I did not sleep at all on the night of April 30. I had to finish a big paper for my World History class. I also had to finish my presentation for a job interview the next morning.
By the morning of May 1, I was running on pure adrenaline. Two things kept my heart pumping. I was excited about the interview. And Gallaudet University was about to name their new president.
There were dark clouds looming. Many students, as well as faculty and staff, felt strongly that Jane Kelleher Fernandes shouldn’t be the next president. But people suspect the Board would pick her anyway. We still hoped for a miracle.
I did not have classes that day. My brain worked well enough during the interview. I felt good about it. Then the real waiting started.
During lunch, I talked with Jason Trzbny over a small circular table at MPR. We talked about what might happen if JKF got the job. I asked if we should protest. He shook his head and said nah. I agreed with him. Two protests in a row would look crazy to the outside world.
Next thing I remember, I walked over to the Kellogg Conference Center. The main room was full. The rest of us were sent into an outflow room. It had rows of folding chairs and a big TV screen.
I sat near Jenny and Ethan. I knew Jenny, but I had just met Ethan. He was a polite looking graduate student. The room felt tense. I suddenly spoke out loud. I told him exactly who should not be president. He looked at me like I was crazy. I should not have assumed a stranger would agree with me.
On the TV screen, the leader of the school board stood up. She spoke for a bit. Then she said, “The next president of Gallaudet University is…”
Everyone stopped breathing.
She spelled the name with her fingers: J-A-N-E—
My stomach dropped. People stood up, looking empty and sad. We decided to walk out while Jane gave her speech. We thought it was the only way we could fight back.
Jenny and I looked at each other. I said, “This is not right.” She shrugged. She was a grad student from RIT, so perhaps she did not see things the same way as the undergraduates do.
On the screen, Ryan Commerson stepped in front of the pundit. He told everyone to walk out if they disagreed with the Board’s selection.
People left the room. They were sad and confused. Earlier, I told Jason we should not protest. But now, I felt like we had to do something. It felt like the school board just slapped us in the face.
Outside the building, things got real. Ryan was leaning against a police car. Police officers stood around him. They were arresting him. He looked sad and shocked. I talked to him for a few seconds before an officer told me to go away.
More and more people poured out of the buildings. Students from all over campus gathered on the grass. A crowd was building. Everyone wanted to do something, but nobody knew what to do.
Then my energy ran out. I felt hit by a brick of exhaustion. I was done. I needed to go home and sleep. I looked at the crowd and wondered what would happen. Then I walked to my car.
On my way, I saw a freshman sitting by the theater. She was looking at her phone. She had no idea what just happened. I told her that JKF got it and upset students were gathering at the mall. Later, this shy girl became one of the leaders of the protests.
During my 30-minute drive home, Michelle texted me. She was watching the blogs. She said students were blocking the main street outside the school.
I texted another friend to ask if it was true. He said yes. Wow. They were actually taking action. Was it right? Who knows, but they were doing it. Michelle and I joked around on our phones, and then I got home.
I sat there, dizzy from no sleep. I opened ridorlive.com on the computer. I saw blurry cell phone photos of a huge crowd of students. They were standing in the street and stopping city traffic. I did not know what to think. I felt a little proud, but also a little sick to my stomach. What would happen next? Would we really block the street until the board changed its mind?
Then I finally went to sleep.