Many celebrated Fernandes' revocation as president and one student group went as far as to burn Fernandes in effigy. In turn, Fernandes donned a medallion of Joan of Arc, the French warrior burned at stake.
"Students objected to the appointment of Jane Fernandes," reported The Washington Post, "because she did not grow up using American Sign Language (ASL). Some students also criticized Fernandez for not having warm relations with students."
Fernandes is deaf, but since she can lip read, communicate orally without barriers and only learned ASL at age 23, some think she is "not deaf enough" and unfamiliar with deaf culture. Students who want to remain elitist are opposed to Fernandes' unwillingness to establish an ASL-only environment on campus, as well as her intentions to open Gallaudet's doors to deaf who use hearing aids.
In addition to accusing Fernandes of being inadequately committed to fighting audism (discrimination of the deaf), some have also accused her of racism, because an African-American candidate for the position was turned down. The discontent these allegations have roused are reflected in the fact that 82 percent of the faculty favored a no-confidence vote.
Past protests in opposition to Fernandes' appointment were riotous. Back in May, when Fernandes was appointed president-designate, The Washington Post reported, "Hundreds of students had blocked the main gates of the campus. Some shouted. Some scrawled angry words on their bare stomachs in thick black paint. Others climbed onto stone fences to sign to the growing crowd. Within moments, hundreds of hands flying in American Sign Language, they roared, 'We want to be heard!'"
More recently, there have been two takeovers of campus buildings and hunger strikes. On Oct. 13, current President I. King Jordan ordered the arrests of roughly 130 students, triggering backlash from a crowd of 1,000 students, faculty and alumni the very next day.
In a statement issued to students last week, Jordan urged reconciliation and expressed regret that Fernandes was "denied the chance to carry out her vision." He also lamented the toll the protests have taken on the deaf community and added that the events will resonate among the institution's alumni for years to come.
Fernandes has been involved with Gallaudet University for over a decade, first as vice president of the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center starting in 1995, then as provost starting in 2000. Fernandes was supposed to take the reins in January.
Now, Gallaudet is engaged in a frenzied search for an interim president before Jordan's contract expires next month. The Board of Trustees has until Dec. 22 to find a replacement.
After the dismissal of Fernandes, two members of the Board of Trustees have resigned. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) explained in a letter to Jordan, "I cannot in good conscience continue to serve the board after its decision to terminate her appointment. [The decision] was unfair and not in the best interests of the university." Following suit, the acting chair of the Board of Trustees of Gallaudet University also resigned.
Additionally, accusations are flying that Gallaudet, which is funded by taxpayers' money, has sub-par academic standards. "A newspaper report [from The Washington Post] questioning the quality of students and of instruction has the embattled institution on its heels again," reports Inside Higher Ed.
The report suggests that Gallaudet is admitting academically weak students and making allowances when their grades don't measure up. The article quoted a faculty member who complained, "this is a university, not a community college."