Plea to Dr. Brueggemann from Chriz Dally

From Chriz Dally
Thu, 19 Oct 2006 17:36:46
Just FYI- I sent off this letter to each trustee that had an email. I am trying to fax to Mc Cain and Woolsey but their fax numbers not accepting, maybe because it is after hours. Will try again in am.

From: Chriz Dally
Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 3:58 PM
To: 'brueggemann.1@osu.edu'
Subject: Please help and end the Gallaudet crisis

Dear Dr. Brenda Jo Brueggemann:

I am a Deaf woman writing to you from Pleasant Hill, California. I
graduated from Gallaudet University in 2004, with a master in Counseling. I write to you with grave concerns about the events of the past several weeks at Gallaudet, which you, no doubt, are aware of. I plead with you to ACT and help Gallaudet come to an end with this crisis and the only way that we can move forward is to ask Jane K. Fernandes to resign from
President-Select. I also ask that you ensure that there are no reprisals for those who are involved with the peaceful protest.

I read the 10/19/06 Washington Post article by Susan Kinzie, and I was appalled with a couple of statements that Ms. Fernandes made in an email to you: "what we are dealing with on campus is anarchy and terrorism." I strongly disagree with this statement, as from what I have seen from friends emailing me from Gallaudet, countless blogs, and news is that the protestors have conducted this as peacefully as possible, attempted to create dialogue with the administration without much success. Yes, they are causing civil disobedience, but only to make a point, and they have the STRONG support of thousands across the USA and around the world. You can see for yourself by going to www.joeybaer.com which posts videos of many deaf communities showing support behind the protestors. To me, the statement made by Ms. Fernandes clearly shows her inability to distinguish what the reasons behind the protestors' behaviors are. She obviously believes she is the best person for the job, and has stated repeatingly that Gallaudet would be worse off if she resigned. Now I have no doubt that she has a strong sense of belief in herself and that her credentials on paper are strong. Unfortunately, she, and only her alone, is being held hostage by her own limited emotional context of the moment. She has not been able to reach out and try to understand others. She is not able to analyze the severity of the situation and the fact that she would be entering the presidency without a majority of the Faculty having expressed THREE times over an 11 year period that they do not have confidence in her leadership! Just last week, the Faculty met in the largest ever faculty meeting and voted 82% that she MUST go! Yet the next day, she says that the faculty members are just being affected by the protest, which is a major insult! This limitation and mindset is blinding her to realizing that her words and actions come out as blatantly arrogant, which just enrages further not just the students, faculty, alumni, but people around the world! Her words certainly enrages me!

The second comment that she made in this article was that if she were asked to leave or be fired, "the University and in particular the Board of Trustees will undergo intense scrutiny from Congress. I venture to guess Congress will ask why you did not perform your fiduciary duties to the University. And you will have to explain." To me, this statement was a veiled, but obvious, threat! This only goes on to prove what many faculty and staff have been saying over the years about her management style. She manages by intimidation. I could go on and on about what I heard from others and what I read about what she has done to many people. If you need more specific information about her management style, please go and talk with faulty and staff who can share what they have experienced.

Please understand my appeal in this letter. Ms. Fernandes does not have the true mark of a leader and she does not contain certain set of skills required for a successful University President. Please have the courage to "hear us" and act in the best interests of Gallaudet University and the Deaf Community. Dr. I. King Jordan is unable to solve this crisis on his own. He has lost the respect of SO MANY people that his power as President is over. Please take over and ask Ms. Fernandes to resign, re-open the search process for a new president, and ensure no reprisals to those involved in the protest. Thank you for taking the time out of your valuable schedule to read my email.

Unity for Gallaudet!

Chriz Dally
Alunmi '04