The Department of Education has always done its best to help schools across the country create opportunities and improve student outcomes as they navigate their education journey. However, changes to the department may unravel years of progress for students should be a vessel for student opportunity—not a weapon of political control. Yet recent moves by the Trump administration threaten to unravel years of progress for public and minority-serving institutions (MSIs) across the country.
Los Medanos College is proud to be a public institution that empowers its students. Whether they are first-generation students blazing a path for the generations that may follow them, students of color who are actively working to empower their future, or any other background aiming to enrich their education, the school’s commitment to serving its students allows people to continue to learn.
Our campus has been federally designated as a Hispanic-serving institution, showing our broad diversity. Working under this designation, the school has seen massive improvements in outcomes for all around campus, illustrating that diversity does not divide us, but reflects us and our background.
As federal funding and federal grants, such as the Pell Grant, come into our school, our campus thrives.
However, under the Trump administration’s destructive agenda, schools like ours may soon have to face cuts or be penalized for refusing to ignore the colorful background that makes us unique. The threat to defund Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs (DEI), is a shameful act, aiming to silence the voices of students around the country, and an attack on academics and civil liberties.
Federal funding should not be used as a way to control institutions but as a powerful vessel to enable Americans to learn. An educated and diverse population is what makes our country so powerful and we should continue to fight to keep the opportunity of an education alive and well. Ensuring equity, inclusion, and academic success for all, campuses like our own have a simple duty to serve their communities and stand up for its students.
Public education should always be protected.
