On Tuesday, January 28, 2025, President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on all federal grants and loans across America. The order was drafted and published by the Trump Administration, aiming to freeze as much as $3 trillion in federal grants and loans. Now, after a federal judge placed a temporary block on the freeze, Americans grapple with ideas on what life will look like if they have to say goodbye to the federal grants and loans that fund key pillars for middle and lower class citizens.
The first weeks of the second Trump presidency have brought chaos and concern for minorities across the states. Of these groups are some of the brilliant minds that hold our country’s future – college students. Specifically, many who rely on programs that serve purposes of equity. The majority of these programs depend on federal grants and loans.
Saint Anselm College, like many other colleges and universities, relies on federal funding for several programs created to support marginalized students. Two major SAC programs that are funded by federal grants are the TRIO Scholars Program, a program for first generation students, and The Harbor, the Saint Anselm hub for awareness and prevention of sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, and stalking.
The uncertainty that President Trump’s freeze created around these programs has raised many questions on campus. Will TRIO and The Harbor survive if federal grants are taken away? What will the college do to ensure protection of these programs and the students they support? The Crier, left with the same questions, took a deep dive with faculty and students on campus to find some answers.
“I know too many students who have had tragic encounters with sexual assault during their college experience, and I’m one of them. I was scared to come forward about my assault, and I honestly didn’t know if I would be able to continue my academic career here. The harbor was a huge support for me, it’s the reason I’m still here. I can’t imagine what student life at SAC would look like without it,” (anonymous student, ‘26).
On Friday, February 14, The Crier spoke with Nicole Kipphut, Director of The Harbor, to gain insight on her thoughts about the situation. Nicole told us that The Harbor was recently awarded a grant through the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), which includes a 3-year strategic plan that outlines the college’s responses, goals, and preventative measures to ending violence on campus. This grant would have been suspended in the efforts from the Trump Administration to freeze federal grants and loans. “Our worry is that without this financial resource, our efforts would be slowed and we would need to be more creative in order to meet the growing needs of this vulnerable population”, Nicole said.
When asked if she feels confident that the Harbor would continue if grants were suspended, Nicole expressed strong certainty that the College would continue to support the program regardless of the financial situation – “Even before the uncertainties of surrounding grant funding, the College expressed commitment to our initiatives by establishing the Harbor and supporting the position of Director of the Harbor that cannot be impacted by grant funding…We are not at risk of losing the harbor…We may be concerned about grant funding, but the college has committed to supporting The Harbor”.
The Crier also spoke with Saint Anselms Christopher Lee, Director of The TRIO Scholars Program. TRIO Scholars is a federal grant funded program, which creates a community and resources for first generation college students, students who come from low to modest income backgrounds, and students who have a registered disability. The program, which was established in the late 1960’s, runs across the United States at various institutions. When asked about his concerns regarding the freeze, Chris said, “Given that TRIO is a federally funded grant that Saint A’s was awarded, the funding could stop. The funding freeze would negatively affect many students and staff members from financial aid to job security…Many of our students depend on the services that these federal funds provide. It is hard to see students struggle when resources could be provided”.
As of now, TRIO Scholars continues to run at Saint Anselm. In the event of a future and long standing freeze on the grant that supports the program, Chris told us that the program would no longer exist. However, he feels confident that the school would find other ways to support students who rely on TRIO resources.
24% of students at Saint Anselm College are first generation college students. This means that almost a quarter of the SAC student population are individuals who benefit from TRIO services, or could find themselves in a position where they need support from the program in the future. The impact of a freeze on funding for a program like TRIO could be detrimental.