SEATTLE for FSSA

post tent city party!!!

2006-10-30T18:09:00.000-08:00

Wanna have a VICTORY PARTY???

For all WAGUAA & any gallaudet students

HALF PRICE!!!!!!!!!!! all night!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Abbondanza's in West Seattle

Saturday, November 4th

7pm 7 pm 7 pm 7 pm 7 pm

Celebration!!! Where??

2006-10-29T18:13:00.000-08:00

YAY!! Jane WILL GO!!!

Let's celebrate!

Meet @ Jillian's!!! After 6:30pm and they close at 2am!!!

Must have a TOAST!!!

Will have a LONG recovery road ahead of us!!

UNITY FOR GALLAUDET!!!!

More Tent City in Washington State

2006-10-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

Be on a lookout!!

Tent City in YAKIMA!!!

November 4, 2006

More details coming soon...

Video from Tent City

2006-10-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

It will be short movies in three parts - Enjoy!

Made by Lester Morris (also can check out www.deafnorthwest.com)

Here is url:

Part A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWsQCS81LhI
Part B: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xizyW6FhHl0
Part C: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HbR8F0tE6c

Open Letter by Jena Floyd

2006-10-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

October 26, 2006

Dear Board of Trustees Members:

Given the blighting of crisis at Gallaudet, it should be clear to you that Dr. Jane Kelleher Fernandes is incapable of leading Gallaudet University and bringing all walks of life together as a community; as a whole at Gallaudet -- locally, nationally and globally.

I am at no loss of words in knowing that you have received hundreds and hundreds (possibly thousands if so) of open letters dictating the resignation of a Dr. Jane Kelleher Fernandes, the very same person that caused continuous escalation of division and anger in our community. Yet to emphasize more, the very same person you have selected as Gallaudet University's 9th President.

This unprecedented move we, as the FSSA Coalition and Deaf community members at large, make ensures that you make the right decision; the very decision that would forever change the social and educational climate at Gallaudet. The move we make ensure that students, faculty, alumni, and staff at Gallaudet receive equal treatment as provided by leadership of great quality and authenticity. You could say we're pushing our expectation bar to a higher level in defining Gallaudet. Our move is not of terrorism. This is not anarchy. This is simply our wish to better Gallaudet as an educational institution -- culturally and scholarly.

Now as a recipient of a Bachelors in English and a Masters in Mental Health Counseling, both from Gallaudet, I am very much in trepidation in calling Gallaudet a place of safe learning and social environment. Given the 25+ days of ongoing crisis and fully overt yet peaceful remonstration done by faculty, students, staff, and alumni, this led me to experience hesitance, even fear, if our Deaf children, supposedly today, ask me whether Gallaudet is the place to be when they grow up if Dr. Jane Kelleher Fernandes or even a recognized leader with qualities and characteristics akin to Dr. Fernandes continue to run as its 9th President.

I left Gallaudet with a good feeling knowing I received the best training as a mental health therapist of the deaf. To this day, I'm working as a mental health therapist in Seattle. I cannot be anything more proud that I came from Gallaudet. It eases me knowing I'm making a difference in the lives of Deaf people here. Gallaudet gave me what I needed to flourish in the real world and this is what I do. There are countless opportunities in the mental health field I could do to ensure Deaf people receive better mental health treatment in today's audistic, yet slowing receptive of anything deaf, society. Now with all the oppression behooving people at Gallaudet to reflect what's right, this has saddened me deeply especially with the long-sought notion that Gallaudet is or has been (or was in this case if Dr. Fernandes continue to hold its reins) the mecca and possibly a utopian civilization of the Deaf.

As a Deaf mental health professional, I chime in about Alternatives Solutions Center's open letter to you. They consider "oppression as an enemy of mental health." Oppression should not be something the Gallaudet community experience as a whole, even so. I believe we're fighting for a safe-zone environment at Gallaudet where everyone wouldn't experience oppression -- period.

Now with the spinning drama that's going on at Gallaudet, I hope you make the right decision in removing Dr. Jane Kelleher Fernandes. With that done, we could move on and make Gallaudet a better place for deaf people of various backgrounds and experiences. With that said, we're already on a path to enlightenment of Deafhood – despite the chaos we're enduring as a Deaf community. Without Dr. Jane Kelleher Fernandes as Gallaudet's President, we'll hold Deafhood in high regard once Gallaudet is in the right hands; particularly the hands of a leader who will inspire us to be ourselves regardless our hearing and cultural (applying multiculturalism) status.

I come to a conclusion that resignation of Gallaudet's President Designate Dr. Jane Kelleher Fernandes is the best option if you want Gallaudet to heal its wounds and prosper as the world's premier university of Deaf people for years, decades, even centuries to come.

Best for Gallaudet, Jenifer Floyd, '02 & G '05

Open Letter to Board of Trustees from WAGUAA

2006-10-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

October 26, 2006

To Gallaudet University Board of Trustees:

We desire to send our message to Gallaudet from 3,000 miles away. We are saddened with the recent events that took place at Gallaudet. We hosted a Tent City in Seattle to show our support for FSSA's desperate plea for a regime change. About 60 people showed up at the event, and many others were with us in spirit. In fact, there are over 60 Tent Cities, including one in Japan. All of us are trying to send our message to you. So, we ask you to please hear us out.

Simply put, we are concerned about the misassumption that has been perpetuated by the media that we did not want Dr. Fernandes because she's not deaf enough. This is absolutely untrue. It has everything to do with what she has had done during her regime as a Provost. The Gallaudet Community saw her as an incompetent administrator. She took away many essential programs assuming that they are of no value without seeking any input or even bothered to seek compromise from the community.

Simply put, we are very dismayed that the Gallaudet administration repeatedly ignored the Gallaudet University community; the students, faculty and staff's voices. This is contrary to the real role of a university president which is to foster, promote, and uplift the university community. We are concerned that since Dr. Fernandez demonstrated varying degrees of control such as making decisions without any input from the Gallaudet community, sending out subtly oppressive messages of insecurity and fear. We would not want such autocratic leader in America, and we're sure you'd agree with this.

As outsiders and caring alumni, we observed that the protestors are legitimately concerned about the continual non-communicative oppression within the Gallaudet University as evidenced by various acts of silencing the students, faculty and staff for years. We do not want this domineering attitude in our future Gallaudet president, deaf or not. We simply do not want to see Gallaudet to fall into the wrong hands, the one belonging to an incompetent administrator who makes and controls all the decisions.

We want someone who has strong leadership qualities, including empathy and cheerleading skills. We especially want someone who has a deep respect for social justice. We also especially desire someone who will truly take the time to interact with the Gallaudet community and to talk and discuss changes before they occur. We especially want someone who knows how to do two-way communication and respect each and every person as being unique.

Lastly, please open your eyes as there are thousands of incredibly amazing unified voices: Deaf, deaf, hard of hearing, CODA, and hearing people around the world asking for the same thing. We genuinely believe this that according to FSSA's number one demand it is really and truly reasonable and honorable for the Board of Trustees to reopen the presidential search and selection process is the only peaceful solution to the ever-worsening crisis at Gallaudet. There is no other way.

Open Letter from Marilyn Smith

2006-10-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

18 October 2006

Dr I. King Jordan
President
Gallaudet University
Washington, DC

Dear President Jordan:

This letter is borne out of my belief that I have a responsibility as a member of the human race to not remain silent especially in times of turmoil. I write this letter with a heavy heart and with deep respect for Gallaudet University.

Keeping an open mind about the selection of Jane Fernandes as the next president of Gallaudet University has been a personal struggle. I so wanted to see her be given a chance. I have met her a few times and respect many things about her. However, the events of this month have revealed some seriously disturbing stories that reflect on the management style of Dr. Fernandes and many are from people whose high level of integrity I admire. A few disgruntled employee and student complaints I can overlook but we are no longer talking about a few. I could elaborate further but others have done that in letters to you. Please understand this is not an attack on Dr. Fernandes. My concerns lie solely around leadership and management as well as my devotion and concern for Gallaudet University.

Your message dated October 16th brushing aside the loud message from the faculty is what finally broke my heart. How can you, as the leader of Gallaudet, truly believe that the president to be of Gallaudet University does not need the support of the majority to carry out her agenda? These are the people that will do the actual work of the university and in order for Dr. Fernandes to be successful, faculty and staff need to embrace and believe in her leadership. These are fundamental principles instrumental for positive change and growth . A great leader draws people together and instills passion and commitment – crucial elements Gallaudet faculty, staff, students, and community need and deserve.

I truly believe this crisis is not going to go away without drastic changes that people are crying for. Gallaudet University’s influence is not limited to Kendall Green; it has an important impact everywhere. The protest has awoken a sleeping giant in Deaf America. The establishment of tent cities in and of itself resonates a powerful pulse and it is that pulse that gives me hope for a better tomorrow for our people. Please open your eyes and your heart and feel that beat.

Many letters have been written with more eloquence but all of them, mine included, are asking for the same thing: that you and the Board of Trustees see the reality that is before you and that Jane Fernandes resigns as President Designate. Please let the healing begin now.

Very Sincerely,

Marilyn J. Smith, ’74, G ’77, H ‘04

CC: FSSA – Gallaudet University
Interim Chair, Board of Trustees – Gallaudet University
President - GUAA

Photo Set #2

2006-10-17T23:02:00.000-07:00

Kay Amos making a poster.

Ronise Barreras putting up WAGUAA banner.

Marilyn Smith making a comment.

Ray Bateh and Mark Landreneau

Officers of WAGUAA: Jeannie Brown, Kay Amos, Richard Jacobs and Ronda Johnson

UNITY for GALLAUDET!

John Evans with the original Gallaudet seal flag.

WOWOW!!

2006-10-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

We are in Seattle Times!!!

There's an article about Gally in today's Seattle Times - page A4.

Check it out!!!

=) Jeannie

Photo Set #1

2006-10-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

photos credit: Ronise Barreras

Front of Laurent Clerc Hall

Mobile Tents? That's so Seattle!

Jeannie Brown, Kay Amos and Richard Jacobs explaining as of what the alumni can do to support the protest.

Jeannie Brown sharing some updates.

Gerardo DiPietro and Jeannie Brown dispelling myths of the protest.

Ronda Johnson and Gerardo DiPietro doing the "Bison Song."

Larry Schoenberg getting the group ready for a picture shoot.

STC Yesterday

2006-10-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all of your support at the Seattle Tent City!!

Approximately 55 to 60 people showed up at Laurent Clerc Hall

What did our day look like???

10:00 am - some people showed up early to HELP SET UP!!!

11:00 am - food/potluck started to arrive/create posters/ etc

12:00 noon - Introduction of WAGUAA Officers - Richard Jacobs (president), Kay Amos (vice-president), Jeannie Brown (secretary) & Ronda Johnson.
***not present - Joan Forshay (treasurer) and Heather Bateh (webmaster)

Deaf President Now (1988) protest - video was shown

Jacobs summarized what he has learned from other leaders and explained the reason for this protest.

Brown talked about alumni's role in this whole protest from several months ago until now... What can we do?

Community Members: Discussed what rumors they heard. Shared stories they know directly. Cleared some myths and facts.

3:00 pm - started talking about Action Plan - What can the Seattle community do?

We agreed that we would like to send an open letter.

1) Zero tolerance for violence including no vandalism, no profanity, etc.

2) We would like to end the oppression that the students, faculty, staff, and alumni are experiencing right now.

3) We want the Board of Trustees to wake up and clean up their house.

4) We want the presidential interview and selection prcoess to be started over.

We want Dan Brubaker, our repsentative, to have a Washington State flag so he would not look like he is standing alone.

We want to be behind him. We know that the alumni are taking over the protest and letting students rest. We won't let our alumni Brothers and Sisters down so we SUPPORT them ALL THE WAY!!!

We agreed that the alumni does not like to be left in the dark. We need more communication and support!!!

Contact your friends who are students, faculty, or staff who are at Gallaudet!!! Check on them!!!

We will be using this blog to keep close contact and post letters.

Lester Morris videotaped our event. Be on the look out at www.deafnorthwest.com.

Make sure your information is updated through WAGUAA contact list.

We collected donations from some people. We raised $279.68! We will mail the check directly to Friends of Tent City =)

4:00 pm - Bison Song with Ronda Johnson and Gerardo DiPietro, alongside with Jeannie Brown as the drummer.

4:30 pm - group picture

4:45 pm - chant "Seattle For FSSA"

[Pseudo] News Release

2006-10-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

TV news report 6.6 magnitude earthquake in Hawaii, happen same time a large Seattle Deaf community protest against student arrests and elections made at Gallaudet University. Connection? Due to lack of captions, more news later.

Deafwest
~John

Tomorrow!

2006-10-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

1) TOMORROW is SEATTLE TENT CITY!!! We need your support!!!! The more people showing up means that we are giving more support to FSSA. Come to LCH 11:00 am to 3:00 pm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2) All 134 students are out of jail now. They are okay. They are tired and exhausted. They had their rally this afternoon 2:30pm and students said "they did their part."

Video of the arrests> check it out at http://www.deafimages.tv

3) The faculty will have a meeting to come up with resolutions.

4) Many alumni plan to take over tonight to let students rest.... More and more alumni will be flying in tonight and tomorrow.

5) Donalda Ammons was NOT arrested. This was in error.

6) Dan Brubaker will represent Seattle tomorrow when he flies into Washington DC.

See you tomorrow!
Go Gally Go!!!

Jeannie

Open Letter from Silvia Lemmo

2006-10-13T22:45:00.000-07:00

To the Gallaudet University's Board of Trustees

To I. King JordanTo Jane K Fernandes

To the FSSA

To Gallaudet's Alumni worldwide

To Gallaudet's Students

To the NAD

To the Deaf Community

Some of you know who I am, some of you may not. So just let me say I am a DEAF Gallaudet Student on LOA.

And as such I am deeply saddened by the current conflict stirring and arousing in Gallaudet's Campus, yet I am hopeful a successful conclusion shall be reached. I just refuse to believe that such intelligent individuals as the B.O.T., the President, and the elected new President of a University for the Deaf, historically recognized nationally and worldwide as the beacon of higher education and excellence in leadership for the Deaf, would let things roll so out of proportions! Something is terribly wrong here. I remember when the D.P.N. movement took place, I was a girl then living in Argentina, and the empowerment it gave me was tremendous! I felt like a fire burning in my belly, and sure enough it kept me running and struggling along all these years by empowering deaf people from developing countries to regain their human right to be a Deaf individual, and to overcome audism forces crushing down their lives. The D.P.N. movement become then sort of the 'pay-it-forward' expansion of this idea of freedom all people strive for, and like an unstoppable wave, it changed the Deaf World all over the globe. Gallaudet University is the motor that bring winds of change and educate us, Deaf people, to be the human beings we ought to be.

And now, where did this force of cohesion went? I see only chaos, vandalism, police raids with arrests, dissention, division, anger, lies, power struggles, accusations, utter madness. Why is this happening? What went wrong?

Lets start with the big picture and go from there, I think perhaps we need to remember in order to regain some perspective back:

After these hundred years afterwards 1880's Milan's Congress banning the use of Sign Language in Deaf Education, Gallaudet University has been historically the epicenter of the Deaf World. The place where a whole culture was kept, and from where the D.P.N. movement sprang forth as the ultimate milestone in Deaf Autonomy. We looked up at I. King Jordan, yet we ignored he was not one of us. We thought it was better to have something than nothing. Indeed his Presidency was nothing short of a total blow of forward expansion, until he got caught into the Cochlear Implant Era.

In fact, we all got caught into it. We were being sucked into a madness of robotized-mill of a whole generation of deaf individuals, whom were denied their rights to access to Sign Language and the core of Deaf Identity. We were being put into the so-called mainstream approach and we became lost, crushed, thrown out, without leadership to look up to. And this generation is coming into college age, thus Gallaudet University surely had to accommodate itself for this new wave of change approaching into its classrooms. And the previous generation of young Deaf leaders become men and women, they went onto living in the world of adulthood, stuck into the comfort zone of non-action and easiness. Yet there is a gap in between them and this new generation of unidentified deaf individuals. Deaf clubs dissappeared in the memory, deaf schools are not stable enough anymore. We have lost our centers. It's like we are sort of returning into these dark audism filled post 1880's years, rendered yet again voiceless, powerless.

*In Denmark, a small-sized country indeed, 3 deaf schools out of 5 were forced to close down because there were not enough deaf students, since the advent of the cochlear implant era. Parents are just denying their children are deaf and send them into the mainstreamed environment of hearing schools! The States is a bigger country, things will not become as evident until later in the no so distant future, but it is coming nonetheless*

The World Federation of the Deaf is being shattered by a lack of support from the participants countries, which in turn are affected by broken economies. Unable to help, to guide. Gallaudet University then comes as the outstanding bastion of Deafhood. All the world look up to it, aspire for it and dream of it. But there is this clash between the business world of corporative powers, which Gallaudet is into as well as all this whole phenomenon of the cochlear implants medical business; against the diminishing number of Deaf students that in the University's business is not foreseen to be good. Thus what one would do in this situation? Does Gallaudet University need to be merged into the business world in order to keep striving? If not, are we able to sustain a university by ourselves? Are we ready? And that is where we are clashing at now. We are being slapped to the reality that we do not have a Deaf President, and the student force lacks leadership as well as identity. They just know something is wrong, they feel it, sense it and they are angry, very angry indeed!

So I think it is perhaps time for us, Deaf leaders of yore and the current Gallaudet's Board of Trustees, the President, the elect new President, the NAD Board, the State Associations, FSSA, GUAA to come together, sit and talk seriously. This madness has gone out of proportions, and we all know there is such a thing as the Deaf World and all that implies. It's time we stop and take onto the responsiblity of leading this new generation of deaf individuals filled by frustrations, rage and starving to belong --into a refreshed and re-energized expansion onto the future. We are a long way from home, there is much yet to come and we need to be ready.

The world is changing and fast. There are wars, scarceness of oil and next it will be drinking water. Economies are cracking and entire countries are toppled down by bankruptcy. There is much power struggle going on that it will explode at some point, and we better be organized for what is to come. We need to be strong, we need to belong into a community, closely networked and aware.

We simply can not continue on losing anymore time like this. We need to sit and talk, we need to overcome this hurdle and keep it in perspective, it is all just about change --the students needs to change, the Gallaudet Administration needs to change, the Deaf community needs to change, we all need to adapt to this new tomorrow that is already here. We need to expand and evolve according to the trends of the time.

And the only way to do this is through an open dialogue. Anger brings chaos; Dialogue brings peace. It is simple as that.

I am 4,000 miles away, sleepless in Seattle and tired. It is tiring to see much hurt, much betrayal. Please lets act as the intelligent Deaf leaders we are and bring an end to this conflict as soon as it can possibly be. Classes must continue and we can not forget these students have already lost oh so much time! They want a whole life back. And we owe a Deaf World to them.

Silvia Lemmo
Seattle, Washington

Rally on Sunday 10/15

2006-10-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

SEATTLE TENT CITY!

WHEN: Sunday, October 15th, 2006

TIME: 11:00 am to 3:00 pm

WHERE: Laurent Clerc Hall (former CSCDHH)
1609 19th Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98122

FOR FOR: To show our support for Gallaudet's FSSA (Faculty, Staff,
Students and Alumni). To share/discuss about the Gallaudet Protest!

Agenda will be posted soon!

Bring your tent! Bring light snacks to share! Come show your SUPPORT!

All Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard-of-Hearing people are welcome to come! Even if you never graduated from Gallaudet, or went to Gallaudet. Feel free to forward to others!!!