Ohio Senate moves to eliminate DEI programs at public universities
The Ohio Senate passed a bill on Feb. 12 that would eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs and policies at public universities in the state.
The bill passed by a vote of 21–11, mostly being supported by Republicans and opposed by Democrats.
The Ohio Senate passed a bill on Feb. 12 that would eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs and policies at public universities in the state.
The bill, called Senate Bill 1, eliminates “any orientation or training course regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion,” “the continuation of existing diversity, equity, and inclusion offices or departments,” “establishing new diversity, equity, and inclusion offices or departments” and “using diversity, equity, and inclusion in job descriptions.”
Additionally, the bill would prohibit full-time strikes by faculty and require colleges to publish syllabi with each professor’s qualifications, among other reforms.
According to the Ohio Legislature’s website, the bill has been passed by the Senate but has yet to be passed by the House or sent to the Ohio Governor’s Mike DeWine’s desk to be signed.
The bill passed by a vote of 21–11, mostly being supported by Republicans and opposed by Democrats, as noted by Higher Ed Dive.
Supporters of the bill said that it would reduce racial divisions and act toward eliminating left-wing bias at public colleges in Ohio.
“DEI enforces racial divisions, prioritizes group identity over personal merit and creates the very discrimination it claims to be fighting,” State Senator Andrew Brenner argued, according to WPCO. Brennan added that he believed DEI represents a “modern form of racial segregation.”
“Higher education across our nation has largely become a bastion of liberal bias,” State Senator Kristina Roegner, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. “It has become pervasive enough that we must act.”
As Campus Reform has previously reported, Ohio State University spent upwards of $13 million on DEI salaries and initiatives last year.
[RELATED: Northeastern University scrubs DEI references online following Trump executive order]
“We looked at ten of the most prominent public universities, and we found that Ohio State University has the most people dedicated to DEI: 200 people,” said Rachel O’Brien, deputy public policy editor for Open the Books, a government transparency organization.
“They spent over $13 million paying them last year. That’s the equivalent of tuition for 1,000 in-state students for Ohio,” Brooks continued. “So 1,000 students are paying for their DEI structure. And they’re paid very well: The highest paid, the two highest paid, are paid just about $300,000 each, there are many people making $200,000-$250,000.”
“And the thing with DEI is, it’s not about equality or equal opportunity, it’s a radical ideology [that] forces people to groups of oppressor or oppressed, and it does the opposite of its claims to be inclusive,” she added. “It’s divisive, and it makes racial prejudice okay.”
Campus Reform has contacted Ohio State University and the University of Ohio for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
