NIC: Board majority doesn’t have college’s best interests in mind

I appreciated Anne Patterson’s June 12, Press, “My Turn” column. Her distorted interpretation of facts exposed what may be a common misunderstanding of the problems created by the North Idaho College Board majority. The following is offered for clarification.

Dr. South served a very short term as interim president, and was exorbitantly overpaid to solve NIC’s very real accreditation crisis. He did nothing significant to help, misspent substantial NIC money, and failed to confront the board majority about their mistakes.

Past and current board minorities have resisted using executive sessions, not to create lawsuits, but to obstruct the board majority’s efforts to make their very expensive missteps in secret.

Ms. Patterson alleged that conservative students were those deprived of their rights and liberties when they resisted the dogma of liberal professors. Helping students search for truth, develop critical thinking skills, and discover historic and current world views of problems and solutions is not liberal dogma. It is traditional education. Private institutions can include religious indoctrination in their interpretation of traditional education, but public institutions cannot.

Rejecting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion suggests bigotry. It also places public institutions in opposition to the rule of laws intended to make higher education and the workplace accessible and achievable for different ages, races, religions, disabilities, genders and sexual orientations.

Using the Wisdom of Solomon to suggest resisting the board majority does not have the best interest of students in mind is ludicrous. It is the board majority that demonstrates a willingness to kill NIC rather than curb the unreasonable and obsessive behavior that would save the baby. Everyone should oppose the destructive and inept board majority.

GARY COFFMAN

Coeur d’Alene