UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
BERKELEY • DAVIS • IRVINE • LOS ANGELES • MERCED • RIVERSIDE • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO

SANTA BARBARA • SANTA CRUZ

Office of the President

1111 Franklin Street
Oakland, CA 94607-5200
Phone: (510) 987-9074
http://www.ucop.edu

June 26, 2018
University Council – AFT Executive Board
Dear UC-AFT Executive Board members:
Thank you for your letter of June 18 regarding the University of California’s contract with
General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) for the administration of UC’s Analytical
Writing Placement Exam (AWPE).
First, GDIT has been a UC partner for many years. The company and its employees have
served thousands of UC students and high schools annually in their work for the
University. The support and services provided by GDIT are critical to satisfy the UC
Academic Senate Regulations on Entry Level Writing Requirement as well as UC Regents
policy. The AWPE contract with GDIT was secured through a competitive bid process and
there are very few organizations willing and able to perform these services.
GDIT services to UC include only the large-scale operational support for the exam that
would be difficult for UC Office of the President or any of the campuses to provide when
simultaneously testing approximately 16,000 students at more than 100 locations across
California and scoring those exams within a small window of time. GDIT support includes
high school test site management, student test site assignments and notifications, exam
material printing/shipping/scanning, call center services, IT support for the online scoring
system, and test site and exam reader compensation. UC maintains sole responsibility for
the educational aspects of the exam including test development, pre-testing, writing prompt
selection, identification of exam readers, reader training, and score norming. Ending our
contract at this moment would be detrimental and disruptive not only to UC but to
thousands of new and prospective students.
Furthermore, I have spoken publicly against the zero-tolerance policy separating immigrant
children from their parents, which I find to be cruel and morally unjustified. I have been
assured by GDIT leadership that it provides casework support services to help ensure
special needs of unaccompanied children are met, including medical requirements, and to
facilitate family reunification only after children are under the care of Health and Human
Services. GDIT has stated publically that it has no role in the family separation policy and
plays no role in the construction or operation of detention facilities.

 UC-AFT Executive Board
June 26, 2018
Page 2
Thank you for articulating your concerns and bringing the issue of a broken federal
immigration policy to the fore. I will continue to stand up for our Dreamers and continue my
advocacy for immigration reform that reflects the true values of the University of California
and the State of California.
Yours very truly,

Janet Napolitano
President
cc:

Provost Michael T. Brown
Executive Vice President Rachael Nava
Vice President Robin Holmes-Sullivan
Interim Associate Vice President Han Mi Yoon-Wu
Professor Stanton Glantz (glantz@cucfa.org)
Ms. Keohiokalani Council
Records Management