‘Take Jane Now’

UNCA announced Friday that Jane Fernandes whas been picked as the university’s new provost. Fernandes was a lightning rod for controversy after she was appointed president of Gallaudet University, the top liberal arts college for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Students protested and the appointment was withdrawn. Fernandes was born deaf but grew up as an “oral deaf person,” but apaprently that wasn’t good enough for the students.

So now someone has posted the above YouTube video. I don’t know what the person in the video is saying because I don’t know sign language.

Here’s a snippet from the Asheville Citizen-Times story on the appointment:

“Because I grew up as an oral deaf person and I learned American Sign Language later in my life, I didn’t have the right characteristics as a deaf person to be the president the ASL and deaf culture community wanted to have,” Fernandes said.

UNCA Chancellor Anne Ponder said controversy sometimes builds strength. “Great leaders that have been through great controversies are better prepared to do courageous work,” she said.</blockquote

Here’s the full story.