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Shortly after the appointment of Jane K. Fernandes on May 1, 2006, as president of Gallaudet University, a storm of protests erupted from students, faculty, and alumni.
Protesters decried the search process, citing a lack of diversity among the candidates seriously considered. They opposed Fernandes' appointment for a number of reasons, including her leadership style and decisions she had made during her six years as university provost. Protesters stated that she was not the best person to address the lack of diversity, the declining enrollment, and the four-year graduation rate of 6%, according the National Center for Education Statistics. They also claimed that Fernandes, who uses speech, speechreading, and ASL, was "not deaf enough."
Protesters erected a tent city outside the main entrance on Florida Avenue last spring. In the fall, they returned to their city with demonstrations that culminated in hunger strikes, a blockade of all campus entrances, and a campus takeover that led to the arrest of 134 students. The students then marched to the U.S. Capitol. The university receives $108 million annually in federal funding.
The impasse broke when Gallaudet's Board of Trustees bowed to the demands of the protesters and revoked Fernandes' appointment on Oct. 30. Silent cheers of celebration spread across the campus. Following the decision, Sen. John McCain resigned from the board, followed by Chair Brenda Jo Brueggermann. Vice Chair Pamela Holmes became chair. Frank Wu, of Wayne State University, was named vice chair. The 134 students who were arrested face university sanctions. Meanwhile, Gallaudet's board of trustees selected Robert R. Davila, who is deaf, as interim president to lead the university for up to two years while the school conducts a new search for a permanent president.
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