Wow its only been a week since I left "Tent City" and yet it feels like months ago. I saw the most recent announcement that the BOT (IrvingBot??-see Ridor's blog), anyhoo they are only gonna take 1 day to review the issues, gee whiz, thanks. A whole day, wow how gracious of them. I can't believe they part with a WHOLE day, and just maybe, maybe it will be this summer but if not, gosh, there's always next October when they will meet anyways. Hmm.. boy they seem deeply concerned by the issues that have arisen in the past several weeks but by george, they can solve it in 1 day. Gosh I wish I were like them, confident and brillant. *retches* BOT you made a BAD decision in appointing JKF as Prez, sure she's a fundraiser dream come true but shes not a LEADER! Do we have to mime this for you since English and ASL have failed this, or better yet we perform interpretive dancing?
[I found a copy of the BOT announcement, read below;]
a memo from the BOT's chair Brueggemann;
May 19, 2006
MEMORANDUM
TO: Gallaudet Community
FR: Brenda Brueggemann, Acting Chair, Board of Trustees
RE: Beginning to Address the Concerns We Heard
As we move forward from the events of these past weeks and continue to focus on the future, we wanted to bring you up to date on several important steps the Board, the president and the president select are taking. We appreciated the time you gave to meet with us last week as well as the honest feedback and insights you shared with us. We heard many important things that will be addressed immediately and in the future and we want you to know we take very seriously the issues you brought to us. We have heard your concerns and we are already acting on them. This Board of Trustees, like most college Boards, primarily plays an oversight and policy-making role for the campus. In this role we do not want to interfere, but rather empower, the president, the president-select and the campus community itself to take primary actions on its own expressed concerns and issues.
First, the Board is making plans to hold a one-day retreat devoted to follow-up on these dialogues that would take place either this summer (preferable) or in conjunction with our October regular Board of Trustees meeting. Here is a summary of our discussions and actions so far: -(this is what I find to be so insulting!)
* No reprisals:
Neither the Board nor the president nor the president-select will tolerate any reprisals for anyone who has voiced their opinions in protest or support, on campus or in the community, in writing (electronic or paper) or through direct conversations during the presidential search process and the weeks between the announcement of Dr. Fernandes’ appointment and Commencement.
* Diversity:
President-select Jane Fernandes will head up a blue ribbon committee to find strategies to address the diversity issues facing our campus; the committee will be comprised of Board members, faculty, staff, and students. The Diversity Action Plan, which was tabled by the Board of Trustees at the May 2006 meeting, will be discussed first and amended, with an expected approval date of next October at the Board meeting. An outside facilitator and/or experts who work on diversity and organizational change will be used for continuing this important work. Dr. Fernandes will report more on this soon. Wow, thats JKF for you, first she resigns from Provost so she can head a committee on Diversity and don't forget she will head the search for a new Provost, hmm this goes from bad to worse!
* Climate and Communication:
Issues about the flow of, and access to, information across groups and from top down and bottom up were raised. The need for more substantive dialogue, more trust and inclusiveness, and less fear and intimidation was discussed. Finally, transparency and clarity in process, procedures, and criteria were called for. We have begun a discussion about these issues and recognize that the Board needs to interact more directly with campus constituents and will set up less filtered, more informal times for interaction when the Board meets on campus. The Board also decided that it is important to leave the Board Room and participate in an event on campus at least once during each of its official meetings on campus. Gee, why didn't you do this before selecting a new prez such as JKF, perhaps this could have been avoided? These activities would be a start toward more direct communication between the campus community and the Board.
* Accountability and Governance:
In our meetings with constituents, we recognized that there is a desire for more shared power and responsibility in the overall campus governance; more meaningful partnerships between the groups that comprise the campus community (administration, staff, students, faculty); and better accountability mechanisms so that there are actions and outcomes that follow ideas and promises.
The Board has begun a discussion about some possible ways to address these concerns, First, we are asking Dr. Fernandes to lead the search for a new Provost with full faculty involvement. Second, we are ensuring that the process to select an interim provost includes faculty, staff, and students. Currently, Dr. Jordan is working with the Chair of the Faculty, Chair of the Staff Advisory Committee, the SBG president, and the GSA president to identify individuals to serve on a committee to help select an interim provost. Third, we are researching models of trusteeship used at other universities for the purpose of identifying ways to directly involve campus constituencies in Board business.
* Leadership
Our shared conversations expressed the need for continued leadership that would support our strategic goals and plans to: strive for academic excellence; enhance education for future leaders in industry, education, and politics; serve as a viable role model for the deaf community nationally and globally; embrace change; and establish and invigorate a positive climate of trust, inclusiveness, respect and partnerships on campus.
We think that the ideas and actions above address leadership. We also believe that the issue of leadership is one that all constituents on campus must take up together, and that this Board, like most other university Boards, must principally play an oversight and policy-making role. Really, then why did JKF only resign as Provost, why didn't she resign as Prez-select since we the constituents didn't want her in the first place?
We want to emphasize that these are first steps toward addressing the concerns we heard when we were on campus last week. The Board, the president and the president-select will continue to discuss and plan actions that respond to what you told us. We all care deeply about Gallaudet and we will move forward together, as a community, because we can do great things when we work together. Only way any of us FSSA can believe this is for you all to allow FSSA reps to be a part of these meetings and have a voice, otherwise, it will not get better.
Ok got my daily BOT ranting out of the way...
[Update @ 1am, go to JoeyBaer website and click on the new video "Thank you video from David Eberwein." I got to meet him during my visit to Tent City, a real stand up guy! Thumbs up Eberwein and thanks for the video :) ]
Now onto life outside of Gally's mess;
Saw an article yesterday in the NY papers about how the taxi cab drivers are upset by the request for more "accessible" cabs for those who use wheelchairs otherwise known as "Crips." and no this is not a derogatory term, it was coined by them none different then use calling ourselves Deafies, if you read Ragged Edge Magazine Online you can find vaulable info on other groups besides Deafies, but anyways here's a press relase from the New York Radio on the topic;
Council Proposes Half of Cabs be Wheelchair Accessible
WNYC Newsroom
NEW YORK, NY May 16, 2006 —The taxi industry is up in arms about proposed legislation that would require half of the 308 taxi medallions sold next month be sat aside for wheelchair accessible cabs.
REPORTER: The Taxi and Limousine Commissioner, Matthew Daus testified before the Council that his agency needs more time to find a more reliable model to put on the road and the council isn't giving them enough time before the auction.
But Jean Ryan of Disabled in Action says the excuses have gone on too long.
RYAN: There is always going to be some reason why we should not go forward with accesibilty if we waited for him to be ready, for the TLC to be ready we would never get there.
REPORTER: Only 29 of New York's nearly 13,000 yellow cabs are accessible.
Dang 29 out of 13,000, jesus thats only .22%, now I think NYC can defintiely do better than 29 lousy cabs. So quit crying over 154 cabs! Imagine if that was you, in a wheelchair, and you know how unkind this city is to Crips, I mean my god the subways aren't even available to them and the buses stop every 2 blocks taking what would be a 10 minute commute and turning it into anywhere to 45 mins to 90 mins!
Went to Brooklyn again today, yep in the downpour! I saw one apt that has 4 roommates looking for a 5th, each person has their own bedrooms so its a total of 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Plus a small living area and kitchen. My room if I take it and its offered, is slightly bigger then the one I am in now BUT I like the location a LOT, 2 blocks from the subway, people seem cool, trendy neighborhood. Plus I can store some of my stuff in the hallway like the trunk and the room is already equip a closet/rack gadget so its workable. The guy will let me know Tuesday if I got the room or not as he has more people coming out to see it.
The 2nd apt I went to see, I arrived early so one of the maintence guy showed me the empty apartment, GORGEOUS! newly painted and renovated but the woman never showed up. When I called her thru my sidekick relay, the person kept hanging up and I was trying to explain who I was. I gave up, as nice sa the place looked and in a good location, they wont work with me as a deafie then I don't want to live there.
After that Blondie and I took Knob out for a belated birthday. We both missed her birthday celebration last week so we had excellent Thai and sparking wine from Italy that was delish! Just got home a little while ago, now all 5 kittens and 3 cats are in my room, running about, my room is only 10 by 6 so there's an occassional thunk here and there but the kittens don't mind, this Monday they will be 6 weeks old. They are sooo cute, wild but cute. Ill miss them when I leave.
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