SBG OFFICIAL STATEMENT
We want our next Gallaudet President to be a leader who will transcend the pathological approach to deaf education and embrace bi-lingualism; reject insular, vertical leadership styles for deaf-centric, horizontal leadership models. We want a president who can address critical issues at Gallaudet, from low academic expectations to poor community morale, in which Jane Fernandes during her 6-year tenure as Provost has demonstrated an inability to make significant progress. She has created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among the faculty and never followed through with her promised implementation of the Audism Mandates, failing to recognize deaf and hard-of-hearing students' communication rights.
The Board of Trustees has revealed itself to be oblivious to the real Spirit of Gallaudet by making their choice contrary to the Gallaudet community's wants and needs. Faculty, staff, students, and alumni were constantly promised by the Presidential Search Committee that their views would be heavily weighed by feedback forms, polls, and open forums with the candidates.
And yet, when in an official GSA poll, 65.9% of graduate students found Fernandes to be unacceptable; when in an official SBG poll, 81% of undergraduate students found Fernandes to be unacceptable; and when in an official faculty poll, 63% of the faculty body found Fernandes to be unacceptable, and after we all submitted countless feedback forms in favor of the other two candidates, and especially in opposition to Jane Fernandes, the Board of Trustees STILL chose her.
And hence we have two demands:
1. Jane Fernandes resign as President and the search process be re-opened.
2. No reprisals for students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
We want our next Gallaudet President to be a leader who will transcend the pathological approach to deaf education and embrace bi-lingualism; reject insular, vertical leadership styles for deaf-centric, horizontal leadership models. We want a president who can address critical issues at Gallaudet, from low academic expectations to poor community morale, in which Jane Fernandes during her 6-year tenure as Provost has demonstrated an inability to make significant progress. She has created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among the faculty and never followed through with her promised implementation of the Audism Mandates, failing to recognize deaf and hard-of-hearing students' communication rights.
The Board of Trustees has revealed itself to be oblivious to the real Spirit of Gallaudet by making their choice contrary to the Gallaudet community's wants and needs. Faculty, staff, students, and alumni were constantly promised by the Presidential Search Committee that their views would be heavily weighed by feedback forms, polls, and open forums with the candidates.
And yet, when in an official GSA poll, 65.9% of graduate students found Fernandes to be unacceptable; when in an official SBG poll, 81% of undergraduate students found Fernandes to be unacceptable; and when in an official faculty poll, 63% of the faculty body found Fernandes to be unacceptable, and after we all submitted countless feedback forms in favor of the other two candidates, and especially in opposition to Jane Fernandes, the Board of Trustees STILL chose her.
And hence we have two demands:
1. Jane Fernandes resign as President and the search process be re-opened.
2. No reprisals for students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
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