College students speak out about fears Trump cuts on higher education
(This story has been updated with additional information.)
WORCESTER — At a roundtable gathering Wednesday, students from Central Massachusetts colleges spoke about their fears over President Donald Trump’s policies on higher education.
“I would not be able to attend my university without federal funding; it would not be an option for me,” said Michelle Rife, a student at the College of the Holy Cross.
Rife and others gathered at Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Wednesday for a discussion with U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern. The Worcester Democrat, a frequent Trump critic, said he held the event to hear directly from students and college administrators.
USA TODAY reported on March 6 that Trump had drafted a preliminary executive order to dismantle the Department of Education. Trump repeatedly stated on the campaign trail that one of his goals in office would be to eliminate the department and grant more authority to individual states.
While Trump has spoke in support of greater state control over education, he has also signing executive orders, such as one on Jan. 29 titled “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” which seek to enforce greater federal control over public education.
Legally, only Congress can abolish federal agencies. While Republicans control Congress, McGovern said, he feels legislation to abolish the Department of Education is not a sure thing.
“The Republicans have the slimmest majority in the House in nearly 100 years,” he said. “If they lose three our four votes, we can stop some of this stuff, and there are a big chunk of Republicans that barely won their last election.
“I get it – they are afraid of Trump and Elon Musk’s money. This is a week where we (members of the House) are all back home, and I am sure that the Republicans are getting an earful from their constituents about things like cutting the Department of Education.”
The Department of Education did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Telegram & Gazette.
Students, administrators concerned about grants, financial aid
The dismantling of the Department of Education could put students who rely on federal student aid, such as Pell grants, at risk being unable to afford their education. The department oversees Pell grants and manages student loan debt for millions of borrowers.
During her confirmation hearing Education Secretary Linda McMahon said she would continue Pell grants; it is possible that they could be transferred to another agency if the Department of Education were to be eliminated.
Jessica Rhodes, a senior at WPI studying robotics, said she is part of a Latino students in STEM group, and that Pell grants are critical to getting students into university programs such as WPI’s respected robotics program.
“Pell grants make up a lot of funding that allow a lot of these students, many of whom are the children of immigrants and first-generation students, and that funding is the reason they can afford to come to WPI and get a better education,” Rhodes said.
Kaitlin Beaulieu, a graduate student at Anna Maria College in Paxton, said she started attending college in 2010, but balked at the cost, only returning when she discovered the federal aid that was available for her to pursue a degree.
“I started my bachelor’s degree in 2010, and after seeing the cost of student loans I got a little nervous and took some time off,” Beaulieu said. “I realized the importance of a degree and needed to deal with the loans, and ultimately was able to complete my degree. Taking away the ability to have an education because I don’t have the financial aid funding would have a really big impact.”
Joseph Corazzini, vice president of government and community affairs at Clark University, spoke of his own experience, having a child at 17 and balancing work with college. He said he eventually used Pell grants and other federal programs to graduate from Worcester State.
“It was Pell grants that helped me pay for my education, that kept me moving forward. It was the work study I got through the computer science department that put a little extra money in my pocket so I could buy Enfamil and diapers,” Corazzini said. “When I hear these things as chips that will be pulled away from young people and the devastating impact that will have to young people across the country. Education is not something for us to use as a chip or to play with, it is a legitimate way for people to access the American dream.”
Erickson Aron Suero is a first-generation college student who was born in the Dominican Republic, graduated from Worcester’s University Park High School and now attends Clark. Suero said he only realized he was capable of attending college through Clark’s Upward Bound program, a federally funded program that assists underserved students with college readiness.
“I never really saw college as an option for me. Upward Bound through Clark made me very familiar with the campus, and I actually was able to get a full scholarship,” Suero said. “I work now in the Upward Bound program at Clark, and it is hard to have conversations with the ninth- and 10th-grade students about some of things that are happening.”
McGovern said he is going to take what he learned from the students back to his colleagues in Washington.
“Now is the time to fight back. I think everyone should be calling their representatives,” McGovern said. “This is so shortsighted, it undercuts our economic security and our national security.”
McGovern said Worcester, as a college city, benefits greatly from the strength of the more than half-dozen colleges and universities in the city, and that undercutting those institutions will have negative impacts across the board to the city and surrounding towns.
“Universities are not just places for young people to come and learn, they are big employers in the city and key to our economy. The people who work here, who go to school here, they eat at our restaurants, they buy houses and rent apartments in the city and surrounding communities,” McGovern said. “We are in a building here (at WPI) that was part of the Gateway Park project, this was a blighted area not to long ago. We have worked with universities to leverage incredible economic development.”
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