Possible federal aid security risks spark fear among MC staff and students
Over the past few months, there has been constant talk and surrounding students’ federal aid, causing fear for the future.
Most of this fear comes from talk of federal aid being taken away; however, that is not the only issue in regards to current government funding. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was created by Donald Trump and is seemingly being led by Elon Musk. DOGE seems to have one goal: eliminate as much federal funding as possible.
This has shown itself in the removal of funding for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, The Department of Education and student federal aid. However, removing funds is not the only thing DOGE seems to have the ability to do. There has also been talk and worry about DOGE having access to private student aid information.
As of right now, this is all speculation. Brie Kalivas, the financial aid coordinator at Maryville College, gave some insight.
“While things are still influx with regards to access, only federal systems such as student loans and Pell databases would be available to DOGE. If the state systems became part of that scope, then perhaps the State of Tennessee lottery scholarships could be included. That is all speculation at this point as there have been injunctions put in place because of lawsuits filed,” Kalivas said.
For now, it seems that most of the fear surrounding student aid information reminding classified is just that: fear. But the fear is reasonable, which is why knowing who does currently have access to students financial aid is important; a time could come where that access is extended to places like DOGE.
“At Maryville College, we have secured a Financial Aid Management Database, PowerFAIDs, where all student information is stored electronically only,” Kalivas said. “The Financial Aid Office consists of 4 full-time staff members, including myself, and we are the only people who can access this information. All Financial Aid staff members have been trained and comply with FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) laws.”
The four current Maryville College Financial Aid Office employees are Brie Kalivas, Shannon Watts, Adam DeBusk and Lisa Tunnell. When asked if the threat to financial aid and financial aid privacy has caused security measures to be implemented more or less heavily, Kalivas said that there has not been much change in that regard.
“At this time, there has not been any guidance provided about changes in Financial Aid awarding,” she said.
It does not seem as though DOGE—or any other outside sources—currently have any way to see students’ financial information. Right now, there are also no laws put forth that could override any privacy protection that has been put in place at Maryville College. However, if there were, the financial aid office would reach out to affected students.
“MC is not federally funded, as we are a private institution, but we do process student loans and grants for eligible students,” Kalivas said. “We do have some federally funded grants and must abide by the terms set forth in the grant proposals. If there was ever a time that information was required to be accessed, MC would notify all students who were impacted,” Kalivas explained.