The Week the World Heard Gallaudet

Day Three

o A y T H R E E uesday, March 8. On Tuesday morning the students opened the gates but boycotted classes. GUM President Burstein flew in on a red-eye flight from Riverside, California and called an emergency session ofthe local alumni board members. Burstein's arrival gave the students' cause a boost. The GUM board became the first organization to officially vote to support the students and their four demands. (The next day the faculty and stafffollowed suit.) The GUM board also voted to contribute $1,000 to the new Deaf President Now Fund, and Burstein issued a statement that said in part, "We-unlike hearing members on the board [oftrusteesl-know fully what it is like to be deaf." His statement also called for those board members who "lacked confidence in the abilities of deaf persons, to resign." He met with the provost to communicate the GUM's position and participated in two press conferences and three rallies before flying back to California that same evening. Concerned faculty and staff members met in Ely Auditorium to discuss their role in the uprising. Comments indicated strong leanings toward supporting the students and their demands. At this meeting an activist from Howard University spoke to the group, gave them advice on how to succeed, and inspired many of them. At a press conference held on the Gallaudet campus, next to the Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Alice Cogswell statue, five representatives spoke in support ofthe cause. The group included GUM President Gerald Burstein; SBG President Greg Hlibok; NAD Executive Director Gary Olsen; Dr. Allen Sussman, a faculty representative ; and Dr. Frank Turk, a staff representative. Sussman told the crowd that Gallaudet had had enough of the "plantation mentality ," a phrase coined earlier by another faculty member, Dr. Joe Kinner. "The time has come," said Sussman, "for the plantation mentality which has for so long controlled this Institution and others serving the deaf to end." Sussman's views were quoted widely in the press. Meanwhile, in Greensboro, North Carolina, President-elect Elisabeth Ann Zinser, was faced with one of the most difficult decisions in her life. She had spent most of Monday and Tuesday responding 70 to a cascade of reporters and conferring on the phone with people associated with Gallaudet. The messages were mixed. She realized by Tuesday evening that the conflict had risen to proportions well beyond anything anticipated. She weighed her alternatives. To withdraw at this point would convey a statement of no confidence in the Gallaudet board which, she felt, had reached a tough decision. To stay in Greensboro and sit it out until July (when she had planned to move to Gallaudet) would cause the situation to fester and, in her opinion, cause irrevocable harm to many individuals and the university. That was a move she rejected as unimaginable and irresponsible. She felt the turmoil had to be resolved and as the object of the conflict she decided to "go into the eye ofthe storm." It was a difficult choice for her as it meant abruptly leaving her post at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She decided to fly to Washington the next day. The students held a Deaf President Now rally Tuesday afternoon. It packed the footbalI field bleachers. "Deaf President Now! Deaf President Now!" became the protest chant. The students burned effigies of Spilman and Zinser. FolIowing all the speeches, the crowd marched around the campus before dispersing. The Deaf President Now Council formed to coordinate developments , make plans, and oversee the protest. Representatives on the council included students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the deaf community. Some concerned parents of students at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf wanted to take their children home, but couldn't. The students refused to leave the campus. They would not give up the opportunity to be involved in such a historic moment. The sun set on Kendall Green with both sides stilI entrenched. 72 73 During the protest, students blocked entry to the campus with their vehicles (above). Many protesters were interviewed by the press that week, among them Jeff Rosen (jar left), seen here responding to reporter Linda Lopez's questions. Hearing Gallaudet graduate students Kristan Verbrick , Kendra Staley, and Rich Whicker (left) helped answer the Alumni House telephones. They responded to requests for information and solicited funds and support. [13.59.218.147] Project MUSE (2024-04-23 11...