Consequences of the Board’s Sunday Meeting…

First and foremost, as contradictory as it may appear, I am an optimist but also a realist.

I like to hold out for positive resolutions to whatever circumstances come up in my life, my city, my state, my country, and, of course, my alma mater, Gallaudet University.

But I also consider what may be the likely resolutions for those circumstances as well.

That is why I am writing this, not so much as to better prepare you, the reader, but to prepare myself for what may be the outcome of Sunday’s Board of Trustee’s (BoT) meeting.

Be prepared for the following outcomes:

• #1: BoTs vote to remove Fernandes as President-Designate
• #2: BoTs vote to affirm Fernandes’ selection as President-Designate
• #3: BoTs do nothing

Regardless of whatever language or wording is considered in their motions, the BoT WILL vote in regards to the above three outcomes.

The question is what will happen as a result of such votes?

As I said, I’m a realist…

Outcome for #2 or #3: If the Board votes or actually doesn’t bother to bring it to vote and instead passes some other motion such as requiring mediation to resolve the crisis, the campus continues in turmoil and crisis, likely reaching dimensions never before seen or expected.

The protestors, having so far displayed admirable restraint in avoiding widespread violence and destruction on campus, may lose control of themselves with unforetold consequences.

People may die either through confrontational activities or by passive activities, i.e. the students on hunger strike.

Enrollment will unquestionably decrease as those proud parents who are Gallaudet alumni themselves will encourage their children to NOT enroll at Gallaudet in order to send a message that Fernandes is not wanted. Hearing parents of deaf children will NOT want their children to enroll at Gallaudet for fear that they might be perceived as Quislings (traitors) and thus open to harassment.

Fernandes will still find herself as head of an unmanageable university for a year.

Students, faculty, staff will certainly not cooperate with her and the university will still continue to be in disarray during her year’s term, likely peppered with purposeful sabotage of the implementation of Fernandes’ policies and goals.

The BoTs will likely not renew her contract at year’s end on the grounds that she failed to fulfill the expectations placed upon her. A new presidential search committee will then need to be opened in order to overcome the wasted effort of a year’s direction of an unwanted, incompetent, and divisive president, Jane Fernandes, that no one will listen to.

The damage to Gallaudet University that I King Jordan and Fernandes has committed and shall commit in the future, were the Board of Trustees to uphold her selection, will take years, if not decades, to heal.

But I’m also an optimist…

Outcome for #1: Fernandes is removed or compelled to resign by the Board of Trustees.

Rumors abound that there are seven board members who are in the belief that this outcome is the most ideal one for Gallaudet to begin healing. That’s still at least four votes short.

But if this outcome was attained, there is no question that the crisis at Gallaudet would immediately cease. As long as the new presidential search committee proceeds in a fair manner, there is no doubt that Gallaudet’s next president would be happily accepted by the majority of the students, faculty, staff and alumni. Yes, there might be grumbling of disagreement from some quarters but it is certain that the number of such dissenters would nowhere near approach the number of those who have dissented to Fernandes’ selection.

Private Investigator sincerely hopes that the BoTs will come to their senses and do the right thing: Remove Fernandes.

Otherwise, the Board, by allowing I King Jordan, an inexplicably ardent supporter of Fernandes, to continue his efforts to suppress those against Fernandes, will just relive the comment of a soldier during the Vietnam war who said: “It became necessary to destroy the village in order to save it.”