University of California President Janet Napolitano is scheduled to visit UCLA and meet with students and administrators next week, one in a line meetings with the UC community she has undertaken in her first days as president.
On Oct. 11, Napolitano will meet with four undergraduate student government officers, Chancellor Gene Block and several vice chancellors, according to student government officials. The four Undergraduate Students Association Council officers who will speak with Napolitano are USAC President John Joanino, Internal Vice President Avi Oved, External Vice President Maryssa Hall and Academic Affairs Commissioner Darren Ramalho.
Napolitano reached out to UCLA and initiated plans for this on-campus meeting, Ramalho said.
The students and administrators will meet on Tuesday to decide what issues they will discuss with Napolitano.
USAC members are currently reaching out to students and student groups through social media and face-to-face meetings, asking them what they would like to have them discuss with Napolitano.
Several USAC members, including Hall, originally planned to pass a resolution expressing a vote of no confidence in Napolitano. The council amended the resolution several times at its meeting Tuesday with a revised list of demands, including that Napolitano hold required “sensitivity training” for university police, promote general education courses about the experience of undocumented students and prevent federal immigration laws from being implemented on UC campuses. The resolution was unanimously passed but did not include a vote of no confidence.
Joanino said he would like to talk with Napolitano about USAC’s demands, the future of the UC Student Health Insurance Plan, ways to raise more revenue for the UC and contracts for union workers.
“I think (the meeting) is a good opportunity … for us to build a relationship with her as students, to communicate with her how we think she can best serve us, and to make sure that student priorities are communicated to her,” Joanino said. “I think it’s promising that she’s taking this opportunity to come and meet us. … It’s a positive step forward.”
UCLA and UC media relations officials were unable to confirm any details about the meeting.
Napolitano recently visited UC Merced and met with the campus’s chancellor, students, faculty, staff and government officials, according to a UC statement. It was the second time in her four days in office she met face to face with members of the UC community. She visited classrooms, labs, student housing buildings and student activities and athletic facilities, the statement read.
“I’ve come to listen and to learn,” Napolitano said during her visit.
On Tuesday, her second day in office, Napolitano met with the UC student regent, student regent-designate and 10 other UC students, including several who were undocumented. They discussed concerns about transparency in selecting the UC president, campus climate, financial aid for undocumented students and campus police practices, among other issues.
Compiled by Kristen Taketa, Bruin senior staff.