DCARA Open Letter

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Dear: Ms. Brenda Brueggerman, Interim Chair, Gallaudet University Board of Trustees

Members, Gallaudet University Board of Trustees

Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency (DCARA), one of the first Deaf-run agencies in the country to provide a range of comprehensive services to Deaf and hard of hearing people and their families in the San Francisco Bay Area, reiterates its support to the Faculty Staff Student Alumni Coalition (FSSA) which has demanded that the Gallaudet University’s Board of Trustees re-open the Presidential search process (including the resignation of Dr. Jane K. Fernandes as the 9th President) and that there be no reprisals against the students, alumni, staff and faculty who are involved in this protest. We share the same sentiments that the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), Gallaudet University Alumni Association, Faculty Officers’ Advisory Committee, and many concerned Deaf communities across America have expressed – that the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees and the I. King Jordan administration take immediate and constructive action to restore open dialogue trust and credibility at the University.

Gallaudet is the world’s only liberal arts university for the Deaf. Gallaudet is a symbol of hope for all Deaf people living in America and worldwide who want to further their education and develop their leadership skills. Gallaudet is synonymous with the ideals of leadership, innovation and open dialogue among people. People have, for 142 years since the establishment of Gallaudet in 1864, looked to Gallaudet to be the epitome of these ideals. Unfortunately, this long-standing international reputation has been seriously tarnished in recent days by the Board of Trustees’ lack of leadership and lack of action and by the blatant disregard of FSSA’s demands by President I. King Jordan and his administration.

The Board of Trustees did not take proactive steps at its biannual meeting last week to increase communication among the many constituents at Gallaudet University. The Board of Trustees has not quelled the increasing discord that is happening on Gallaudet’s campus. As a result, the Board of Trustees has shown its ineffectiveness as a governing Board and should take responsibility for allowing the tensions on campus to escalate further.

In addition, President Jordan’s administration has severely damaged its credibility by the lack of leadership in effectively addressing FSSA’s concerns the last few months. The administration has had chances to address the issues of discordance with the campus as a whole. Instead, President Jordan proclaimed at the National Association of the Deaf Biennial Convention in July that “there was no crisis at Gallaudet.” And, instead, President Jordan has not allowed Gallaudet University Alumni Association access to its own email list to communicate with alumni. It should come as no surprise to anyone that the crisis at Gallaudet has reached a boiling point now.

Board of Trustees: We were waiting in May. We are still waiting. Please step forward now. Please listen to our concerns. Please act accordingly to implement leadership and dialogue among all constituents that will truly restore Gallaudet’s once stellar reputation as an educational institution that cultivates tomorrow’s Deaf leaders.

United for a better Gallaudet,

James R. Brune Kenneth Mikos

Interim Chief Executive Officer President, DCARA Board of Directors

CC: Barbara Boxer, United States Senator, California
Diane Feinstein, United States Senator, California

CC: Faculty Staff Student Alumni Coalition (FSSA)

CC: Noreen Yates, Vice President, DCARA Board of Directors

Don Baer, Secretary, DCARA Board of Directors
Dodi Ellis, Treasurer, DCARA Board of Directors
Clark Brooke, Member, DCARA Board of Directors
Jenny Cantrell, Member, DCARA Board of Directors
Cat Cassidy, Member, DCARA Board of Directors
Raine Cheng, Member, DCARA Board of Directors
Charles Farr, Member, DCARA Board of Directors
Timothy Gough, Member, DCARA Board of Directors
Jeannie Leighton, Member, DCARA Board of Directors
Michael Mac Aulay, Member, DCARA Board of Directors
Karina Pedersen, Member, DCARA Board of Directors
Elisabeth Ann Prinz, Member, DCARA Board of Directors
Phillip Smith, Member, DCARA Board of Directors