On May 21, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on the state of higher education, where they discussed many priorities of interest to academic medicine including student financial aid, efforts to prevent antisemitism, and accreditation.
In his opening remarks, Chair Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.), voiced support for the Graduate Opportunity and Affordable Loans (GOAL) Act, which would eliminate Grad PLUS loans, citing his concerns that Grad PLUS affects tuition inflation. Witness Mark Brown, MPA, EdD, president of Tuskegee University, warned about the devastating impact of eliminating Grad PLUS, noting that “eliminating or reducing Graduate PLUS loans without an alternative would severely limit access to graduate education, particularly for high need, high potential students in critical fields. This funding made it possible for students in fields like veterinary medicine, engineering, computer science to afford not just tuition, but basic living expenses.”
Cassidy also expressed concern that increases in university tuition and fees could be associated with institutions' support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and programs. He argued that “this increased cost is not going to improve education. Instead, those dollars are being funneled to promote a DEI ideology, dividing students based on race and ethnicity.” Further, Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) questioned the motivations behind DEI initiatives on college campuses, as well as the differences between merit-based and DEI-focused admissions approaches. Meanwhile, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) cited several challenges to accreditation for religious institutions of higher education and highlighted their role in combatting campus antisemitism.
- Washington Highlights