggestions?

The impasse at Gallaudet University over Dr. Jane Fernandes and the protestors is into its second week (if you don't count what happened last spring, too). It's time for serious suggestions on how to resolve this.

The protestors--a couple of hundred students strong plus some alumni and faculty--can't stand Jane Fernandes. They say she's cold, snobbish, evil, mean, power hungry. They say she ruined a lot of people's lives at the Clerc Center but also at Gallaudet. They say she doesn't listen to people, especially students. They say she laughs at them when they try to talk with her. They say she doesn't smile or say hello in the elevator. They say you need a course in Kremlinology to learn how to work with her. They say she's not black. They say she's not culturally deaf. On and on. It's all pretty much like this. THEY. DO. NOT. LIKE. HER. And they sure don't want her as Gallaudet's 9th president--which she is, almost.

Jane Fernandes's supporters, who include Dr. I. King Jordan (the current president), the Gallaudet Board of Trustees, and many of the nonprotesting students, faculty, and staff, say she's the best qualified candidate. They cite real educational gains achieved under her watch, especially at the Clerc Center, where she installed a number of programs. They say she's the best equipped to deal with the new technology that will be the future of deaf children in this country: cochlear implants and stem cells. They resent the fact that the protestors so far have pretty much destroyed two weeks of the academic calendar.

Both sides refuse to back down. Jane Fernandes refuses to resign, and the Board of Trustees refuses to fire her. The student protestors refuse to leave the gates until she quits.

How about some suggestions for a resolution?

In the eyes of our public

The following posts appear today, October 15, 2006, in the local DC media.

from WJLA.com:

I find it very funny that the press release from the Faculty Student Staff Alumni Coalition talks about the protesters not being willing to live "in an oppressive, fearful, environment any longer."

So what do these frightened student leaders do? They turn around and create an opressive, fearful environment for any student or faculty member that does not join the protest or does not share their view. My kid called me all upset and my wife and I have our child home until the administration can regain control and punish the offenders. Punishment is what they deserve and I hope that they do not give into the demand for no retaliation.

My kid went to get help from his teacher at the fence on Wednesday, the first day of the campus closure and what happens? A few of the protesting students take pictures of those meeting with their teachers. What followed was bullying, intimidation and threats of bodily harm. Of course these thugs were also making note of the teachers there and I would hate to be in their shoes if the administration caves to their demands.

In civil society we hold those who hold others hostage accountable and the students, staff and faculty who are responsible should have the guts to stand up and take what is coming to them. That is leadership; these folks, they want to pass the buck or deny accountability.

I may not know a lot of things but I know this. If you do not like your boss, you resign and find another, you do not insist that the boss resign. I also know this. We are looking for other options for higher education because if the thugs and disgruntled faculty win, higher education and Gallaudet loses.

From WJLA.com

I drove by the university today and the front gate is still manned by a mob. There a signs draped all over calling the students who were arrested 'heros'. I say they are cowards. It is very clear from their demands that that want to take no responsibility for their destructive actions. The brave stand up, take a stand and take responsibility. These cowards want to hide refuse to take the consequences.I was told that the students did damage to the major classroom building when they were holding it hostage. Are the students going to pay for this damage? The grounds from what I could see look like a pig sty. There was litter everywhere and it is clear that they are not cleaning up after themselves. They have absolutely no pride in this university that they say they love so much. No, I think they love creating chaos for others. I think they like bullying students who do not share their views and I think they like to feel that they are in control. God forbid they ever are. By their actions I think they must enjoy dragging the name of their university through the mud.

The students protesting complain about the lack of leadership and yet the students and faculty behind this debacle have shown zero leadership. I hope the Board and the university administration hold those who created this havoc accountable. If they do not, maybe the students are correct in saying that the leadership is weak.

Keeping the Angst Alive

More than 130 Gallaudetans are in jail right now, including one very popular deaf professor-and-all-around-mensch, and there are many angry, anxious people here today.

If everyone feels he or she is absolutely right, and it's the other guy, girl, or She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named who is causing all the trouble, let all these righteous ones either cultivate personal serenity or go away. Then there will be nobody left at Gallaudet with anger and long-festering resentment in their hearts, and the education of those who are deaf and hard of hearing can proceed.

Question: If all the cranky ones go away, will there be anyone left so that this education can proceed at Gallaudet? Or will it take place somewhere else in the big, bad [hearing] world?

Another question: Was "Deaf President Now" [the first one, not this imitation] actually the death knell for Gallaudet?

Police have begun making arrests!

The following are recent posts to various blogs regarding the protest:

from NBC4.com:

I read everyday the blogs and news articles on the Gallaudet protest and my heart is just crying for what is happening to Gallaudet but I cannot say I am surprised.

There is so much hate on the side of the protesters and so much anger that I am not sure how they expect anyone to be able to negotiate with them and listen to their concerns. The over the top name calling and the demonization of President I. King Jordan is uncalled for and those who are calling for social justice have done him a huge injustice and owe him an apology.

Students also seem to forget that the position of President is not a life appointment. If the President designate cannot do her job, she can be removed from her position.

The protesters talk a good deal about Deaf oppression on campus and yet President Jordan has been a wonderful goodwill ambassador for the Deaf community. It seems to me that the protest is undoing much of his good work. They are making the Deaf community look intolerant and unable to come to the table and have a civil conversation. Unilateral demands will get them nothing because they leave no room for negotiation.

I am a hard-of-hearing graduate of Gallaudet and I had to deal with my own oppression while a student there for 4 years. There is definitely a Deaf elite who think that their native sign skills make them superior to those that learned to sign later in life (like the President Designate). Maybe they do not like Dr. Fernandes because she represents the reality of the deaf community and all of its diversity.When I was a student,I put up with bullying and name calling for the duration of my time there because I was determined to get an education. However, many of the people who were in the New Signers Program never made it to graduation and several did not even make it through the first semester. It was not that they were not smart enough to do the work, they were not thick skinned enough to brush off the nasty comments in class. I saw a friend leave a class in tears because someone in the class made fun of her sign and the teacher did NOTHING.

I think that the Deaf community ought to be taking a long, hard look at themselves before they go pointing fingers and complaining about lack of diversity when they cannot even tolerate the diversity of communication preferences on campus. Maybe that has something to do with the dreadful graduation statisitics that some have talked about.

I also agree that lots of the students think Gallaudet is a great big Deaf social club instead of a university for higher education. They party all night and don't go to classes or do the work. The library was always a ghost town and there were more people chatting then there were doing course work. They do not care if they fail because the tax payers are footing the bill for many of the students.(didn't know that did you?)

You do not value what you do not pay for and maybe if more of these students had to pay for school, they would take it more seriously. I am tired of my tax dollars going to pay for students who do not even care about doing their work. That is not the fault of the administration but it is the fault of the students.

For those who say well, they should not let in students that are not prepared for college work, how long do you think Congress will pay for a university that has only a few students? How many faculty will you be able to have if the student body shrinks? What do you think these kinds of protests do to your enrollment?

I can tell you that Gallaudet is the LAST place I would send my children for an education at this point. Thank goodness for the ADA that allow more choices than I had when I went to college. Now my very bright Deaf daughter can go to a university with classmates that actually value education and my hard-of-hearing nephew will not have to put up with the bigotry of the Deaf Elite that are running the show.(yes, I come from a deaf family but a mainstreamed one)

If they win this fight, they should call it Gallaudet Deaf Club and Congress should look and see what their millions of dollars are buying.

[Signed]

from NBC4.com:

While the protest itself is not illegal, the methods in which it has been carried have gone too far.

As a graduate of this school, I feel greatly ashamed that some faculty are taking part in this primitive protest.

When we participated in DPN, we set a one time precedent that would by all means stand the test of time.

For the students and faculty who are now raping this great school, remember there are many of us who do not agree with your methods of dissent. We gave you a good man for your president, and by making his exit such shameful, you are insulting DPN and those who participated in it - because you are initially calling us fools who gave you a bad president.

Likewise, by making Dr. Jordan's exit from Gallaudet so shameful and disgracing, you are dishonoring all the sacrifice, all these years he gave to Gallaudet, and all the progress he made, and all the development he brought to Gallaudet.

Dr. Fernandes remains one of the most well-qualified administrators who is in place to bring academic discipline back to Gallaudet. If you succeed in forcing her out, 10 years from now, or even sooner, most of you will look back and say "We should have let her assume her presidency, she would have done a better job"

My heart bleeds, and my sorrow is deep, at the immaturity and hindsight of the current dissenters.

Remember also, there is a large percentage of students and faculty who are not with you in this. Assume that the tables had been turned, and a candidate of your liking had been picked. Would you be very pleased to be on the other side? Held hostage and your education put on standby by a mob scrawling insults and plain childish grafiti on the walls of HMB and locking up an entire campus? Judging by your character so far, probably we would be moaning someone by now!

I commend those on the other side who have patiently held back, been humble and respected the institution of Gallaudet.

[Signed]

Old Deaf vs. New Deaf

Gallaudet University is closed again. The students remain adamant in their demands. Here's one perspective they haven't mentioned: They're in a losing battle against technology and the clock. The following is a comment on the St Augustine for Gallaudet blog:

This protest is, of course, the key event in the evolutionary process we're seeing in the deaf community.

The protesters are all about the old deaf guards who don’t believe in the re-integration of deaf people back into the hearing society.

The deaf communities are facing major evolutionary changes in the near future which enable them to mainstream and re-integrate back into the hearing society. They are cochlear implants and recently, stem cells, which are promising to be part of the final solutions to addressing deafness. These medical marvels have enabled deaf people to function almost like hearing people. This has created a new deaf society in the past decade and this new deaf society has been slowly taking over Gallaudet University operations.

The protests you’re seeing is the old deaf guard's last stand against the changes in the future of deaf society, against the new deaf society taking over Gallaudet University.

Jane's leadership has the support of the new deaf society and is best one to lead the new deaf society which comprises 80 percent of the students at Gallaudet into the future.

The protesters are about the past deaf society, about the old deaf guards who have become the scourge of the deaf communities.

They have to give it up because they can’t beat the evolutionary process the deaf society is facing.

[signed]

No amnesty, please....

The protestors have listed "no reprisals" as one of their demands. I don't freakin' think so, folks. You got "no reprisals" last spring when you marched around being obnoxious after Jane Fernandes was announced as the 9th president of Gallaudet. And here you are again, being even more obnoxious. So please, President Jordan and the rest....DON'T GIVE THEM AMNESTY AGAIN! Throw them out, mail their letters of expulsion (and termination...don't forget the faculty) home, and let them know they will never be welcome on campus again. Otherwise, there'll be more crapola when Dr. Fernandes takes over the presidency in January. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Victims of the Protest Bullies

The following posts are from various online blogs regarding the seizure of the Gallaudet campus by protesters and how this is affecting their lives. A couple hundred students and some faculty members are holding the entire campus hostage. This is terrorism. When are they going to call the police and arrest these jerks? I call on the administration to clean house and start over with teachers and students who are willing to throw their weight into learning. When Jane Fernandes was a student, she got up every weekday at 5 a.m., went to aerobics, grabbed a cup of coffee, and was in her office at the University of Iowa by 7 a.m. She worked, taught, and studied all day and did not return to her apartment until after the University of Iowa library closed at midnight. THAT'S a student worth emulating, not the whiners and bullies at the gates now who are blowing off their classes and making it impossible for others to study, work, or even get food for their young children. For shame!

From WJLA-TV7 blog:

I am an average citizen, concern husband and father who resides at Gallaudet University. My family and I just moved to Gallaudet University this past weekend. We want to learn and live in peace and security at an Institute of learning that we have always loved and admired. I have to tell you, the Protestors are OUT OF CONTROL!!!!! We are living in seige…. My wife and I had no food in our refigerator because of the recent move. We have to eat and feed our baby. Well aware of the protestors and the emotions taken place, my wife and I were trying to figure out WHAT WE WILL EAT FOR DINNER!!!!!! everything is closed on Campus… My wife and I decided to drive up to the main gate and explain to the protesters that we needed food and we would need to enter Gallaudet with our car…. Protestors made it clear that we can go to the food store but when returning we would have to find parking out side then --university and WALK WITH OUR GROCERY BAGS…. While negotiating with the Protestors a vehicle entering Gallaudet was allowed to enter. I asked the Protestor “Why that car?” He signed “This person works at MSSD”. Ladies and Gentleman, the Protesors are picking and choosing who is worthy of entering “THEIR” School. We were finally “ALLOWED” to go food shopping. When finished, I went to Gallaudet and was forced to call DC Police so that my family and I could enter unharmed to our place of Residence!!!! I ask you, What has my family done to deserve this??? To live in fear and insecurity!!!! I respectfully ask the administration for HELP!!!!! There are innocent people being help “Hostage” in a dangerous atmosphere….. Order has to be restored….. My family recognizes the right of the protestors to protest, but to hold the University under SEIGE??? No this is not fair…I ask for help on behalf of my family and all legal residents…….

From WJLA-TV7 blog:

Yes, many, many people from young children through single parents trying to get through college are having their education held hostage by a few people. The scale must be understood: only 200 students of nearly 2,000 have made things horrible. Here is the message of the majority. Note it doesn't criticize the tactics, jsut when they interfere with other people's education rights.

Don’t let your education be held hostage by a few!

A CALL FOR THE RETURN TO EDUCATION

From the “Concerned Students of Gallaudet University”

We represent students who want to continue their education without interference, in a safe and peaceful environment. We strongly oppose any actions that disrupt teaching and learning. This applies to all members of this community, including the administration.

We are not taking a position on the protest. While we have a variety of views about the choice of President, we are united by a desire to protect our beloved university.

The protest is now interfering with our education. Our classrooms are inaccessible and our minds are distracted.

So that we get the precious education for which we have paid, we demand:

• Ending of the barricade of the Hall Memorial Building (HMB).
• Tactics of dissent that do not disrupt our concentration on our studies.
• No more bomb threats or personal intimidation.
• Faculty and staff who are part of the protest put their hearts and minds into their teaching.
• Toleration of expression of diverse views, if conducted in respectful and peaceful way.

All reasonable people will agree with these points. The Washington Post editor wrote on October 9th, “to hold hostage the educational hopes of their classmates…strikes at the heart of the nation’s leading institution of higher education for the deaf.” Even when we disagree, we must protect the heart of Gallaudet University: teaching and learning.

From WJLA-TV7 blog:

These students are fortunate to even have this college available to them. Many of them are getting a federally funded education(at least partially)due to their deafness. They are now affecting the education of the elementary through high school kids as their schools on campus have been closed. No where else in the USA would a campus put up with this protest. They would never be given this much leeway on a HEARING campus. It is time to send them home, cancel their enrollment and let those who want an education get an education.
--Concerned Mother of a deaf highschool student.

From WJLA-TV7 blog:

How about all the "proud parents" go down to the school, grab all their little brats by the ear and tell them to stop acting like immature little thugs and get back to class.

Why don't you believe their story? Obviously you have never seen a Union Strike before. Of course this type of activity is occurring, these thugs feel as if they are in control and are running the roost.

It is beyond time that MPD come to the campus and put a stop to this mess. Drop a couple conisters of CS in on these idiots and see how fast they disperse.

What are they going to do when they make it to the real world and a new CEO comes in that they do not care for. Let them try to protest then and see how far it gets them?

Walking on thin ice at Gallaudet

In today's huffingtonpost.com, former "Late Show" comedy writer Merrill Markoe had this to say about narcissism and North Korean president Kim Jong Il:

...A friend of mine once explained the credo of the narcissist as "I'm the piece of shit the world revolves around." It is a psychological syndrome in which extreme insecurity finds cover and comfort in self obsession.

Therefore, every response you make to a petulant, irritable, childish, tantrum-inclined narcissist finds you walking on thin ice....

It's important to understand that a narcissist operates out of only two constantly flip-flopping states of emotional being; grandiosity and humiliation. So, if you are not feeding the grandiosity of someone like Kim Jong Il, than you are humiliating him. Period. Those are your choices. That is the part of this equation you can't change.

Change Kim Jong Il to "Gallaudet Protestor," and you know exactly what kind of nightmare the administration is dealing with on campus right now.

Send them home!

It's Wednesday night, and the Gallaudet campus is still controlled by a bunch of unruly students plus others. WHY are they still there? WHY is the administration tolerating this idiocy? Clear them out and let them go somewhere else to whine about their miserable lives as deaf victims. Let the rest of us come back to study or to do our jobs. They have no right to interfere with our livelihood.

Jane Kelleher Fernandes

Jane Frances Kelleher Fernandes was my introduction to the deaf community in 1985--22 years after I lost my hearing. Then, as now, she is an impressive, warm, exuberantly inquisitive, gutsy, and intelligent woman. She had, in those days, a hearty, head-thrown-back laugh with which she greeted all the insults and stupidities the hearing world visits upon the deaf. I hope she can still use it against the insults and stupidities the deaf now are visiting upon her. Although she has been deaf from infancy and has accomplished everything in her c.v. as a deaf person, the protesters today say she is not deaf enough. According to their criteria, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet would not qualify these days for the presidency of the institution he founded.

They can't say, however, that she's not bright enough. Here is Jane's curriculum vitae, minus a couple of things--she can read and write Italian, too..."Fortuna aiuta gli audaci"...you rock, Jane:


Gallaudet University

Curriculum Vitae - Jane K. Fernandes

EDUCATION

* Ph.D., The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Comparative Literature 1986
* M.A., The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Comparative Literature 1980
* B.A., Trinity College (Connecticut), French and Comparative Literature 1978

* Dissertation: Literature by Deaf Iowans: Linguistic Form and Social Function, 1986; Advisor: Alan F. Nagel

Supplementary Education

* Louisiana State University Academy of Counter-Terrorist Education. Certificate: Emergency Response to Domestic and Biological Incidents: Operations Level. January 30, 2003
* Department of Justice and Office for Domestic Preparedness Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center. Certificate: Preparing for and Responding to Terrorism/Weapons of Mass Destruction. March 18-20, 2003
* Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C., American Sign Language and Linguistics courses, Summers 1981 and 1982
* National Theatre of the Deaf Professional Summer School, Waterford, Connecticut, Summer 1982
* St. Paul Technical-Vocational Institute, St. Paul, Minnesota, American Sign Language courses, Summer 1981
* Trinity College, Cassis, France, French literature, Summer 1977
* Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont, French language and literature, Summer 1976


EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

* Provost, Gallaudet University, 2000-present
* Vice President, Gallaudet University, 1995-2000
* Administrator, Hawaii Center for Deaf & Blind, 1990-1995
* Coordinator, Interpreter Training Program, University of Hawaii at Kapiolani Community College, 1988-1990
* Chair, Sign Communication Department, Gallaudet University, 1987
* Acting Director, ASL Programs, Northeastern University, 1986-87

Selected University Teaching and Academic Administrative Experience

Provost: Reports to President. Responsible for the academic programs and academic support components of all units in the division of Academic Affairs and a total budget of $83,200,000. Current student enrollment: 1,274 undergraduate students; 446 graduate students; 173 professional studies students; 141 elementary students and 226 high school students. University faculty total 230; Clerc Center teachers total 60; 440 staff members in all units of Academic Affairs. Direct reports: Dean, College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Technologies; Dean, Graduate School and Professional Programs; Dean, Student Affairs; Dean, Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center; Executive Director, Office of Enrollment Services; Executive Director, University Library; Executive Director, Academic Technology; Director, Honors Program. Chair, Crisis Management Team. Senior administrator in charge in president’s absence.

As Vice President of the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center I reported to the President. I was responsible for a total budget of approximately $28,000,000. I provided leadership to the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, the Model Secondary School for the Deaf and their national mission to develop, evaluate and disseminate innovative curricula, materials and teaching strategies to schools and programs serving deaf and hard of hearing students throughout the nation. A National Mission Advisory Panel (N-MAP) was convened. National mission efforts were focused on three priorities: literacy, transition, and family involvement. Working closely with the Clerc Center management team, we developed an innovative national mission project management system for working collaboratively with schools and programs throughout the nation. Financial and human resources were directed toward national mission projects at each stage of their development, evaluation and dissemination. We strengthened dissemination mechanisms by utilizing the Gallaudet University Regional Centers to conduct training programs. Last year, more than 450 schools throughout the United States adopted the Clerc Center’s innovative curriculum, materials, and programs. I have contributed to numerous projects of national significance, all of which were collaborative efforts. Selected examples include the Shared Reading Project (with Mr. Dave Schleper), the Families Count! Project (with Ms. Leslie Page), and the Cochlear Implant Education Center (with Ms. Debra Nussbaum).

As Administrator of the Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind I was a member of the State Department of Education Superintendent’s staff. My total budget was approximately $2.5 million. I worked together with teachers, parents, staff, students and community members to plan strategically for the future. Our work resulted in a document, In Search of a Brighter Tomorrow, the implementation of which included the establishment of a new preschool modeled on best teaching and learning practices, a curriculum centered on literacy development in all grades and age levels, theme-based instruction, and a new and statewide program of triennial evaluation, outreach and technical assistance. Working in close partnership with local community members and invited experts from the U.S. Mainland, the Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind was transformed into a vibrant statewide resource to support innovative teaching and learning strategies for all of the state’s deaf, blind and deaf-blind children and youth. The Center is thriving today.

As Coordinator of the University of Hawaii’s Interpreter Training Program at Kapiolani Community College, I founded the permanent program to teach hearing people to become American Sign Language/English interpreters. Working with local community experts and invited experts from the U.S. Mainland, we developed a two-year curriculum to teach American Sign Language and Interpreting skills to hearing students desiring to work as interpreters. All members of the initial student cohort became certified interpreters, many of whom are still interpreting today.

Department Chairperson, Department of Sign Communication, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, June – December, 1987

Acting Director, American Sign Language Program, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, 1986-87

Supplementary Teaching Experience

* Adjunct Faculty, Department of Special Education, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Spring 1995
* Instructor, Hawaii Department of Education, Signing for Educational Assistants Seminar, Islands of Oahu, Maui and Hawai’i, 1990
* Teaching Assistant, Program in Comparative Literature, Departments of Speech Pathology and Audiology and English, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 1984-86
* Research Assistant, Program in Comparative Literature, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 1979-84
* Educational Aide, Iowa City Public Schools, 1981-84
* Instructor, Grant Wood Area Education Agency, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1982
* Areas of Teaching Competence and Courses Taught:
* American Sign Language, American Sign Language/English Interpretation, Deaf literature, American Sign Language literature, Introduction to Deaf Education, Introduction to World Literature
* Workshops and In-service Training Sessions Conducted:
* American Sign Language Skill Building, Interpreter Skill Building, Language and Communication Issues in Deaf Education, Issues in Literacy of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students, American Sign Language


AWARDS AND HONORS

* 2001: Alumni Fellow, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, The University of Iowa
* 1993: Alice Cogswell Award, Gallaudet University Alumni Association, Laurent Clerc Cultural Fund for the Cultural Advancement of the Deaf Community
* 1990: Outstanding Woman in Communication, Hawaii Headliners, Women in Communications, Inc.
* 1987: Distinguished Service Award, Iowa Association of the Deaf
* 1986: Philip G. Hubbard Human Rights Award, The University of Iowa Committee on Human Rights
* 1984: Graduate Fellowship, Gallaudet University Alumni Association
Third Runner-up, Miss Deaf America
First Runner-up, International Deaf Woman of the Year, Quota Club International
* 1983: Graduate Fellowship, Gallaudet University Alumni Association
Stokoe Scholarship, National Association of the Deaf
Braverman Award, Iowa Foundation
Outstanding Disabled Student, Citizen’s Committee
Miss Deaf Iowa, Iowa Association of the Deaf
* 1982: Graduate Fellowship, Gallaudet University Alumni Association
Rehabilitation Award, Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity
DeCairano Fencing Trophy, National Theatre of the Deaf
* 1981: Rehabilitation Award, Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity
Mallory Disability Award, Easter Seals Society of Iowa
Abt Honor Award, Alexander Graham Bell Association
* 1980: Braverman Award, Iowa Foundation
* 1978: Comparative Literature Book Prize, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut
Underwood Memorial Poetry Prize, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut
* 1977: Underwood Memorial Poetry Prize, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut


PUBLICATIONS

Major Books, Periodicals and Reports

* The Case for a Deaf Child’s Constitutional Right to Communication, (co-author with Mr. Larry Siegel), in development.
* Signs of Eloquence: A Study of Deaf American Public Address, (co-author with James J. Fernandes), DawnSignPress, forthcoming under book contract.
* Towards an Inclusive Deaf University: Achieving Equitable Outcomes for All Students: Action Plans for Gallaudet University Strategic Goals #1 and #5, (with Judy Berglund, MJ Bienvenu, Jeffrey Hardison, Frances E. Kendall, Carolyn McCaskill, Jane Norman, and Leslie Page), Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, January 2006.
* Keys to English Print, special issue of Odyssey, Contributing Editor, Fall 2003.
* Deaf Education Today, A State of Emergency, A Sharing Ideas Paper, Gallaudet University Pre-College National Mission Programs, Washington, DC, 1997.
* The National Mission Plan, principal author and facilitator, the strategic plan for Pre-College National Mission Programs at Gallaudet University, 1996.
* In Search of a Brighter Tomorrow, principal author and facilitator, the Strategic Plan of the Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind, Office of Instructional Services, Department of Education, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1993-98.
* Guidelines to Educational Programs and Services, Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind, Office of Instructional Services, Department of Education, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1992.

Selected Articles and Chapters

* Literacy: Pieces of a Successful Program, Missouri Innovations in Education, September 2003, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 10-11.
* Literacy in a Nine-Piece Program: Applications at Home, Odyssey, Summer 2000, pp. 4-5.
* Cochlear Implant Technology, Odyssey, Winter 2000, pp. 17-19.
* From Dinosaurs to Light Bulbs: Collaboration for Progress in Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students, SDAD News, a publication of the South Dakota Association of the Deaf, Winter 2000, Vol. 15, Issue 5, pp. 24-26.
* Closing Remarks: Addressing the Gap between Research and Teaching Practice, Proceedings. Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice in the Fields of Learning Disabilities and Deafness, Harry Markowicz and Cristina Berdichevsky, eds., Gallaudet University College for Continuing Education, Washington, DC, 1998, pp. 189-192.
* The Biggest Puzzle in Nine Important Pieces, Perspectives in Education and Deafness, Spring 1999, pp. 189-92.
* Restructuring Deaf Education, Preview, Winter 1996-97, pp. 1-8.
* A New National Mission, Preview, Spring 1996, pp. 1-8.
* Reaching Out: An Interview with the New Vice President for Pre-College National Mission Programs, Preview, Fall 1995, pp. 1-4.
* Signs of Eloquence: Selections from Deaf American Public Address, (second author with James J. Fernandes) in Readings in the Language, Culture, History and Arts of Deaf People: Selected Papers from the Deaf Way Conference, Gallaudet University Press, Washington, DC, 1994.
* The World According to (the) Deaf: The Place of ASL Literature in a Comprehensive Deaf Studies Curriculum, (primary author with James J. Fernandes), Proceedings of the Deaf Students for Educators National Conference , Gallaudet University Press, Washington, DC, 1992.
* Homer’s Odyssey and the Deaf Community in Iowa, article in program of Hancher Auditorium in conjunction with the National Theatre of the Deaf’s performance of The Odyssey in Iowa City, Iowa, 1990.

Verse

* Father and In Wind, verse in Gallaudet Today, Summer 1983, vol. 13, no. 4, p. 33.
* The Broom and Letter from Martha’s Vineyard, verse in Gallaudet Today, Spring 1987, vol. 17, no. 3, p. 33.


VISUAL MEDIA PRODUCTION

* Telling Tales in ASL: From Literature to Literacy, Executive Producer with Dr. Jane Norman and Dr. James J. Fernandes (and panel member with Dr. Benjamin Bahan and Dr. Marlon Kuntze), teleconference and training manual, sponsored by Gallaudet University Pre-College National Mission Programs, College for Continuing Education, and Department of Television, Photography and Educational Technology, April 18, 1997.
* Literacy: Share the Word, Executive Producer with Dr. Jane Norman and Mr. David Frank, (and panel member with Dr. Thomas Holcomb and Ms. Jacqueline Laldee), a national teleconference and training manual, sponsored by Gallaudet University Pre-College National Mission Programs, College for Continuing Education, and Department of Television, Photography and Educational Technology, November 13, 1996.
* As a consultant for the Hawaii Department of Education, transliterated into Sign English and interpreted into American Sign Language, the Hawaii State Test of Essential Competencies on videotape (test required to receive a high school diploma), 1989.


SELECTED MAJOR PRESENTATIONS

* Invited keynote speaker, First World Congress on the Power of Language: Theory, Practice and Performance, Bangkok, Thailand, May 22-26, 2006.
* Back to the Future, Ahead through the Past, invited keynote speaker, CAL-ED IMPACT Conference, “Our Children, Our Community, Our Future,” March 3, 2006.
* Convergence and Balance, two public addresses at the Hardin Library, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, at the opening of the History through Deaf Eyes exhibit, November 4 and 5, 2005.
* Are Deaf People Disabled?, keynote speaker, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, Washington, DC, October 20, 2005.
* A Brief History: Gallaudet University’s Role in the Development of Deaf Academics and Researchers, welcome remarks, Deaf Academics and Researchers Conference, Gallaudet University, February 19, 2004.
* Family Involvement: A Critical Factor in Student Success, keynote address, National Symposium on Deafness, Sioux Falls, South Dakota., October 19-22, 2003.
* Emergency Preparedness at Gallaudet University, guest speaker, Vocational Rehabilitation Connections Conference, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, April 9, 2003.
* The Future of Gallaudet University, guest speaker (with President I. King Jordan and Dean Carl Pramuk), Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, February 24, 2003.
* Scenes from September 11, 2001: Reflections on Leadership in Crisis, presentation to the Honors Program at Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, September 12, 2002.
* Addressing Crisis in Schools for the Deaf, presentation with Dr. Diane Morton, Conference of Educational Administrators Serving the Deaf, Fremont, California, April 28, 2002.
* Cochlear Implants and Sign Language: Putting it All Together, opening presentation at the National Conference on Education of Children with Cochlear Implants, Gallaudet University, April 11, 2002.
* Like the Fiddler on the Roof: Winds of Change in the Deaf Community, keynote speaker, 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Cedar Rapids Association of the Deaf, October 20, 2001.
* Impact of New Technologies on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children, invited presenter and “Wrap Up Session” facilitator, “Next Steps … in Providing Effective Early Intervention with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants” conference, Boston Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children’s Hospital and the Gallaudet University Regional Center, Boxborough, Massachusetts, May 14-15, 2001.
* The Shared Reading Project: Improving the Literacy Skills of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students Nationwide, University of Iowa Alumni Fellow Presentation, Iowa City, Iowa, April 23, 2001.
* Building an Effective School Literacy Program, keynote address, Illinois Teachers of Hard and Hearing/Deaf Individuals Conference, Rockford, Illinois, March 3, 2001.
* The Promise of the ADA for American Society, panel member, ADA presentation hosted by Senator Tom Harkin, July 20, 2000.
* From Local Ideas to National Roll-Out, luncheon presentation, Conference of Educational Administrators Serving the Deaf, The Learning Center for Deaf Children, Framingham, Massachusetts, May 6, 2000.
* Luncheon Presentation, Bridging the Gap II: Integrating Research and Practice in the Fields of Learning Disabilities and Deafness, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, April 14, 2000.
* Why did Bessie sit with me in the cafeteria and not with the other black kids?, Multicultural Deaf Conference, Implications for 2000 and Beyond, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, March 9-11, 2000. Summary reprinted in Gallaudet Today, Fall 2001, p. 48.
* Making a Successful Transition from High School to Further Education, Careers and Success, keynote address at the Cross-Agency Forum of Transition – Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students, Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, St. Augustine, Florida, November 12, 1999.
* Signs of Eloquence: Foundations of Deaf American Public Address, Poster Session (with James J. Fernandes), William C. Stokoe and the Study of Signed Languages conference, Gallaudet University, October 16, 1999.
* Teaching an Elephant to Dance: The State of Emergency in Deaf Education and Making Connections: The Nine Components of an Effective Literacy Program, Statewide Teachers Conference, Tulsa, Oklahoma, September 23-24, 1999.
* The Nine Parts of an Effective Residential Literacy Program, training workshop (with Dr. John Balk), Iowa School for the Deaf, August 11-13, 1999.
* Diversity within the Deaf Community, keynote speaker, Seventh Annual Metrowest Community Prayer Breakfast, Framingham, Massachusetts, April 9, 1999.
* Strategies for Improving the Academic Achievement of African American Students at the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School and the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, Andrew J. Foster Forum on the Needs of Black Deaf Students, Gallaudet University, November 20, 1998.
* The Crystal Ball, conference wrap-up speaker, Intermountain Special Study Institute, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, June 8-16, 1998.
* Changing the Face of Deaf Education: The Educational Reform Movement at Gallaudet University,” (keynote address) and “Nothing But the Best: Strategies for Incorporating Best Practices in Reading and Writing for Deaf Children in School and at Home, (breakout session), Oregon Conference on Educating Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Salem, Oregon, May 1-2, 1998.
* The Shared Reading Project and The Pre-College National Mission at Gallaudet University, presentations, Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 18, 1998.
* Teaching an Elephant to Dance: The State of Emergency in Deaf Education, President’s Scholar’s Banquet, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, November 20, 1997.
* Parent Involvement as the Key to Success, keynote address, Family Learning Weekend, American School for the Deaf, Hartford, Connecticut, March 21-23, 1997.
* The Future of the Iowa Deaf Community, banquet speaker, Iowa Association of the Deaf Convention, Fort Dodge, Iowa, August 2, 1997.
* Reading to Deaf Students: What We’ve Learned from Deaf Adults, keynote presentation, Intermountain Special Study Institute, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, June 9-17, 1997.
* S-U-C-C-E-S-S, commencement speaker, Iowa School for the Deaf, May 25, 1996.
* Putting It All Together: An Outsider’s Perspective on the Roles and Demands of Campus Child Care Centers, keynote speaker at the National Coalition for Campus Children’s Centers Conference, Washington, DC, April 16, 1997.
* Deaf Education: A Look at the Future, keynote presentation, Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 4, 1996.
* Nothing But the Best: Words for Deaf Children, keynote address, New England Teachers of the Deaf Conference, Boston Massachusetts, November 2, 1996.
* Reading, ‘Riting and Relating, workshop conducted at the Techniques and Technology in the Education of Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing conference, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, October 16, 1996.
* What Happened to the Dinosaurs? Lessons for Pre-College Programs, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, August 28, 1995.
* Perseverance and Success, keynote presentation, Outstanding Deaf Student of the Year awards luncheon, Kapiolani Community College, Honolulu, Hawaii, April 27, 1995.
* Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students: Educational Service Guidelines, Language Acquisition in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children: Educational Implications, and Everything You Wanted to Know about Relay Services, Deaf Empowerment Conference, Guam Hilton Hotel, Tumon, Guam, January 5-8, 1995.
* Deaf Community and Sign Language Issues, (second author with James J. Fernandes), invited presenters, “Language: Race, Politics, Culture” conference sponsored by the InterAgency Council for Immigrant and Refugee Services and the University of Hawaii, held at Tokai University, Honolulu, Hawaii, October 8, 1994.
* Affirmative Action and People with Disabilities, keynote panel, Na Pono O Na Lahui conference, Honolulu, Hawaii, July 9-10, 1992.
* Awards Luncheon for Deaf Students, keynote speaker, Kapiolani Community College, Honolulu, Hawaii, May 10, 1990.
* Together We Make a Difference, panelist (with Ms. Valery O’Brien, Ms. Gayle Oguro, Ms. Josie Woll and Ms. Pat Ramia), Special Parent Information Network Conference, Leeward Community College, Pearl City, Hawaii, May 5, 1990.
* Breaking through the Culture of Silence, discussant (with Mr. Shanny Mow) at the ASL Literature symposium, Iowa City, Iowa, March, 1990.
* English-to-ASL Interpretation: Developing Techniques for Creative Visualization, workshop facilitator, Iowa State Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Deaf Services Commission of Iowa, and Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, The University of Iowa, March, 1990.
* Early Intervention with Deaf Infants and Toddlers, presenter, First Annual Hawaii Early Intervention Conference, University of Hawaii, February 5, 1990.
* Employment: A National Priority, guest speaker, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Fort Shafter, Honolulu, Hawaii, October 27, 1989.
* Signs of Eloquence: Selections from Deaf American Public Address, presenter (with Dr. James J. Fernandes), The Deaf Way International Festival and Conference, Washington, DC, July 11, 1989.
* Deafness in Literature, consultant and presenter, National Consortium of Programs for the Training of Sign Language Instructors – Region IX, California State University at Northridge, April, 1989.
* Help, I Need an Interpreter, presentation, Statewide Transition Conference for Deaf Students, Hawaii Department of Education, January 6, 1989.
* The Disabled Experience, panelist, Rehabilitation Association of Hawaii Annual Conference, October 21, 1988.
* The Future of Interpreter Training in Hawaii: Goals and Outcomes, presenter, 48th Annual Conference, Fourteenth District, Quota International, Inc, September 16, 1988.
* ASL Literature and Deaf Culture, invited presenter, Connecticut Association of the Deaf, New London, Connecticut, 1987.
* Recent Developments in ASL Literature, workshop presenter, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, 1987.
* Literature Generated in ASL: A Recent Link Between Research in ASL and Education of Deaf Children, invited presentation, Cleary School for the Deaf, Ronkonkoma, New York, 1987.
* Sign Language and Deaf Culture in Iowa, paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Modern Language Association, Chicago, Illinois, 1986.
* Poetic Usage of American Sign Language, paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Modern Language Association, St. Louis, Missouri, 1985.


ADVISORY ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

* Joint Executive Committee, American Annals of the Deaf, present
* Advisory Board, National Organization on Disability, Emergency Preparedness Initiative and Special Needs Conference, 2004
* Consultant, U.S. Secret Service, Emergency Preparedness Program, 2004
* Advisory Board, American Sign Language Program, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 2001- present
* Steering Committee, Potomac Regional Educational Partnership (PREP), 1998-2000
* Advisory Board, National Deaf Education Project, 1997- present
* University President’s Liaison, Gallaudet University’s Task Force on Hispanic/Latino Issues, 1997
* Primary Facilitator, Gallaudet University Pre-College Programs’ Committee to develop The National Mission Plan, 1995-96
* Editorial Review Board member, Perspectives in Education and Deafness, Pre-College Programs, Gallaudet University, 1994-97
* Commission on Persons with Disabilities (appointed by Governor), Member, 1988- 1995; chairperson (elected), 1993-95; member of executive and legislative committees, 1988-1995
* Goodwill Industries of Honolulu, Inc., Board of Directors, 1992-95
* Hawaii Services on Deafness, Board of Directors, 1989-1995
* Aloha State Association of the Deaf, Board of Directors, 1991-1993


PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

* Developed curriculum and co-taught (with Ms. Barbara Pretty) in-service programs to improve the American Sign Language fluency of educational assistants working in public schools in the State of Hawaii, 1988-1989. Outreach provided to all of Hawaii’s islands.
* Developed curriculum for and conducted (with Dr. James J. Fernandes) a comprehensive training series for Telephone Relay assistants at GTE Hawaiian Telephone Company. “Learning the Art of Cross-Cultural Mediation,” 1989.
* As recipient of subcontract from Interpreter Training Grant 84.160A from the U. S. Department of Education and The University of Arizona, conducted a series of three-day workshops on the islands of Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii: “ASL/English Skill Building: Attitude, Ethics, Skills and Professionalism,” 1989.


PUBLIC RELATIONS EXPERIENCE

Selected Magazine Interviews

* Murder in a Silent Place, interview by David Van Biema, Time magazine, June 25, 2001.

Selected Television Interviews

* Off-campus Safety, on-camera interview with Greg Starddard, Channel 4 News, NBC Affiliate, November 3, 2005.
* A Day in the Life of a Gallaudet Student from Japan, interview with Masato Fukushima, Director, Golgo, Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan. October 17, 2005.
* Sound or Silence, interview with Larry Confino, Discovery Health Channel, November, 2002.
* New Challenge, interview with Betty Ann Bowser, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, February, 2001.
* The Gallaudet Murders, interview with Pierre Thomas, Peter Jennings ~ World News Tonight, February 5, 2001.
* People, interview with Carole Peterson, PM Magazine, August 17, 1984.

Selected Newspaper Interviews

* Article in process on the current status of deaf education, interview with Burton Bollag, The Chronicle of Higher Education.
* Article in process on new scientific developments impacting the deaf community, interview with Christen Brownlee, biology writer, Science News.
* Gallaudet University’s First Deaf President to Retire, interview with Susan Kenzie, The Washington Post, September 2, 2005.
* More College Students Sign Up for Sign Language, interview with Rebecca L. Weber, Christian Science Monitor, June 30, 2004.
* Interview with Nori Sawaki, The Tokyo Shimbun, June 7, 2003.
* Ideas & Trends: Written Notice: Another Language for the Deaf, interview with Margalit Fox, The New York Times, September 15, 2002.
* Moral Obligation to Halt Distribution of Tower Clock, interview with SCJ reporter, Student Press Law Center Journal, Volume 6, Issue 6, March 2002.
* Interview with Frank Gluck, Cedar Rapids Gazette, October 22, 2001.
* Gallaudet: The Latest, Interview with Provost Jane Fernandes on the Gallaudet Murders, Washington Post.Com Live Online, February 7, 2001.
* Student Fought Attacker, interview with Manny Fernandez, Arthur Santana and Alan Lengel, The Washington Post, February 6, 2001.
* Second Homicide in Four Months Grips Gallaudet, interview with Manny Fernandez, The Washington Post, February 5, 2001.
* Among the Deaf Ubiquitous Sign Language Faces a Challenge, interview with Lynne Holloway, The New York Times. June 22, 2000.
* The Changing Deaf Culture, interview with Anita Manning, USA Today, May 2, 2000.
* Knocking Down Walls, interview with Fredeelyn Freeman, Honolulu Star Bulletin, September 18, 1995.
* ASL Gave Kelleher a Voice, interview with Wendy Kaczerski, Northeastern Edition, February 26, 1987.
* Deaf TA Criticizes Society’s Indifference to Deaf, interview with Jerry Duncan, The Daily Iowan, February 26, 1985.
* She Wants to Teach Hearing Students to See the Invisible, interview with Barbara O’Reilly, Iowa City Press-Citizen, July 17, 1984.
* Miss Deaf Iowa Visits Fort Dodge School Kids, interview with Delores Jochimsen, Fort Dodge Messenger. May 3, 1984.
* Meet Miss Deaf Iowa, Iowa Spectator, October, 1983.
* Deafness is only a hurdle on path to doctorate for Rehabilitation Scholarship Winner, Kappa Kappa Gamma Key, Winter, 1982, Vol. 99, No. 4.
* Deafness hurdle cleared on way to doctorate, interview with Ken Koepper, Waterford Daily.
* Atypical Deaf Person Sets Sights on Teaching Career, Cedar Rapids Gazette, July 31, 1983.
* She’s Miss Deaf Iowa, Iowa City Press-Citizen, August 19, 1983.


INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

Congressional Relations
Met and communicated with members of Congress and Congressional staff on numerous occasions. Examples: negotiating language for the Education of the Deaf Act amendments, clarifying the University’s concerns about our rating in the Performance Assessment Rating Tool (PART).

Major Donors
Cultivation meetings with Mr. James LeVoy Sorenson to seek support for international projects and additional support for the Sorenson Language and Communication Center (SLCC).

Cultivation meetings with individual donor who recently gave $500,000 in support of the SLCC.

Fully involved in all aspects of the presentation to and meeting with the Sherman Fairchild Foundation resulting in $2 million dollar gift to the SLCC.

Alumni
Annually attending Gallaudet Club events for alumni at each of the regional Academic Bowls; updating alumni on current events at the University; cultivating their help and support in recruiting future students, in donating their time and money to support the University and continuing their sense of connection with their alma mater.

Attending meetings of the Gallaudet University Alumni Association Board and participating actively in their events.

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Open Letter to the Gallaudet Community from Celia May Baldwin, Interim Board Chair
5 May 2006
Gallaudet Board's Review of the Search Process
29 Apr 2006
Message from Ms. Celia May Baldwin, Interim Chair, Board of Trustees
28 Apr 2006
Presidential Search Finalists - Campus Visits
13 Apr 2006
Search Committee Update
5 Apr 2006
Search Committee Progress Update
24 Mar 2006
General Search Guidelines And Best Practices
17 Feb 2006
Gallaudet University Invites Nominations and Applications for President
17 Feb 2006
Campus Community Open Forum
18 Jan 2006
Presearch Study to Launch the Presidential Search
13 Jan 2006
Academic Search Consultation Service Selected to Lead Gallaudet University Presidential Search
23 Dec 2005
Search Committee Progress
1 Dec 2005
Campus Community and Alumni Members of Presidential Search Committee Named
9 Nov 2005
Board members selected for Presidential Search Committee
28 Oct 2005
Board of Trustees sets presidential search in motion
11 Oct 2005



Copyright ©2006 Gallaudet University
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More Thoughts on Gallaudet

Today's Washington Post editorial on "Standoff at Gallaudet" brings up a question. The editorial talks about the administration's frustration in trying to negotiate a peaceful solution with the students only to have them take back their demands once they've been accepted. Last night, President Jordan said he thought they were ready to announce a major breakthrough only to have the student body president rescind his signature. My question is "Is everyone involved in this dispute sitting at the table for these discussions?" Perhaps the students are being advised by either faculty or alumni who are not present at the negotiations. I think it's cowardly of any other persons contributing their voices to the students' unrest to sit back and let the students work things out and then tell them "NO, we won't do that!" Is this what's happening? Or are the student leaders truly incapable of making up their minds or actually leading (in the positive sense) the other students?

Also, I keep seeing fire trucks and emergency vehicles roaring onto the campus here periodically over the past week or so. Are these emergency responders being summoned for actual emergencies? Or are they responding to false alarms such as the two bomb threats? As a citizen of this community, I'm aghast that the DC emergency services, stretched very thin to begin with, might be spending their time rushing over here to Gallaudet if all that's involved is student rebellion.

Altengeseke - plus the house and Mom as a child

Here is a photo from Google Earth of the village in Westphalen, Germany, where my mother was born in 1897 and lived for the first six years of her life until the family emigrated to the U.S. in 1903. You can't find it on a map any more...it was incorporated with the town of Anrochte in 1975. But you can see it on Google Earth. It lies across farmland just a little south and west of Anrochte.



And here is the only photo I have of Mom as a child--perhaps she's 10 or 12? I'm guessing the two other kids are her sister's or brother's children. My brother Gene looked a lot like Mom here when he was young. The little blonde sitting in the chair looks like my brother Bob did as a very young child, too. And several of my brother Bob's children had that white-blonde hair, as did my son Tom, when they were very young.



Here is the photo of Mom's family home in Germany. My brother Paul emailed it to me today. [Thanks, Paul!] Paul says, "The house on the left is the Redder house. The house next on the right is the Pieck (sp) [Piek] house, and I believe the building on the far right is the mill and bakery...Grandpa Redder not only farmed, but also stored, milled, and baked for his neighbors with their own wheat." Note the pile of stuff in the front yard. I used to think it was manure, but now it looks more like grain to me. Paul also says that Mom, as a little girl, used to long to have butter for her bread, but all the butter they made was sold. Perhaps this kind of economizing is how Grandpa raised the money to take the family to the U.S. Not only did he have $1000 (worth how much in today's dollars, I wonder?? In 1903, a new Ford automobile cost $850) in hand when they arrived, but he'd also had to pay ship's passage for the whole family. That's a lot of butter.

My mother's funeral in 1975 was the first time I saw my grandparents' photographs, also belonging to Father Ray. My dear niece Susan did make copies of these before she returned them, and they're around here somewhere. I'll add them when I find them.

I do have my grandmother's missal, one of two items my mother had from her life in Germany. (I have the other item, too: a little wooden toy shaped like a fat little man that "walks" down an incline.) The brass binding on the back cover is broken, and the purple cover has faded, but it's very old. The church calendar inside on page xi begins at 1873--133 years ago, when my grandmother was 16. Maybe she got this for her confirmation or for her wedding.



Inside the missal are several holy cards, and this lacy one is my favorite because it has her delicate handwriting on the back. The front of the card says "My Jesus, Mercy!" Then it says "Jesus [something and something] of hearts, Make my heart like your heart!" (Babelfish did not recognize the two words, either!)



I need a magnifying glass to read the handwriting on the back, but even then I can barely make it out...The only clear words are at the end of the second line: "St. Louisa."