By Elise Ramos and John Ostapowicz / The Jambar
Ohio Sen. Jerry Cirino proposed Bill I, known as the Ohio Higher Education Act, to the Ohio Senate on Jan. 22, and has sparked controversy amongst Ohio’s 37 institutions since its proposal.
If passed, the legislation would ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public and private universities — including Youngstown State University — as well as technical colleges in Ohio and affect other operations.
For faculty members, Bill I prohibits striking as a form of protest or negotiation. The bill also has a final offer-settlement procedure, which could limit the bargaining power of faculty unions.
In the classroom setting, it would ban teachers from speaking about controversial topics such as politics, immigration and same-sex marriage.
The new proposal is a follow up to Cirino’s original Legislation Bill 83, presented to the Ohio Senate on March 14, 2023. It encountered significant pushback and failed to pass through the Ohio House of Representatives.
For YSU, the revised bill would impact the Office of Belonging, Empowerment and Engagement. The proposed elimination of these programs would affect various student support services and initiatives.
Mark Vopat, professor of philosophy and president of the YSU Ohio Education Association, actively advocates for diversity on campus.
“If [Bill I] passes, it will be detrimental to the university and have unintended consequences,” Vopat said. “You are a stakeholder in your education and these are decisions we have a say in.”
Students and faculty at institutions across Ohio have expressed concerns that Bill I’s measures would greatly impact the freedoms offered through DEI. Its proposal also sparked widespread protests from various campus-advocacy groups.
Faculty members at YSU would also be subject to a new post-tenure periodic review process, which could alter the current tenure system and impact job security.
In response to a remark by Cirino that stated the “Holocaust denial is being taught in classrooms,” Vopat said “we have been down this rabbit hole before.”
“That kind of micromanagement, censoring in the classroom, it’s troubling. The state is telling the subject matter experts what to teach in their classrooms. It’s all a smoke screen for ‘I just want more control over the universities,’” Vopat said.
Vopat also said he believes facilitating a conversation with Cirino would establish ways to address the issue.
“If Sen. Cirino wanted to come to campus and had clearly defined problems with evidence, we could have a nuanced conversation of how to fix it,” Vopat said. “If you really think there’s a problem, show me and convince me that this is the best way to solve it. I don’t feel like there’s evidence for widespread indoctrination.”
WSYX Columbus reported that Brielle Short, a student of The Ohio State University, said Bill I would impact several student spaces and could lead to issues.
“I don’t believe the sacred space of classrooms, or of students or groups or even just the sacred space of our university, shouldn’t be used as a political chess piece like this,” Short stated.
The Jambar posted on the student feed asking for feedback about the bill. Michael Kolesar, senior electrical engineering major, responded and said he believes Bill I promotes intellectual diversity.
“As a student, the bill is going to uphold the fundamental values that make America great — free speech and equal opportunity,” Kolesar said. “DEI driven curriculum directly contradicts these principles by favoring certain groups over others.”
Kolesar also said he favors the way the bill would treat teacher strikes.
“If there is a strike, we’re not going to have to worry about students getting pushed out of their classrooms or worrying about when the schedule resumes,” Kolesar said.
Vopat said the university has had more snow days in the last 25 years than it has strike days, with only one day interfering with students going to class. The other two days were non-teaching days.
As stated by the Cincinnati Enquirer, universities and colleges that don’t comply with the changes — if enacted — could risk losing its share of the $2 billion Ohio spends on higher education operations and construction projects.
With the bill being introduced Jan. 31, there are no updates yet regarding its passage to the house.