On Monday, Jan. 27 President Donald Trump announced that all federal financial aid would be temporarily frozen, which sent students and federal aid-reliant organizations into an uproar. The executive order was then blocked by the U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan, temporarily pausing Trump’s effort to freeze funding.
Trump’s push to freeze aid would mean that any program federally funded, excluding health insurance, social security and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, would not receive funding. Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the government’s Office of Management and Budget, wrote in an official memo, “The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equality, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a water of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve”
Despite the freeze being paused, Grand Valley State University did not waste any time ensuring students that, at the time, they would be unaffected by Trump’s action. An email, which was signed by the University’s Vice President of the Division of Enrollment Development & Educational Outreach, B. Donta Truss, stated GVSU was carefully monitoring actions from federal officials. The email also confirmed that Pell Grants and other federal student aid loans would not be impacted by any administrative order or memo.
Chris Knape, the assistant vice president of University Communications also explained that as time goes on, the University will continue to keep the campus community informed.
Although the funding freeze would not have impacted students’ aid, many GVSU community members are concerned about possible changes to financial aid that could take place in the future.
“My heart dropped when I saw the news about the freeze,” said GVSU student Lily Schinbeckler.“If the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is taken away, I will not be able to finish my degree. That (not getting a degree) would leave me much less well off than if I were to get a proper education, which is a poverty sentence in this economy. I feel uncertain about the future.”
Some GVSU students were not surprised by the Trump administration’s initial action to freeze federal funding.
“When I first saw the news, I was kind of shocked, but not surprised, considering Trump was hinting for a while (at) stopping social welfare programs,” said GVSU student Matteo Lambardi di San Miniato. “It definitely makes me more anxious though for the future, as I am very lucky in the sense that (I have) a family who currently pays only around $1,000 or $2,000 per year because of (a) very generous grant offer.”
According to Inside Higher Ed, the Trump administration is also already preparing its next executive order, which will begin the process of dismantling the Department of Education (DOE). However, many are speculating the administration is waiting on Linda McMahon, Trump’s nominee to lead DOE, to be confirmed before moving forward.
If DOE were to be abolished, there would be many changes to how schools are currently funded. According to Michelle Miller-Adams, a former professor at GVSU and political science professor emeritus, DOE is home to three very important programs; the first of which administers Title I funds, which go to schools that serve larger proportions of low-income students.
“It (DOE also) enforces and partially funds special education services for students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1975,” Miller-Adams said. “Most relevant for college students, it (DOE) administers the federal student aid system, including Pell Grants and federally subsidized loans.”
Miller-Adams explained that many areas of funding could be transferred over to a different governmental area, but given the Trump administration’s agenda, students will likely see a budget reduction for programs within DOE.
“The U.S. Department of Education is an important provider of education-related data, which is used by researchers and policymakers,” Miller-Adams said. “It’s unclear if data repositories, such as the National Center for Education Statistics, would survive a shutdown of the department. The department is also the chief monitor and enforcer of students’ civil rights, a function that would almost certainly be lost with its closure.”
