We’re only four months into 2017, and there has certainly been a lot of changes, especially within our government. President Trump has proven to be fairly unpopular, which is evident in his 35 percent approval rating; a new low for an American president who has only been in office for a few months.

Several of his executive orders, especially his immigration order, sometimes called the “Muslim ban” have received a great deal of media attention and could have an impact here on campus as the school is home to students of many backgrounds. Some students have family that live in the countries that were included in the aforementioned Muslim ban.

LGBT students could also be in trouble. Texas has a proposed bathroom bill similar to one in North Carolina’s that was recently repealed. This proposed bill, if passed, will likely fuel discrimination towards trans people, and President Trump, a self-proclaimed LGBT ally, has yet to say a word on it. However, many in his cabinet has been known to support anti-LGBT laws.

The confirmation of Jeff Sessions becoming Attorney General is concerning to people of color, especially black people. Even Coretta Scott King, the wife of Martin Luther King Jr., had written a letter that strongly advised the Senate to not nominate Sessions. Sessions has been accused of punishing black people for helping elderly black voters with absentee voting ballots.

There’s also Betsy DeVos, who was given the position of Secretary of Education, a job that is kind of important when it comes to schools such as this. One thing that must be addressed is that DeVos has no experience in education whatsoever, and she invests millions lobbying laws for the draining of public school resources. She’s a big fan of school choice and is considered to be the wrong choice for overlooking the civil rights of students by many teachers.

The actions of politicians in Washington, D.C. may seem far away, but someway, somehow many of the decisions made there will impact students here. Whether a student is in favor of some of the examples mentioned above, or against, our voices can and should be heard.