Lauren
College students at one public university in Ohio are grappling with changes as a result of GOP-backed state law banning diversity initiatives, prohibiting faculty strikes, and regulating classroom discussion in higher education.
Opponents of the law that went into effect last month, known as Senate Bill 1, characterize it as an attack on higher education, the autonomy of professors and diversity efforts. Supporters have touted it as a measure to improve academic freedom and the quality of educational instruction.
The law requires public universities to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, mandates that courses and instruction ensures “intellectual diversity” and allows for post-tenure reviews of faculty..
Ohioans had protested against the measures at the Ohio statehouse and on university campuses including at Ohio University in Athens.
Ohio University College Democrats President Sean Michael, a political science major, said his college town has always been a center of “academic freedom that includes exploring some more controversial ideas.”
But he worries about what critics characterize as vague language in S.B. 1— some of it defining and regulating “controversial” policies or beliefs — that applies to classroom discussion, admissions and hiring. Michael said such language in the law will be “weaponized.”
“It was very intentionally designed to be vague so they can enforce it against anything they don’t like,” Michael said. “What we’ve seen with the Republicans in the state legislature is that they are very much against any kind of — what they describe as culture wars — what I describe as humans existing on college campuses.”
Ohio University College Republicans (OUCR) President Aiden Fox disagrees with Michael and supports the law. Fox said diversity, equity and inclusion efforts take “positions on certain social and political issues essentially down party lines” that make conservatives feel unwelcome.
He also supports a provision in S.B. 1 requiring universities to create a post-tenure review policy that allows for potential censure or termination of faculty who don’t meet “performance expectations.”
Fox said “it’s a pretty common experience for college students to end a class one semester just wondering how in the hell the teacher was actually employed.”
“And usually the answer is because they have tenure,” he said.
Michael, however, believes faculty at Ohio University are “giving us the best possible education.”
“Our faculty are very strong in their beliefs, and they have a very strong commitment to teaching what their curriculum is,” Michael said. “I know a lot of our faculty pretty well, so I think there is going to be some fight back on some of these restrictions of what we can teach in the classroom.”
Other changes because of S.B. 1 include the closure of the university’s Pride Center, Women’s Center, and Multicultural Center.
Allie Stevens, a peer health educator at the university’s office of health promotion, helps students with their mental health and well-being. She believes there could be an influx of students seeking help because of the closures.
Another troubling aspect of the law for Stevens is the possibility that her African American Studies minor along with a Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies certificate may be eliminated. S.B. 1 mandates that over a three-year span, degrees with fewer than five graduates per year be removed from a university’s offerings. However, programs could obtain a waiver from the state to still be offered but would not receive state funding.
Stevens worries she could be required to take more classes than planned, disrupting her college career and future.
“One of the big issues with Senate Bill 1 is that there’s a lot of talk, but there’s no real solidified ways that they are explaining about going about utilizing or implementing the changes of S.B. 1,” Stevens said.
Opponents of the law that went into effect last month, known as Senate Bill 1, characterize it as an attack on higher education, the autonomy of professors and diversity efforts. Supporters have touted it as a measure to improve academic freedom and the quality of educational instruction.
The law requires public universities to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, mandates that courses and instruction ensures “intellectual diversity” and allows for post-tenure reviews of faculty..
Ohioans had protested against the measures at the Ohio statehouse and on university campuses including at Ohio University in Athens.
Ohio University College Democrats President Sean Michael, a political science major, said his college town has always been a center of “academic freedom that includes exploring some more controversial ideas.”
But he worries about what critics characterize as vague language in S.B. 1— some of it defining and regulating “controversial” policies or beliefs — that applies to classroom discussion, admissions and hiring. Michael said such language in the law will be “weaponized.”
“It was very intentionally designed to be vague so they can enforce it against anything they don’t like,” Michael said. “What we’ve seen with the Republicans in the state legislature is that they are very much against any kind of — what they describe as culture wars — what I describe as humans existing on college campuses.”
Ohio University College Republicans (OUCR) President Aiden Fox disagrees with Michael and supports the law. Fox said diversity, equity and inclusion efforts take “positions on certain social and political issues essentially down party lines” that make conservatives feel unwelcome.
He also supports a provision in S.B. 1 requiring universities to create a post-tenure review policy that allows for potential censure or termination of faculty who don’t meet “performance expectations.”
Fox said “it’s a pretty common experience for college students to end a class one semester just wondering how in the hell the teacher was actually employed.”
“And usually the answer is because they have tenure,” he said.
Michael, however, believes faculty at Ohio University are “giving us the best possible education.”
“Our faculty are very strong in their beliefs, and they have a very strong commitment to teaching what their curriculum is,” Michael said. “I know a lot of our faculty pretty well, so I think there is going to be some fight back on some of these restrictions of what we can teach in the classroom.”
Other changes because of S.B. 1 include the closure of the university’s Pride Center, Women’s Center, and Multicultural Center.
Allie Stevens, a peer health educator at the university’s office of health promotion, helps students with their mental health and well-being. She believes there could be an influx of students seeking help because of the closures.
Another troubling aspect of the law for Stevens is the possibility that her African American Studies minor along with a Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies certificate may be eliminated. S.B. 1 mandates that over a three-year span, degrees with fewer than five graduates per year be removed from a university’s offerings. However, programs could obtain a waiver from the state to still be offered but would not receive state funding.
Stevens worries she could be required to take more classes than planned, disrupting her college career and future.
“One of the big issues with Senate Bill 1 is that there’s a lot of talk, but there’s no real solidified ways that they are explaining about going about utilizing or implementing the changes of S.B. 1,” Stevens said.
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Grace Siener