Late last week, a story broke about the the U.S. Department of Education investigating two Michigan universities (the University of Michigan and Grand Valley State University) for allegedly violating the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. The department provided few specifics. At U of M the DOE alleges the issue is with a project that provides mentorship and networking opportunities to business school Ph.D. students from underrepresented backgrounds.
A few days later, the President signed an executive order to shutdown the U.S. Department of Education.
So the obvious question is... if a federal agency is going to be shutdown, what's the point of complying with their rules?
Yes, sure, I know there's a lot more to it than that, but it makes for a good cartoon. And I could have just gone with just that. But I think there is a deeper issue, and it disturbs me more that the capricious behavior of Secretary Linda McMahon and the Trump Administration actively dismantling the department: They seem to care more about their ideological victories than they do about the actual students. Much more. If, in fact, they are thinking about students at all.
Editor's note: John Auchter is a freelance political cartoonist. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Public, its management, or its license holder, the University of Michigan.
