University of California President Janet Napolitano is doing everything she can to get skeptical, liberal students to like her.
At a recent meeting of the Board of Regents, Napolitano proposed freezing tuition rates at current rates — meaning that tuition will remain unchanged for the third year in a row at UC campuses. She also suggested locking each entering class into a certain rate, meaning that students would not have to deal with unpredictable tuition increases over the course of their college careers.
“I want tuition to be as low as possible, and I want it to be as predictable as possible,” Napolitano said in a statement, according to The Daily Californian. “I know we can create the clear, predictable tuition policy our students and their families need and deserve.”
Napolitano also set aside $5 million for the purpose of helping students who are illegal immigrants adjust to campus life. (RELATED: Mucho dinero: UC prez Janet Napolitano pledges $5 million for illegal immigrants)
“Consider this a down payment — one more piece of evidence of our commitment to all Californians,” she said. “UC will continue to be a vehicle for social mobility.”
Still, activist and immigrant students continued to demand Napolitano’s resignation over her previous gig: enforcing President Obama’s deportation policies.
Ivan Villasenor Madriz, an illegal immigrant student at UC-Berkeley, said he was grateful for Napolitano’s recent efforts but worried that she was trying to silence her critics by buying them off.
And DeeJay Pepito, president of the UC student government, said “it doesn’t come down to money.”
“No amount of money is going to erase the hurt of students who were separated from their families,” he said in a statement.
Still, she’s no doubt welcome to try.
Napolitano did not respond to a request for comment.