Since January, a statewide collegiate student advocacy group has put its energy into fighting Senate Bill 1 – a proposed sweeping law that would reduce the independence of Ohio’s public colleges and universities.
Members of the Ohio Student Association put together a stacked agenda. They convened workshops to help students sharpen written and public comments intended for lawmakers. They organized marches outside the Statehouse in Columbus as well as coordinated walkouts at campuses across the state.
The group also boosted its Instagram presence to rally support against the bill, which would end diversity, equity and inclusion (or DEI) programs and make an American civics course mandatory at every school.
“This is not the end of the fight, regardless of what happens,” said Michelle Stanley, a student at Kent State University and president of its OSA chapter.
Students told Signal Ohio what fuels them is their belief that the bill will have a negative impact on both teachers and students. They said DEI efforts help students otherwise left out, though many public universities – watching the national backlash against DEI programs – began scaling back such program even before this bill was introduced.
OSA members also said they’re fearful that the bill’s focus on what lawmakers deem as “controversial beliefs” could stymie intellectual discussion and growth. This, they say, could devalue a degree from an Ohio university.
Despite hours of testimony from students and others, neither lawmakers in the Ohio House nor the Ohio Senate made a single change to address these students’ concerns.
All eyes on DeWine
The bill officially cleared the legislature this week. It’s now headed to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who could put his signature on it any day.
Before he does, OSA members are still trying to reach him.
Their attempts included trying to hand deliver a letter to the governor. They first went to his ceremonial office at the Statehouse. No luck. Members claim that some staff members shut a door in their faces. When they tried to reach him at his working office in a nearby office tower, security officers did not allow them to even drop off their letter. They were told they needed an appointment to do that.
The students were not deterred. They tried another tactic. Similar to outreach efforts being done by other groups across the state, the Ohio State OSA chapter held a “Dial DeWine” party this week at a Columbus church. There, they called and emailed the governor’s office.
DeWine’s earned a reputation as a leader who cares about education, according to Nica Delgado, vice president of Kent State OSA chapter. The governor and First Lady Fran DeWine have made boosting childhood literacy a priority. The pair even visited a library in Delgado’s hometown of Lima to read to kids, she recalled.
But Delgado said she believes DeWine’s reputation and the goodwill he’s earned in Lima and elsewhere will be diminished if he signs the bill. It will destroy his legacy, she said.
“I don’t understand why he would ignore all of these different voices that are telling him that this is not what we want to happen to our education,” she said.
OSA students said lawmakers aren’t listening
Sydney Ball, the president of Ohio State’s OSA chapter, is described by some as the face of everything related to Senate Bill 1.
In January, she wore a piece of tape over her mouth – a nod to supporters feeling like the bill muzzled students’ voices – as she sat behind the bill’s author, State Sen. Jerry Cirino. At OSA protests, she’s frequently the one leading chants. Yet, Ball said she still doesn’t feel like lawmakers are taking students seriously.
The Ohio Capital Journal reported more than 700 people submitted opponent testimony against the bill. A far smaller number of student supporters also appeared before lawmakers in Columbus as the bill made its way through the Statehouse.
Ball also points to Cirino’s dismissive comments toward student protesters, whom he suggested are essentially paid actors.
“I will tell you that the students who were here today protesting probably were getting extra credit,” Cirino said during one hearing.
Ball said she is disappointed by such remarks.
“When we’re making our voices that clear, and that direct, and they still are saying ‘we don’t care, it doesn’t matter,’ that’s hurtful,” she said. “That’s when we feel as though we aren’t being heard.”
OSA campaign against SB1 increase in membership, social media reach
OSA members aren’t naive. They can read the tea leaves which say it will become the law of the Buckey State. So, too, can the state’s union representing college faculty. That group recently said it’s already considering “the possibility of litigation on particular pieces of the law.”
Yet, no matter what happens, Ohio State student Ball believes the student campaign had impact, including reaching students who might not have previously engaged with the group.
Ball said membership is up, though she did not provide exact figures. OSA leaders said they now have “hundreds” of members at seven active campus chapters across the state. That’s a small slice of the 264,400 students who took classes at a public four-year university in Ohio last fall.
OSA’s social media saw growth during the campaign. Screenshots shared with Signal Ohio show the main OSA account grew more than 60% to about 5,100 followers from the end of 2024 until now. Their content reached more than 689,000 followers during that same time frame, a 131% increase.
Ultimately, the past few months have given Stanley of Kent State a new outlook on student activism.
“I think that we are going to have to be our own community,” she said.