BOR blasts ‘power play’ vs NMC’s Fernandez

Northern Marianas College Board of Regents chair Charles V. Cepeda yesterday expressed disappointment over the rash of allegations concerning NMC president Dr. Carmen Fernandez, describing the move as a power play by some members of the Legislature.

Cepeda came to the president’s defense after she was bombarded by criticisms that primarily focused on her management style and hiring practices at the college.

“The Board of Regents, especially myself, stand firm against the attempts to circumvent the current NMC policies in place for exactly these kinds of grievances,” Cepeda said in a statement, adding that everybody is going to be in a difficult situation if they favor indirect and hidden agenda.

Cepeda described the criticisms against the president as something that usually occurs in any organization. “I believe that any organization that has one individual with such strong personality will have members of that organization or community who will not be happy and would criticize strongly, most especially here in the CNMI where we are all closely related or see each other daily,” Cepeda said.

Last week, the campus faculty staff senate admitted to Saipan Tribune that dissatisfaction is high among faculty and employees at the college.

Cepeda, in the statement, pointed out that the faculty staff senate could seek and present a petition for Fernandez’s removal if they are unhappy with her. “The Board of Regents would certainly accept the petition, but it would be unrestricted and non-binding.”

Cepeda said the faculty senate, if organized behind a worthy cause, is an extremely powerful group within the NMC community and can make a powerful statement.

Cepeda will call for a meeting this month where he invited members of the Legislature and the community to hear their thoughts about these concerns.

The chairman, meantime, reminded that this time is very critical and important for NMC’s accreditation, which was put on continued show-cause until April 1.

“The news we’ve received from WASC this last Feb. 4, 2009, indicates that a lot of work has been done to possibly getting reaffirmed. These media reports are certainly being reviewed by the accreditation commission, some whom have visited the CNMI several times and are aware of the circumstances. There are a couple [of] commission members who have strong ties to the CNMI and are aware of the political interference that our Legislature is accustomed to. These will not [affect] NMC’s accreditation for the future,” Cepeda added.