Community holds march to protest the actions of the Board of Trustees

A crowd of more than 50 people gathered to protest both the firing of Dr. Rick MacLennan from the position of president and actions taken by the Board of Trustees that put North Idaho College’s accreditation on the line. 

“It’s just an absolute disgrace to fire him for the way that he has served us and has done so much for the college here,” said Jacob Lippert, a student attending NIC,  “It is obvious that it is just a political ploy.” 

Protesters shared their concerns on October 14 that the Board’s actions were partisan. “They fail to be objective time and time again,” said Sawyer Crenshaw, another student at NIC. 

The marchers were largely made up of community members, worried about how losing accreditation might affect all of Coeur d’Alene.  “It definitely impacts not just the student body and the college but the community at large,” said Megan Dardis, a faculty member at Boise State University who sees students expand their careers after starting at NIC. “This is an economic driver for our community. If we’re not going to have students then we’re not going to produce students who will be employed in our community.”

Following the march, Shawn Keenan, one of three speakers, shared his thoughts on the board of trustees. “Board president Todd Banducci is ushering in a highly politicized backdoor nightmare.”Kennan said, “Their hateful brand of politics has no place here.”