ASL translation of Robert E. Johnson’s letter on Gallaudet crisis

ASL translation of Robert E. Johnson’s letter on Gallaudet crisis:

http://blip.tv/file/93740

I would like to comment that this person’s ASL is beautiful.

Re: Interim President of Gallaudet

I think Patti has some excellent ideas. What do you think? Do you have any more ideas? elizabeth

1. Who should be the interim president of Gallaudet University?
An interim president must be someone that both Pro-Fernandes supporters and FSSAP Coalition agree to.  (I personally added a “P” for parents to the FSSA Coalition)

2. Why should the Board of Trustees appoint this person as interim president?
Since IKJ will retire in 56 days (December 31), it’s imperative for the BoT to appoint someone as interim president.

3. For how long should this person be allowed to serve as an interim president?
As long as it takes the BoT to houseclean and restructure the administration system at GU.  The BoT has to enact a new justice set of bylaws for everyone on campus; and to constitute a fair process in recruiting the right candidates for the appointment of the next president of GU.  I believe that the BoT has to set up a temporary affirmative action ensuring justice in hiring more under-presentative people, especially deaf and deaf people of color.

4. What should this interim president do immediately after her/his appointment?
To abolish the Expressive Guideline that IKJ enforced as well as the practices of favoritism, audism and racism.  To put back the sacred shared governance in place.  Not only that but the interim president has to acknowledge that the BoT is the president’s boss, not the other way around.  ACUTALIZES healing processes for everyone. by patricia raswant

GALLYNET-L@gallynet.org

reprinted with permission by listserv moderator

email contact: mishkazena@aol.com

Interim President of Gallaudet

Questions of the week:

1. Who should be the interim president of Gallaudet University?

2. Why should the Board of Trustees appoint this person as interim
president?

3. For how long should this person be allowed to serve as an interim
president?

4. What should this interim president do immediately after her/his
appointment?

There is a poll related to these questions at forum.gallynet.org.

GallyNet-L Administration Team
www.gallynet.org
Reprinted with permission by the listserv moderator

email contact: mishkazena@aol.com

NPR: Noah Beckman Interview

National Public Radio (NPR)
All Things Considered
Leader: Gallaudet Protest Sought Equal Treatment
Reporter: Joseph Shapiro, NPR
November 4, 2006

DEBBIE ELLIOTT (host): The tent city was taken down earlier this week
at Gallaudet University here in Washington, after students at the
nation’s premiere school for the deaf won their long protest over a
presidential appointment at the college. It was a rare show of
tenacious — and successful — student activism, in an era when college
students don’t often take to the streets.  NPR’s Joseph Shapiro covered
the battle at Gallaudet–a battle that included hunger strikes and
arrests. We asked him to go back to campus yesterday, to sit down with
student government president, Noah Beckman.  Joe met up with him in the
Hall Memorial Building, one of the places the protesters took over last
month.  They spoke through a sign language interpreter.

JOSEPH SHAPIRO: Maybe Noah, can I start by having you just introduce
yourself?

NOAH BECKMAN: I’m a fourth-year student here. I’m majoring in English
with a focus on literature. My family background… I am–my parents
are both deaf. I have a deaf younger brother.

SHAPIRO: When were you elected student body president?

BECKMAN: I was inaugurated last May. May 1st… Two hours before the
announcement of the ninth president.

SHAPIRO: Did anyone imagine that you could have the kind of power that
you eventually had?

BECKMAN: For some reason, we knew and once we grew our numbers and we
agreed on one mission, one statement and action, that it was easier to
change the system… and it’s interesting to discuss the actions that
the president took really sparked the fire.

SHAPIRO: Which actions?

BECKMAN: The arrests I think was the biggest action that sparked the
fire.

SHAPIRO: And that was 133-some students arrested on Oct. 13th, that
night.

BECKMAN: Which is known here on campus as Black Friday.

SHAPIRO: I think people were really struck by the passion of the
students here and I think that a lot of people outside of Gallaudet who
watch this protest are saying, ‘Wow, we don’t see student protests like
that any more.’ Why in this corner of the world, why these students?

BECKMAN: I’ll try my best to answer that. Maybe ’cause we’re a
linguistic minority and along with other minorities there’s potential
to bond. The issue for us here was the administration’s attitude. And I
think that’s what gave us power to congregate and tell the world that
the leadership here was ineffective.

SHAPIRO: Could students on this campus get as excited about the war in
Iraq as, say, they were in protesting the choice of a president for
their campus?

BECKMAN: Ah–I’m not so sure if they would, only because you know
that’s more of a Democrat/Republican thing. More–I don’t know. Maybe
we’re too focused on our own community here. Here on campus I think
there’s a lot of oppression that was going on and the oppression was
severe. We felt the oppression directly, here on campus.

SHAPIRO: What was the oppression?

BECKMAN: That the students didn’t have a voice. They didn’t weigh in
our voice at all.

SHAPIRO: But wasn’t that the role of the board of trustees though, to
select the president?

BECKMAN: Right, with understanding and interaction with the community.
You know that’s one of the many reasons why we chose to come to
Gallaudet. Because we wanted to be treated as equals here. You know, to
my surprise I’m not equal here. Maybe a little bit more than the
outside world, but less than expected. And to have that experience at
home, you know, our very home, is very, very unhealthy.

SHAPIRO: And after the protest? Do you feel now that students will be
treated as equals here?

BECKMAN: I will admit that the protest is one step of many that need to
take place. This was just one small step of the whole movement.

SHAPIRO: Noah Beckman, thank you.

BECKMAN: Thank you for coming and taking the time to speak with us.

ELLIOTT: Noah Beckman is the President of the Student Body Government
at Gallaudet University in Washington.  He spoke to NPR’s Joseph
Shapiro through sign language interpreter Tony Barraza.

Audio clip of Beckman interview:

http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/dmg.php?prgCode=ATC&showDate=04-Nov-2006&segNum=4&mediaPref=RM&getUnderwriting=1

Audio (entire show):

http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/dmg.php?prgCode=ATC&showDate=04-Nov-2006&segNum=&mediaPref=RM&getUnderwriting=1