Unity for Gallaudet

The Unity for Gallaudet Movement is a protest movement started by students, faculty and alumni of Gallaudet University and other sympathizers who do not support the nomination of Dr. Jane Fernandes as president of the university. I. King Jordan, Gallaudet University's previous president who was brought into the office as a result of the Deaf President Now Movement announced his retirement for the end of 2006. His successor was narrowed to three possible candidates - the two that were eliminated were Ronald Stern and Stephen Weiner, leaving Fernandes the presidency.

Critics of the protest, including Jordan, claimed that the protestors felt Fernandes was "not deaf enough", because despite being born with a hearing impairment, she did not learn ASL until adulthood. However, many of the protestors objected to Fernandes on organizational grounds, claiming that she was not in touch with the students, and ill-liked by the faculty.

Ultimately, these protests forced the board of trustees rescinded its appointment of Fernandes. The board appointed Robert Davila as the interim president of the college for the next two years.

On May 1, 2006, Celia May Baldwin, the chairperson of Board of Trustees, announced Dr. Jane Fernandes as the 9th president of Gallaudet University. During the announcement, Ryan Commerson, a graduate student well known for being outspoken about his views, calmly stood up and uttered a single sentence before he walked out of the auditorium where he was immediately removed by campus security. As a result, there was an unspoken and unplanned exodus of students and recent alumni to the center of campus from the auditorium and several other announcement viewing areas.

Sworn in that day as the Student Body Government president, the newly elected Noah Beckman got up on the same temporary stage where he was sworn in. He accepted strong suggestions from alumni leaders to move to the front gate of Gallaudet, echoing the historical Deaf President Now movement. That evening, students refused to move from the area, and when a couple people came up with the idea to bring tents to sleep in, Tent City was born.

This stage of the protest focused on the forming of the Faculty, Students, Staff and Alumni Association (FSSA). The FSSA was basically a council of representatives from each body, including minority organizations, which had a history of being overlooked by the administration headed by President I. King Jordan and Provost Jane K. Fernandes. FSSA council meetings were very emotional and angry meetings that vented years of frustration, claiming the administration used management by intimidation on all the representative bodies, resulting in disconnection from the true spirit of the University, which was to promote the higher education of deaf students all over the world.

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