Members from the College of the Bahamas student, union yesterday joined the mounting opposition to the choice of a Canadian academic as a candidate to head the institution.
Holding a press conference yesterday at the college hookstore, COBUS added its official voice to that of the Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas (UTEB), who have come out against the decision to name Janyne Hodder the third candidate for the COB presidency.
On Monday, UTEB protested the methods used by college council president Franklyn Wilson in identifying Ms Hodder as a candidate.
At the press conference, COBUS president Quinton Lightbourne explained that he has re-evaluated his initial position that UTEB members were wrong for walking out on a meeting where Ms Hodder was being introduced.
After meeting with the students, he said his initial decision to comment on UTEB’s actions was misguided and did not reflect the opinion of the majority of union members.
Mr Lighbourne issued a statement yesterday saying, “The UTEB representatives staged a demonstration to ensure that their voices were heard. It is of my sincerest regrets that we too may be forced to act despite my initial disapproval.”
In the release given to the press, Lightbourne stated, “As President of COBUS I now openly state that we are appalled with the decision of the council and plan to ensure that our voices be heard.”
“As the representative for the students on the council,” he continued, “it is indeed my duty to represent their views for [the] betterment of this institution.”
The student union president now says that he understands UTEB’s walk out two days ago was not in opposition to Ms Janyne Hodder, who he thinks may be an excellent candidate to lead the institution, but in opposition to Mr. Wilson’s refusal to respect the word of the College Act that requires all council members to be involved in the process to find a qualified successor for Dr. Rodney Smith.
Both Mr. Lightbourne and UTEB council member spokesperson Jennifer IsaacsDotson dismissed Mr. Wilson’s insinuations to the media that Monday’s action by UTEB had anything to do with Ms. Hod= der’s race. “It has nothing to do Ms Hodder’s race; but everything to do with consistency in the process for finding suitable candidates and consistency in qualifications of candidates who are considered.”
“Normally,” said Mrs Dotson on Monday, “the job is advertised, persons applying for the job, they are short-listed, their applications are vetted and the persons invited to formal interviews with all major stakeholders.”
However, Mr Wilson explained that due to the limited time Ms Hodder was able to spend in the Bahamas, an impromptu meeting was organized with the entire institution. He said that a similar process was not held for the candidacy of acting college president Dr Rhonda Chipman-Johnson and Dr. Pandora Johnson, as both women reside in the Bahamas and have more time to meet with stakeholders.
Tehillah Campbell, a member of the COBUS organization, says Mr. Wilson’s statements are misleading because he and the persons whom he chose to consult knew in advance that Ms Hodder was going to visit the institution.
“If they knew that Ms Hodder was going to visit the college, they could have planned a schedule of events where concerned stakeholders would have had the opportunity to become familiar with Ms Hodder, like they did with the candidacy of both Dr. Rhonda ChipmanJohnson and Dr. Pandora Johnson.”
Both Mr Lightbourne and Mrs Dotson said that they do not want their actions to be misconstrued to the public as they “need public support on this matter because COB belongs to all Bahamians. However, we were entrusted by a constituency to ensure that the future of the College of the Bahamas is in good hands, and we must be accountable to our constituency and the public, at large, who send their children to the College of the Bahamas.”
“We must respect the decision that the council makes, but the process must be open and transparent, and all council members must be equally involved in the decision making process. But by not adequately informing student and faculty and staff council members of Ms Hodder’s visit, Mr Wilson demonstrated that all council members are not equal and our voices are somewhat insignificant. We have concerns that need to be addressed, as even when COB was a twoyear institution, the helm was never held by an individual who did not possess a PhD. In 2006, as we move toward university status for COB, is it now okay to have a president with less qualification?”
The Tribune
