Gallaudet University, the premier higher learning institution for the deaf, had been in turmoil since Dr. Jane K. Fernandes, the university’s provost, was selected as the institution’s newest president, to take office on Jan. 1. Days of demonstrations closed the campus for several days and led to the arrests of more than 100 students. Finally, the board of trustees rescinded its job offer to Fernandes. The protesting students cheered, some burned a cardboard likeness of Fernandes in effigy. Fernandes had been at Gallaudet since 1995, first as vice president of the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, which serves deaf children from birth through grade 12. In 2000, she was promoted to provost. Nearly a week before the board caved to student and faculty protests, Fernandes talked with Diverse correspondent Patricia Valdata about her efforts to ease tensions at the university, the double standard imposed on female leaders and the need for more inclusion at Gallaudet. Fernandes, who learned sign language at the age of 23, chose to sign instead of speak during the interview. Beth Graham interpreted.
DI: What were you doing over the summer months to prepare for the presidency?
JF: Since May, I’ve had small group meetings with faculty, staff and students. I asked them to come and help me, to give me ideas as to how the university and I can move forward together. All of those meetings were very productive. Some of those meetings would go on for three hours, with people in the protest being very emotional and expressing their strong beliefs of what Gallaudet needs to do. That went on through the summer as well as into the fall. And I decided to teach a first-year seminar class. I thought that would help our freshmen to bond with me and understand who I am and understand other students better.
DI: Do you think that’s happened?
JF: Yes, I feel the bond did happen until the protest was reunified. Things were going very well. I really enjoyed being back in the classroom and the class was just terrific. It was a very exciting class until the protest occurred. When I would walk to my class, protestors would line up waiting for me in the hallway. It was very disruptive to the class, so I decided that I should have another faculty member take over for me.
