Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006
Dear Dr. I. King Jordan and the Board of Trustees,
The Canadian Association of the Deaf (CAD) is the national organization of Deaf Canadians, which includes several hundreds of past, present, and future Gallaudet University students. We are concerned and disappointed with the current crisis surrounding the selection of Jane Fernandes as the incoming President of Gallaudet. We feel the procedure has not been transparent.
We are also upset with your administration’s handling of the student protests. It has been heavy-handed, arbitrary, and authoritarian. Whether or not you regard your selection of Dr. Fernandes to have been fair, there is no excuse for the severe backlash against the students. The students obviously believe they have a very valid rationale for their objections to the selection, and it is your responsibility and your duty to respond to their objections in a controlled, reasonable, and conciliatory manner.
The CAD feels you, Dr. Jordan, have sullied your otherwise excellent reputation and legacy by your actions, and that the Board of Trustees have been negligent in encouraging and supporting such actions. As a result, both of you have lost credibility.
We believe it is in the best interests of not only Gallaudet University but the world Deaf community that the Board members resign, Dr. Fernandes and President Jordan both step aside, and a completely transparent procedure be put in place for the selection of the next President. Student representatives must be included in this procedure.
Sincerely,
Sheila Carlin
CAD President
1 Comment
October 18, 2006 at 4:35 pm
Well said. My sentiments exactly.
Henry ‘66