The Board of Trustees voted to pass a motion to take Nick Swayne off of administrative leave and place Dr. Gregory South on paid administrative leave. Their decision followed the order of Kootenai County Judge Cynthia Meyer that North Idaho College must place Swayne as president.
Chairman Greg McKenzie read the memorandum to the audience and showed clear signs of disapproval.
McKenzie said that the board has issues, and while they’re supposed to be a board that represents the community, political bias was present.
However, the majority of the crowd stood up, cheered, and applauded when Swayne entered the room.
Damian Maxwell, ASNIC president, commented on his thoughts about Swayne and expressed his personal concerns about the potential downfall of the community college before the meeting took place.
“I am a little concerned in this meeting,” said Maxwell. “I might be wrong, but policy 20202 is on the agenda for tonight, which is presidential responsibility, and they might try to tamper with that and try to take away his power.”
Maxwell continues to express his worry about the Board of Trustees and their attitude toward Swayne.
“The NWCC is watching everything that we’re doing, and if they take away his power, it will be the end of North Idaho College,” said Maxwell.
A concerned community member, who asked to be anonymous, spoke about their personal objection to Swayne. While some are supportive of Swayne, others support the three main Board of Trustees. The concerned community member said that the people voted for the board, and they hope that the Board can work it out.
The meeting was short compared to past raucous meetings that saw intense moments and heated exchanges.
Before the meeting had begun, not two hours did community members start to line up slowly. This resulted in a zoom room being set up for such occasions.
Due to how many people attended, security handed out purple tape to attendees to wear, so as to keep track of people who would come and go to keep the room at its average capacity of 96 from overflowing.
In the end, the community came to support the college and expressed that they support what is best for North Idaho College.
