We can understand the Gallaudet issue

Why is it “unlikely” that elected student leaders at our University, which prides itself on community involvement, political awareness and

international outlook, “can fully comprehend the complexities of the standoff at Gallaudet?” (“SA must leave Gallaudet issue alone,” Oct. 16, p. 4). It seems acceptable, even desirable, for us to become actively involved in international issues that could hardly be characterized as less complex – fair trade, the genocide in Darfur and others. Why is our duty different in the case of the Gallaudet University protests?

I would contend that the lives of people our age, also students, who live and study in the same city as we do, are not so radically different and complex that, with a little openness and diligence, we might be able gain a better understanding. I fear that The Hatchet’s editorial contributed to the feelings of many able-bodied people who see issues of the disabled as so different as to remain absolutely incomprehensible. Such a prophecy will be self-fulfilling and result only in the continued ignorance of the GW student body.

-Jason Hipp, Senior

Don’t take sides in the protest

As Student Association President Lamar Thorpe publicly advocates for student rights and activism at Gallaudet University, the driving force behind the protest at the nation’s only liberal arts university for the deaf is being overshadowed by discussions of SA-sponsored barbeques.

Some students and faculty at Gallaudet allege that their president-designate, Jane Fernandes, does not appreciate the primacy of American Sign Language at Gallaudet and in deaf culture, in part because she did not learn ASL as her first language. Deaf culture and the significant role of ASL are at the heart of the passionate demonstrations involving students, faculty and alumni at Gallaudet.

At a politically charged campus like GW, where we crave opportunities to be involved in movements larger than ourselves, we must stop to consider where we fit into this particular battle. While the Student Association is quick to publicize its support, they cannot fully understand what the students at Gallaudet are fighting for.

As speech and hearing majors at GW, it is our position that the SA cannot effectively advocate for a community whose culture and values remain largely foreign to us. The most meaningful way we can show our support for the students of Gallaudet and the deaf community is to demonstrate our appreciation of the important cause they’re fighting for, but not meddle in an issue we don’t understand.

-Samantha Dworken and Mara Steinberg, Seniors