“Accreditation Has Been Weaponized” Against Conservatives At North Idaho College — Citizens Speak Out Against Left-Wing Assault
Over the past 8 years, since the election of Donald J. Trump in 2016, we have all watched as college campuses across America were transformed before our very eyes. What used to be places of learning and education, turned into literal war-zones.
UC Berkley, in California, a place once known for freedom of speech turned into a war-zone when Milo Yiannopolous, a columnist at Breitbart News, came to speak to students on campus in 2016.
Angry Left-Wing mobs set the campus ablaze under the watchful eyes of police officers, decked out in riot gear, who didn’t lift a finger to stop the violence.
It sounds familiar, doesn’t it? History doesn’t repeat, but sometimes it rhymes.
Although North Idaho College has (up until now) only been afflicted with FALSE ALARMS, that doesn’t mean that Our Community College isn’t on fire.
For the past three years, North Idaho College has been a battleground, ever since grassroots Conservatives took over the board in 2020.
Local liberals, establishment hacks, RINO’s and real estate developers, upset at the results of the Conservative landslide, resorted to blackmail, violence, intimidation, subterfuge, subversion, and sabotage to undo the Will of the People as expressed at the ballot box that fateful November. These Left-Wing attacks on the College and the Trustees elected to govern it, have only become worse over time.
At the center of these attacks on the College is a small group of people with Power and Privilege, who seem as though they would rather watch the College burn down, rather than allowing it to fall into the hands of Conservatives.
On March 12, 2021, a radical Left-Wing organization called the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations sent a letter to the North West Commission on Colleges and Universities, complaining about the newly elected Conservative board at NIC.
Christie Wood, a former police officer and disgraced member of Coeur d’Alene City Council, was one of the founders of the Task Force on Human Relations. Wood served as its president for a time, and sat on its board of directors.
At the time the letter of complaint was sent to the NWCCU on March 12th, Christie Wood was a member of the board of North Idaho College, and a member of the Task Force on Human Relations.
Instead of following NIC policy 3.02.23 which outlines how complaints are to be handled internally at the college, Wood used her connections to put pressure on the NWCCU to revoke the college’s accreditation, in an effort to use it as a political weapon against her Conservative enemies fellow board members.
Just so everyone is on the same page: Accreditation was not under threat until that letter was sent, by a radical Left-Wing organization formed by one of the College’s trustees, to the NWCCU.
Instead of following the Will of the People, instead of respecting “Our Democracy,” this cabal of power-hungry Leftists had decided to use accreditation as a bludgeon to try and get their way.
Something similar is happening in Florida, now that Governor Ron DeSantis has taken action against the liberal education establishment.
Even though the liberals behind these attacks on NIC have the FULL backing of the establishment in Boise and the Press, people are starting to put the pieces together, and come to a deeper understanding of what’s happening at NIC: Liberals are attacking the College because they cannot accept the results of a free and fair election.
Nero burned Rome and blamed the Christians…
Public comment at yesterday’s NIC Board meeting laid bare the deep, seemingly irreconcilable divide in our county.
Wade Spiker, a Conservative citizen said:
“I just hope everybody out here understands the education process you’re witnessing right now. Because that’s what this is. When you think about it the people voted. They voted for this board. That was our vote. Whether you’re a student, teacher, tax payer, whatever.
We voted. These are the people. Sadly, [once] they got in, then the attack started.
A political hit job. To do what? Discredit.
I flew around for a corporation for years speaking. I’ve seen it all. This has been nothing but an attack for political purposes…
It all started after We the People voted.
Stand with this board. Do what needs to be done, and move forward.
Brent Regan, the chairman of the Nationally Acclaimed Kootenai County Republican Party (KCRCC) stepped up to the mic and destroyed the narrative that has been ginned up by left-wing activists and the Press saying:
“Accreditation is awarded by independent accreditation agencies that periodically examine the schools curricular offerings to confirm that they are providing the students with a quality education.
What academic a curricular short coming caused NIC’s accreditation to come out of scrutiny? The answer is NONE.
Accreditation is being threatened for political, not academic reasons why because those who are unwilling to accept the outcome of the last two elections.
After the first election, one of the trustees was blackmailed into resigning with the threat of litigation, two more trustees, resigned in a scheme to have a majority of the board appointed by the state board of education who themselves are appointed.
Well, that board majority might’ve been legal they were not the legitimately, elected trustees, representing the voters.
This last election was well engaged Billboards advertising Mallers radio TV. Voter turnout was high, but the people whose candidates one most of the seats aren’t happy because they didn’t win all of the seats and proceeded to have a tantrum.
Protesting, screaming, heckling, interrupting, assaulting, pulling fire alarms…If this kind of behavior is what we can expect from graduates of NIC, padlock the doors tonight!
Do you want to live in a society ruled by the loudest most obnoxious people or the one where the majority chooses the leaders elections have consequences the NWCCU is looking for stability. It’s time to stop fighting to overturn the will of the people.
I’ll close with a question that everyone here should be asking if they’re interested in saving accreditation: What can I do to help?”
Nina Beesley, a Conservative activist said:
“Accreditation has been Weaponized and I see is being used as an example that if you go conservative you’ll lose your accreditation
Dr. Ramaswamy, president of the NWCCU has not followed his own agencies policies.
The “Show Cause” letter mentions that the NWCCU received multiple complaints from the community and NIC staff.
Under the policies of the NWCCU, they only investigate complaints about accreditation when the complainant has exhausted all of the institutions appeal procedures. NIC has a grievance procedure for employees policy 3.02.23 and a complaint process for students at policy 5.16. Did any of the complainants submit their complaints to NIC, much less exhaust appeal procedures?
If not, the NWCCU is violating its own procedures by considering the complaints and its evaluation. NWCCU also requires a significant amount of detail and evidence for complaints that are submitted and has a timeline and a process for dealing with complaints. Were all of those requirements met? If not, the NWCCU is violating its own accreditation process.
Why? Is it because the president of the NWCCU, Dr. Ramaswamy, is friends with [former NIC] president McLennan, and upset that he was fired?
Is it that he’s upset because NIC has a Conservative board on the majority?
Is it that Dr. Ramaswamy thinks that higher education needs to root out conservatives?
These are important questions that need to be answered.
Another important question that needs to be answered is who are these people who are complaining to the NWCCU? Why do they want to put NIC’s accreditation at risk, instead of going through the grievance procedures outlined in the NIC policy manual?”
Aryeh Blumenfeld, a student at NIC said:
“It is my belief that the Board members truly care about our college and seek to do right by us. It seems they ARE addressing NWCCU’s points in good faith. Asking trustees Banducci, McKenzie, and Waggoner to resign will not help us, and I think vacancies at this hour would be… not good; maybe the end.
The Show Cause letter referenced an ASNIC vote of no confidence, which was decided by 4 YES votes out of 8 representatives, and I am unaware of the student body being consulted.
I’m personally aware that there are many students here who support the Board whom that vote does not represent. They are terrified to speak out, for fear of reprisal. Sadly, such fear is well-founded. For Accreditation’s sake, I hope NWCCU becomes aware of the falsehood of the narrative that the student body cohesively stands against the Board.
Of course you can disagree with my positions and still share my goal of our institution’s prosperity. However, those who hate one another cannot work together. If you take anything away from my speech, be it this: if NIC is to fall, it WILL be because we hate one another, which is the sin, and the tragedy, of murder. Those who make hatred lord of their life are already dead, and the dead cannot support a college. So, sincerely I ask every person in this room, no matter your positions, to love the very people in this room whom you most despise, as Jesus modelled when He sacrificed Himself to save those who rejected Him. And, seeing the success of any agenda item in any meeting is directly dependent on the hand of the Lord, I beg everyone in here who believes to find it in your heart to ask God to place His almighty hand upon our cherished institution, and upon our depraved hearts.
Tim Plass, who sent 5 of his children to NIC said:
“Citizens of Kootenai County voted for all five of you, and you are the legitimate board the board that was here last summer. The three appointed ones were illegitimate. I want the straightened out, and I believe you’re doing it.
I want the best for NIC and I want you to restore it to good standing and put last summer to rest. I’m disappointed in the NFC staff they did a vote of no confidence I don’t know why you’re shooting yourselves in the foot this is just insanity that you don’t just be quiet and let the board do their job.”
The crisis at North Idaho College is ongoing. More articles on the February meeting will be coming soon.
Also, if you made it this far, thank you for reading. Please consider becoming a SUBSCRIBER. We could use your support!
