In this election, the right to a transformative education is on our ballot.
Unsurprisingly, topics about abortion, the economy, and the rule of law dominate the discussion about the 2024 election, but the Republican Party’s focus on academics, Harvard’s independence, and the foundations of education in our democracy as a whole We cannot overlook the serious threat it poses. From Congressional investigations into our campuses to threats to withhold Harvard University’s federal funding, it is inevitable that our future leaders will affect us all.
Take Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s proposal for the next Conservative government. Although former President Donald Trump denied the project, more than 140 former Trump officials worked on the 922-page plan. The proposal calls for repealing Title IX protections for LGBTQ+ students, a key measure that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and requires the president-elect to use the umbrella term ” It recommends issuing an executive order banning federal funding for “critical race theory.” Used by conservatives to describe something they don’t like.
These attacks on higher education will be heightened by the election of President Trump, who has claimed that universities are run by “Marxist lunatics” and announced his intention to deport “pro-Hamas” student protesters.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Project 2025 calls for a long list of radical priorities, including abolishing the Ministry of Education and distributing its functions to other institutions, weakening university accreditation policies, and making it harder for individuals to repay their student loans. are. Eliminating the Department of Education, the agency that handles federal financial aid, ensures equal access to education, and focuses on national education issues, is contrary to our nation’s values.
You don’t have to look far to see the people who are harmed by these policies. We will all be affected by the second Trump administration, from the friends who took out loans to attend Harvard, to the professors who will no longer be able to safely study our nation’s history.
Rather than bowing to conservative critics, we should support candidates who strengthen the Department of Education. The choice to fully fulfill our nation’s promise of equal protection is clear. Not only must we vote to ensure equal protection for all students to receive an education, we must also ensure that the government cannot censor what we learn.
Still, this election cycle presents unique challenges. We are facing two known entities and yet our country remains divided. As future civic leaders, it is important that we look beyond our own personal interests when voting. We need to chart a course that is best for our families, our communities, and our nation as a whole. We cannot choose one issue, whatever it may be, and use it to justify inaction or non-participation.
While Harvard University has the security of its endowments to protect it from political attacks, other universities and students across the country do not have that guarantee. For students attending schools without strong financial aid programs, the Project 2025 agenda could cut off access to quality education. When we vote, we must seek a path to collective success.
By communicating a crushing defeat for Trump and his allies, we can send a clear message that higher education is here to stay, whether we like it or not. Simply put, power is in our hands.
Planning your vote, researching your elected officials, and taking the time to talk to undecided family members can all make a meaningful difference in the outcome of this election.
Ignoring this issue or believing your vote won’t “really make a difference” will not help advance the challenges facing our generation.
Make a plan and vote. Our right to education is at stake.
Crimson Editor M. Austin Wich ’27 lives in Winthrop House.
