The University of Akron has proposed phasing out both the Master's and PhD programs in Biomedical Engineering, turning the whole department into an undergraduate-focused program. Without graduate students, faculty are unable to pursue cutting-edge research into medical problems and will be forced to shut down their labs or leave the university. The impact is two-fold, as students will lose phenomenal professors and the opportunity to perform undergraduate research. Graduate students play an additional vital role as teaching assistants; without them, many of the undergraduate courses would not be feasible and require fundamental changes.