Kappa Sigma Frat Stands Alone in Linking Deaf, Hearing, and Hard of Hearing Students, One of A kind in the Country...

I wrote this story months ago, I still stand by it is important that it be recognized CSUN is one of the top schools in the country for the Deaf, it didn't make it in the school magazine as I had hoped but here for your reading pleasure... We NEVER hear enough about our Deaf community its like its non-existant and its not true and not fair...

Like most graduating seniors at Cal State Northridge, 25-year-old Marcos Aguilar was anxious and excited to be finishing up, but for this deaf student majoring in Religious Studies, graduation meant he’s closer to fulfilling his aspiration to go back to Ecuador his birthplace which he left when he was just 7. The following is a story written during the Spring 2009 semester, Its being posted a little late but I feel it is important for the CSUN community to be aware of the very present Deaf culture.

“There are so many unlucky deaf people in Ecuador and it is where I want to start,” said Aguilar in an e-mail interview, “No, question I will help people. Advocate for people’s rights.”

Aguilar comes from a deaf family, fourth generation to be exact. Both his parents are deaf, they know Ecuador sign language and some American Sign Language. As a child he attended a private school in Chicago, for junior high and most of high school he went to a School for the Deaf in Idaho, and then went back to Chicago and finished up at a public high school. He didn’t decide on CSUN until he had already attended Gallaudet University, the only deaf university in the United States, then went to the University of Alaska in Anchorage, then to Pierce College and lastly here. Aguilar said the only thing he knew about CSUN is that it was a mainstream institution that had a program that consisted of about 200 deaf students.

CSUN houses The National Center on Deafness (NCOD), having served over 2,500 students who are deaf and hard of hearing for almost 45 years. According to their website, “NCOD provides communication access, leadership opportunities, scholarships, academic advisement, tutoring, and direct communication classes for approximately 200 students who are deaf and hard of hearing each year”.

The site also mentions that NCOD is recognized as the first postsecondary program in the nation to provide paid sign language interpreters for deaf students and has since grown to be the largest program of its type in the Western United States. It is because of this that deaf and hard of hearing students can have a normal college experience and aren’t limited in their majors or activities. “There are several deaf students that participate in sports or organizations,” said Aguilar, who himself is a brother of Kappa Sigma Fraternity, and president of Deaf CSUNians, an organization that advocated for deaf and hard of hearing students to ensure their rights are protected. Deaf CSUNians is open to anyone who is deaf or is majoring in Deaf Studies.
Jin Pae,27, is the president of CSUN’s chapter of Kappa Sigma, and like Aguilar is also deaf. Pae was born in Seoul, South Korea, he graduated high school in California and then went to Gallaudet where he studied for 5 years and got a bachelor’s degree in Spanish in 2007. He’s a second year graduate student now in the teaching credential program focusing on deaf and hard of hearing, he’s hoping on getting his master’s in special education.

Like Aguilar, Pae also sees himself giving back to the community “I see myself as a high school teacher and possibly a college professor,” he said in an e-mail interview, “I want to be a strong advocate and leader within and for the deaf community.”
Pae is unique in that he wasn’t actually born deaf, he became deaf at the age of 8 due to health complications.

Pae was a brother of Kappa Sigma fraternity at Gallaudet since 2002, and is now also a member of Deaf CSUNians, and Golden Key and Sigma Alpha Pi at CSUN because of his GPA. Although he participates in all these organizations Pae said “Many of the deaf students tend to socialize with each other, even the hearing students in the Deaf Studies program at CSUN tend to socialize with the deaf students also.”

Pae recognizes that deaf students are similar to hearing students in that they are diverse and major in many different areas.

Some of the organizations that incorporate both deaf and hearing students are the Deaf Studies Association (DSA), Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Alpha Sigma Theta Sorority and Lambda Sigma Pi Fraternity.

According to Pae, Kappa Sigma is unique in that it is the first fraternity in the U.S. that combines deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing students within it. “No other Kappa Sigma chapter or fraternity outside of Kappa Sigma has that,” said Pae. The main form of communication within the fraternity is through the use of American Sign Language, although it’s not a requirement to know ASL to join the fraternity according to Pae. “Many members have joined the fraternity knowing little or no ASL until they started integrating themselves in the fraternity,” Pae said.
Freshman Donovan Heine, 18, isn’t deaf but joined Kappa Sigma after meeting the R.A in his dorm last semester who is deaf and also a member. At first he was reluctant because he associated fraternities with the partying scene, but quickly changed his mind after associating himself more with the organization.

“Kappa Sigma has a different meaning for everyone. For me, it is a golden opportunity to learn and grow in ways that will last a lifetime. It’s a means of developing friendships that cannot be broken. And ultimately it’s an experience truly unique,” he said.
Heine said that of his circle of friends about 60 percent are deaf or hard of hearing, while the rest are hearing. “I only say this because the deaf community here at CSUN is very welcoming and are always willing to make a new friend. I have come to love and respect the people who make up this community,” said Heine.

“Deaf culture here is amazing,” said Heine, “Here at CSUN most people are very accepting and open to hearing people.” According to Heine in some places the deaf community is exclusive of hearing people and do so to maintain their identity or to show deaf pride. Hearing students are encouraged to join organizations and learn about deaf culture on campus. CSUN boasts such a large deaf community it is necessary to recognize these students presence and contributions. Heine said, “To join Kappa Sigma, all you need is a willingness to participate and share your ideas, as well as to be open minded to the many great experiences gained as member. Some technical requirements are that you must be a CSUN student, maintain good academia, and pay dues.”