Ohio lawmakers are again looking to ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts at the state’s colleges as President Donald Trump looks to do the same at the federal level.
DEI is “institutionalized discrimination paid for by the taxpayers,” State Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, said at a press conference introducing Senate Bill 1 at the Ohio Statehouse Wednesday.
If passed, this legislation would get rid of all DEI-related programming, staff, consultants, titles and spending at state colleges and universities.
The elimination of DEI programs is part of a larger, sweeping bill that also calls for providing universities’ boards of trustees with more training as well as eliminating the ability for faculty members to go on strike.
The bill is largely based on legislation first introduced in 2023. Though that bill didn’t make it to an Ohio House vote, its re-introduction as Senate Bill 1 shows how lawmakers are prioritizing it. A companion bill is expected to be introduced in the House soon.
Ohio colleges already moving away from DEI
Many of the state’s 14 public universities, though, have already been distancing themselves from using the DEI term.
In 2023, Cleveland State University folded the bulk of responsibilities that fell under its DEI office to a new division focusing on student belonging and success.
Kent State University made a similar move around the same time when it launched its Division of People, Culture, and Belonging. Wright State University, near Dayton, uses the phrase “inclusive excellence,” while Youngstown State has its Office of Belonging, Empowerment, and Engagement.
Outside of those office labels, a University of Akron spokesperson told Signal Ohio that the institution “does not currently require and has not ever required mandatory DEI training of any of its employees or students.”
Repeated attempts to learn more about related requirements from other public colleges, including Miami and Ohio universities, went unanswered for weeks.
Cirino cites hiring practice, scholarships as active use of DEI
Cirino gave a few examples at Wednesday’s news conference of how he believes this is playing out across campuses.
Ohio State University got rid of a “litmus test” in its hiring practices, he said. The state’s flagship did move away from requiring job candidates to submit diversity statements seemingly after a conservative think tank dug into the practice.
“If they eliminated it, it was out there in the first place,” he said.
Cirino also struck down “showing a preference of one student versus another” based on race for scholarships and admissions decisions. Several race-based scholarships at the state’s public institutions were put under review last spring after the U.S. Supreme Court decided colleges cannot consider race in admissions decisions.
As for Senate Bill 1, Cirino believes Ohio’s college presidents will go along with this new guidance.
“They may not like some aspects of it, but I expect that they will cooperate,” he said.
But if not, he said, lawmakers “do…have the power of the purse.”
Institutions rely on state support, especially amid continued enrollment declines and fewer tuition dollars, though the amount they receive has dropped significantly over the past three decades.
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