Demotion of only deaf adviser angers CeDRR students

Kristy Mangos Arizona Daily Wildcat John Statler, president of UA's Collegiate National Association for the Deaf, observes while Diane Prairie (foreground), special education and rehabilitation services graduate student, comments by sign language at a club meeting Friday. The members of the club discussed Rusty Roberts, a disability specialist for CeDRR, and his current position held at the university.

Rusty Roberts, a disability specialist at the University of Arizona Center for Disability Related Resources, was reduced from full-time to part-time status at the beginning of April.

The change also forced him to relinquish his role as an adviser for the UA's Collegiate National Association for the Deaf because Department of Student Programs regulations mandate that club advisers maintain full-time status.

The position was cut to part-time after funding for the second half of his salary, paid by the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration, was discontinued.

Robert Hunnicutt, a special education for the deaf graduate student, said Roberts, as a deaf individual, understands issues deaf students face.

"We're not trying to keep him on the staff just because he's deaf," Hunnicutt said. "It's because he understands."

The students are angry because Roberts' office hours are now from 8 a.m. until noon Monday through Friday, creating conflicts for students who attend class between those hours.

Club members drew up a proposal for submission to CeDRR officials in which they outline a plan to give the disability specialist a full-time role and job responsibilities including control of all of the center's hearing disability functions.

Diane Prairie, a special education and rehabilitation services graduate student, warned the group to keep the plan simple and to move fast, since Roberts has a wife and two children to support on his now part-time salary.

"We have to act quickly before Rusty has to leave this position," Prairie said.

Carol Funckes, senior program coordinator at CeDRR, said Roberts is important to the students, especially since he is the center's only deaf specialist.

"They look very strongly at Rusty as a role model," Funckes said.

But she added that the conflict is troubling her because students are upset.

"We think there are other things going on here," Funckes said. "It's a concern that there is so much controversy and that this is being taken so negatively."

John Statler, president of the UA's Collegiate National Association for the Deaf, also known as the Deaf Club, headed the 4 p.m. meeting in the CeDRR building.

He said officials at CeDRR are showing a "lack of responsibility" in dealing with Roberts' situation.

"I don't really trust what's going on in CeDRR," Statler said.

Statler said while Roberts was full-time, he worked in the Tucson area with young people.

But Kent Kloepping, CeDRR's director, said the situation is not as simple as it seems, and that Roberts is still a part-time disability specialist.

Roberts was not at Friday's meeting and could not be reached for comment.