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<p>Cabinet has approved a new Board of directors for the Edna
Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA).<br>
<br>Marigold Harding remains as
chair, along with ex-officio member and Principal of the college, Dr.
Nicholeen DeGrasse-Johnson. Donahue Martin also previously on the Board, is
vice chairman. There are six new members:&nbsp;Coleen Douglas, Dr. Tamika Benjamin, Professor
Sylvia Kouwenberg, Dorraine Reid, Jo-Anne Archibald, and Alison Dixon-Stone.<br>
<br>
Seven members of the previous Board have been retained. <br>
<br>
Education minister Karl Samuda made the announcement today at a post-Cabinet
press briefing at Jamaica House. The new Board will be in place for three years
effective immediately.<br>
<br>
The EMCVPA has been at the centre of controversy since May after a female student
made public claims of sexual harassment by a male lecturer.<br>
<br>
Samuda said this morning that the Principal has not been booted, and that it
was not unheard of for a head of &nbsp;an organisation
to step aside to facilitate investigations into the management of an entity.<br>
He said, “the principal has not been terminated. In some instances heads of
organisations have voluntarily sought to step aside to facilitate
investigations to be free of any possible influences with respect to the
influence of the head of the organization”.<br><br>The minister said he believes the correct
thing is being done. “And I am awaiting the findings of
the investigation which will now be undertaken with the new Board This is not
the only institution where from time to time persons at the helm have been
simply asked to step aside temporarily to facilitate the proper investigation
into the management structure and other aspects of how the institution is run,”
he said.<br><br>
Students staged a protest at the college last week siting unfair treatment of Dr. DeGrasse-Johnson.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
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