Fall is here. That means fresh syllabi, overpriced textbooks and the slow return of our student routines. After months of presidential drama, legal showdown and continuous conflict in Gaza and Ukraine, the return to campus almost feels surreal.
Because while some of us were trying to get through our summer jobs or squeeze in one last Gen Ed, the political world was on fire. And no matter how much we tried to unplug, it followed us. That’s why I’m calling it what it was: the summer I survived Trump.
Let’s start with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a federal reform package President Trump signed into law on July 4. The White House called it “a once-in-a-generation piece of legislation that puts America First” in a press release, while Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) called it the “big ugly bill” in an official statement.
And for students like us? It’s both an opportunity and a warning.
Delta College’s Financial Aid Office sent us an email breaking down what this bill means. On the surface, some changes seem helpful: income-based repayment plans are now easier to access, and Parent PLUS loans now qualify for relief. There’s also a new repayment plan launching in 2026, and a return to older, simpler rules for loan forgiveness in cases of school closure. These earlier rules, in place before 2023, required less documentation and gave borrowers a clearer path to relief if their school shut down or misled them — unlike newer, stricter regulations that were set to take effect in 2025 but have now been delayed under the law.
Sounds good, right?
But buried deeper in the email was a particular line: “Loan amounts for part-time students will change.” According to Delta, students enrolled less than full-time will see their federal loan eligibility reduced to match their enrollment level starting in 2026.
For many working students, caretakers, or anyone juggling life outside a traditional college path, that’s not “beautiful” but harmful. This country loves to say college should be accessible for all. But once again, we’re seeing how policies reward privilege and punish flexibility.
And while our financial aid is being rebranded and repackaged, another summer cut slipped by with little ceremony: NPR lost its federal funding.
Trump has long claimed public media is biased, calling it “radical left monsters.” This summer, his administration finally followed through, stripping National Public Radio of all federal financial support. It might sound like a budget line, but it’s actually an attack on public access to information. For rural areas, low-income households and schools, including colleges like ours, NPR has been a free, trusted source of news, civics education, and cultural programming.
When we lose public media, we lose accessible truth. And that’s exactly what Trump’s political brand depends on: a confused, distracted, misinformed public.
“We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated,” Trump said during his first presidential campaign victory speech in Las Vegas on Feb. 23, 2016, after winning the Nevada Republican caucuses.
I didn’t get much of a summer break. I got student debt updates in my inbox and watched national media get quietly gutted. I watched a sitting president govern on fear and celebrate legislation that will shrink resources for the most vulnerable students.
But here we are. Back on campus. And while this semester brings a bunch of papers and midterms, it also brings a responsibility: to stay awake. To keep paying attention. To challenge the idea that we should accept these changes just because they’re dressed up with patriotic names or wrapped in executive orders.
