John notes the board of trustees of Gallaudet University has backed down on its choice of Jane K. Fernandes as the campus’ new president. The trustees assert they have acted out of “necessity” and “in the best interests of the university.”

But the judiciousness of their decision is in doubt. The board seems to have sacked Fernandes in order to appease her unruly opponents, who in protest locked down the campus, occupied an administration building, and burned an effigy of her. Thus, as The New York Times reports, the outgoing president, I. King Jordan, expressed concern over “the anger that overtook reason, respect and civility.” It would appear that the “necessity” perceived by the trustees consisted in restoring order at any cost – caving, in other words, to the forces of unreason, disrespect and incivility. Is this decision best for Gallaudet and what is often called deaf culture? According to the Times, vast change is taking place in the deaf world, due to “technological advances such as cochlear implants and more effective hearing aids being felt by many in the forefront of the deaf-rights movement as an assault on deaf culture and deaf identity.” Fernandes, who says she was opposed for not being culturally “deaf enough,” favored making use of the available technology to help deaf students advance. She also believed the university’s survival depended on actively recruiting among all deaf students (those who sign only, who speak and read lips, or who sign spoken language), in opposition to her adversaries who have pressured the administration to ban spoken language in classes and campus meetings – a policy Fernandes did not back. Outgoing president Jordan now praises Fernandes for her “courage” and for “standing up for what’s right.” The question is whether the trustees have acted with courage and on principle, as I urged earlier. Have they really acted in best interests of the campus and the deaf world? Time will tell.