Gallaudet protests unjustified

I am writing to you about your coverage of the protests at Gallaudet University surrounding the appointment of Jane K. Fernandes as president. I am a former student of the university.

My experience with my fellow students at Gallaudet has been, sadly, similar to what Fernandes is going through today. I come from a deaf family, was raised deaf and have always been integrated in the deaf community, yet I choose to sign in a way where both American Sign Language and Signed English are combined. Because of this, I was instantly labeled “an audist,” one who discriminates against deaf people.

Fernandes is extremely qualified and has attempted to communicate with the protesters, yet she is met with scorn and hate.

Some of the protesters have sworn at her, and they have insulted and mocked her sign language skills during daily open forums. She canceled future forums for her own safety and because students were not willing to communicate with her.

The protesters are immature and prone to temper tantrums when they do not get what they want. It’s sad, but it’s how the students of Gallaudet University have always been.

Howie Kent
Des Moines, Iowa

Federal government jobs help Maryland thrive

Your editorial, “Two Marylands” (May 11) concluded with “the business of Maryland should not be government.” I disagree. When well-educated people come to Maryland for the purpose of advancing our country’s priorities and laws, it is a good thing. These workers will be great new residents for Maryland.

They are decently compensated; they have good health care benefits; and they have pensions. They will contribute to our communities by raising responsible children who will value education and have a strong work ethic. The frosting on the cake is that tax dollars help Maryland no matter what job sector they come from. Our proximity to Washington is a blessing, not a curse.

Joanna Ambridge
Bel Air

Chamberlain deserved harsher punishment

Surely I’m not the only reader who was irked by Judge Diane Leasure’s recent sentencing of Steven Chamberlain in his child molestation case. I understand the case was plea bargained to a misdemeanor, but Judge Leasure didn’t have to suspend the jail sentence. And why did the state need to bend on this one at all? Chamberlain admitted to sexually assaulting the girl.

To think that a 50-year-old man can use a 14-year-old girl and be given a “get out of jail free card” by a judge is equally as vile as the act in question. A psychological evaluation indicated that Chamberlain is not a threat to anyone other than the victim in this case, but what about an appropriate sentence in consideration of the harm done to this girl? At a minimum, he should be a registered sex offender.

A few weeks later in the same Circuit Court, Judge Louis Becker ordered a married father of two children to three years in prison for stealing television sets from his former employer. Judge Becker was unwavering in his sentencing decision stating that “the amount of harm was excessive and you exploited a position of trust.” Ironically, Judge Leasure thinks a man’s exploitation of a 14-year-old girl is largely harmless and forgivable. Do Howard County Circuit Court judges really think televisions are of greater value than children? What a judicial gaffe!

David Evans
Columbia

Charcoal Club alive and well

Thanks for the wonderful article on the Charcoal Club (May 9). I would like to mention how proud we are of our heritage and that we are very much alive and doing well.

We have a beautiful gallery and studio in the Meadow Mill Center in Hampden, suite 207. We have two drawing sessions weekly, 7 to 10 p.m. Monday, where the model poses for three consecutive Mondays in the same pose. You can paint or draw, and on Wednesday nights where the model changes the pose every 10 to 20 minutes. There is no instruction and anyone from amateur to pro is invited. There is an $8 fee per night. Just bring your own materials.

Bill Wilson, president emeritus
Baltimore