Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Sophie Engels was assigned to report on the U.S. Department of Education for her global marketing strategy class this spring, closely following the Trump administration as it began efforts to dismantle the department.

As the Syracuse University sophomore examined the complexities of federal financial aid, research grants and the billions of dollars supporting academic institutions at all levels, she struggled to express her feelings in words.

“It’s completely ridiculous,” Engels said.

Since President Donald Trump signed an executive order to begin the complete removal of the department last Thursday, many SU students have shared Engels’ sentiment, voicing widespread concern about the future of academic financial aid and access to research programs. In the order, the president instructed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “facilitate the closure” of the DOEd to “the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.”

An SU junior studying biology, who asked to remain unnamed due to retaliation concerns, said they and most of their friends rely on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and other forms of federal aid to attend school. With the funding cuts, they fear they will lose the ability to pursue an education.

Several other students also expressed concern about paying for school. Without aid, attending SU cost $88,560 for undergraduates living on campus in the 2024-25 school year, according to the university’s website.

Eighty-one percent of SU students depend on some form of financial aid, totaling $498 million, according to the university’s website. Thirty-five percent of them rely on federal aid. USA Today reported the Federal Student Aid Office and Office of Civil Rights — both part of the DOEd’s branch responsible for facilitating loans — will be most affected.

“(The department is) increasing interest, supplies funds (are) decreasing and just accessibility for people to loan forgiveness,” Rithika, an SU senior said. “… it’s outrageous.”

The biology student also said they’re worried the order could significantly limit research opportunities, reducing students’ ability to gain field experience while in school. As academic institutions across the country scramble to meet the new standards, many universities have cut large amounts of research funding from their budgets.

On Tuesday, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Southern California both announced plans to restrict faculty hiring and review all capital projects, which may be delayed or discontinued, Forbes reported.

Other students pointed to Columbia University’s decision to comply with Trump’s demands after the president withheld $400 million in funding over the university’s handling of student protests of the Israel-Hamas war. Margaux Blin, an SU junior studying biology, said Columbia’s decision highlights the growing influence of the White House in academia.

“This isn’t really something that’s ever been done before, and I think that it’s going to be used as a means of control,” Blin said.

Engels echoed this, but added that it extends to all levels of education. In her free time, Engels works for SU’s Career Center, where she said she regularly interacts with local public schools that rely heavily on government aid. She said she’s concerned for the future of these districts.

“In a place like Syracuse, we have so many kids who already just don’t even get access to after school clubs and activities because there’s not enough staff and not enough funding for those kinds of programs,” she said.

Other students shared concerns about the ability of their hometown public high schools to support the local community. Avery Nash, an SU sophomore, said cutting federal spending from her high school in New Jersey goes against taxpayers’ interests. She said she expects the quality of her former school’s education to diminish.

Blin said she worries for her teachers and all educators who are now losing access to benefits and critical funding for their curriculum. She said she wasn’t surprised when she learned about the order last week, as it is “in line” with the rest of Trump’s agenda. Still, she fears students of all ages will suffer.

“Everyone in America, regardless of class and regardless of national background, deserves the same level of education that I got,” Blin said. “It’s important for the future of the workforce, some of whom are going to be in government, which will benefit from that level of education as well.”

The department spends over $850 billion annually on K-12 public education, according to data from the U.S. Education Data Initiative. In his order and throughout his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump advocated for drastically reducing these costs and shifting decision-making for funding distribution to state governments.

Under the order, administrative, budgetary and legislative proposals will now fall under the supervision of the Office of Management and Budget, which oversees all federal agency spending.

One student, who also chose to remain unnamed, called the administration’s intentions dishonest, arguing that states already have significant decision-making power in classrooms. They said the order’s true intention is to weaken public education.

According to a DOEd website, education is “primarily a State and local responsibility.” The Daily Orange confirmed this language has remained unchanged since before Trump took office in January.

Engels said moving this power to the states shows that national decision-makers need to conduct more research to fully understand the importance of the programs and initiatives the department funds. She said this lack of understanding extends to many people in America.

“People already have this built into their system, very rich public school areas don’t even realize that they’re getting that kind of privilege,” Engels said. “I feel like it’s just a lack of information and miseducation.”

Rithika echoed Engels’ point, expressing frustration over the public’s lack of understanding about the department’s national impact.

“People are totally reliant on (DOEd), and I don’t think (they) know what the department does for you,” Rithika said. “You actually do need it.”

Henry Daley, Shivika Gupta, Madeline Goodheart, Arwen Parmelee and Arabella Klonowski contributed reporting to this article.

Published on March 27, 2025 at 1:10 am
Contact Duncan: digreen@syr.edu