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.