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BOR chair questions exclusion of honorary members in executive sessions
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Posted on Jun 19 2011
Northern Marianas College Board of Regents chair Juan Lizama last Friday questioned the practice of excluding honorary members of the board during executive sessions.
In a special board meeting, Lizama expressed his willingness to include the honorary members in future executive sessions—an idea opposed by regents Elaine Orilla and Frank Rabauliman, citing that the closed-door meetings tackle important and highly confidential matters about the college.
There are three honorary members on the board who serve as non-voting individuals—president of Associated Students of NMC; faculty staff president; and staff senate president.
The chair earlier asked interim president Lorraine Cabrera on who originally decided to exclude honorary members in closed-door sessions.
Cabrera said it’s been a long time since non-voting members were allowed participation during executive sessions and it was during her stint as staff senate president.
Based on its bylaws, it is the board’s prerogative to include or exclude the non-voting members in its executive meetings.
Orilla said she’s not comfortable allowing non-voting members to attend executive sessions because it may impact the board’s operation and policy.
But for Lizama, the presence of the non-voting members aims to bring more ideas and voices to the discussion table and not to bring such information out to their peers.
The chairman also pointed out that the inclusion of the said members is limited to non-personnel issues only.
John Cook, NMC acting faculty senate president, welcomes Lizama’s recommendation and assured the regents that he would keep “confidentiality” rule on his part.
However the board did not come up with a “decision” last Friday.
Meantime, the board suspended its policy 1015 which requires them to elect new officer/officers every last Thursday of June each year.
Lizama explained that only the vice chairperson position will be up for grabs in the election which is re-scheduled on July 14. Orilla’s term as vice chairperson expires this month.
