Gallaudet University
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| Image:GallaudetSeal.gif
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| Motto | Ephphatha (Aramaic: Be opened) |
|---|---|
| Established | 1864 |
| Type | "Private" |
| Endowment | $146,541,538 |
| President | I. King Jordan
Retires January 1, 2007 |
| Staff | 293 |
| Undergraduates | 1,274 |
| Postgraduates | 466 |
| Location | Washington, District of Columbia, USA |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | Buff and Blue |
| Mascot | Bison |
| Website | http://www.gallaudet.edu/ |
Gallaudet University is a federally chartered, private<ref>http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/gallaudet.html</ref> university located in Washington, D.C. It was the first school for the advanced education of the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and is still the world's only university in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. The university was named after Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a notable figure in the advancement of deaf education.
Gallaudet University is a bilingual community in which American Sign Language and English exist side-by-side. While there are no specific ASL requirements for undergraduates, many graduate programs have sign language proficiency requirements.
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[edit] History
In 1856, philanthropist Amos Kendall became aware of several deaf and blind children in Washington, DC who were not receiving proper care. Kendall had the courts declare the children to be his wards, and donated two acres of his land to establish housing and a school for them. [1]
In 1857, the 34th Congress passed HR 806, which chartered Kendall's school as the Columbia Institution for the instruction of the deaf and dumb and the blind and provided funding for the tuition of indigent deaf, dumb, or blind children belonging to the District. [2]
In 1864, the 38th Congress authorized the Institution to grant and confirm college degrees. [3]
In 1865, the 38th Congress removed the instruction that the Institution was to educate the blind, and renamed it the "Columbia Institution for the instruction of the Deaf and Dumb"
In 1954, Congress amended the charter of the Institution, and renamed it "Gallaudet College". [4]
In 1986, Congress again amended the charter of the Institution, and renamed it "Gallaudet University".
[edit] Deaf President Now (1988)
Student strikes at Gallaudet University starting March 6, 1988 revolutionized the perception and education of Deaf culture. Deaf students were outraged at the selection of another hearing president, Elisabeth Zinser, after a long line of university presidents who were not deaf. Alumni, faculty, staff, and students demanded that the next president of the university be deaf. After a week of protest and activism, Zinser resigned and was replaced by I. King Jordan. This movement became known as Deaf President Now (DPN).
[edit] Gallaudet United Now Movement (2006)
Dr. Jordan announced his retirement in September 2005. On May 1, 2006, the University's Board of Trustees announced that Dr. Jane K. Fernandes, the University's current provost, would be the University's next president. This was met with protests from the student body.
According to The Washington Post, "Students objected to the appointment of Fernandes, who is deaf and is currently the university's provost, because she did not grow up using American Sign Language. Some students also criticized Fernandes for not having warm relations with students." [5] The Deaf Professional Network also stated that, before the appointment was announced, some students "objected strenuously to the fact that one of three finalists, Dr. Jane Fernandes, does not have a fluent grasp of American Sign Language. Those students felt that disrupting the process would be a futile battle and wanted to focus on endorsing a candidate who exhibits commitment to and fluency in ASL." Dr. Jordan publicly accused some critics of rejecting Dr. Fernandes because "she is not deaf enough". He described the protest as "identity politics," saying, "We are squabbling about what it means to be deaf." [6] The Washington Post reports that Fernandes "would like to see the institution become more inclusive of people who might not have grown up using sign language," stating that Gallaudet must embrace "all kinds of deaf people".[7] On the other hand, the opponents of her position "fear a weakening of American Sign Language at an institution that should be its standard-bearer."[8]
Protestors say that Fernandes have been distorting their arguments, and that the causes of the protest are about her inability to lead, an unfair selection process and longstanding problems at the school. <ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/22/AR2006102201086.html</ref>
Throughout the spring 2006 protest, students blocked entrances to the Gallaudet campus, held rallies, and set up tents near the University's main entrance. The Board of Trustees has reiterated that it stands by its decision. However, Celia May Baldwin, the chief of the board resigned from her position stating that, "The presidential search and the controversy that has ensued have put enormous strain and stress on me. I simply could not ignore the numerous aggressive threats I have received over the past weeks. I cannot express how disappointed I am that it has to come to this point." [9] Fernandes, who will serve as president-designate until Jordan retires at the end of the year, has promised that she will not step down. On May 8, the faculty gave a vote of no confidence for Dr. Fernandes.
When the fall 2006 academic year resumed, some students, faculty, staff, and alumni continued their protest, calling for Fernandes to step down and the for the presidential search to be done again. On October 11, a group of protesting students shut down the campus. On October 16 at a regularly scheduled meeting, 138 faculty members voted to remove Dr. Fernandes from the upcoming January presidency. Twenty-four were against the motion.<ref>http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20061017-010219-1715r.htm</ref> On October 13, 133 students were arrested under the orders of current President I. King Jordan after ignoring university warnings not to block entrances to school buildings.<ref>http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GALLAUDET_PROTEST?SITE=UTSAC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT</ref>
Tim Rarus, a former student and one of the 1988 Deaf President Now leaders, was among those arrested at Gallaudet University. Just before he was arrested, he shouted, "I helped put you in office, now you're arresting me!". <ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/14/AR2006101400375_3.html</ref> Jane Fernandes has recently stated that "I really don't understand. So I have to believe it's not about me .. I believe it's about evolution and change and growth in the deaf community."<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/14/AR2006101400375_2.html?nav=hcmodule</ref>
On October 29, the university withdrew the appointment of Jane Fernandes, in response to the protests that lasted throughout much of the month of October. The Board of Trustees has said that even though they have decided to terminate Fernandes's appointment, they will still hold those who violated University regulations and DC law accountable.<ref>http://news.gallaudet.edu/?id=9633 </ref>
[edit] Federal Involvement
While the university and the Department of Education assert that Gallaudet is a "federally chartered, private, non-profit educational institution," the federal government does play various roles within the institution<ref name=GAO>U.S. General Accounting Office for the Committee on Government Operations, Profiles of Existing Government Corporations--A Study, December 1988, p. 125-130.</ref>:
- Congress incorporated the Columbia institution in 1857, significantly amended its charter in 1954 and authorizing permanent congressional appropriations. In 1986, Congress passed the Education of the Deaf Act and amended it in 1992. These Congressional acts are part of "the supreme law of Gallaudet University."<ref>http://www.gallaudet.edu/x2019.xml</ref>
- The diplomas of all Gallaudet graduates are signed by the current U.S. President. <ref>http://www.gallaudet.edu/x228.xml</ref>
- Three members of Congress are appointed to the university's Board of Trustees as "Public Members."<ref>http://www.gallaudet.edu/x245.xml</ref>
- Gallaudet must provide annual reports to the Secretary of Education.<ref>http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d102:HR05483:@@@D&summ2=m&</ref>
- "Gallaudet receives the bulk of its income in the form of an annual appropriation from Congress, and the Department of Education oversees the University's appropriation for the Federal government."<ref>http://af.gallaudet.edu/budget.asp</ref>
[edit] Athletics
Gallaudet athletes and teams compete in Division III of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) in the disciplines of baseball, basketball, cross country running, football, indoor track, outdoor track, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling. Their colors are buff and blue.
The football huddle originated at Gallaudet when the team noticed that their opponents were trying to read their signs in order to guess their plays.
After an undefeated season in 2005, which was achieved after 122 years, Coach Ed Hottle began his campaign to return to the NCAA ranks. With support from the Gallaudet administration, the Bison will play their last season of club football in 2006, and then play a full NCAA slate of eight games in 2007.
In 2006, the Gallaudet womens' volleyball team ended their season 30-10 after a history-making run to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Division III tournament. Tamijo Foronda, a senior outside hitter, was named to the AVCA All-American Team.
[edit] Research
The Gallaudet Research Institute (GRI) conducts deafness-related research concerning the demographic and academic characteristics of deaf and hard of hearing populations, primarily to provide information needed by educators in the field.
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] General
[edit] Presidential search controversy-related
- Gallaudet University Now Movement
- Dr. Fernandes' biography
- Washington Post coverage of the controversy [10][11][12][13][14]
- Chronicles of Deaf Higher Education: Search for the Next Gallaudet President[15]
- FSSA (the coalition protesting the selection of Dr. Fernandes as the 9th president)
- Gallyprotest (protest group analyzing the legal issues involved)
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fr:Université Gallaudet nl:Gallaudet-universiteit ja:ギャローデット大学 pl:Uniwersytet Gallaudeta zh:高立德大學
