Hearing students who apply to attend Gallaudet must go through a competitive admissions process including interviews. Accepted students are those who have skill in sign language, and who have a career goal of working with deaf people such as becoming sign language interpreters or teaching deaf students. It is not unusual for them to have deaf parents. Only a certain percent of HUGs can be admitted, and this percentage is set by the Gallaudet University board of trustees along with the Gallaudet administration.
When Gallaudet initially announced the startup of the HUG program in 2000, the initial reaction of some deaf students was that hearing undergraduates would dilute the deaf college experience. However, after the program got underway, the hearing undergraduates were and are fully accepted by their fellow deaf students. HUG students participate equally in campus life including government and Greek life.
Sources:
Turning the Volume Down: Hearing Student at Gallaudet Blossoms in Deaf Culture. The Washington Post, February 6, 2005, page A01. This article focused on the experience of one hearing undergraduate student, Jenn Legg, a child of deaf parents. It also covers the history behind the HUG program.
Gallaudet University Gets HUGgy - In this blog post from April 2005, Mike McConell covers some of the history and feelings behind the HUG program.
http://admissions.gallaudet.edu/UG_application_info/Hearing/HUG_program.asp - The application information for the HUG program (Accessed 10/06/07).
