Ohio’s Republican-controlled House passed a bill overhauling higher education Wednesday. Initially introduced in the Senate, the legislation known as Senate Bill 1 faced intense criticism from faculty and students who say it restricts academic freedom and cuts programs.
Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to sign the bill after the state Senate signs off on the minor changes. The bill will force the state’s public community colleges and four-year universities to implement big changes that will not only reduce institutions’ power but also potentially cost millions of dollars collectively to comply with its rules.
Senate Bill 1 includes mandating universities to implement so-called “intellectual diversity” of views as well as ending most diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming. It will also ban faculty strikes, which are rare.
“We will make certain that students are taught the goodness, the values, and the truth of our country and its history,” State Rep. Tom Young, R-Washington Township, said at the Statehouse Wednesday. “We will empower them, not with division, but with knowledge.”
Critics say the bill is anti-union, could cost institutions millions to comply, and would end some critical support services for students.
As DeWine waits for the bill to officially hit his desk, union members are imploring him to veto it.
“SB 1 is a slow motion wrecking ball aimed at Ohio’s public colleges and universities,” Sara Kilpatrick, Executive Director of the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors, said in a statement.
They are also readying their next steps, including potential legal challenges. Faculty members and their supporters are being asked to donate to an advocacy and defense fund organized by the AAUP.
Senate Bill 1 receives few changes
Despite the vocal campaign against the bill that included hours of testimony at hearings, written comments and students and faculty-led demonstrations – including classroom walkouts at campuses across Ohio and at the Statehouse Wednesday – lawmakers made relatively few changes.
The Senate left Wednesday before the House voted on the bill, meaning it will still have to approve minor changes.
Those include tweaks to the bill’s vague definition of diversity, equity and inclusion. A previous version lacked a definition of the term, leaving colleges to figure out what types of programming would be unacceptable. The new language exempts disability services, as well as fraternities and sororities, from the DEI umbrella.
Another carve out will allow some exceptions for colleges to ask to keep certain DEI-related training that might be needed for accreditation purposes.
What comes next
Once signed by DeWine, the state’s higher education institutions will have 90 days before the legislation officially takes effect.
Some aspects of the bill will come with a high price tag.
As Signal Ohio recently reported, Cleveland State University officials noted they would need to spend close to $400,000 to implement a new mandatory civics course. The university’s vice provost said that would have a “significant fiscal impact,” records show.
Others worry the real cost of the bill could come later. Critics of the legislation say it’ll stop both students and faculty from attending the state’s colleges.
