Welcome to the November 3 issue of Hi5! Here are our Top Five news stories.
1

The Necessity of Now fundraising campaign launched on October 20, the Friday of Homecoming weekend. This $23 million campaign spotlights the history, culture, and achievements of Black Deaf people. It will fund The Louise B. Miller Pathways and Gardens: A Legacy to Black Deaf Children, and provide support for student scholarships, research, and programming at the Center for Black Deaf Studies. For more information, visit gu.live/NOW.

2

The AT&T 5G-connected football helmet that debuted last month continues to draw a great deal of attention. Most recently, District of Columbia (D.C.) Mayor Muriel Bowser proclaimed October 21 “Home of the Huddle Day.” This proclamation recognizes Gallaudet’s historic role in innovation, from the huddle in 1894 to the helmet in 2023. The proclamation will be formally presented at a pregame ceremony before tomorrow’s football game against Dean College. We thank Mayor Bowser and the Mayor’s Office for Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing for this honor!

3

The #IAmGallaudet campaign was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Brand Reputation category during the annual PRNews Platinum Awards gala on October 18 in New York City. This campaign is led by Bilal Chinoy, creative director in the Office of University Communications, and his talented team. It features students, staff, faculty, and alumni. Congratulations!

4

Our faculty continue to do great things. Dr. Octavian Robinson is a leader in the new field of “crip linguistics,” the study of ableist systems and their attitudes toward language. He, along with Dr. Erin Moriarty Harrelson and the late Dr. Jonathan Henner, has a book coming out soon. Robinson and Moriarty Harrelson are with the Deaf Studies program. Dr. Kota Takayama of the Social Work program has been spreading Deaf Studies awareness in Japan through classes and presentations, and involves other members of the Gallaudet community and the Japan Deaf community in this work.

5

The Gallaudet University women's volleyball team is the top seed in the upcoming United East Conference – Volt Division tournament. Gallaudet won 28 matches and lost just three, and was undefeated in Volt Division play. They are the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament that begins tomorrow. Gallaudet will host a Volt Division semifinal match on Tuesday, November 7, at 7 p.m. in the Field House. Meanwhile, the MSSD football team is in its conference playoffs, tonight at the MSSD football field! Good luck to both Gallaudet and MSSD for continued success.


In other news: There is a new interactive world map in the lobby of the Kellogg Conference Hotel, showing the use of signed languages and gesture across the globe. This is a project of the Gesture Literacy Knowledge Studio. There is also a fantastic exhibit by Ko Nam David, a painter from Hong Kong, that you must see. It is at the Washburn Arts Center through November 10. Finally, we mourn the passing of Dr. Mary Thumann, a retired professor in our Linguistics program, and Cheryl Heppner, a former member of our Board of Trustees.