Harsh Reprisals: Gally Protesters
To be able to issue fair rulings, courts must be held to the highest standard. A court must be free of any conflicts of interest.
Well, the protesters defied Jordan and BoT when they opposed the appointment of Dr. Fernandes. On Black Friday, they were arrested and hit with misdemeanor charges, costing 50 dollars. Incidentally Jordan originally demanded the fines set at 250 dollars, set so ridiculously high that the chief of the police personally lowered it to 50 dollars, over his strenuous objections.
Despite the misdemeanor charges, some have lost their jobs and internships. Other students were placed on probation from their jobs without pay due to the actions of the Judicial Court. These jobs include para-professional positions such as resident advisors, peer advisors, and campus activity advisors. Many students depend on these part-time jobs to help pay for tuition. Many also use these jobs as part of their career ladder. It has been almost two months so far and the leaves without pay are costing them hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
What happened to “innocent till proven guilty”? They are being punished without benefit of trial.
Judicial Court is under the jurisdiction of Jordan, a clear conflict of interest. Jordan is very angry and determined to punish the students any way he can. He shouldn’t be permitted to use the campus judicial court to settle his personal vendettas.
However, this is being done. Judicial Court is a farce.
If the students are to be tried, then an independent judicial court needs to be drawn up without any personal influence from Jordan or BoT.
Meanwhile, why are these security guards, physical plant department workers and/or rental cops who terrorized, assaulted, injured, and traumatized peaceful students both at HMB and at Brentwood Gate still on the job, getting paid? They violated both the university staff conduct policy and D.C. laws.
While one ponders this, remember the three security guards who caused the death of Carl Dupree? Here is a tidbit many of you are not aware of. They were put on PAID administrative leave while awaiting trial for homicide.
Here we have students and staff fired and/or put on probation without pay for misdemeanors.
Ultimately, Jordan is responsible for these paid employees, DPSs, PPDs, and rental cops.
This is a complete travesty of justice. The protesters of DPN did exactly the same thing and they were hailed as heroes. Â The protesters of UFG sacrificed so much, camping out in the cold, brutalized by paid employees, for the university they love and fought so hard to save.
Yet, after the victorious first part of the protest was completed, the same protesters were branded villains and punished heavily, with their grades ruined, their budding careers damaged, courses failed, and placed under severe financial hardship. Many are so stressed out that they have to seek out mental health counseling. Why the double standard?Â
You can thank Jordan for that. He is doing his best to punish the students as severely as possible, so even though he may be out the door shortly, he is making up the best (or should I say worst) of his short time left.
The BoT will meet this week to discuss the three finalists and vote for the Interim President. They’ll be exploring the reprisals. At the beginning, they were told that the reprisals would be light  like community services. They don’t know that the reprisals have already been happening very harshly, way out of proportion to the offense. Do you think these reprisals are fair for our heroes?
Tell them how you feel about these reprisals.
Let BoT Hear From You!     BoT contacts in this link:
http://blog.deafread.com/mishkazena/2006/12/03/let-bot-hear-you/
To be able to issue fair rulings, courts must be held to the highest standard. A court must be free of any conflicts of interest.
Well, the protesters defied Jordan and BoT when they opposed the appointment of Dr. Fernandes. On Black Friday, they were arrested and hit with misdemeanor charges, costing 50 dollars. Incidentally Jordan originally demanded the fines set at 250 dollars, set so ridiculously high that the chief of the police personally lowered it to 50 dollars, over his strenuous objections.
Despite the misdemeanor charges, some have lost their jobs and internships. Other students were placed on probation from their jobs without pay due to the actions of the Judicial Court. These jobs include para-professional positions such as resident advisors, peer advisors, and campus activity advisors. Many students depend on these part-time jobs to help pay for tuition. Many also use these jobs as part of their career ladder. It has been almost two months so far and the leaves without pay are costing them hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
What happened to “innocent till proven guilty”? They are being punished without benefit of trial.
Judicial Court is under the jurisdiction of Jordan, a clear conflict of interest. Jordan is very angry and determined to punish the students any way he can. He shouldn’t be permitted to use the campus judicial court to settle his personal vendettas.
However, this is being done. Judicial Court is a farce.
If the students are to be tried, then an independent judicial court needs to be drawn up without any personal influence from Jordan or BoT.
Meanwhile, why are these security guards, physical plant department workers and/or rental cops who terrorized, assaulted, injured, and traumatized peaceful students both at HMB and at Brentwood Gate still on the job, getting paid? They violated both the university staff conduct policy and D.C. laws.
While one ponders this, remember the three security guards who caused the death of Carl Dupree? Here is a tidbit many of you are not aware of. They were put on PAID administrative leave while awaiting trial for homicide.
Here we have students and staff fired and/or put on probation without pay for misdemeanors.
Ultimately, Jordan is responsible for these paid employees, DPSs, PPDs, and rental cops.
This is a complete travesty of justice. The protesters of DPN did exactly the same thing and they were hailed as heroes. Â The protesters of UFG sacrificed so much, camping out in the cold, brutalized by paid employees, for the university they love and fought so hard to save.
Yet, after the victorious first part of the protest was completed, the same protesters were branded villains and punished heavily, with their grades ruined, their budding careers damaged, courses failed, and placed under severe financial hardship. Many are so stressed out that they have to seek out mental health counseling. Why the double standard?Â
You can thank Jordan for that. He is doing his best to punish the students as severely as possible, so even though he may be out the door shortly, he is making up the best (or should I say worst) of his short time left.
The BoT will meet this week to discuss the three finalists and vote for the Interim President. They’ll be exploring the reprisals. At the beginning, they were told that the reprisals would be light  like community services. They don’t know that the reprisals have already been happening very harshly, way out of proportion to the offense. Do you think these reprisals are fair for our heroes?
Tell them how you feel about these reprisals.
Let BoT Hear From You!     BoT contacts in this link:
http://blog.deafread.com/mishkazena/2006/12/03/let-bot-hear-you/
December 7th, 2006 at 3:09 pm
It’s clear and obvious that the future of these arrested students are not within IKJ’s heart. JKF is!
December 7th, 2006 at 5:14 pm
Carl, I cannot believe Jordan would be so heartless and ruthless. They are his students, for heavens’ sake. He is entrusted with their welfare.
December 7th, 2006 at 5:48 pm
All of this is just more evidence to show us more about Jordan’s psychology.
Clearly, he must be mentally disturbed. He seems to be a pathological liar and perhaps a sociopath.
Such a diagnosis is the job of a trained psychologist, so we can only make an educated guess, but that’s what the evidence seems to show.
December 7th, 2006 at 7:45 pm
The protesters new what what they were in for. Please, let’s not make it more than it is. Everyone was warned. They were given the opportunity to disperse peacefully and did not. At the end their results were achieved. Now its time to be responsible for their actions. I don’t believe any punishment will be extraordinary.
MZ, when you say they are being tried before their day in court there is one thing that’s different. This is not a court of law. This is an institution who can suspend or expell at will. I don’t think this has happened yet. They can hand out whatever they deem necessary whenever they feel it should be handed out.
December 7th, 2006 at 8:40 pm
The BoT agreed to the reprisals with the understanding the punishment would be proportional to the offense, such as community services. They aren’t aware that jobs and internships were lost and probations from jobs without pay have been happening, without the benefit of independent trial. That wasn’t what they were told. The punishment were unduly excessive, violating the Bill of Rights, forbidding cruel and unusual punishment
December 7th, 2006 at 9:09 pm
As Pete Townshend explains what “Won’t Get Fooled Again” song actually professes, it is about facing consequences after a revolution. However, BoT is clearly out of touch with the affairs of things going on campus. IJK and others got by with a lot of things and are not accounted for. Bot only see influence, not students.
December 7th, 2006 at 11:44 pm
Let’s not allow the Board to feel that reprisals are justified. They are not–not in the moral sense.
In the legal sense, the Board can easily decline to press charges or take action.
They are being cowards.
December 8th, 2006 at 1:18 am
It’s a tough world out there. Similar actions by others in the community across the nation have been faced with harsh punishment. This is a new world where serious consequences are given to all law breakers. I do pity them. As for the DPS and plant workers, etc. They were given orders to do their job and of course IKJ is going to stand by them and protect them because he gave them the orders!
This is reality. Either fight it or leave it be.
December 8th, 2006 at 6:58 am
You are all trying to insist the BoT does as you say. They have been played with long enough. Your continuing demands can not be met whenever you want. That won’t happen. Live with it. This is not even close to cruel and unusual punishment. The Bill of Rights does not apply in this sitation and I wish you could all drop this issue. Its going to work out without anyone being whipped or gased.
If some one wants to talk about not being moral they should practice being moral themselves.
Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
December 8th, 2006 at 9:35 am
The Bill of Rights doesn’t apply? You mean you are claiming that the protesters do not have free-speech rights?
Jess, by making that absurd claim, you are totally discrediting yourself and you’re wasting our time.
December 8th, 2006 at 10:14 am
Brian, I don’t ever remember saying the Bill Of Rights regarding freedom of speech does not apply. FOLLOW the topic. It does not apply to the issue of cruel and unusual punishment because no one has been treated cruelly or unusually.
Please, try to follow the topic.
December 8th, 2006 at 10:33 am
Bot members are required to follow the laws, even though they may be the top of the university, and so does Jordan. Sorry you cannot understand that we live in America and an university receiving 73% of its budget from the federal government cannot be permitted to operate in a totalitarian system. The Congress will be interested to hear such abuses going on at Gallaudet, if this persists. They are already very concerned due to the ongoing suspension of the accreditation. BoT is in hot water already for permitting the conditions to deteriorate that the accreditation is already in serious jeopardy.
Jess, read the articles. The students were beaten and required medical treatments by paid employees. Some were fired and others put on leave without pay and this was done without the knowledge of BoT. Yes, we will see that the students get justice as they are entitled under the law and so do many people, both on campus and outside.
No personal attack permitted on this blog
December 8th, 2006 at 10:51 am
Being fired or dismissed from university jobs is not cruel and unusual punishment. Sucks to be the students, but that’s the price you pay for violating university code of conduct.
December 8th, 2006 at 11:07 am
Anon, actually yes, when they are being done without the awareness or permission of BoT.
Talking about the university code of conduct, you may want to examine the actions of Jordan, and Kelly when they order the paid employees to conduct felonious attacks on the peaceful students. They all, including the paid employees, violated the code of conduct. Even worse, they violated the D.C. and Federal laws.
December 8th, 2006 at 11:24 am
If Jordan wants healing process, he has to tell the BOTs (if he still controls them) to give the amnesty against the peaceful protesters. Some of them already lost the future chance of working at KSD and MSSD or Gally. Is it really fair? Come on!!! Delete the reprisals. Then we start the healing process. Hope the BOTS take their pride home.. and think of the future of peaceful protesters. They mean no harm from the start. I am anxiety right now.
December 8th, 2006 at 11:48 am
One more thing… the way you decribed about Jordan and his people…. very clear that they are closest audists.
December 8th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
Being an audist is not against the law.
And ordering the removal of protesters is not a felony nor is it a violation of D.C. and Federal law. Do you seriously think that D.C. police officers arresting the students were violating D.C. law? Let’s take a step back and think about it for a second there…
Nope, no violation of D.C. or Federal law.
December 8th, 2006 at 5:23 pm
Read my comment more carefully, Anon. Did I say D.C. police? I said paid employees i.e., security guards, PPDs, and rental cops. They assaulted and injured students under the orders of Jordan, breaking multiple laws and university code of conduct.
Discrimination against deaf people is definitely against the laws.
December 8th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
It seems mountains are being made out of mole hills. Peaceful protesters do not unlawfully break and enter into buildings as well as damage them. I agree most were peaceful but the ones who were not have to be made an example of. This cannot happen again. Gallaudet will not survive another protest!
December 8th, 2006 at 6:08 pm
No, we cannot survive another protest, but however the culprits are Jordan for acting as a autocrat and BoT for forfeiting its responsibilities to Gallaudet stakeholders. This is why we need to ensure BoT follows its bylaws, which it hadn’t the last few years, and also remove president office as its sole gatekeeper, so BoT would be fully briefed on Gallaudet status. It is so hopelessly out of touch with Gallaudet constituents.
The students rescued Gallaudet from the ruins it was heading toward.
December 8th, 2006 at 6:14 pm
I agree that, historically, the raison d’ etre of protests have had a higher moral standing and overpowers any law-breaking activity that’s no more egregious than a misdemeanor.
December 8th, 2006 at 6:50 pm
Breaking the law for a higher cause is a very subjective point of view.
My view is that the students were breaking university code of conduct and your view is that they were upholding “moral standing” while breaking the law.
I think I’d rather subscribe to the objective point of view which is the students broke the rules and have to pay the price.
December 8th, 2006 at 7:18 pm
It sounds like you have no problem with Jordan and Fernandes destroying Gallaudet and endangering its accreditation. I think it is obvious you don’t have any loyalty to Gallaudet
December 8th, 2006 at 7:26 pm
Please, Personal attacking someone with a subjective point of view shows a lack of confidence in one’s own point. There can be discussion without getting personal. Some of the personal attacks on Dr. Fernandes will rear thier heads for many years to come. People can be loyal and still have a different view than others and it doesn’t necessarily have to be with the majority.
December 8th, 2006 at 7:38 pm
It seems you confused a fact with a personal attack. I stated a fact. Fernandes have already destroyed Gallaudet’s academic programs as reported by PART, an official review by Dept of Education, with poor grades the last five years, with a F last year.
Fernandes and Jordan have also destroyed Gallaudet by playing the Deaf card repeatedly, dodging the real issues fueling the protest. Now Gallaudet’s accrediation is on ‘probation’, giving Gallaudet a bad image. These also are facts.
December 10th, 2006 at 3:18 pm
Folks, b y Jan 1st, all this will be yesterday’s news. let’s focus on assembling facts and reasonable arguments to convince davila to put s top to reprisals. As far as certification goes, the dude has the contacts and mental firepower to reverse the trend & GET GALLY RECERTIFIED. That’s the real danger right now, not beating dead/dying horses. if Gally loses certification, we are in for a WORLD of sh*t. The feds won’t fund an uncertified school – and they provide 80% of Gally’s funding, plus BEOG/PELL student loans (which ALSO will not be granted to students attending an uncertified school.)
lets’ move on.