Last month, Daniela McDaniel, a first -year student at the Worcester State University (WSU), traveled to Washington, DC, to defend the protection of higher education policies such as Subscies skin and the Federal Work Study Program.
McDaniel’s mother is currently working on three jobs and does his best to pay the enrollment out of the state of his daughter. It was through the help of federal students that he was able to go to the WSU for his nursing program.
When he felt that Republicans were considering making changes in skin subsidies that would affect their accessibility, McDaniel was angry.
“Most of our education is paid for financial aid, skin subsidies, all of this,” said McDaniel. “I was scared. I had to sit and be like,” OK, now what should I do? “”
McDaniel, along with some of his teammates and students from the six other schools and universities in Worcester, flew to DC on April 30 on an organized trip to meet with the staff of Democrats and Republicans from various different states, including Texas, Alaska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
The other colleges that sent students included Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, Quiegamond Community College (QCC), Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Umass Chan Medical School and Nichols College, according to a Clark University spokesman.
In their conversations with staff members, students urged them to maintain higher education policies as grain grains intact.
Skin subsidies are a federal form of financial aid that is given to university students with an exceptional financial need that they have not obtained a baccalaureate degree, according to the Federal Student Help website.
On Thursday, May 22, the House of Representatives approved a Tax and Immigration Bill, which includes a provision where students must register at least 30 credit hours per academic year to obtain a skin subsidy, an increase in the current 24 credits. The bill also eliminates federal subsidized loans for college students and more direct loans for graduated students from July 1, 2026, according to Higher Ed Dive.
Isabella Corazzini of the Quinigamond Community College (QCC) is angry and worried about the passage of the bill.
“It’s not just policy changes; they are betrayal. Let’s be real: they are not our Massachusetts legislators who return us. They have shown, heard and many have been senior students like us,” he told Masslive. “The true obstacles are the legislators of other states: those who close these bills in the dark of the night, who avoid their trades and refuse to find people who their decisions hurt.”
When the students spoke to the staff members, there was a sense of fear and worry that the impacts on higher education could affect their experience on the university.
Summit Smoker, a first -year student at Clark University, met with the staff of Pennsylvania’s representatives, their origin. He also met with Senator Dave McCormick staff, R-Penn, and Senator John Fetterman, D-Penn.
The reception of each office was mixed, with the staff of the office of the representative Lloyd Smucker receptive to the worries of Smoker, while the Fetterman staff were more “eager”.
In his communications, Smoker sought to articulate his concerns about what the help of federal students could mean for his university education.
“I wonder, can I end my title?” said smoker. “I will have to leave -me of the university? I will benefit from the grant skin. I benefit from federal subsidized loans and I am also in a work study.”
Now, this fear has become anger towards the Trump administration and Congressional members.
“I think the current administration is not invested in the future of this country or of democracy,” said Clark University student William Stafford. “Education has taken me places that I never knew possible and without the multitude of help I received from both my institution and government, students like me could not take advantage of the opportunities we work so much.”
With the house that passes the bill with changes to higher education, there must be greater defense, according to Masslive, the Junior of QCC, Alyssa Corazzini.
The Chamber’s bill is now heading to the Senate, which will vote for the following proposal. Corazzini told Masslive that he hopes the Senate “to stand by the students and protect the help of students.”
“Policy makers need to remember that working class people require help to access higher education,” he said. “They are not just budget line items.”