-
Day Two
- Gallaudet University Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
o A y T w o onday. March 7. Gallaudet personnel returning to the campus Monday morning found all entrances to the campus blocked by the students. Initially, only students and emergency personnel were permitted on campus. Top university administrators were barred, but most faculty and staff had no trouble getting in . The provost closed the university. The board of trustees had been scheduled to meet with university administrators on Monday morning . (The board regularly met with the administrators when it was in session.) Many of the administrators were unable to make it to the meeting because they could not get on campus. The provost reached the meeting when campus security cut a hole in the chain link fence behind Kendall School. Phil Bravin, who had spent the night at the Mayflower Hotel, was driven to the Eighth Street gate with board member Gustave Rathe in a Gallaudet security car. District of Columbia police warned that they could not guarantee the board members' safety on campus. Rathe decided not to take the risk of trying to get on campus and departed. Bravin, escorted by campus security, made his way through the mob, which he noted, "parted like the Red Sea." Midway through the throng someone grabbed Bravin in a bear hug. H was his son, Jeff, a university student. Spilman had promised the night before to meet with the students to discuss the board's decision, then to speak to the campus community Monday afternoon at the field house. A delegation of ten students, two faculty, and two staff members went to Kendall School to meet with the board. At the initial meeting between the two groups, the students issued four demands in return for opening the campus: I. Zinser's resignation and the selection of a deaf president: 2. Spilman's resignation from the board; 3. An increase in deaf representation on the board to 51 percent; 4. No reprisals against the protesters. 48 [54.163.62.42] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 22:45 GMT) At least one board member felt that the representatives presented an impressive case. The board and the campus representatives agreed to break into smaller discussion groups of three individuals each and hold a caucus. Jane Bassett Spilman and Dr. William 1. A. Marshall, professor of administration and supervision, cochaired the caucus, which lasted about half an hour. The board representatives then reported back to the full board, with the university's attorney joining the meeting. After nearly three hours of negotiations and discussion the board decided it would not meet any of the demands and that its selection of Zinser was final. The group then proceeded to the field house to address the campus community. At the field house, Dr. Harvey Goodstein, a math professor and a member of the delegation, stepped forward on the stage before Spilman could make a statement and announced that the board had refused to meet any of the demands. He encouraged the crowd to leave. Most of the crowd got up and stormed out of the building before the meeting could convene, and they marched, for a second time, to the Capitol and the White House, again without a permit, snarling rush-hour traffic. A small group remained for the emotionally charged meeting that followed in the field house. During the gathering a fire alarm was set off and there was much shouting. Spilman complained about all the noise. "We aren't going to hear you if you scream so loudly that we can't have a dialogue," she said. "What noise?" asked some students. "Why not sign," responded one. "If you signed, we could hear you." For many members of the board, it was their first experience in dealing with a campus upheaval. It was a devastating experience and it left many of them shaken. As targets of the protest they represented a security problem for Gallaudet Security and the D.C. police had they remained on campus. After the meeting in the field house they made a hasty exit from the campus and all except Spilman departed for home. That night Hughes Gymnasium was packed by students for a rally that started at 7 p.m. As it turned out, a rally was held in the gym every night that week. Day One of the lockout ended with the board refusing to change its position and stating that the decision was final. Likewise, the students refused to yield on their demands and said that they...