G'day Everyone:
I knew this was going to appear sooner or later before Hurwitz was installed as President at Gallaudet. I had every hope that the Protesters of Gallaudet University 2006 (AKA Unity for Gallaudet (UfG)) would lay low and stay quiet for all our sakes. But, no they had *to inform the world* of their "Victory". AGAIN!
Link: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/01/prweb3392964.htm
At what price is their "victory"? This is not victory. This is the rubbing of an "IN YOUR FACE GALLAUDET BOARD OF TRUSTEES!" kind of thing. It's not proper at all. It would have been better to just congratulate the Board of Trustees, Davila, and welcome Hurwitz to the continued line of Gallaudet Presidents. The Protesters points of view have been made long ago. But, I think the Gallaudet Board of Trustees are reminded again of how much more law and order is needed on the campus of Gallaudet in the coming years ahead. How much of will it cost for students to set up a future protest on campus? I hope to never see another one happen at all. Look at the years:
In 1988 the Gallaudet Protesters (who were of the Deaf President Now movement or DPN) went against the GU Board of Trustees over the selection of a hearing woman: Elizabeth Zinser. Zinser would later resign and I. King Jordan would start his long tenure to happen as the first Deaf President. The Jordan years were ok, until the very end of it. This protest is what changed the world and made life better for the Deaf community.
When President Jordan said he would step down October 2005, the year long process began the start the next drama that would lead right into controversial selection of Jane K. Fernandes by the GU Board of Trustees. That was when the moment of time the students revolted and protested against the GU Board of Trustees over the decision. Tent Cities appeared in a sympathetic movement for the Gallaudet Protesters for the remainder of Spring 2006.
Don't forget that Gallaudet University had it's most embarrassing moment in it's long history when Jane K. Fernandes didn't step down from her provost office in time before the 2005 graduation ceremony. She was listed as Provost / President-elect of GU. It wasn't until hours after the graduation ceremony was over, she was told to step out of the provost office or else. She complied and stepped down.
By Fall 2006 Tent City II began and the tone of the protest shifted. Instead of protesting against the Board of Trustees, which was the proper thing to do, it had degraded into personal attacks on Jane K. Fernandes and I. Jordan and protesters fought in a daily drama of public relations battle on TV, Radio, and blogs. The blog world was on fire and full of pros and cons.
President Jordan grew tired of seeing the protesters blocking the 8th street gate for days on end and finally ordered the entire mob arrested on that dark Friday. Only that the DC police would take away those that were willing to be arrested. Worth the "victory" to have a police record for life or as a protester's badge of courage? I don't think so. Jordan was well within his rights to see order restored on university property.
So what drew the Gallaudet Board of Trustees finally fire and dispose Jane K. Fernandes out of her contract? How about threat of the number of hunger strikers who were close to life threatening illnesses? That's what drew the Board of Trustees to finally draw the line. Only as long as the student protest leaders were to immediately get ambulances and haul the hunger strike protesters to the area hospitals for emergency treatment at the moment Jane K. had stepped down. It is no victory when the threat of human life is in danger. It is not worth that celebration to have happen. It was insanity and stupid.
The final formal end of the Gallaudet Protesters came when President Davila was named as first as an Interim President. He would be later named as the 9th President. That was it. Point was made and clearly heard.
We need not to be reminded of how much these student protesters risked their necks when our world is in an age of a terrorist war going on. We were an open and tempting target in the city of Washington, DC for someone that could have brought a bomb and set it off among the crowd on campus. That is not victory to celebrate about. But rather thank God for God's protection. Why?
Think of how much work the GU Department of Public Safety and DC Metro Police Department had to do to insure the student protesters were safe inside and outside the campus every day. That's a lot of number of man-hours worth of work. This is not the protesters victory to celebrate about either. This should be a day that the protesters should THANK the GU Department of Public Safety and DC Metro Police Dept for all their hard work that they done in 2006.
No, my friends, as I remind again the final victory of the protesters was celebrated the moment Davila became 9th President. It was the conclusion of that celebration was when Davila was honored to leave our campus to prepare for the incoming 10th President Dr. Alan Hurwitz.
It's time for the Gallaudet Protesters to stop shoving the GU Board of Trustees. It's time for respect now between the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees and the Students. It's time now to formally welcome and celebrate Dr. Hurwitz as the 10th President of Gallaudet University.
It's also time for Dr. Alan Hurwitz to impose law and order on the campus of Gallaudet University and insure that no more student lead protests or riots happen again in the future. 2 protests are ENOUGH!
This is the new slate that we all wanted to see happen now. This is a new chapter of history now on this campus of Gallaudet University. This campus needs a good beginning again and Dr. Hurwitz is at it's very start at the helm.
If we have not learned anything about the last 21 years of our lives, then we are doomed to repeat again later in the future with more disastrous consequences. Let us hope it doesn't happen again at all!
To the student leaders of the future of GU: do yourselves a favor, get a lawyer and use the law and the courts to your advantage. If the protesters of 2006 had done just that, we might have had a better outcome than the mess we have today.
Let's hope Gallaudet University's future is brighter than ever. Good luck, Dr. Hurwitz and welcome as our 10th President. Bring Law and Order to this campus and stabilize it as much as possible.
Semper FI.
6 comments:
To argue your point, I was a protester and I know I speak for a lot of the past protesters that they are happy Hurwitz got the position, but I'm not congratulating him on behalf of this so called Gallyprotest.org - that site is run by one person only. Like for instance, "not deaf enough" was instigated by a secret group of "protesters" that wasnt in tune with fssa and they made it seem like it was the fssa's statement. wrong, wrong.
dont stereotype us all :)
i still say this as an ALUMNA, congrats, dr hurwitz.
It's impossible to have a victory when the only goals scored, were against yourself. The overall view is this set us all back 25 years. The ugly face of deaf power.
In my opinion I would like to see gallyprotest .org group closed. There is no point to have anymore protest in the future at Gallaudet University. The last protest, I was totally embarrassed as an Alumni to see what they did. To have some of the hungry strike was worst in my opinion. I never supported the last protest at Gallaudet University as it was the worst kind of protest I have ever
seen. I was part of the 1988 protest at Gallaudet and I
support that one. Any protest that
happen in the future at Gallaudet
University will do more harm than
good. I am glad that the gallaudet.
org protest welcome the new President at Gallaudet without
any ounces of protest.
Jim.. I second the motion!
Brian Riley, your days as Gallyprotest.org are pretty much over. Please close it! Thank you!
The Gallaudet protest in 2006 had clear goals which were clearly achieved: the prevention of a ridiculous power grab by a power-mad individual (Provost AND President-Elect? Do we really need the reams of external evidence?)
But this seems like a ridiculous post - who's protesting Hurwitz? Nobody that I know. Sounds like you needed something to write about :)
GallyProtest.org has served its original purpose. Now it needs a new purpose - why not organize those at Gallaudet University towards national actions benefiting the Deaf community in the way the original protest did?
MM - you're too funny! I don't think the selection of Robert Davila - a sign-language using political expert with years of experience in the real world - set us back 25 years. Rather, I think it gave us the first real Deaf president.
I don't think Fernadez would agree or the very FIRST deaf prez you had, who was dumped very quickly by the fickle rabble-rousers of Gally, whose statue was attacked, and other students prevented from their lawful access to an a education.
You must be reading different views to the rest of us out here ! Good job the current pres is 'Deaf enough' and so long as he toes the militant cultural line.... or he will be going the same way, gally wanted a yes man they got it... remains to be seen if they can repair the huge damage to the deaf in AMerica, and to the credibility or viability, of an all-deaf University.
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