Gallaudet Board Chief Steps Down

Last night, a university spokesman said Fernandes and Jordan declined to comment.

"I'm sad to learn of her resignation," senior Anthony Mowl, a member of the coalition that has been protesting, said in an e-mail last night, "because we were really counting on her support this week as we try to educate the rest of the board on our issues. We feel that we really reached her during her visit here, and wish that she could have stayed on to try and fix this. I'm even more disappointed about the threats she's received, because our protest is practicing civility to the fullest. These threats are harming our cause."

Baldwin and trustee Tom Humphries came to campus last week to talk with demonstrators and others before the full board meets tomorrow. Two of those who spoke with her in recent days said she had tears of concern after one meeting.

A forum on campus Friday night turned confrontational as students, staff and others demanded answers; one professor told the two board members the process was rigged.

Yesterday afternoon, in a speech at the National Press Club, Jordan talked about the 1988 Deaf President Now student protests that made him the first deaf university president and helped accelerate such changes as the Americans With Disabilities Act.

He said the current protests are very different and that Fernandes has a bold vision for the future and outstanding credentials, and he invited the protesters to sit down with them to talk about making the school better.

Downstairs, people in "Unity for Gallaudet" T-shirts dismissed that idea. "It's a hollow gesture. . . ." said professor Carol Erting, because the school's leaders have been getting the same messages for a long time but ignoring them.

Fernandes said after Jordan's speech that the no-confidence votes by the faculty Monday night hadn't changed her mind. A poll of professors taken before she was appointed by the board showed little support for her.

It's been difficult, Fernandes said, both for herself and the school, because it has brought up issues people hadn't talked about much. "We can get through this," she said, "because we all believe strongly in Gallaudet. . . . We all need to come together."