OPINION: What Trump has ruined in higher education so far
Four months into the second term of his presidency, Donald Trump has seemingly brought higher education to the center of the media’s attention in a negative way.
His administration made several important yet controversial changes in U.S. education policy, marking a shift toward conservative priorities, or “indoctrination,” as I like to call it.
With so much happening, it can be hard to keep up, so I’m going to break it down for readers once again.
Rest in power, the Department of Education
On March 20, Trump signed an executive order initiating the closure of the Department of Education. This order aimed to “restore authority over education to the States and local communities.”
The deconstruction of the department needs approval from Congress, but this executive order irks me for many reasons.
The Department of Education has set the standard for education since 1979. If dismantled, the responsibility of determining what encompasses an appropriate education would fall on states and families.
Meaning, parents would have a greater say in how their child’s education is structured. But how will we be able to trust parents with sufficiently educating their children?
It’s a shame the future of America’s education rests on the back of a man who says things like “global warming isn’t a threat, because we’ll have more oceanfront property” as Trump said in an interview with Elon Musk on X.
Related: USF profs explain the possible effects of dismantling the Department of Education
But this really just goes to show how little ignorant the man can be. Perhaps this interview should have stayed in the drafts.
Visas and activism on campus
Trump has been targeting international students in the U.S., revoking visas and setting up some for deportation, as seen at Stanford University and Columbia University, where students and faculty who participated in protests against the war in Gaza have been arrested.
Revoking visas signals two key takeaways to students. First, it is a crime to be born elsewhere and second, activism for adverse viewpoints is not welcome or appropriate on college campuses.
American colleges may see a decrease in the number of international students as a result.
“The U.S. has a long-standing tradition of being a leader in higher education,” immigration lawyer Steven Culbreath said. “However, we may see increased uncertainty among prospective international students and their families.”
It is also no longer off-limits for ICE to be present on school campuses, as Trump revoked a policy banning the presence of immigration enforcement in schools and other safe spaces.
The thought of being detained by ICE at school should not even be in question. The only fear students should have when they come to school is not being able to make it to class on time.
Anti-DEI
Trump is also doing everything in his power to make sure all DEI initiatives and programs are purged at colleges nationwide. Federal funding is being pulled from universities that do not comply with his DEI rollbacks.
DEI is beneficial to everyone, not just underrepresented communities. DEI allows institutions to have a broader range of voices, which can help in problem-solving and increase workplace productivity, according to an article from Harvard Business School Online.
Trump and his administration fail to see this though.
Related: USF is deleting webpages with DEI content
“With the erasure of DEI, the agenda continues,” said Lori Hall, an assistant professor in criminology who specializes in transformative justice.
Hall said the withdrawal of funding and support for colleges that do not dismantle DEI initiatives will surely stagnate communal growth and academics.
The fate of Title IX
Some aspects of the Civil Rights Act Title IX have been changed back to resemble what they looked like in 2020. Title IX is a federal law in the U.S. that prevents discrimination of sex in educational programs that are federally funded.
On Jan. 20 Trump passed an executive order aiming to restore “biological truth” in schools.
The executive order declared male and female as the only two biological sexes, which cannot be changed. Trump has also barred transgender students from partaking in competitive sports.
Related: OPINION: Trump’s gender policy has no place in America.
Gender should not have to exist on a rigid binary. Pulling funds from colleges that “promote gender ideology” is an icky way of punishing them for creating a welcoming and affirming environment for non-cisgender students.
“Living in a country that does not recognize nor allow you the liberty and freedom to exist is to deny your very existence and humanity,” Hall said.
Hall said as a result of this executive order, we can expect to see a significant rise in mental health challenges and victimization for LGBTQ+ students.
With all this being said, let’s all hope the next four years aren’t as rough as these past four months have been.
The college lifestyle is stressful enough with the fate of education being in the palm of Trump’s hand.
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