Using colleges and universities as arenas for political brinksmanship hurts students, as pointed out in the Oct. 3 editorial decrying cuts to federally funded TRIO programs (“Programs to help low-income kids attend college hit by Trump cuts”).
The Trump administration has been toying for months with TRIO programs, claiming they don’t align with administration priorities. TRIO funds programs that help low-income, nontraditional, and first-generation students and students with disabilities.
This and other cuts by the Trump administration have left researchers, international students, and students who rely on extra support in limbo, unsure whether their academic and career paths will survive the administration’s attack on higher education.
But with Governor Maura Healey’s proposed DRIVE initiative, Massachusetts can stabilize the vital work happening at public and private colleges and universities in our state.
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We urge the Legislature to move quickly in passing Healey’s plan to use $400 million from state coffers, including $200 million from Fair Share Amendment revenue for public colleges, to cover federal cuts to higher education.
The DRIVE proposal (Discovery, Research, and Innovation for a Vibrant Economy) was conceived to protect important research happening in Massachusetts, but the spending package must likewise support programs that have had their TRIO grants cut and those that are threatened by cuts; our students deserve that.
Massachusetts has long led the nation in education. Let’s lead again by protecting access, equity, and opportunity for all students.
Tom McClennan
President
Bianca Ortiz-Wythe
Vice president
Professional Staff Union
University of Massachusetts Boston