As a leader of the student body at UW-Madison and a seasoned advocate for marginalized communities, I am deeply frightened by the state of higher education right now. You should be too.
Students are being taken off the street, due process is suddenly becoming optional, and life-saving research is being stripped from our universities. It feels as though each day brings about a new worry about the sanctity of our educational communities. And although we’ve been raised to believe that our institutional leaders will be able to shield us from harm, it has become increasingly clear that those very leaders are either perpetuating injustice or standing still while the damage ensues.
I am sure we are all well aware of this federal administration’s overreach into higher education. What began as question marks and anxieties floating in the ether has materialized into a brutally destructive force. The House’s proposed budget would cut hundreds of millions of dollars across essential federal programs. Thousands of students will be negatively impacted upon passage of this legislation, including students who receive federal loans, students who are eligible for PELL grants, and students who receive SNAP benefits.
Cutting programs that support marginalized students will not decrease “wasteful spending” or fulfill the promise of faithful stewardship of taxpayer dollars. This assumes the federal government invests a sizable portion of its budget towards education in the status quo, yet it only spent around 2% on education and social services this past fiscal year. These discussions surrounding the federal budget appear alongside conversations regarding the state budget, where a system-wide budget cut is looming, signaling a potential double jeopardy between state and federal funding withdrawals from public education. Subtracting from limited education funds without providing long-term guidance or solvency only hurts taxpayers and their families.
During times like this, it can feel easy to withdraw—physically, mentally, and emotionally. I’ve done it myself and it sucks to feel like, no matter what you do, nothing will change.
But that is exactly how some people in power want you to feel. It is in their best interest for you to remain idle while they continue to peel back decades of progress and forge a future that centers their needs—not yours. We must resist, but resistance could and should take many forms.
I believe that true resistance must be grounded in a sense of hope; an unadulterated belief in the brightest day amidst the darkest of nights. If we are going to effectively oppose the actions of those in the highest positions of power, then we must remain steadfast in our belief in a more beautiful world.
Now, more than ever, it is important to uplift and directly support the work of organizations and campus partners dedicated to empowering marginalized students. Volunteer at the Open Seat food pantry, and support identity spaces on campus (the Multicultural Student Center always has lots of free food at their events!). Attend a workshop hosted by groups such as Promoting Awareness for Victim Empowerment (PAVE), which is committed to supporting survivors of sexual and domestic violence. When our institutions won’t shield us from the onslaught of attacks, our investment into student-led organizations will continue to be our strongest opposition.
As ASM Chair, I will continue to persist in the fight to ensure that we do not roll back our commitment to supporting our students—from our cultural centers to social justice education and beyond. This is going to be a challenging school year, but I stand on the shoulders of decades of students who have courageously persevered in the pursuit of justice and equity within higher education, and that personally gives me a great deal of hope.
Whether you are now just attuning yourself to the reality of inequity, or if it’s always been a part of your story, collective hope enables us to conquer our fears with swiftness and courage. We must work together in cultivating our roots and vision, for this is a marathon, not a sprint. And, above all else, we are going to need one another if we are going to make it to the finish line.
