Isabel Bustos/The Cougar
Throughout history, limiting education has been a way for those in power to control people. If someone wasn’t educated, they wouldn’t have the knowledge or resources to resist authority.
This tactic is still used in some places across the globe. Luckily, in the United States, it isn’t seen much anymore due to free education for all from kindergarten to 12th grade.
For higher education, though, it is not guaranteed to be free.
College and graduate programs are quite pricey and financially inaccessible for many students. To combat this issue, federal aid is offered in certain circumstances to provide equal opportunity and invest in the nation’s future.
Changes to Federal Aid
Recently, due to changes under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, federal aid reserved for higher education isn’t as accessible as it once was.
Among these changes, new graduate students are no longer eligible for the Direct PLUS loans.
These loans are extremely important. Even though students still have to repay what they borrow, federal loans provide protections and repayment options while private loans do not.
Providing these funds benefits more than just the student.
Higher education is an investment in one’s future. Degrees help build change and stimulate growth both in one’s earnings and the overall economy.
Additionally, federal loan limits are affected by enrollment status. Students not enrolled full-time at a university have their loan limits adjusted to match the number of hours they take.
In a lot of cases, students don’t take enough credit hours to be full-time because they can’t afford to. There are circumstances where students have to work long hours, limiting them from being full-time students.
For graduate programs, some degrees are needed to reach a professional goal or even required for specific jobs.
How is one able to achieve their dreams if they can’t afford to do so and have no assistance available?
Learning from history
Limiting financial aid is not only detrimental to accessible education and the nation’s long-term future, but it also brings up past mistakes.
The United States has a history of limiting education to control certain groups.
During slavery, Black Americans were deprived of many forms of education. Even after it ended, segregated schools were often extremely underfunded. Women also faced education restrictions throughout U.S. history and weren’t offered the same education as men.
These times were so long ago, though, right?
These were mistakes we were supposed to learn from and continue to improve on. They shouldn’t be patterns we see start back up again.
Looking Ahead
These changes may seem minor in a huge system, but starting small can lead to bigger adjustments in the future.
If restrictions like these are happening now, limiting education and financial aid could risk becoming a control tactic in the future.
Literacy rates are already down, books are being banned and now federal aid options are being lowered. This can impede students’ ability to grow into critical thinkers. If someone isn’t educated, they are easier to control.
As time goes on, we are supposed to learn from our mistakes, not repeat them.
The United States strives in so many fields; why can’t education be one of them?
opinion@thedailycougar.com
