I believe that education is the starting point of any prospering society. Placing children in schools where they can learn about history and science, inventions and innovations, as well as human values, is what making a great country thrive further. For many years the United States has placed great emphasis and pride on the importance of their education system. As someone who has looked forward to studying in America my whole life, I find education to be one of its most prospering sectors.
When Mr. Trump became president there were lots of issues that I had lost hope in. Whether it was immigration or ObamaCare, I realized that campaign promises are promises that would be kept, and fighting them would be near impossible. However, as a student, I remained faithful to America’s somewhat stable education system. In a country that places so much pride in their top-tier universities, I assumed that our president would do anything to sustain that prestigious side of the country. That was until I watched the hearing of our new Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.
The fact that her name rang zero bells in the education sector was worrying enough. Preceded by John King Jr., Betsy made her first government appearance in a public confirmation hearing that turned into a three-hour debacle where Ms. DeVos was bombarded with questions regarding her wealth, personal experience with the public school system, as well as her opinion various bills that protected students and the issue of gun control in schools.
For anybody who does not know Ms. DeVos and her origin, she served as a chairwoman for the Michigan Republican Party between the years of 1996 and 2000, and is an avid advocate for charter schools as well as school voucher programs. And while all of this makes her appear to be a successful and ambitious candidate, the responses that she gave during her three-hour hearing sent shivers down my spine.
It is hard to explain what makes her such an unsuitable candidate for the position: the lack of experience in the education sector, the fact that nobody in her family had to deal with issues of public schooling and government funding, or the idea that the DeVos family had donated over $200 million dollars to the Republican Party. And if that isn’t troubling enough, let me try to outline some of the most worrying responses that our new Secretary of Education gave in her hearing.
- Gun Control: After the Sandy Hook Massacre and the Orlando Shooting, the issue of gun control is one more prominent then ever. While this issue is a whole article on its own, I thought that it would be important to include what the future gun use could be like in high schools. When posed with the question “Do you think that guns have a place in or around schools?” by Senator Chris Murphy, DeVos attempted to avoid the question by responding that individual locales and states should decide the possession of guns by themselves. Because apparently, as the Secretary of Education, she seems to believe that she has no say in it. However the response that followed was one that shook the viewers (and very clearly Senator Murphy himself) to the core: “[Talking about Wapiti, Wyoming]… there I would imagine that there’s probably a gun in the school to protect from potential grizzlies”. Yes. Apparently, the new excuse for carrying around guns is the potential attack of an animal. This was an actual response by a woman who holds the future of American education in her hands. She then went to say that she would support whatever the president chooses to pass, including a plan, which would ban gun-free school zones across America. I also must mention that she was saying this to the senator of Connecticut, the state that suffered the 3rd largest mass shooting in United States history, when 20 children were shot at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
- Campus Rape: Besides the issue of gun control, it is a known fact that college campus rape rates in the United States are growing each year. At the moment there is an approximate estimate that 1 in 5 women will experience some form of sexual assault on a college campus during their 4 years. This number is astounding, and for any woman studying in the country, it is very burdening because it’s something that we have to keep in mind all the time (For those of you who are interested I highly recommend watching the moving “The Hunting Ground” which describes this issue in more detail). As a woman, I have been part of many discussions on this issue and there is one thing that Ms. DeVos got correct in her response to Senator Bob Caseys’ question about upholding title IX: There are varying opinions and ideologies on the issue. And while this is extremely troubling as it is hard to imagine what could be questionable about campus rape, it is the reality of any major issue. However, never in my years of talking about the issue of rape have I encountered a woman who did not stand up for victims of sexual assault and argue against them. Until I met Betsy DeVos. DeVos found it “premature” to respond to any questions about upholding the title, which ensures schools of having a place for students to go and file complaints about sexual assault that the institution must investigate. I don’t think any shocked me more than this. In that moment I felt women all around the country, those who had experienced assault, and those who were active fighters against it lose complete faith in the education system. DeVos is the clearest example of “If it doesn’t apply to me, why should I take care of it?” So while the statistics are going up every single day, our secretary thinks that she needs some time to think about what is the “right thing” to do? So much for women supporting women.
- Lack of experience: This is a very general issue with Ms. DeVos but deserves its own section nonetheless because of how outrageous and shocking it is. A woman, who has no prior experience in public education and government funding, will actually be representing groups of people that she has no connection to whatsoever. I believe that it was Elizabeth Warren who shed light on the harsh reality of DeVos’s qualifications. For those of you who do not fully understand the function of the Department of Education, one of its primary functions is handling millions of dollars worth of student loans, and being able to make sure that everything about that money runs smoothly. So, when Ms. DeVos was asked whether she had any experience in running a bank, handling a trillion dollar loan program or even a billion dollar loan program, she gave a bright smile and replied a simple “No I have not”. Fantastic. But, to be fair, the loan program is only a part of what the department is, and certainly can be taught. Indeed. But the lack of experience is carried over into the fact that DeVos and her family have no experience with Pell Grants or any type of university scholarship program, meaning their family actually have no idea what it is like to receive government funding.
So why is the appointment of Betsy DeVos so detrimental to America as a country? As somebody who has watched over the United States for many years I realized that there are number of things that it offers to people who want to thrive in it. One of its leading phrases is that America is the land of opportunity. And there is no denying in this. The country is one of the most powerful in the world, with institutions that people dream of attending. However, what Ms. DeVos does not seem to understand is that public education is actually what made the American system so great. Elitist universities that were selective in their admission process were able to admit and produce a certain type of person. It is public education that was able to include everybody who wanted to thrive in the country, not just those that could afford it. The future generations need to have an equal, if not better, platform to those that came before it. Somebody like Betsy DeVos could not only take it away, but she could reduce the value of public schooling in the country, and making education something that is not easily acquirable by everybody. Teachers and students all across the country need to ally now more than ever for the purpose of retaining the high standards of education that the country is known for.
We cannot have rich government officials be deciding our value as students, and we most certainly cannot have them be ignoring the most core principles of education simply because it does appeal or relate to them.
So to Ms. DeVos: I hope you understand that issues like college campus rape and gun control in school is not something that can be discussed later or thought about after some time. Student loans funding is not something that can be thrown around and the amount of money that you have donated will most certainly not place in a higher position then anybody working along side of you. Do not fight the opposition but rather compromise. Set an example for girls who want to work in your position in the future. Create opportunities for those girls, no matter how rich or poor they are. You are a powerful woman with a platform larger than many others who work in the same sector as you.
Make your voice heard and make it heard for the right reasons.
VOICE OF THE VOTELESS 