The Howard University Campus at sunrise in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015. (Andrew Harnik/AP)
Tucked in the omnibus spending bill signed by President Trump this week were several measures aimed at aiding marginalized students as well as historically Black colleges and universities.
Congress simplified the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, extended the Pell Grant program and wiped away federal loans historically Black colleges and universities took on to pay for improvements and repairs. More than 40 HBCUs owe upward of $1 billion borrowed through a program aimed at financing improvements.
Howard University is not part of this program, but President Wayne A. I. Frederick says schools that did participate built paying back the debt into their programming.