Thursday, July 27, 2000 | 10:55 a.m.
Administrators from the Community College of Southern Nevada will retrieve three computers and a printer this afternoon from the Las Vegas branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
"I met directly, face-to-face with Gene Collins (president of the NAACP)," said Robert Silverman, interim president of CCSN. "We talked over the whole issue ... the outreach program, and we thought it was best at this point to return the computers. It was an amicable discussion."
With the return of that equipment, Silverman said he hopes to end the controversy surrounding nine computers and three printers loaned to three local nonprofit organizations during the tenure of former President Richard Moore. Moore left CCSN in January to accept a new post as president of the proposed Nevada State College at Henderson.
"If in the future we do something like this, we'll establish a criteria and (any loans of equipment) will be open to all nonprofit organizations," Silverman said. "There is a proper process to follow in the Board of Regents policy book and that wasn't followed. That's just the truth."
According to Silverman, the community college loaned computers to the Latin Chamber of Commerce, the community service employment program of the American Association of Retired Persons and the NAACP as part of an effort "to reach out and include the minority student population in the community college." Silverman called the program "very successful."
Jane Nichols, interim chancellor of CCSN, is currently conducting a formal investigation of the equipment loans and of a recent independent audit detailing the last six months of Moore's presidency at the community college.
That audit, covering July 1999 through January 2000, revealed spendings over budget, shoddy record-keeping and at least five instances of fiscal decisions made without approval from regents.
"I'm glad that all the organizations have returned the computers," said Regent Steve Sisolak. "But that still doesn't excuse the fact that they were given out in the first place. As trustees, it's important that we can account for taxpayer money and those are not CCSN's computers. They were bought for students."
Sisolak pointed out that for the first time this spring, the community college system instituted a $4 per credit charge on students in order to raise additional funds for new technology, namely new computers. For a full-time student taking 15 credits, that translates into $60 per semester.
Jackie Phillips, project director at AARP, is the wife of Regent David Phillips. And Orlando Sandoval, a member of the Latin Chamber at the time of the loans, also headed the now-defunct department of planning and administrative services at the community college. Sandoval currently serves as president of the chamber.
Despite the apparent conflicts of interest, directors of the nonprofit groups continue to express support of the loans and insist that the community college acted in good faith.
Phillips, who returned two computers and a printer earlier this month after reports critical of the loans surfaced, said, "In my mind, CCSN is a respectful institution and even though taxpayers contribute to the college, I don't see anything wrong (with the loans). We were nonprofits and the computers were being put to good use."
According to Otto Merida, executive director of the Latin Chamber, the community college benefited as much as the nonprofit organizations.
"We thought it was a win-win situation for everyone," Merida said. "We sent hundreds of individuals to the college."
Merida also pointed out that in September his chamber gave approximately 35 $500 scholarships to the community college, as it has since 1985.
Merida announced Friday that the chamber will return the four loaned computers and one printer by Aug. 15.
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