As part of his government-downsizing efforts, President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education, stating that his goal is to give full control of education policy to local state governments.
The Department of Education was created by Congress to ensure accessibility and equity within the education system. Now, some federal responsibilities of the department are being redistributed to separate offices. For example, the Small Business Administration (SBA) will begin to oversee the $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio for college financial aid, which serves 43 million borrowers. On the same day that SBA claimed oversight of student loan management, the department announced a 40% workforce cut, eliciting fears over the department’s ability to meet demand and concerns over how the change will impact borrowers.
In an effort increase accessibility to college education, the Congressional bill that established the Department gave the office power over federal student loan management. This means that Congress should be involved in this change in the responsibility of loan management. It is currently unclear how the legislative branch will respond to the executive order.
Only four days after the executive order was signed on March 20, public school parents and multiple organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and The National Education Association (NEA), filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that Congressional approval is required to legally eliminate the Department of Education. The complaint highlights that the Department was created to increase educational accessibility, uphold civil rights of students, and protect vulnerable students. Despite the quick response by advocacy groups and civically engaged citizens, higher education institutions haven’t weighed in on the executive order.
While the dismantling of the Department of Education will have implications for current and future students in the Bi-Co, especially for those who rely on Federal Student Aid, neither college administration has commented on the executive order.
At the beginning of the academic year Haverford president Wendy Raymond, announced that she would reduce official communications and narrow her comments to events that directly impact Haverford and the world of higher education. The dismantling of the Department appears to have a direct impact on higher education, but the Bi-Co news reached out to Raymond’s office for comment and has not heard back at the time of publishing this article.
Bryn Mawr administration explained that “Wendy Cadge is not offering comment on this topic at this time,” after a request for comment. The silence from the Bi-Co administrations arrives in the context of other universities facing extreme funding cuts and oversight by the Trump administration. (link to a story about one?)
Federal funding provided to Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania, the latter of which the Bi-Co has a close relationship with, illustrates how higher education and the federal government are intertwined. In order to receive critical funding, schools, such as Columbia, changed policies and dissolved any programs upholding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Some colleges have resorted to hiring freezes and admitting fewer graduate students in response to precarious funding and the recession of research grants.
It’s unclear if the Bryn Mawr or Haverford administrations will speak out concerning the new policies in the future. However, the punitive behavior of the Executive Branch offers an incentive for higher education institutions to stay quiet about actions taken by the Trump administration, even when the actions potentially threaten the quality of those institutions’ education.
