Ohio House passes controversial Senate Bill 1, a ban on DEI and faculty strikes – The Cauldron
The Ohio House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 1, a bill that would transform Ohio’s higher education system through a new “intellectual diversity” mandate, on Wednesday afternoon.
Formally known as Senate Bill 83 with the alternative title “Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act,” S.B. 1 seeks to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, faculty strikes, negotiations on tenure for unions, relationships with Chinese universities and “political, racial, gender and religious” bias in the classroom.
The bill also prevents colleges and universities from taking stances on “any controversial belief or policy,” such as climate change and abortion.
S.B. 1 passed the Ohio House along party lines in a 58-34 vote despite overwhelming community opposition from students, professors and parents, which included Cleveland State University community members.
CSU Student Government Association, CSU chapter of the American Association of University Professors, CSU Faculty Senate and several CSU student organizations have advocated against the bill’s passage since its introduction as S.B. 83 in 2023.
The CSU chapter of the Ohio Student Association previously dubbed the bill the “Higher Education Destruction Act,” a play on its former name, “Higher Education Enhancement Act.”
Recently, CSU administration has expressed uncertainty amid the imminent enshrinement of S.B. 1 into law, while attempting to alleviate concern by advising the community to shift focus to more positive news.
“I have not heard many calls for me to address this terrible scourge of D.E.I and how it’s derailing our focus on students,” CSU President Laura Bloomberg, Ph.D., shared during a faculty senate meeting on Jan. 22. “Those are just not the calls I get. Those are not the things that I’m asked to focus on or I’m asked to urge this campus to focus on. [Rather] it is advancing our mission. It is about access and excellence. It is about helping students get ready for graduation. It is about enhancing our community partnerships and our research agenda.”
The bill now returns to the Ohio Senate so that lawmakers can approve the changes that House Republicans made. Upon approval, S.B. 1 will head to the desk of Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who is expected to sign the bill into law. He will have 10 days to either sign or veto it.
If the bill is vetoed, Ohio Republicans would need a three-fifths vote in both the House and the Senate to re-introduce it. In the event that this occurs, it would mark the third time that the higher education bill is introduced for potential passage.
S.B. 1’s sponsor, Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland), gave up all previous compromises to garner Democratic support after the bill failed to pass in its first round. The bill now stands in its most extreme form.
Students can track the status of S.B. 1 here.
This is a developing story. Updates will be posted as they become available.