This past year, Donald Trump has stirred up no shortage of commotion, from his campaign pledges to ban entry of Muslims into the country and deport 11 million undocumented immigrants to his lewd remarks about women. But recently, Trump has managed to create yet another controversy with his cabinet nomination of Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education.

Betsy DeVos, a Michigan billionaire, graduated from Calvin College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and political science. She became politically active in her home state, and eventually became a key asset to the Republican Party (to which her family is a significant donor). She vocally advocates for school choice, in which families receive the option to send their children to other schools besides the public one in their district, and prioritizes the deregulation of public schools.

This January, DeVos underwent her Senate confirmation hearing, fielding questions from all sides of the spectrum, on topics including private school vouchers, guns in schools, and her financial donations. In her responses, she expressed her support for the free-market control of education, school vouchers (government funding for a student’s private school tuition), and the expansion of charter schools. Although she has not had any experience in the public education sector, she defended her qualifications for the post. However, her most controversial statement came in her response to Senator. Chris Murphy (D-Conn), when asked whether or not guns should have a place in school grounds. Her response, that guns should be present in schools in order to “protect from potential grizzlies,” raised nationwide outcry concerning her competence for the job.

Ridge students also doubt DeVos’s qualifications. According to Matt Wang ‘18, “In general, DeVos does not know anything. She did not form any coherent responses in her Senate hearing, proving that she is illegitimate to hold office for Secretary of Education. [It] deeply saddens me that someone like this has been deemed qualified for such an important job.”

Kristina Ryjouk ’18 agrees, stating, “I think DeVos isn’t an appropriate candidate for the secretary of education because she doesn’t seem to have much experience in the education systems today. She has been focusing a lot on charter schools without noticing the harm on public schools. She encourages standardized testing without noticing its flaws. She does not stand for education equality.”

DeVos’s hearing sparked fierce opposition to her confirmation, and even two Republican senators have announced that they will vote against her. The Senate’s Republican majority, however, ensures that DeVos will likely be confirmed. If so, only time will reveal the extent of her capability and qualifications to oversee education in this country. Many Americans are certainly hoping that she will prove them wrong.

Editor’s Note: DeVos was eventually confirmed after Vice President Pence historically broke the 50-50 Senate tie.