Donald Trump to change education laws

Donald+Trump+to+change+education+laws

Tony Petro, Co-Editor

President-elect Donald Trump’s victory shocked many students at AACC, but a closer look at his educational policies could lift some spirits.

Trump plans to “Make America Great Again”; one way he intends to do that is to reform higher education laws.

“If the federal government is going to subsidize student loans, it has a right to expect that colleges work hard to control costs and invest their resources in their students,” Trump said during a speech in Ohio on Oct. 11. “If colleges refuse to take this responsibility seriously, they will be held accountable.”

According to Trump’s campaign site, he plans to work with Congress on reforms to ensure universities are making an effort to reduce the cost of college and student debt in exchange for federal tax breaks.

Trump wants colleges to use tax savings for students, not themselves; he said he intends for colleges to use that money to cut student debt and tuition costs.

Trump also said he plans to make sure the opportunity to attend college, or pursue a trade or a skill through vocational and technical education, will be easier to access, pay for and finish.

“I really hope that Trump will do what he says he will do when it comes to education,” freshman Desiree Gabor said. “I think he has some good ideas but I just hope it happens.”

Dr. Daniel Nataf, a political science professor at AACC, called Trump’s policies on education “thin” and “hard to accomplish.”

Still, he said, “Trump’s presidency could change the curriculums at college. Colleges could start to focus their students more toward engineering vocations due to his trade policies, in which he is attempting to keep more jobs in the U.S. We could see a revitalization of manufacturing.”

Nataf also said Trump’s election could affect college-age students in more ways than through his educational policies.

“The military is a big thing to consider when discussing Trump,” Nataf said. “Trump says our military is depleted. This may lead to the president creating incentives to persuade more people to join the military and stay longer.”

Nataf describes Trump’s foreign policy as “vague.” No one can really tell if he wants America to be aggressive or become isolationist, Nataf said.

Both would affect the military.

Liam Callaghan, a sophomore business administration major, said he voted for Trump because of Hillary Clinton’s scandals.

“Trump is looking to make changes, and I think that’s exactly what America needs right now,” he said.

Callaghan says he will attend Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.