Students Complain as Ohio Law Dismantles DEI at Universities

As students at Ohio universities return for classes in the Buckeye State, they’ll have to contend with the effects of a state law dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Not everyone is happy, with some students even referring to effects of the bill as a “betrayal.”

In late March, Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, signed SB 1, the Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, into law. That law went into effect on June 27 and is in place for the new academic school year across Ohio.

Ohio Capital Journal reported on student concerns about the law. In addition, the outlet reported how the state law has led to “[d]iversity centers across Ohio’s public universities” closing, which, in the case of Ohio University, involved having “sunsetted the Division of Diversity and Inclusion which included the Pride Center, the Women’s Center and the Multicultural Center.”

Ohio University senior Audrey Ansel, who worked at the Pride Center, described how it’s “almost a grieving process,” calling it “frustrating” and lamenting “it’s hard when that physical representation of that work is gone.”

“I don’t regret going to school here, and I’ll never regret going to school here,” she said. “But it feels like a betrayal.”

Ansel also claimed that “community members are going to suffer without that resource,” which she called “a hub for queer people in southern Ohio.”

The Daily Signal reached out to Ohio University for comment about the disappointment expressed by students.

One of the sponsors of the House version of the bill, state Rep. Josh Williams, a Republican representing the 44th District, provided a statement for The Daily Signal responding to the complaints.

“It’s no surprise the woke mob is whining about legislation that removed unfair DEI standards from our universities. SB 1 is about fairness and freedom,” Williams shared. “No student should ever be judged by their race, religion, sex, or political views. They should be judged on their merit. The critics fear this bill because it ends their stranglehold on campus thought. Ohio students deserve real education, not indoctrination, and Ohio delivered with SB 1.”

Williams has publicly expressed how DEI is “offensive” to him as a black man, while also warning about its negative effects in Ohio, and at the national level. Recently, he expressed concerns over Pamela Smith, chief of the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department.

The legislator has sponsored bills combating DEI, including—but not limited to—SB 1. Williams also co-sponsored HB 155, which aims to “prohibit diversity, equity, and inclusion in public schools.” The bill is currently in committee, with members set to return next month. The status of the bill is pending.

Another article from Ohio Capital Journal highlighted a failed referendum effort from the Youngstown State University’s chapter of the Ohio Education Association against SB 1.The effort ultimately ran out of time in late June to acquire enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot.

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