Sit in protest with Brueggemann Today

Sit-In Protest at Ohio State University

Filed under: General — gufssa @ 10:44 am

Columbus, Ohio

A group of concerned Deaf leaders will attempt to meet with Professor
Dr. Brenda Jo Brueggemann today at her office and demand that she call
an emergency meeting of the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees to
resolve the crisis which has been worsening over the past three weeks at
the Nation’s only University for the Deaf located in Washington, DC. 
Bruggemann is the Acting Chair of the Gallaudet University Board of
Trustees.

The vast majority of Gallaudet faculty, students, staff, and alumni do
not support the Board’s choice of Jane K. Fernandes to be the next
president of Gallaudet.  Gallaudet faculty, recently voted 82% against
Fernandes in a vote of “no-confidence” .  The Student Body
Government has also voted not to recognized Fernandes as President and
the Alumni Association has also called for her resignation.  Many who
have worked with her on campus in previous positions state Fernandes has
“created an atmosphere of distrust and fear and has proven an
ineffectual leader”.  Over the past several weeks students and
supporters have protested by taking over a campus building, blocking
entrances to the school, setting up a tent city and marching to the US
capital.  I. King Jordan, the University’s outgoing president,
ordered the arrest of over 135 protesters last week to re-open the
campus.  Seven students & alumni believe so deeply in the issue, they
have been on a hunger strike for the past week.  Despite her growing
opposition, Ferndandes refuses to resign from her position and the Board
of Trustees has taken no action to resolve the crisis.

The Deaf protesters from Ohio say if Brueggemann refuses to meet their
demand to immediately call an emergency meeting of the Gallaudet Board
of Trustees, they will stage a sit-in protest at her office and not
leave until this demand is met.  The Gallaudet Board is scheduled to
meet this weekend but the protesters claim, especially with the hunger
strike going on nine days, the campus community cannot wait any longer.

DawnMarie Fucile of the Deaf & Deaf-Blind Committee on Human Rights, one
of the protest leaders states. Brueggemann has the power and authority
to end the crisis at Gallaudet and we call on her to take immediate and
decisive leadership so that our community may start the healing process
at our beloved Gallaudet University.