The governing board is free from undue influence from political, religious, or other external bodies, and protects the institution from such influence. (Governing Board, Undue Influence)

     X    Compliance         Partial Compliance         Non-Compliance

Narrative: The Orangeburg Area Technical Education Commission is comprised of seven members: five from Orangeburg County and two from Calhoun County. Each member is nominated by a vote of the entire County Legislative Delegation and then appointed by the Governor. The Commission is a diverse group representing different localities of the College’s service area. The Area Commission operates under its legislative powers and Bylaws and is free from interference. The Commission operates in an open environment, and the local press regularly attends and generally reports the proceedings of the meetings in the local newspaper.

Area Commission Minutes, FY 2004 will serve as both evidence of practice and compliance with requirements.

As noted in Compliance Report Narrative 3.2.3, each Area Commission member submits an annual Statement of Ethics Economic Interest Form, which indicates no conflict of interest, to the South Carolina State Ethics Commission. No accusations of undue influence from political, religious, or other external bodies have been made about the Commission or its members.

Evidence of Support: