COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A bill that would do just that ban almost all diversity and inclusion training Requirements for Ohio’s public colleges and universities, banning faculty strikes and barring public universities from taking positions on “controversial” issues, cleared the GOP-dominated Ohio Senate on Wednesday in a 21- to 10.
What You Need to Know
SB83 would ban nearly all diversity and inclusion training requirements at Ohio’s public colleges and universities, ban faculty strikes and prevent public universities from taking positions on “controversial” issues.
Republican Sen. Jerry Cirino of Kirtland, the bill’s sponsor, and other supporters have described it as a necessary effort to promote “true intellectual diversity.”
Dozens of college students and faculty, as well as the 61,000-student Ohio State University, have spoken out against the bill
To graduate, according to the legislation, students would have to pass an American history or government course with a required reading list: the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Federal Papers, the Proclamation of ’emancipation, the Gettysburg Address and the Birmingham Jail Letter.
The multifaceted bill would dramatically change the way students learn and professors teach in the nation’s fourth-largest public university system, and it comes as other Republican-led states. guide diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education. This week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed invoices which prohibit universities from spending money on such programs and using related statements in hiring or admissions decisions.
In Ohio, the bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Jerry Cirino of Kirtland, and other supporters have described it as a necessary effort to promote “genuine intellectual diversity” and a way to help protect conservative speech on campuses
“If (lawmakers) don’t act now, I think we’re going to continue down a path of servitude to a woke agenda,” Cirino said.
Three Republicans, Sens. Bill Blessing, Nathan Manning and Michele Reynolds, split from their party and joined Democrats in voting against.
The bill would prevent universities from mandating any diversity, equity and inclusion training unless it is necessary for a school to be accredited, meet federal requirements, maintain a professional license or obtain a grant. These waivers must first be approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
Students and staff would also not be required to undergo “political or ideological litmus tests” as part of hiring or admissions decisions, such as describing a commitment to a specific concept or principle in order to be accepted. Institutions should incorporate free speech principles into their mission statements, and professors must make syllabi public.
Both tenured and non-tenured teachers would also be evaluated on whether or not they create an “environment free of political, racial, gender and religious bias” in their classrooms.
Dozens of college students and faculty, as well as the 61,000-student Ohio State University, have spoken out against the bill. Many have argued that the legislation encourages censorship and allows the legislature to micromanage higher education, especially when it comes to defining subjective terms like “bias,” “intellectual diversity” and “controversial issues.”
OSU’s board of trustees said in a statement that while they recognize the issues the bill seeks to address, they believe there are “alternative solutions that will not undermine the university’s shared governance model, not they will risk weakening academic rigor or impose extensive and costly new reporting mandates”.
Some of his main concerns include negative effects on faculty speech in the classroom due to fear of administration retribution, increasing barriers to grant-making, and limiting public universities from commenting important issues in the state.
Institutions like OSU would be prohibited from taking public positions on “controversial” issues such as abortion, electoral politics, marriage and climate policies.
To graduate, according to the legislation, students would have to pass an American history or government course with a required reading list: the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Federal Papers, the Proclamation of ’emancipation, the Gettysburg Address and the Birmingham Jail Letter.
Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, D-Cleveland, asked whether students would be able to adequately discuss Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous writing. if issues like race and systemic racism could qualify as “controversial issues.”
The measure would also prohibit college professors from striking during contract negotiations. Cirino said the measure hopes to protect education students from being used as “pawns” during negotiations, while opponents say it could prevent faculty and other workers from creating better working conditions that lead to better work environments. ‘learning for students.
Additionally, Ohio universities would be barred from financial relationships with Chinese universities. The bill provides some exceptions for strictly academic relationships, with the necessary approval from the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the state attorney general to ensure “national security” safeguards. Chinese students would not be barred from attending schools in Ohio.
The law now goes to the House for consideration.
