‘Scholarship office does not favor NMA applicants’

NMI Scholarship Office administrator Jackie Che has denied claims by the Tinian Legislative Delegation that proposed changes to the program’s regulations will only favor students of the Northern Marianas Academy.

“The Scholarship Office does not favor students from NMA so any accusation that only NMA high school students have benefited from a CNMI Scholarship award is, in and of itself, unfounded,” said Che yesterday.

Tinian delegation chair Sen. Jude Hofschneider earlier expressed the delegation’s opposition to the proposed emergency scholarship rules, saying the proposal to broaden the eligibility of the Early Admission Program is “very impractical” because of the current state of the CNMI economy and the Scholarship Office’s inability to release awards on time. Hofschneider also opposed the Early Admissions Program as it excludes high school students from Tinian and Rota.

In his letter to Che, Hofschneider said that only NMA students stand to benefit the most from the Early Admissions Program.  

Che pointed out, however, that any prospective Early Admissions Program applicant, regardless of his or her affiliation to any high school, are automatically denied by the office if they fail to show proof of a high school degree or GED

She said this is clearly stipulated in the current regulations under “Eligibility for EAP,” that an applicant must have graduated from high school, Advanced Development Institute, General Education Development, or higher in order to be considered eligible for a CNMI Scholarship.

“We have had high school students from across the island who apply for a CNMI Scholarship over the years, but they were denied because they failed to meet this basic requirement,” she said.

According to Che, the stipulations under this clause are still being assessed. She said there are certain mechanisms such as transfer credits and credit agreements with high schools, as well as accessibility issues with Rota and Tinian students that have to be ironed out.

Che said the scholarship advisory board appreciates the comments they have received over the last few weeks and will take each of them into consideration as they finalize the proposed regulations.

The proposed changes include increasing the minimum undergraduate grade point average for satisfactory academic progress from 2.5 to 2.75, as well as limiting scholarship assistance for new undergraduate applicants to those enrolled at NMC or have already obtained an associate’s degree and are enrolled at an accredited institution.

The proposed amendments also include enabling scholarship assistance for participants in NMC’s Early Admissions Program, and authorizing the board in its discretion to extend the duration of an award.