In January 2025, the new executive administration in Washington D.C. began issuing executive orders, memos and agency guidance, including some with the potential to impact our work and community at Roosevelt. Roosevelt University is committed to keeping you informed of these developments and will post information and resources to this page, and we ask that students, faculty and staff check back often for updates.
Page last updated: March 18, 2025
Have federal student financial assistance programs been impacted by the executive orders?
No federal student financial aid assistance programs have been reduced or eliminated as a result of the executive orders.
Will the information students provide on the FAFSA be shared with other agencies, particularly DOGE?
At Roosevelt University, we take the privacy and security of our students’ personal and financial data seriously. We adhere to protocols outlined by federal regulations, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and have measures to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access or misuse.
Information supplied on the FAFSA form has always been shared with federal agencies who have a legitimate business purpose to authenticate the data. As of February 24, 2025, a federal judge has temporarily blocked DOGE access to sensitive Department of Education information through March 10, 2025. At this time, we have not received any information suggesting that student financial data has been mishandled or misused by anyone associated with the federal government.
There is talk of shutting down the federal Department of Education. What does the Department of Education do for colleges & universities and their students?
The US Department of Education issues about $100 billion in student loans and awards more than $30 billion in Pell Grants to more than six million low-income students. More than 5,000 colleges and universities are eligible for federal financial aid. The department also manages a $1.7 trillion student loan portfolio and holds college institutions of higher education accountable for upholding various laws and regulations.
The Department also enforces students’ civil rights through the Office for Civil Rights to ensure students are protected from discrimination on campus.
The Department issues millions of dollars appropriated by Congress to colleges and universities that help support student success and other priorities for lawmakers. In fiscal year 2024, Congress allocated $3.3 billion toward higher education programs including $400 million to support historically Black colleges and universities as well as $229 million for Hispanic-serving institutions. It also spent about $2.14 billion on Federal Work-Study and supplemental grants to directly supporting students with unmet financial need.
The Department also conducts annual surveys to gather data offering insights into student enrollment, graduation rates, earnings, student borrowing habits, and more.
Finally, the Department works with states and accreditors to oversee colleges and universities to protect students from fraudulent educational programs.
[Source: “5 Ways the Education Department Affects Higher Ed”]
What is the status of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)?
The U.S. Department of Education is reviewing the recent executive order regarding the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. The PSLF Program is not changing today, and borrowers do not need to take any action. To learn more about the current program requirements, see your progress and payment counts, or submit a PSLF form, visit StudentAid.gov/publicservice.
Are federal immigration enforcement officials allowed on campus?
ICE officers are allowed to access public spaces on campus, for example the lobby in the Wabash building. ICE officers cannot enter limited access areas without a valid judicial warrant. For example, ICE officers would not be allowed to enter areas that are restricted by University issued ID cards, residence halls, classrooms in use, or faculty offices.
What should I do if I see immigration enforcement authorities on campus?
What should I do if I am presented with any documentation by law enforcement?
What should I do if federal immigration enforcement officials proceed with an enforcement action without listening to requests to wait?
What should I do if federal immigration enforcement officials attempt to take me into custody?
Will Campus Safety assist ICE officers attempting to apprehend and remove individuals from campus?
Roosevelt’s Office of Campus Safety does not ask anyone about their immigration status and does not create or maintain any records relating to the immigration status of members of the Roosevelt community. Roosevelt's Campus Safety Office would allow law enforcement, including ICE, to enforce a validly issued warrant only after review by the appropriate University authorities.
I am a student, faculty or staff member and I have questions. Where can I go for help?
What are sponsored programs (grants)?
Higher education institutions commonly rely on funding support awarded to the university by external entities, such as federal, state, or private organizations or agencies. These funds are used to support the operation, in whole or in part, of Sponsored Programs (commonly known as Grants). The awards are based upon pre-approved scopes of work, or specific aims or deliverables, to be completed during stated periods of performance.
What are some of the grants serving Roosevelt students? What are some of the services they offer?
Students, for more information on any of these grants, please contact your advisor.
On January 27, 2025, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo ordering a temporary freeze on all federal grants and loans, effective the same day the memo was issued. The White House said that they were doing this so that they could review agency programs and determine if they fit with President Trump’s priorities. Engaging in a widespread freeze like this is not a common practice when new presidential administrations are determining their priorities.
A statement from the U.S. Department of Education followed up with a report stating that the pause on federal spending did not apply to student loans or Pell grants. The entire temporary freeze was rescinded less than 48 hours later and is no longer in effect.
If this happens again and federal funds ARE temporarily paused, how might it affect Roosevelt’s budget and programming? What are the plans for sustaining current programming?
Roosevelt administration will continue to monitor new executive orders and will determine the financial impacts on a case-by-case basis to determine which program services may be continued as planned outside of federal funding.
What if a federal agency is currently considering applications for federal funding (i.e., the university has already submitted a proposal and is awaiting a response? Is it still likely to be considered?
We will continue to pursue federal sponsored programming as Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) are available. Please continue to plan and prepare your sponsored research proposals based on the most recent solicitations and posted funding mechanisms available. Be sure to sign up for any sponsor’s listservs, so you can remain aware of any changes in real time.
If you are currently working on a grant and have specific questions on how to frame your application based upon the executive orders, please contact Erik Fagrelius, Director, Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Services at efagrelius@roosevelt.edu.
Should faculty and staff work to diversify funding sources for future funding applications?
Faculty and staff are encouraged to seek sponsored funding not only at the federal level, but also through local government levels (for example, the State of Illinois, Cook County, the City of Chicago, etc) as well as private, local and national foundations. For assistance in identifying opportunities for sponsorship of a project and preparing applications, interested parties should contact Erik Fagrelius, Director of Sponsored Programs and Research Services at efagrelius@roosevelt.edu.
Whom should I reach out to with questions regarding the sponsored project (grant) in which I am participating or working?
Student participants and grant staff should contact their project’s director (PD) or principal investigator (PI).
Are grant programs allowed to continue spending as usual while they wait for further actions or information?
Where possible, work under executed awards should continue as usual. Any formal changes to awards will be issued as an amendment from the agency and reviewed for execution through the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Services.
There may be changes to research compliance requirements for existing awards. These changes may be implemented at the sponsor level or on a project-by-project basis via an amendment. Swift compliance is critical, as failure to comply may put funding at risk. A PI or PD should immediately contact Erik Fagrelius, Director, Office of Sponsored Programs & Research Services, at efagrelius@roosevelt.edu.
Award reporting requirements may also change. These updates could be sponsor-wide or applied to individual projects through amendments. Timely adherence to any new reporting requirements is essential to maintaining funding.
Should grant programs speed up spending while the funds are there?
No. As is always the case per Federal requirements, found in 2 CFR Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements, regarding cash drawdowns under your grant account, any cash drawdowns should only be for “as much cash as is necessary to meet the immediate needs of the grant project and keep to a minimum the time between drawing down the funds and paying them out for grant activities”.
The sponsoring federal agency will monitor cash drawdown activity for each of its grants: “Department staff will contact grantees who appear to have drawn down excessive amounts of cash under one or more grants during the fiscal quarter to discuss the particular situation.” For the purposes of drawdown monitoring, the Department will contact grantees who have drawn down 50% or more of the grant in the first quarter, 80% or more in the second quarter, and/or 100% of the cash in the third quarter of the budget period. However, even amounts less than these thresholds could still represent excessive drawdowns for your particular grant activities in any particular quarter. Grantees determined to have drawn down excessive cash will be required to return the excess funds to the Department, along with any associated earned interest, until such time as the money is legitimately needed to pay for grant activities.
As always, Grantees that do not follow Federal cash management requirements and/or consistently appear on the Department's reports of excessive drawdowns could be:
Will any funds already committed (i.e., via Pcard, purchase orders, already purchased but not yet submitted for reimbursement) still be paid by the university if another freeze is mandated?
The suspension of grant awards is addressed in the Uniform Guidance for Federal Awards at 2 CFR § 200.343, Effects of Suspension and Termination of Grant Awards: “Costs to the recipient or subrecipient resulting from financial obligations incurred by the recipient or subrecipient during a suspension or after the termination of a Federal award are not allowable unless the Federal agency or pass-through entity expressly authorizes them in the notice of suspension or termination or subsequently. However, costs during suspension or after termination are allowable if:
How will grant-funded student aid (i.e., scholarships, stipends) be affected?
In the case of a temporary funding freeze, payment of grant-funded student aid might be delayed for the duration of the pause. As always, grant-funded aid is only available while a grant is in effect.
Where can students get advice on effects on PhD funding?
PhD funding varies both by field and institution. Students are encouraged to talk with the professors in their program about their specific area, as well as McNair Director, Alejandra Prieto-Mendoza at aprietomendoza@roosevelt.edu, or other grant programs serving graduate students. These offices can also help look over offer letters that students receive from PhD institutions and help them to formulate questions.
Whom should I reach out to with questions regarding the sponsored project I am participating in?
Student participants should contact their project’s director (PD) or principal investigator (PI).
Roosevelt has the following resources available on campus:
Additional resources available to the public:
A Dear Colleague Letter from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights interprets Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision striking down race-based affirmative action in college admissions, to apply to other university policies and programs beyond admissions decisions. The letter, which does not have the force of law, states that “treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal.” The letter further expands the current interpretation of federal law to prohibit the use of race “in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.” It also states that “[a]though some programs may appear neutral on their face, a closer look reveals that they are, in fact, motivated by racial considerations.” The letter directs schools and universities to comply within 14 days and notes that those that fail to do so face potential loss of federal funding.
The DEI Task Force and General Counsel are working to assess the potential impact of the letter and will communicate updates to the community as necessary.
The administration has issued executive orders regarding DEI that include a number of elements. “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” attempts to classify institutions receiving federal student aid (Title IV funding) as federal subcontractors and directs the Justice and Education departments to issue guidance that identifies “the measures and practices required to comply” with the Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard University case. This guidance expands the application of the Supreme Court ruling that struck down affirmative action to areas beyond admissions.
The DEI and Curriculum Task Force is monitoring this situation closely and working to identify any university offices or contracts that could be subject to “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing"