Editorial: Constructive interaction needed between students, Napolitano

The nomination of outgoing U.S. cabinet secretary Janet Napolitano, who was confirmed Thursday at the UC Board of Regents’ bimonthly meeting, has prompted concern from many groups, particularly among students.

At Thursday’s meeting, Napolitano said, “Perhaps the most important thing I will bring with me to California are my ears,” during a short address. For a successful start to her presidency, she must make good on this observation.

Student concern surrounding Napolitano’s appointment has largely centered on her lack of experience in academia, along with doubt that an individual who oversaw more than 1 million deportations as head of the Department of Homeland Security could act as a representative for members of the University who have been impacted by these policies.

While it is incumbent on Napolitano to address and take up the concerns of the UC’s constituent communities in the early days of her tenure, students should also take a constructive approach in their interaction with the president-elect.

Many who have spoken out against Napolitano’s appointment have neglected to appropriately weigh how her federal experience and time as a state governor has equipped her to be a strong advocate for the University.

In 2012, the University arrived at an important crossroads. With broad improvement in state finances and indications that state reinvestment in higher education may grow in coming years, Napolitano is a high-profile, experienced public servant whose political savvy could be exactly what the UC needs to secure sustained support.

This has been overlooked, and the attention of many has instead been trained on the Department of Homeland Security’s controversial immigration policies. But Napolitano’s detractors have blurred the line between the individual and the office.

Napolitano has been a vocal supporter of the DREAM Act and immigration reform. In 2012, Napolitano’s department, following a directive from President Barack Obama, put a stop to the deportation of hundreds of thousands of DREAMers, or children who were brought to the country illegally.

The record number of deportations carried out by the Department of Homeland Security is indeed problematic and deeply harmful to millions of families in this country.

But it is misguided to pin the blame of controversial federal policy so singularly on Napolitano.

As the secretary of Homeland Security, Napolitano held an obligation to uphold the policies and mandates of the president and the Congress by whom she was appointed. As the UC president, she is responsible to uphold the best interests of the students to whom she is beholden.

Students should continue to make themselves heard and should do so in a manner that will allow for cooperative and progressive change at our University.

Napolitano is obligated to heed their concerns. That means representing the interests of undocumented students, as well as of the rest of the diverse, multicultural, far-flung constituents of the most prestigious public campuses in the world.

Join the Conversation

4 Comments

  1. I didn’t see the problem of supporting these undocumented students until I saw my eFAN that’s consisted of generous offer of loans. I’m just hoping this dream act is done together with stronger border policy.

    1. Your eFAN is based on your parents income. It’s not like the University has a big pool of money and then had to lower the amount of funding that was being sent your way. So it wasn’t like your loan amount was supposed to be 10k, then the Dream Act came along and the University said, “oh now we gotta give this student 15k in loans to fund our DREAMers.”

  2. I’m not surprised by this article all. The Daily Bruin Editorial Board seldom takes stances on anything of political relevance. This article is much too wrapped up in how it will be received by its audience, and little attended to the news. As a result, most articles (like this) are timid at most, reduplicating information rather than reporting orginality. As for those articles that exceed timidity, they yet fail to accurately represent news, preferring sensation to fact, creating news as seen fit to the Newspaper’s vision, not to reality. This article unfortunately ranks in the scales of timidity.

    I write this not to critique Napolitano, someone I have many well-researched opinions. I write this comment to critique the current state of the Daily Bruin as a professional news entity. I wish only the Newspaper the utmost in news-reporting; mediocrity is simply too easy.

    1. If you think news outlets are supposed to take stances, I think you’ve been watching too much Fox News. Journalists have a duty to report what *happens*, not what they *think* about what’s happening. If you want opinion, there’s an op-ed button above.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *