About a dozen MU students gathered to protest federal job cuts Monday afternoon. Many are worried that as the Trump administration slashes federal agencies, their career plans are at risk too.
They’re not alone – cuts to the federal workforce by the Trump administration have sparked protests across the country.
Sarah Hayes began organizing the protest after last month’s cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.
“Just hearing about it, as someone who's going into that career, it gives a sense of hopelessness that is completely forged by the fact that these cuts were done without what seems like any thought-through care or action,” she said.
Many MU science students have wanted to work at agencies like NOAA since they were children. That’s why cuts to these federal agencies have led some to protest.
The students protested in Speakers Circle for more than two hours, chanting “SOS, Save Our Services.” Hand-drawn signs urged the importance of agencies like NOAA and the National Weather Service.
Allison Collier is a junior studying atmospheric science. She became interested in the field in 2011 after a tornado tore through her grandparents’ community in Joplin, Missouri.
“I remember going to visit my grandparents even a couple months later, and my grandpa had driven us through the path where the tornado had come through, and there were still houses that were completely leveled,” she said. “That was just immensely impactful to me.”
“I was seven, but I always remembered that and how it impacted those people, and I want to do what I can to prevent that from happening – obviously, you can't stop a tornado, but you can help get people out of the way,” she added.
Now that more cuts are on the horizon, she’s not sure if she’ll be able to work in the field. She’s protesting to get the word out.
“Maybe people don't understand that their peers are being directly impacted by these government actions,” Collier said. “Our future and our public services, things that will directly affect people, are being impacted.”
Sophomore Michael Shaw drew a sign that parodies a famous comic strip of Captain America punching Adolf Hitler. But instead of Hitler with a Nazi armband, the superhero is punching Elon Musk sporting an armband with the logo of X, Musk's social media platform.
Musk runs the Department of Government Efficiency, which has spearheaded efforts to shrink federal agencies.
“I thought that was a really funny, ironic idea,” Shaw said. I thought it really got the point across.”
Shaw is an environmental science student, and his dream job is to work at a national park. About 1,000 employees were fired from the National Park Service last month.
“It's been really frightening – anxiety inducing,” Shaw said. But I've been seeing a lot of resistance from other people who think the same as me. That gives me a little bit of hope that maybe this won't last, this will go back to normal, hopefully improve, in the future.”
Hayes said she expected more students to attend – she received only positive comments when she told other students about the protest.
“They really support it,” she said. “They just don't feel comfortable doing it themselves, which I understand. I think we're gonna try to do more of these. So next time, we're probably gonna reach out to a couple of other student organizations on campus to get a more affiliated, wider protest.”
The New York Times reported Monday that 1,000 more NOAA workers will be laid off soon, which would be 20% of the agency’s workforce.
