Fernandes Expresses Resolve to Lead Gallaudet

Ray Cotton, a lawyer who specializes in presidential contracts, said that under normal circumstances, the board shouldn't be diving into the daily affairs at the school. "But this is a crisis, a legitimate crisis," he said. "I realize they're volunteers, but there is a set of responsibilities that comes with being a trustee. You can't walk away from that."

Trustee Frank Wu wrote in an e-mail that he could not talk about board decisions but added, "Part of the issue here is that many people have developed expectations about the role of a university governing board and of individual Trustees that isn't appropriate for any school. . . . It is difficult to explain to the public, especially the protesters, that the Board of Trustees owes its fiduciary duties to the university itself, not to the various different parts of a diverse deaf world."

Some students say the administration allows discrimination against deaf people, such as having security officers who are unable to sign well enough to make themselves understood in emergencies. Zibby Bayarsky of Riverside, Calif., whose son is a Gallaudet senior, said some of his professors can't sign well enough to lead a coherent class discussion.

Fernandes has said she is devising a plan that, if approved by the board, will create minimum American Sign Language competency levels for faculty members. ASL and visual learning will always be essential at Gallaudet, she said.

The conflict is complicated by all the interconnections in the deaf community. Some of those who are opposed to Fernandes were candidates or have business or family ties to other candidates.

Yesterday, protesters went to Capitol Hill to lobby for support. Alumni kept arriving even though the administration postponed homecoming this weekend.

A group of students and faculty and staff members announced yesterday that it had collected 300 signatures on a petition calling for a return to education at Gallaudet. One student, David King, said one of his professors had missed seven consecutive class sessions.

Fernandes said yesterday, "I would really like to see this come to an end, for the good of Gallaudet. I'd do anything to make that happen."

Staff writer Daniel de Vise contributed to this report.