Questions About The LaToya/Delia MEMO

I’ve several questions about the recent “open letter” memo by LaToya and Delia because I keep seeing this “we” stuff peppered throughout the memo as if it’s coming directly from the FSSA itself. Or is it?

Here are my questions.

Is the FSSA endorsing this memo letter written by LaToya and Delia? If not, where is the FSSA disclaimer on their website? If the FSSA does indeed support this memo, where is the affirmation on their website? Is it fair to keep people in the dark on who support who here? Who is the gatekeeper at the GUFSSA's website? Or did this memo get on the GUFSSA's website without people's knowledge?

If LaToya and Delia are acting as representatives of FSSA, does that mean the FSSA is an official organization? Or are they representing an “unofficial establishment” (LaToya/Delia's word) instead?

Who are the official leaders in the FSSA? The website does not make it clear on that either. Or does it really matter since it is an “unofficial establishment”?

Are LaToya and Delia acting as official representatives of the FSSA? Are they the mouthpiece of the FSSA? Or are they doing it for themselves as independents to gain the spotlight and attention? Their memo makes it unclear on who they are representing. The memo is after all on the GUFSSA’s website. Even the FSSA had the CoSC's memo up on their website in early May. Does that mean the FSSA officially recognized the CoSC as an organization?

Will we have to wait 3 days until we hear a response from the FSSA regarding the LaToya/Delia memo for further clarification on their stance on BoT’s official recognizance of CoSC? Or has the FSSA in fact chose LaToya and Delia to be their representative leaders? Or are they instead official leaders of this “unofficial establishment” who are now running the show? Who is what here within the FSSA's "unofficial establishment"?

Are the FSSA against the formation of CoSC? If so, why? Or is that answered by the FSSA's leaders, LaToya and Delia in their open letter memo? Or is that answered by the FSSA's when they allowed the CoSC memo on their website?

Again, we will have to wait 3 days until we hear an "official" response from the FSSA body like they did regarding the SBG crashing the HMB much to the FSSA’s disapproval? Who wrote that letter? Leaders or representatives?

How does the SBG feel about the CoSC? How does the SBG feel about the LaToya/Delia memo? Didn't Noah Beckman showed contriteness about ignoring students of color in the beginning of the protest as he explained it so well in the Newsweek article? Is Noah Beckman, president of the SBG, actually supportive of the COSC being formed?

Who is really creating divisiness here? And who is really supporting who or what here? And what exactly are LaToya and Delia trying to accomplish here? What is the FSSA trying to accomplish here? What are we as a whole trying to accomplish here? Are we here to draw lines in the sand or are we here to agree to disagree, and move forward?

UPDATE: Shane has questions, too, about the memo. He just blogged it a few minutes ago with the title "FSSA Oppresses Students of Color?"


====================
The "Memo" below:


MEMORANDUM

TO: GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SUBJECT: OPEN LETTER OF CONCERN ON THE RECOGNITION OF COALITION OF STUDENTS OF COLOR
DATE: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2006


To the Honorable Members of the Board of Trustees;

On Saturday, November 11, the Faculty, students, staff, alumni, and parents met with some members of the Board in regards to the Interim Presidential Search. These meetings were the first step towards recognizing the importance of community input. This ensures that representatives from different groups of the community are included in the Interim President Search Advisory Committee and breeds optimism that shared governance will soon be a model used within the Gallaudet community.

There is, however, an issue of concern we must present before this coming deadline in submitting names for the IPSAC. These past six months, we, the people of color, have fought to get our voices heard. The unofficial establishment of Faculty, Students, Staff and Alumni has brought forth a place of recognition and respect of and for others outside of minority groups. This unofficial organization has provided a safe haven where, through mistakes, we have learned that teamwork is the essential ingredient for the successful implementation of the principles of social justice at Gallaudet. Working together with the same group of people who initially ignored us and finding that people do learn from their mistakes has instilled in our hearts, the hope of a better Gallaudet.

Gallaudet University will improve from this point on through continued open dialogue and giving ourselves permission to confront each other on issues that must be resolved. Most importantly, and perhaps our biggest challenge: we must push ourselves to engage in such dialogue and confrontation with various groups outside of our own communities and strive to work together as one community. Given that, we are worried that the establishment of the Coalition of Students of Color will only create division within the community of people of color.

As students, working with other groups of faculty, staff, alumni, and community agencies, we have been and continue to fight for social justice. We envision a place where each of our “voices” carry equal power. And as students, we recognize the Student Body Government as our representative organization. However, rather than working with the Student Body Government, certain individuals want to create a separate governing body. This is the same group of people that fail to recognize that a coalition means the inclusion of all minority organizations. This is also a group of people who are pushing for the formation of a coalition without first resolving inter-group conflicts. They are the same group of people who, in part because they harbor anger at those who ignored us students of color at the very beginning of the presidential search process, are not willing to work with the Student Body Government or the Faculty, Student, Staff, and Alumni coalition.

We want you to be aware that—as can be expected in times of crisis, certain issues are still unresolved. One such instance is the formation of the Coalition of the Students of Color. We have not reached a collective understanding, and we ask that out of respect, the trustees halt on the recognition of the Coalition of Students of Color until we have the opportunity to resolve some of the issues that are preventing us from working together in a way that would do social justice proud.

Respectfully yours,


La Toya Plummer
Delia Lozano-Martinez