On Friday, at least eight of the 16 graduates appeared before the SHEFA board meeting. They earlier attended the committee on awards meeting with SHEFA vice chairwoman Josephine Sablan and administrator Henry Hofschneider.
Donah Tagabuel, who spoke on behalf of the group, said they are asking for equity of treatment.
She said they understand they are second priority for the disbursement of scholarship awards but they should be given the courtesy provided to other students if SHEFA wants to maintain its integrity.
“It’s been a long process and we like to see a resolution passed expeditiously today,” they said.
After calling for a recess to deliberate on the issue, the SHEFA board decided to adopt a resolution maintaining the actual scholarship awards due to the Framingham students.
In her findings during the committee awards meeting, Sablan said the graduates are eligible to get the actual awards.
Hofschneider said each Framingham graduate is expected to receive $4,700.
SHEFA chairman Jose C. Mafnas said the cohort 8 graduates are not affected by the recent adjustment of scholarship awards starting in Spring 2011.
But he said SHEFA has no control over the release of funds once it submits a request to the Department of Finance.
The cohort 8 graduates started their course in Oct. 2009 and completed it in Nov. 2010.
A financial assistance request to Finance for the cohort 8 graduates will be submitted, Hofchneider said.
If there are not enough funds, he said, the board will again discuss how to pursue the awards.
SHEFA is funded by the island’s poker fee collections which have been declining over the years.
