ADVERTISEMENT

Berkeley Student Gov Considers ‘No-Confidence’ Vote on Big Sis

Janet Napolitano / AP
September 6, 2013

The student government of the University of California, Berkeley is considering a vote of "no confidence" in incoming UC system president Janet Napolitano, a potentially devastating blow to the former Homeland Security Secretary and Arizona governor.

The Daily Californian reports the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) will begin debate on a "Bill in Support of Undocumented Students and Immigrant Communities," on Monday, the student government’s first meeting of the year.

"The ‘no confidence’ comes from a lot of history—she has deported over 2 million undocumented immigrants," ASUC senator Sean Tan, who authored the bill, told the Daily Californian. "There’s a lot of fear in terms of what is her main priority as UC president, because she comes from a background of surveillance and apprehension and security."

A UC student workers’ union also decried Napolitano’s appointment.

"We call for a president devoted to rebuilding our capacity for teaching, research, and learning—not a specialist in cyber surveillance, law enforcement, and border security," the union’s release states. "We demand that the UC regents retract Napolitano’s nomination for appointment and reopen the process for selecting the UC president."

Friday is Napolitano’s last day as Secretary of Homeland Security, after which she will take over as president of the University of California system.