Harvard: Our Education is on the Ballot. Vote to Protect It.

In this election, the right to a transformative education is on our ballots.

While talk about abortion, the economy, and the rule of law has understandably dominated discourse on the 2024 election, we can’t overlook the significant threat Republicans pose to scholarship, Harvard’s independence, and the foundations of education in a democracy as a whole. From congressional investigations into our campus to threats of withholding Harvard’s federal funds, our future leaders will inevitably affect us all.

Take a look at Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation proposal for the next conservative administration. While former President Donald Trump disavowed the project, over 140 former Trump officials worked on the 922 page plan. The proposal calls for rolling back Title IX protections for LGBTQ+ students, a critical measure that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and advises the next President to issue an executive order banning federal funding for “critical race theory,” an umbrella term used by conservatives to describe seemingly anything they don’t like.

These attacks on higher education would be heightened by the election of Trump, who has claimed universities are run by “Marxist Maniacs” and announced his intention to deport “pro-Hamas” student protestors.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Project 2025 calls for a laundry list of radical priorities like abolishing the Department of Education and spreading its functions across other agencies, weakening accreditation policies for universities, and making it harder for individuals to repay their student loans. Abolishing the Department of Education — an agency that handles federal financial aid, ensures equal access to education, and focuses on national education issues — is antithetical to our country’s values.

We don’t have to look far to see the people who would be harmed by these policies. From your friend who took out loans to attend Harvard to the professors who won’t be able to safely study our nation’s history, we will all be impacted by a second Trump Administration.

Rather than bow to conservative critics, we should support candidates who will strengthen the Department of Education. To fully live up to our nation’s promise of “equal protection,” the choice is clear. Not only must we vote to guarantee equal protection for all students to receive an education — we must ensure the government cannot censor what we learn.

Still, this election cycle presents a unique challenge. We are faced with two known entities, and yet, our country is still divided. As future citizen-leaders, it is important that we look beyond our own personal gain when we vote. We must chart the path that is best for our family, our community, and our nation as a whole. We simply cannot afford to choose one issue — regardless of what it is — and allow it to justify inaction or nonparticipation.

While Harvard has the security of its endowment to protect it from political attacks, other universities and students across the nation lack that assurance. For students who attend schools without robust financial aid programs, the Project 2025 agenda could shut off access to a high-quality education. When we vote, we must seek a path for collective success.

By delivering a resounding defeat of Trump and his allies, we can make our message clear: Higher education is here to stay, whether you like it or not. Simply put, the power is in our hands.

Making a voting plan, researching your elected officials, taking the time to talk to undecided family members — all can make a meaningful difference on the result of this race.

Sitting this one out, or believing your vote doesn’t “truly make a difference” will not help us make progress on the challenges facing our generation.

Make a plan and VOTE. The right to our education is at stake.

M. Austen Wyche ’27, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Winthrop House.