Source of Gallaudet Turmoil Is Up for Debate

Fernandes and Supporters See Resistance to Progress; Protesters Cite Poor Leadership

Months into a bitter dispute between protesters and leaders of Gallaudet University, the two sides disagree not only on whether Jane K. Fernandes should be the next president of the school for the deaf -- but even on what the fight is about.

So as protests paralyzed the school this month and prompted mass arrests, hunger strikes, lockdowns, support rallies across the country and a march to Capitol Hill, many people outside the campus are still asking:

Just what are the protesters so mad about, anyway?

To Fernandes and her supporters, it's one issue. She's trying to lead the school forward at a time when technologies such as cochlear implants are dramatically changing deaf culture, while her opponents are clinging to a separate deaf community reliant on American Sign Language rather than immersion in the hearing world. They say Fernandes has become the symbol of a future that her critics are resisting.

Her opponents say she's distorting their arguments -- and in a deliberately divisive way. They say the protests are fundamentally about her inability to lead, an unfair selection process and longstanding problems at the school that have been ignored.

During her tenure as provost, critics say, morale among faculty and staff declined. She asked for input but often ignored it, they say. She was dismissive, unfriendly. They point to troubles such as a scathing report from the federal government including details of chronically low graduation rates.

Fernandes's handling of the protests this past month, with the situation worsening rather than being resolved, only proves her failure as a leader, opponents say. After asking for change for so long, they're fed up with being ignored.

However the dispute is viewed, there's no question that the 1,800-student school is in turmoil over whether Fernandes should become president in January. The debate continues to evolve and broaden, with protesters directing their anger increasingly at outgoing President I. King Jordan and the board of trustees, which picked Fernandes.

Her supporters have been shocked by mean-spirited personal attacks and threats. She described the protests as "anarchy and terrorism."

But the protesters keep asking: How can Fernandes lead, if no one is following?

Standing in front of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, junior Chris Corrigan looked at the 2,000 or so protesters, students, faculty, alumni and staff and asked: "Have you ever seen anything stronger, more united?"

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