Editorial questions keeping Gallaudet University Open

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More troubles at Gallaudet? Interesting article.

Sometimes people with an outside view can only see so much the value of keeping an institution open thinking it's a waste of tax-payers' money seeing "little in return" while others, primarily those "on the inside," see Gallaudet University as a great institution rich with history and culture, and have spawned world class graduates in more ways than one although it does have its own shortcomings.

This is the danger that Gallaudet University faces everyday when dealing with people who can only see so much in the value of maintaining Gallaudet University.  It's simply not a university for college students but an institution that provides elementary and secondary education to deaf and hard of hearing kids on the campus of Gallaudet University. So, it's not just the 1575 college students attending but the other 280 kids for a total of about 1850 students who go to Gallaudet University and get their specialized attention and education through sign language.

Please, bare with me and keep your temper at bay, and maybe hold your jaw while you're at it.  Read on.

At what cost is it worth keeping Gallaudet University going with a campus population of mostly deaf and hard of hearing students numbering about 1850 students in total? Has the university become unwieldy for its size while the cost born mostly borne by the federal government? Perhaps the appropriated amount given to Gallaudet each year by Congress to the tune of about $123 million dollars a year (2009 - 2012) would be seen as too much? Or too little? An appropriated amount which covers only 70% of Gallaudet's operating budget, a percentage amount that's been fairly consistent over the few decades. $123 million dollars each year not may not sound much but it does add up over the course of 11 years and you get a total of almost $1.2 billion (not million but billion) dollars (see page 7)!  Already, a billion dollars spent in 10 years time. And in ten years time we've witness the murders, saw the marginalization of other communication preferences,  the 2006 protest and now the McCaskill/Gallaudet snafu that continues to build that threaten to capture the nation's attention.

Or has the university become the epitome of excellence seeing a return investment in students who have become successful alumni who come back and donated money or give back to the university? Like to the tune of about $3 million dollars each year or about 1.8% of the annual budget (see page 10). Or is it the avant guard communication access whether you're fluent in sign language or not? Or the raising of the bar on educational standards and expectations from students? Or an example of an institution that brings deaf and hard of hearing students from around the world?

Now, like I said before, this whole McCaskill/Gallaudet snafu is becoming a public relation nightmare threatens to swallow Gallaudet University and raises the specter of more people asking on the "outside" why has Congress spent over $1billion dollars over the last 10 years for this institution?  Yet students would appear, to those on the "outside" looking in, to be a bunch of ungrateful whelps who think they are owed something who sometimes put their ideology over education.

As you can see, you have the danger of how certain image is being projected about Gallaudet University to those who are watching the whole thing on the "outside" and those who don't or wouldn't know any better. Or maybe they do know better and see for what it is?  But warning is in the writing and people are beginning to ask. There may come a time when the question gets asked on whether Gallaudet University worth keeping the gates open. Only time will tell.