Gallaudet hunger strikers take lead

Gallaudet hunger strikers take lead
By Arlo Wagner
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published October 24, 2006

Protesters who have been on a hunger strike for more than a week were
the most visible demonstrators yesterday at Gallaudet University, where
students and staff for weeks have been demanding the resignation of
incoming President Jane K. Fernandes.

Most of the eight protesters on strike have not eaten in eight days.
Some of them became ill Sunday and had to be evaluated by medical
personnel.

Still, they said yesterday via sign-language interpreters that they
will not give up until their demands are met.

“I know we will triumph,” said Thomas Simmons, a business
administration student from Africa.

Gallaudet graduate Larry Vollmar, of Fremont, Calif., said he is
protesting for his niece and nephew who attend the university.

“I feel the administration is very top heavy,” Mr. Vollmar said. “They
need to take care of the students.”

He, Mr. Simmons and Al Jimenez of Mexico, said the group is willing to
go hungry until Mrs. Fernandes steps down or is removed from the post
she is set to take over from outgoing President I. King Jordan in
January.

Students have protested Mrs. Fernandes’ appointment since the school’s
board of trustees appointed her last spring to replace Mr. Jordan.

The students say a lack of diversity among the candidates and Mrs.
Fernandes’ unresponsiveness to their needs and concerns are among their
major complaints.

The protests stopped during summer break but resumed this fall and
included a student takeover Oct. 5 of Hall Memorial Building, where
many classes are held. After bomb threats forced them from the
building, they began blocking school entrances earlier this month.

A few days later, about 135 student protesters were arrested after they
were given several warnings to stop blocking a side entrance to the
school, the country’s only liberal arts university for the deaf and
hearing impaired.

Last week, the school’s faculty voted 138-24 that Mrs. Fernandes should
resign or be removed from the post. In addition, a vote of no
confidence against Mr. Jordan passed by a vote of 80-60.

While the cold, windy weather kept many students, faculty, staff and
alumni from the Florida Avenue gate yesterday, those participating in
the hunger strike sat behind a plastic sheet under a canopy and kept
warm in heavy blankets and sleeping bags.

Last night, a small number of students kept warm near a couple of
heaters and a gasoline-fueled fire they had built in the street. Campus
security told them to put out the fire after only a few minutes.

Gallaudet officials reported that the Student Health Services and
Mental Health Center are checking on the strikers twice a day.

“Their vital signs are being monitored closely, and at this time, their
signs are all stable,” officials reported.

“The students are drinking Boost [a high-protein shake], water, V-8
juice and chicken broth. Many of them are attending classes, and some
have ceased participation,” according to medical personnel reports.

Meanwhile, a rally and a walkout scheduled for noon and 1 p.m.
respectively did not go as planned yesterday. The walkout drew only
about 50 protesters and lasted about 15 minutes.

About 80 students met in the Student Academic Center at about 9:30 last
night to receive training in nonviolent protest techniques from an
activist group.

“We are in a crisis and the board [of trustees] members need to take
responsibility,” said graduate student Ryan Commerson.

Students and alumni celebrated homecoming this past weekend, even
though Mr. Jordan canceled the activities last week.

He said the cancellation was prompted by protesters blocking the entry
gates to the 98-acre campus in Northeast.

“It was a homecoming we will all remember,” said Alyce Slater Lentz of
Fremont, Calif., who received undergraduate and graduate degrees in the
1970s. “I have been at the homecomings the last 12 years, and this was
the best one.”

    · Michael Hunsberger contributed to this report.

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