By Evelyn Lucado
Opinion Editor
As President Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20, 2025, the world of higher education is faced with uncertainty.
In his platform titled Agenda 47, Trump lays out his plans for the upcoming term, including his disconcerting plans for higher education.
Throughout this agenda, he makes several sweeping promises. However, very few details are given as to how these changes will be implemented.
According to Agenda 47, Trump plans to eradicate all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at all levels of education to “protect” students from “Marxist maniacs and lunatics.”
In an article from ABC, DEI programs are characterized by their efforts to address inequities within education and professional spaces. Diversity, equity and inclusion programs, while a heated topic of debate, open doors to students from marginalized communities.
One of the most noticeable promises Trump made is the dismantling of the Department of Education, which he claims is responsible for indoctrinating students with woke ideologies.
The Department of Education manages student loan programs, funds initiatives for disabled students, enforces Title IX regulations, and distributes federal funds, but does not dictate curriculum.
According to prior Elm coverage, the Department of Education plays a crucial role in providing support and equal opportunities to low income and marginalized students.
In his Agenda, Trump plans to “cut federal funding for any school or program pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.”
According to BBC, it is unlikely that the department will be dismantled as Trump would need congressional approval to do so. However, these promises set a precedent for the culture war that Trump plans to continue waging on marginalized communities and political opponents.
For example, Trump continuously uses the terms “savages” and “jihadism” throughout Agenda 47 when referencing the widespread 2024 campus demonstrations in support of Palestine. These terms are a gross and negligent oversimplification of these protests.
This demoralizing and inflammatory rhetoric is heavy throughout his platform.
While these broad statements and promises are appealing to some, the issue lies in the loose and undefined terms used and the lack of details surrounding how these changes are to be implemented.
Even before taking office, these promises are already affecting higher education.
In a recent article from CNN, several universities have reported sending warnings to their international students, urging them to return to the States early in fear of travel bans like those seen during Trump’s first presidency.
Trump has also promised to implement ideological screenings for all immigrants. Paired with expanded travel bans, many international students studying in America are uncertain of what the future of their education will look like.
Trump has also planned to implement what he calls the American Academy. As laid out in Agenda 47, this academy will be free for all American citizens, and funded by “taxing, fining, and suing excessively large private university endowments” that he deems radical and woke.
While a free education sounds appealing, this promise is worrisome paired with his promise to overhaul the accreditation system.
The plans laid out for Trump’s second term threaten the core values of academic freedom and inclusion. These proposed changes will be detrimental to education if implemented.
Photo by Ella Humphreys.
Photo Caption: Trump’s plans to dismantle the Department of Education could directly impact college students.