“It is the beginning of the process,” he added.
In an e-mail interview, he said an application denied may be appealed within a 10-day timeframe.
The appeal is part of the application process, he added.
According to Torres, an appeal or reconsideration will enable the SHEFA board to revisit its decision based on the documents submitted and engage in a one-on-one dialogue with the applicant.
This will allow for a better understanding of the documents provided as well as the unique and special circumstances of an application and the applicant.
Torres said an application initially awarded may still be denied at a later time when information disqualifying the applicant is received by the board.
“There is such a thing as reversed approval as there is reversed denial,” he added. “Action taken in initially processing applications and forwarding appropriate notices either to grant or deny is not set in stone.”
Disapproval
Torres said the reasons for the disapproval of an application are not limited to grade point average.
Other reasons include an applicant’s less than fulltime status, non-accredited institution of postsecondary or secondary education, requirement for independent evaluation of non-U.S. transcripts, unaccredited institution of higher learning or postsecondary education, jurisdiction or place of municipal resident issue, default by reason of grade point average, less than fulltime status resulting from events such as not completing the required minimum per term of 12 credits for undergraduates and 9 credits for graduates and post graduates, repeated coursework, below-level coursework or remedial, non-credited coursework, non-passing grade in a pass/no pass class, or exceeding the term limit in obtaining a degree.
For this school semester, Torres said 80 percent of the 930 applications were granted SHEFA scholarships.
SHEFA is a scholarship program under the Saipan mayor’s office and funded by the island’s poker fee collections.
It has a board whose members are Mayor Donald P. Flores, Maggie C. Camacho, Jose C. Leon Guerrero, Josephine T. Sablan, John K. Tenorio and Vice Speaker Felicidad T. Ogumoro whose resignation takes effect on Oct. 1.
The CNMI Constitution prohibits a lawmaker from serving in any other commonwealth government position “including other elective office or an independent board, agency, authority or commission….”
