In response to the complaint of Framingham State University graduates, Sablan strongly urged the board to look into the eligibility of applicants and financial assistance program.
SHEFA Chairman Jose C. Mafnas told the board about the gradual reduction of poker machines that are being renewed for operation.
SHEFA is funded by annual poker fee collections.
Contrary to what was stated in the appropriation bill passed by the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation that there were 588 poker machines on island, Mafnas said only the licenses of 563 machines were renewed.
“That number may go down further,” he added.
Mafnas expects that the number of machines to be renewed from June to August will be fewer, saying the poker operators “are also struggling.”
In a recent SHEFA meeting, three of the 16 local graduates of FSU told the board that they did not receive their final reimbursement for fall term 2010.
Anita A. Sablan, one of the students, said some of their friends who are also taking up a master’s program have already received there scholarship awards.
She said FSU students were paying for their courses every semester and the SHEFA “financial award essentially became a reimbursement.”
“A lot of us borrowed money from lending institutions and our family and we’re really struggling to pay that back,” said Sablan, one of the 16 FSU students who graduated last March.
They attended classes at Northern Marianas College under an FSU instructor.
“We’ve been waiting and waiting and it’s always been like this. And now we’re getting no responses. We continue to wait and there’s no money, but in the paper we were seeing reports that spring scholarships were awarded,” said Leilani Bermudes Iramk, another FSU student who appeared before the SHEFA board.
Alvin Sablan, an FSU graduate, also attended the board meeting.
The FSU students said they sent a letter on April 28, 2011 to Saipan Mayor Donald G. Flores, the SHEFA board members and the administrator, but they haven’t received any response.
In the letter, the students told the mayor: “We are convinced that you support higher education and endorse upholding agreements, particularly those set forth in the SHEFA guidelines, and, being that we fully met all the requirements, will help us attain what is rightfully earned.”
SHEFA Administrator Henry Hofschneider said they are not certain when the Department of Finance will process the scholarship awards because these will depend on the availability of funds.
He said he will work with the department to get a detailed accounting of the prior year lapses.
Mafnas told the students there was no overlapping in the release of funds and everybody is waiting for their scholarship awards.
The problem, he said, could always be attributed to lack of funds, adding that when SHEFA was established there were 1,500 poker machines in operation.
In his report to the board, Hofschneider said that FSU students of cohort 8 were all at the graduate level and should be ranked second priority as provided by the rules.
Still, he added, SHEFA awarded more than 50 percent of its annual appropriation of $3 million in the fall 2010 financial assistance cycle.
The disbursement of the remaining 50 percent should be limited to awards for the spring 2011 term, he said.
