Gallaudet Students Continue Protests Against New President

Fernandes, who has been at Gallaudet for 11 years and provost since 2000, was the unanimous choice of the board. She had strong supporters, and even some of her critics said she had the strongest credentials of the three finalists.

"It's very emotional for everyone right now, but I think people will see that she can be a good leader for Gally," said Benjamin Lewis, a senior from San Francisco. "She sends the message that this will be an inclusive university."

"We made history once again," said interim board chairman Celia May Baldwin, "because for the first time we have had open discussions and even debates on campus" about which deaf person could best lead Gallaudet. Baldwin added that the board is thrilled to have someone of Fernandes's caliber taking the job.

But for others, the selection -- which was watched closely not only on campus but also across the country through videos of speeches in American Sign Language and on Web sites filled with emotional debate -- was still divisive.

Things have changed profoundly for deaf people in the generation that followed those who protested in 1988. When the board -- then made up mostly of hearing people -- reversed a decision and chose Jordan to lead the school, it became known as "the day the world heard Gallaudet."

Deaf people talk about pre- and post-DPN (the Deaf President Now movement) and compare Jordan to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for his impact. So since Jordan announced that he would be stepping down at the end of the calendar year, the deaf community has anticipated his successor with intense interest.

Faculty members passed resolutions and signed petitions, alumni sent e-mails and hundreds of students rallied last month. There were so many hits on a Web site on the topic that it froze after the announcement yesterday afternoon.

Students said the vast majority of them did not want Fernandes to be president; they preferred Ronald J. Stern, superintendent and chief executive of the New Mexico School for the Deaf, or Stephen F. Weiner, an associate professor and former dean at Gallaudet.

Although some said the board had made a great effort to get outside opinions, others disagreed.

Some were angry that all of the finalists were white. Some wanted a candidate who would promote "cultural deafness," preferring those who grew up deaf and relied on American Sign Language. Fernandes learned to sign when she was a young woman and can communicate well by speaking or by signing.

Some said they didn't like Fernandes because they thought she was too strict.

And some questioned whether she could be a strong advocate and shine in a role that is so public. "Can she lead a university that represents deaf people to the world?" said Jesse Thomas, a junior from Philadelphia. "I don't think so."