The Daughter of BoT Speaks Again
The Presidential Search Committee (PSC) gave the BOT three choices to pick from for President. They could only pick from those three. Of the three choices, they chose Jane. Not because she is the best person to become president, not because they think she is the best candidate, but of the three people that the PSC presented to the BOT, to pick from, they deemed her as the most qualified candidate of the three that they were given to pick from. They can ask Jane to resign, but in order to do so, it would make them lose face, appear uncertain and would compromise the integrity of the BOT. Therefore they cannot do it. Jordan cannot ask her to resign either, since she was picked by his bosses, the BOT. Jane is currently the President-Elect. The only way she can step down right now is if she resigns on her own terms. By creating chaos and anarchy is not going to give her a good reason for her to resign. Only Jordan right now can deal with the chaos since he is still President. In negotiations, he and Michael Moore are the only two people in a position to do so. This is why Jane is in hiding. Jane is not in a negotiating position, since she is in limbo right now, not being provost anymore, and awaiting the power of the President, where she can get in the position to negotiate demands. The only solution to this whole impasse is for her to resign when she feels it is time for her to resign, or after one year of being President (if she doesn’t resign on her own terms) if the BOT don’t feel that she has done anything to improve Gallaudet, they can fire her, and start all over again.
Charlotte
personal. Charlotte wrote this to me for the blog. thanks, charlotte.
elizabeth
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Sweetheart, we know, we know…..we are still waiting for your answer whether you support our cause or not…
For the Board not wanting to lose their face…then that means they are all arrogant and thinking themselves high and mighty. We ain’t interested in their face, we are interested in their HEART!
Charlotte,
I do appreciate your time and bravery to speak up for your father. That must be very difficult for you to be in this position being a Gally student and a daughter of a BoT.
I do want to say some comments and ask few questions, however. Who chose the people to serve on BOT? Let me take you back to DPN in 1988 momentarily, for the history’s sake. One of the demands for DPN protest was that the BoT must include 51% Deaf/HoH individuals and the rest hearing individuals. Personally, there was a man named Mr. Ken Parkinson who happened to be my family oldest friend. He served on the BoT probably because of my being Deaf. He is hearing and a lawyer. I dont know how long he was on BoT. But the point im making is, Mr. Parkinson was asked to leave because of the demand of 51% Deaf/ HoH. Mr. Parkinson did not know sign language. So I do from my own personal experience, understand your position. Back to the question: WHO chose the BoT? Who voted for them? The Congress? or the President of Gallaudet University?
I want to make few points as well. Earlier in this blog someone said why big rush? Most colleges take up to 12 to 18 months to search for the best candidate. In this situation, the new candidate was chosen far less than 12 months. If only if the BoT or I.K. Jordan would wait until one of the canditates had gotten his PHd, he might have been highly qualified for the Presidency job. So if they waited up to 18 months the scenario would be entirely different? From my understanding is, it was I.K. Jordan who chose JK? Tell me if I am making wrong assumption.
I also would like to know who are the BOT? Please tell me the whole list and who are Deaf/HoH and who are hearing.
Again, Thank you, Charlotte, for speaking up.
Hi Charlotte.
Thank you for speaking up once again. Yes, many of us understand the BOT’s point of view about losing integrity if they change. And yes, many of us understand that BOT was limited to picking one of the three candidates.
But if the BOT was willing to look at the current crisis and realize that the only way to resolve it is to change it’s position and withdraw their support for Jane. Jane will NOT change her mind. We will NOT change our minds. Therefore, BOT has to STEP IN and show leadership here.
You said that BOT is concerned about “losing face”. I have to say and ask “Where is BOT’s face?” Presently there is no face at all. Almost the entire world will rejoice and recognize the face of BOT if they are willing to humble themselves, realize that Gallaudet will not move on with Jane at the helm, change course and withdraw their support for Jane.
Again, I want to thank your father for caring and giving his time for the deaf community in general.
Once again, please, I ask you to look into your heart, and then get in touch with your father.
Sincerely,
Kenton
I am 100% neutral. I heart gally, but due to who my father is.. I can only state facts.
Vickie, the reason why the search was so hurried was because the students demanded to know who the next president was last may before they went home for the summer. There was a petetion that was going around, and I know alot of people who signed it, and therefore the BOT did as the students asked.. and gave them their answer to who the next president will be, on the VERY LAST DAY OF SCHOOL. The BOT is picked by Jordan. Yes, Stern would have had his PHD, but you have to recall, that part of the requirement was to have administative experence in higher education, and he was only running a k-12 state school for the deaf.
I know ridor (www.ridorlive.com) has a list of all the BOT and their emails. I know that my father is the only hearing white male who doesn’t know sign.
I can see the point of view from BoT’s side. However, one question remains unaswered:
If BoT knew there were more qualified candidates (at least one member did indicate that), why didn’t they ask PSC to search more?
Because they chose “lesser of the evil”, this caused more problems than if they simply had rejected the three finalists and asked PSC to try and come up with more choices.
I also realize that BoT may feel that PSC has done their job, and decided to trust PSC on their selection, but that doesn’t translate into a license to take everything at their face value. At end of day, everyone still has to do their homework.
JKF has a contract. That’s what people in the professional world do to solidify a deal. In the professional world people get help from others. That’s how its worked for a very long time.
Is their something wrong with that.
I emplore anyone who has a problem with this to look back in their own personal lives and see if anyone helped them get where they are today.
If you can agree you where helped at some point you can now see the hypocrisy in thid line of arguement.
Hmm I see the problem, now. I wish we have had this explained to us before.
Soemthing screwed up on the way. What was it? the PSC? Who served on the PSC?
Charlotte,
I understand and follow what you were saying on behalf of your father. I am a trustee of a school for the deaf and had a similar situation about 15 years ago. We had a unpopular headmaster, similar to what is happening at Gallaudet now. After several years, the board of trustees had to terminate the headmaster to save the school.
Your father can change his mind. He is human. Nobody is perfect. He and his colleagues at the board can change their minds to save Gallaudet. Nothing to be ashamed of. They keep learning and seek better ways to make Gallaudet healthy and successful. Believe me, I was in the same situation 15 years ago and we saved the school.
Please share this with your father. Thank you.
Cliff Rowley
Tucson, AZ
IKJ said 12 out of 17 board members are deaf. So WHY JK is selected???
This sounds like a classic passing of the buck. What we need here is a brave taking of responsibility for this tragic situation, someone to take the helm and move decisively toward a resolution. Neither I. King Jordan nor Jane Fernandes is taking the lead and stubbornly hold their positions.
As Dr. Davila suggests, it is not about who is right or what arguments are valid…expediency is sometimes the only solution. Move forward and rescind the selection of Jane Fernandes because there is clearly no support for this candidate. To push an unwanted candidate forcefully upon an entire and strongly resistant college is inviting disaster for the institution.
DPG
Charlotte,
I understand your position. But understand this- the board is losing face… Quickly. Either way, they’re gonna lose face.
The only way the board can reverse the decision is if one by one, one of them resigns or joins the protestors. Why doesn’t your father go on the front lines and offer himself to be arrested? That’s the decent thing to do.
I’m not trying to attack you. I’m just pointing this out. If your father doesn’t know sign language then, he owes you a lot. Oh boy, he owes you a lot. Maybe tell him that in exchange for him failing you by not learning ASL, he can go in front of everybody and renounce JK and Jordan.
Just food for thought.
EK
charlotte,
i can’t believe what i am reading in those comments about you and dad. They are either very judgmental or just downright rude. Do not let them get to you and keep doing whatever you believe is right for you. I am impressed with how you are taking your stand with gally and dad..
-nobody
charlotte
fight the power. Down the man. Win the race.
Charlotte;
First, please understand that I do not mean to imply any intent for harm. I am trying to point out that there IS no harm.
You have mentioned both the terms “face” and “integrity” in the above post. I must ask, are we living in feudal Japan? When the Board of Trustee loses face, must they then dress in white and commit suicide drawing a sword across their stomach, in effort to regain face? Of course not! Not today, certainly not here in America! Face today in America is something you earn, and retain, by your actions, not by your inaction. And face is literally just a word, a vague concept; it is not a law or a requirement for a civilized human being. The Board of Trustee do not have a legal obligation to “retain face”.
Likewise, the definition of “integrity” according to the Princeton dictionary is “moral soundness”. There is no moral soundness in maintaining a position if it is wrong in the first place. The southern states maintained that slavery was necessary for their success, and needed to maintain the “integrity” of the south’s economy. Were they ever morally sound in that decision about slavery? Certainly not. Were they maintaining integrity by maintaining slavery? No, they were not. Likewise, there’s no integrity in maintaining a position which the people you are “trustee” for tell you, again and again, is a bad position.
Last, but not least, you state the PSC gave them three candidates. And that those three candidates are the only ones they could choose from. That is incorrect. They could, and still can, tell the PSC to “try again, your first three candidates were not acceptable.” And that’s what we have been asking for.
It is wonderful that a daughter is speaking to protect her father. I respect that immensely. But, please, help your father by telling him to do the right thing, not by trying to fight on his behalf when he’s wrong.
Trighap
EK – the fact that Charlotte’s father does not know sign language is strictly between them and none of our business.
Charlotte, you are a very brave person and I have the utmost respect for you.
I understand what you wrote about BOT’s desire to maintain their credibility. I only have two questions for BOT themselves (I don’t expect you to relay this to them): 1) Do they honestly believe they have any credibility left with the Deaf community now? and 2) Ten years from now and beyond, Deaf Studies historians will start to analyize the Tent City Protests, how do BOT members want history to remember them?
Last thing – stay true to yourself, your courage and spirit will see you through this moment.
Charlotte,
Thank you for bravely sharing your perspective on things. The way you describe the bureaucracy is pretty well done. I can see how each party feels as though there is nothing more for them to do. “I’ve done my work, and that’s that” is what they each seem to be saying. But with the backlash from students and faculty, it does seem only logical to re-open things if it does not satisfy everyone. Gallaudet is small to begin with, so if several people are unhappy it is pretty noticeable. They can’t just stop now and say “that’s that.” Maybe in times like these, their jobs call for more from each of them.
I agree with another comment that if the BOT saw only one person with a PhD they should have rejected the finalists. It is interesting that the BOT is selected by Jordan. Has Jordan had more of a hand in this than what we see? He selects the BOT, who in turn selected JK from 3 paltry finalists. That is interesting.
I wish this situation could be resolved by a little more humility, more compassion, and remembrance of whom we all serve at a university–the students. You, Charlotte!! (and me too
Charlotte is a nice and courageous young woman. She didn’t have to say anything, but she did. She wants to see a resolution to this crisis, too, just like everybody else.
char,
i understand that u are trying to be helpful and explain the roles/duties of BOT and they have done their part.
but the problem is gallaudet university is in a turmoil. ikj and jkf are not leading gallaudet community effectively at this time. it would be a great help if BOT steps in and straighten up like removing jkf and set up PSC again.
gallaudet community would understand that BOT members are humans and want the best.
net0man
PRESS RELEASE
BOUNDLESS COMMUNICATIONS DECLARES ITS SUPPORT FOR FSSA
WASHINGTON, DC (October 18, 2006) – Boundless Communications, owner of Deafbuy.com and Deafpagers.com, announced its support today for the Gallaudet FSSA coalition that is protesting the selection of Jane K. Fernandes as the next president of Gallaudet University.
Owner Drew Gutches said his company has quietly supported the FSSA since last spring and donated two pizza dinners to Tent City protesters in May. He decided to go public after learning what Fernandes did to Kitty Fischer, former librarian at the MSSD Library at Clerc Center.
Gutches worked for Fischer when he was an MSSD student and was angered to learn that Fernandes dismissed his old boss when she was only one week shy of 30 years service. With 30 years she would be eligible for retirement with an immediate annuity, but with less than 30 years she would have to wait until she reached the age of 62. Fischer asked Fernandes if she could work one more week, and Fernandes said no.
“What a black heart Jane Fernandes has,” said Gutches, adding that Fischer is a “sweet lady and very friendly and everyone likes her.”
He also noted that his company invited Gallaudet President I. King Jordan to several open houses but he never came to any, despite the fact that Boundless Communications has hired many students over the past five years and provided an internship program for MSSD students.
“He showed that he does not support deaf-owned businesses,” said Gutches, who added that one of the 135 people arrested on Jordan’s orders last week is an employee of his company.
Deafpagers.com is the nation’s largest deaf-related wireless vendor, and Gutches said his company is pleased to support the FSSA by donating $20 for every wireless device sold via http://www.deafpagers.com/FSSA/index.html . In addition, Deafpagers.com will have a booth this Friday and Saturday at Gallaudet and will donate 15% of accessory sales to the FSSA.
The company will also provide free credit/debit service for anyone who wants to donate money to FSSA via credit or debit cards this weekend at the Deafpagers.com booth. “We will not charge FSSA for this service,” said Gutches, “and FSSA will receive a list of people who donated to the FSSA along with the amount donated.”
Gutches said his company has posted banners in the office and store windows in order to educate hearing people who pass by the front window.
“Jane Fernandes and I. King Jordan must go,” he said. “She is not the right leader for Gallaudet University nor for the deaf community across America and the world.”
– END –
For those of you who asked.. “Why didn’t the BOT just tell the PSC that these three where unacceptable.. go find more?”
Well the campus climate at that time was very fustrated among students. They wanted to know who the president was before they left. I heard that some students were going to stage a protest over the summer, just staying in the dorms until one was announced. This put A LOT of pressure on the BOT to pick someone ASAP. Not only that but the amount of money and time spent at that moment was alot! You recall that there was a consulting company that was brought in to help define what was needed to begin the process. Those companies don’t come cheap. Then there was the amout of time that the PSC did (all volenteer hours) used to conduct the search. Oh and to fly in the members of the BOT for a quick 3 days to pick someone before flying them back out here again two weeks later for their normal meeting. That’s alot of money.. and with that student pressure building against the BOT.. it made them feel like they had to deliver ASAP.
Can a solution be reached as follows:
1) King steps down on 10/20/2006
2) JK begins on 10/20/2006 for one year as interim prez
3) Board reopens application process and JK is allowed to resubmit application
4) Moore stays on as interim provost
5) Gates are unblocked and HC continues
6) Education is back on the table and Gally is back to running the business it needs to — education
All parties save face and compromise — the American Way of politics — allows all to walk away with some dignity.
Hi Charlotte,
I admire your stands. I realize that the summary report of the Wisconsin GUAA meeting with your father may seemed to have fanned some flames toward you and your father. We did not intend for this to happen. We wanted the report to be informational/report in nature with as least bias as possible. The report went through several drafts before being approved. Your father gave us valuable insights in the whole thing that helped clarify many things. Your father should be congratulated for being brave and assertive in stating his point of view of things. He was not wishy washy in most areas. The report was pretty easy to do even if we had to do it through several drafts to satisfy everybody in the GUAA group that met with your father.
Through we never met in person, you have earned respect from me personally for standing up for yourself and your father. Through I did not catch the invectives against you because I simply do not have time to read through everything (I have a life, ya know), I think the invectives were wrong, childish and immature. All of us on the FSSA side of things should be and for the most parts, are above that. Be a duck and let the water wash off your back. Those people that throw insults/ insuinations/ accusations/ demands your way are simply idiots. Do not spend too much time on them.
Personally, I hope we will meet sometimes this weekend at Gally. I will be flying in on Thursday evening and flying out on Sunday morning. Hope we will meet up sometimes.
CW
Hi Charlotte, I dont know who side I am on but am upside down in the middle all this fingers pointing but I do see where you are pointing at. I wish there was someone who can get in the middle of the conflict that is to make a better steps to protect us before we fall in the boiling water. Here is this cool agency which I like to share with you and can you pass it on to your dad maybe? Here is the website http://www.mediationcalm.org/ Let me know if this is any help. Tom
A question, since JKF is not officially Prez does that mean she can’t step down, since she has no authority to do so? I always thought she could step down on her own. The BOT really can’t force her out. Same for IKJ. Even if they had a change of heart it wouldn’t matter unless it affected Jane enough to change her mind. Just a thought.
Dave R …
I believe JKF is still on the Gally payroll even if she is in limbo between Provost and President.
Of course she can step down. Everyone has the power to quit their job.
Charlotte,
While it is true they had 3 finalists to choose from and Jane appeared the best out of 3 on paper…the whole point is there were many other MORE qualified candidates before these 3 finalists arrive at the top. They were systematically and purposefully eliminated from the interview pool. In itself led to suspicions that the interview process was flawed. Hence the protest, Charlotte. I am sorry your dad got drug into this mess but that is what he gets for serving on a board of an institution he knows very or nothing about.
Barinthus,
On the contrary, a non-signer doesn’t belong on the board, period. Any parent that doesn’t learn sign for their children are an audist… And not worthy of such a position for an university for the Deaf.
I am a father of a Deaf boy myself. I cannot imagine not knowing ASL and not communicating with him. That would be child abuse. Fortunately for my son, I am Deaf too, and a fluent ASL signer. So, my son is safe…
But many children out there are deprived of a normal relationship because their parents are audists and child abusers. Yes, child abusers… Emotional abuse.
So, the least Charlotte’s father could do is put money in his mouth and resign. Then maybe that would be an indicator of an apology to Charlotte.
It is every Deaf person’s business to fight against audism. So, you mind your own business, Barinthus, hmm?
EK
To Charlotte,
I hope that you know that I have nothing against you. I, however, have NO RESPECT for your father. There is NO EXCUSE for him not knowing ASL. PERIOD.
There is NO EXCUSE for him to try and take the easy way out and be on the board of trustees when he cannot even utilize the language of those that he desires to govern.
I hope you will take this opportunity to encourage your father to take some ASL classes. I am an ASL instructor myself, and would offer my services. Unfortunately, I am 400 miles from the DC area. So there it goes.
I apologize for the strong comments. Please know, it is only because I am a Deaf father of a 1 year old Deaf boy… And those feelings really run strong in me because of my love for my son.
EK