Paradigm Shift

When I was a student at VSDB, playing at the playground which was and is still located in the center of the campus. Most students referred the playground as "Mall" for some reasons unknown to me, even as of today.

However, in the playground, there are different stuff to play with. Merry-Go-Round, Swings and all these little things that all kids play.

Since I was enrolled at VSDB, I always saw this maintenance guy coming to the "Mall" at 5 PM to lower the Ole Glory flag from the flagpole. The flagpole is located in the midst of the playground.

One day, a student told me that he was told by someone that a flag is not allowed to touch the ground floor because they said so. I was perplexed and asked why. Another student said, "YES! TOUCH FLOOR AND USA WILL BOOM! NO GOOD! MUST NOT TOUCH!"

That logic blew me away. I quickly asked, "WHO TOLD YOU?"

One student pointed at a hearing houseparent. Fuck. They always do that to scare Deaf students into submission with these wacky ideas. I shook my head and dared them to join along with the maintenance guy to help out and trick him by taking the flag and toss it on the floor. The students stared at me with horror and in state of disbelief. They refused to take the dare.

So it was entirely up to me to do the job.

I walked to the flagpole, knowing that the Maintenance guy will come at 5 PM to lower the flag, then fold it neatly and tuck it somewhere else in the maintenance office. Sometimes, he lets the student do it provided that he watched the student closely. The guy was probably in his 70s. Probably a die-hard Patriot during the Cold War.

Yes, it was during the Reagan-Gorbachev Years, approaching the end of Cold War.

Like always, he came at 5 PM. He was probably delighted that a student is interested in doing something like this. The students huddled amongst each other not far away from me, watching me in terror.

As I helped him to lower the flag, the guy took the flag off from the rope and folded it neatly -- when he was done with it, I snatched it and tossed it on the grass.

Suddenly, the Maintenance guy grabbed my right arm and yelled at me in gibberish as I turned to see the students running amok in all directions as if the world is coming to an end. You could see several houseparents being startled by the shrieks of the kids as they ran around to calm them down. I smiled and shoved the guy to make free and ran around the playground -- I was victorious.

I defied the phony beliefs. My blasphemy act proved that no flag will bring down the United States. You can burn, shit, piss and drag it but will it reflect upon the ideals of America? No, not at all. The day continues into the night. Then the morning came. Nobody cared if I tossed it on the floor -- it is just a flag, an object that we attempted to make it too serious, I think.

When people whined about people descerating the US flags, My reaction to this idea: Get a grip. There are better things to whine about, really.

Cheers,

R-

Zachary & Yamka!

I went to Regency Square Mall and observed my sister Lily's two children, Zachary and Yamka playing in a large playland with other children. Zachary is 4 and Yamka will be 2 in March.

It was pleasure to watch them engage in action with hearing children at the playland. Lily is Deaf, Zachary and Yamka are CODAs (Note: They can hear but is Child of Deaf Adults). I was bit concerned about the delayed development of their speech and interaction skills with hearing children. Research has proved that the CODAs tend to pick up the speech much later than the hearing children do because the CODAs communicated with their Deaf parents primarily by sign language.

I'm sure Zachary is doing fine in dealing with other children, he's adapting as can be. My concern is for Yamka. Yamka is the kind of girl that once you turned your head around, she disappeared. You'd have to chase her all over the place. However, Yamka is still young from entering a school, so ... her interaction skills with hearing children are dismal but, she is not even 2.

But ... Zachary and Yamka are tough. They'll be OK. In one incident, I stood and observed Zachary as he looked around to see if nobody is seeing him, then he turned and ran around, used his left arm to knock a guy onto the floor. The floor is very soft -- the kid on the floor was bit stunned but giggled with a huge smile on his face. Zachary realized that I saw his action -- I told him that it is not nice. He shrugged. Tough kid, that kid will beat up on anyone else. Good for him, but not now.

As for Yamka, she was sitting next to the soft bench as one hispanic girl -- probably 4 or 5 years old but is bit taller for her age -- was standing on the bench, trying to leap over Yamka's head. Yamka looked upwards and shook her head, she was trying to say NO to that girl who attempted to leap over her head. Instincts probably played a role in this as Yamka could not get this girl to listen, Yamka shoved this girl's right leg as she lost the balance and fell on the floor.

As you can see, these kids are going to be tough. And they are not even 5. Lily's hands are going to be full in years to come.

I rather to have a rough-nosed, experienced, tolerant and challenging nephew and niece than anything else, really.

Cheers,

R-

November 9 Is Ominous

I was born on November 9. Growing up, I know this particular date is problematic at times. Especially with the fact that my parents never had a birthday party when I was stuck at VSDB for many years. Naturally, I learned to embrace the negative and turn it into something interesting.

I noticed that many things happened on November 9 throughout the rest of history. Some events that happened on that particular date either changed the world or sent the ripple effect across the planet.

Not only that, I noticed that November 9 seems to be the one that made an impact on the Jewish communities in general.

I am content to say that November 9 is Ominous in comparison with any dates. Unless one gets to prove it, I'm sticking with November 9.

Here are some important tidbits associated with November 9.

1526: Jews are expelled from Pressburg Hungary by Maria of Hapsburg
1720: Rabbi Yehuda Hasid synagogue set afire
1799: Napoleon becomes dictator (1st consul) of France
1802: Elijah P Lovejoy, American newspaper publisher/Abolitionist, born
1862: Union General Grant issues orders to bar Jews from serving under him
1865: Confederate General Lee surrendered to Union Gen Grant at Appomattox, VA
1872: Fire destroys nearly 1,000 buildings in Boston
1874: Israel Bak, created 1st hebrew printing press, died
1903: Gregory Pincus, Inventor (birth control pill) , born
1904: 1st airplane flight to last more than 5 minutes
1915: Italian liner Ancona sinks by German torpedoes, killing 272
1918: Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates after German defeat in WW I
1923: Beer Hall Putsch-NAZIs fail to overthrow government in Germany
1924: Miriam (Ma) Ferguson becomes 1st elected woman governor (of Texas)
1927: Giant Panda discovered in China
1930: 1st nonstop airplane flight from NY to Panama
1934: Carl Sagan, Astronomer/author/professor (Cosmos, Broca's Brain), born
1938: "Kristallnacht" (Crystal Night) - Nazi stormtroopers attacked Jews
1938: Al Capp, cartoonist of Lil' Abner creates Sadie Hawkins Day
1951: Lou Ferrigno, deaf body builder/actor (Incredible Hulk), born
1952: Chaim Weizmann, 1st President of Israel, died at 57
1953: Abdul-Aziz ibn Sa'ud, founder of Saudi Arabia, died
1962: My parents wed.
1965: At 5:16 PM, massive power failure in New England & Ontario, darkened NYC
1970: Charles DeGaulle, French President, died at 79
1973: Ridor was born in Richmond, Virginia
1989: The Fall of Soviet Union begins after the dismantling of Berlin Wall
1990: Carl DuPree, Gallaudet student died when the security officers crushed and choked him
2005: Riots in French Continues for 13th night.

Care to add more?

Found this in Mom's photo album, taken in 1999.



I think I rest my case!

Cheers,

Dark Lord R-

EIC Tropp Strikes Back

Donald Tropp nailed on this subject. He shattered Provost Jane K. Fernandes' bullshit rhetoric with valid issues that continues to plague the University. Unfortunately, Provost Fernie will continue to dodge this for months to come by claiming that by "working together, we will achieve something." Barf.

Well done, Donald Tropp!

Cheers,

R-

* * *

Dear Provost Fernandez,

Thank you for responding to my letter, although your message wasn’t exactly what I was hoping to hear. Even though you agreed that the University failed to meet our communication needs during the goalpost incident, you still didn’t accept responsibility. You insist that you will work to improve communication access, but we’ve all heard this time and time again.

I never blamed the goalpost incident on anyone but the students involved. I only said the administration must be held accountable for the following events that occurred. DPS handled the situation horrendously, reflecting upon the poor leadership of Paul Kelly, Vice President of Administration and Finance. I wonder why we haven’t heard from him yet.

I agree that the team could have worked with the administration to plan “an enjoyable, safe and appropriate celebration,” but you said that the fans, including the administration, didn’t have “time to think about how to mark the team’s outstanding season.” The team had won eight straight games, giving the fans every reason to believe the chances of an undefeated season were very real. Even if they lost their final game, their season still would have justified a celebration. During their winning streak, the administration never once publicity applauded them. Did you ask the football players how they felt about that?

The CREs, as you said, may have been the “first logical responders.” However, when DPS and MPD showed up, I could see the CREs were as lost as the students. They only said to stay inside our dorms and could not answer any of our questions because they simply did not know. There was no interpreter provided to assist them in this crisis, so how could they communicate effectively with the students if they didn’t have access to communication themselves?

You brought the Homecoming incident into your letter when you asked, “Are we to blame that on the hotel staff’s lack of ability to sign or the guest’s inability to do so?” It is not logical to tie the two acts together especially when they were committed by different groups of students on separate occasions.

Gallaudet University is not the Grand Hyatt Washington, but a place where we supposedly have the right to full communication access. The University’s inability to accommodate our communication needs is not surprising. DOSS accidentally killed Carl Dupree on November 9, 1990 because of a communication breakdown. Fast-forward fifteen years later, and it seems the only change we see from DPS is their name.

You wrote, “I believe that real listening to one another will help us to work together to achieve some positive results from these very serious and troubling incidents.” If real listening means giving us an opportunity to be heard, then there’s a problem.

No one’s listening.

Sincerely,
Donald Tropp
Editor-In-Chief
The Buff and Blue

Read Jane K Fernandes' Letter

Gallaudet Provost Jane K. Fernandes wrote the letter to Donald Tropp, the Editor-in-Chief of Buff and Blue newspaper after he apparently wrote the article criticizing the University Administration for not doing something effectively with the fiasco related to Gallaudet Homecoming Ball and Goalpost Incident.

I'll post my own comments right after you read Fernie's letter.

* * *

November 11, 2005

Mr. Donald Tropp, Editor-in-Chief
Buff and Blue
Ely Center

Dear Mr. Tropp:

Thank you for your thoughtful expression of concerns in your recent letter to me. I believe that continuing communication about the recent incidents and their impact on the campus community is very important, that real listening to one another will help us to work together to achieve some positive results from these very serious and troubling incidents.

I understand completely that students were frustrated by DPS officers’ lack of Sign Language and the lack of interpreters during the goalpost incident, and I agree that the University must continue to work on addressing audism, racism, and other forms of oppression both on campus and off campus. These issues are very real and definitely underline our need to continue our efforst to address them, but they are not “the real issues” of this incident as you assert. Instead, the core issue is that frustration and confusion do not justify breaking the law by destroying property and pulling false fire alarms. You agree that there was no excuse for the students’ behavior, but later in your letter, you seem to excuse it base on the lack of communication among DPS staff members and the University’s overall response to the incident. It cannot be both ways. The students were engaging in unlawful and inexcusable behavior. Problems with the response occurred after this fact of breaking the law.

The very same night of the goalpost incident, I interviewed football players who led the students in tearing them down. Each player that I spoke with indicated the motivation was a desire to celebrate the football’s team record. Not one of them at any time hinted that audism was a cause for their actions. At the heart of the football players’ behavior was a desire to applaud themselves then and there, rather than allow a sense of accomplishment to develop among their fans. IF the players had given the fans [who include members of the faculty, staff administration, parents and alumni, by the way] time to think about how to mark the team’s outstanding season, you can be sure that an enjoyable, safe and appropriate celebration would have taken place-not the regrettable one that transpired.

You noted that CREs, DPS, and MPD were not the right groups to respond effectively to Sunday’s events. It seems to me that CREs were the logical first responders to an incident on campus, involving students, and occurring late at night. They are no equivalent to a David Duke since CREs can communicate effectively and-in the best interest of all students, including those directly involved-they tried to bring the situation under control. Only when students did not listen to and respect them, and began to destroy property, did DPS take the next logical action of calling in law enforcement to restore order. I am sure this is not the course of action DPS wanted to take, but given the escalating circumstances despite effective communications from CREs, they felt they had no other choice.

Perhaps, as you say, the University should have been prepared for the possibility of another attempt to tear down the goalpost after Saturday’s failed attempt. On the other hand, shouldn’t students be trusted and given the benefit of doubt that, with some distance from Saturday night’s revelry, they would think better of committing acts of violence on their own campus? IN regard to the Homecoming incident, are we to blame that on the hotel staff’s lack of ability to sign or the guest inability to do so?

I do agree that the University can improve on how we respond to disorderly incidents and attempted crimes. As leader of the Crisis Management Team, I will work with this group to create more effective policies and procedures for responding to such unfortunate incidents. Most important, I, along with other administrators, am committed to creating and implementing specific action plans to address issues of audism, racism, improving communication access for all people on campus, and promoting the goals, behaviors and attitudes of an inclusive deaf university.

I hope you and other students will join this effort as collaborators working with us towards goals I believe we all want: access, respect, inclusion, and a strong Gallaudet University.

Sincerely,
Jane K. Fernandes
Provost

Talk is cheap, Fernie! DPS has not implemented anything to speed up the use of sign language on its campus, the world's only Liberal Arts University for the Deaf. It is always hilarious to watch Fernie trying to act like she is so busy doing something but know what? She never did a thing. She changed the names of dormitories where the students were killed, changed the security's name tags from Department of Safety and Security (DOSS) to Department of Public Safety (DPS).

Basically, the Administration did not do a thing at all except to repair its image. Each time, they fucked up a situation, they released their PR dogs to cover, bury or clean it up.

Up next is Donald Tropp's letter to Provost!

Cheers,

R-

11.17.05 Tidbits

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Lee Trevathan In MetroWeekly's Top Ten Finalists!

My dear friend, David "Lee" Trevathan, originally from Biloxi, Mississippi -- now a student at Gallaudet and living in the District, was chosen to be the local gay magazine, MetroWeekly's Top Ten Finalists for the 2005 Coverboy of the Year. David is affectionately known as Lee by many friends. I think I am one of his friends.

Congratulations, Lee!

But the voting continues. Let's show some solidarity for a Deaf fellow by voting for David "Lee" Trevathan.

If he wins it all, he will be the first deaf person to win the MW's Coverboy of the Year -- the voting will end on Tuesday, Nov. 29th. You have two weeks to do that.

Click for David Trevathan!

Love you, Lee!

Cheers,

R-