Senate Bill 83 faces more criticism as it moves through Ohio House – The Cauldron
Members of the Cleveland State University community continue to condemn Senate Bill 83, the controversial Higher Education Enhancement Act currently working its way through the Ohio legislature.
Having seen 11 separate iterations, the newly revised version of S.B. 83 eliminates the ban on faculty strikes, with Ohio State Senator Jerry Cirino (R-Geauga County) believing the compromise would get the bill to pass. Universities are permitted to lobby lawmakers, though still prohibited from taking public positions on topics considered controversial.
The new iteration also adds a new retrenchment provision that would prevent unions from negotiating on tenure.
The provision requiring schools to enforce a mandatory American history or government course remains in the bill. The course would include reading assignments of the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Federalist Papers, Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg Address, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail.
CSU Community Responds
Dr. Andrew Slifkin, president of the CSU Chapter of the American Association of University Processors (AAUP), condemned the bill in its current form in a statement shared with The Cauldron:
“The current iteration of SB 83 is still a far overreach of politics into important aspects of university life and its operations.”
Students have spoken out against the bill since it was first introduced by Cirino earlier this year, prompting the Student Government Association (SGA) to pass a resolution in April condemning it, the first student government in Ohio to do so.
SGA also signed a joint letter of multiple Ohio Universities and the Cleveland State AAUP, which represents the University’s faculty. The letter represents 203,784 college students opposing the bill.
Director of Governmental Relations for SGA and Public Policy Committee Co-Chair, Jackson Kidwell, spoke about the committee’s continued attention on Senate Bill 83. Kidwell explained that SGA has already addressed it with the previous resolution condemning it, and that “we will probably do so again should it pass the Ohio House.”
Kidwill also provided some of his own thoughts on the contentious bill:
“I think there are a lot of emotions around [Senate Bill 83], but I think none of them have been captured quite as well as Electric Lights Orchestra captured it in their 1979 album Discovery by stating, ‘You know I’m wishin’ I’m always wishin’.’ I think that conveys a lot of the hope that this bill does not pass in Ohio.”
CSU’s chapter of the Ohio Student Association is actively working against the passage of S.B. 83 through in-person and written testimony, including plenty of emails and phone calls.
“On behalf of OSA, the Cleveland State chapter is working close with OSA chapters from all regions of the state to do whatever we can to stop SB 83: Higher Education ‘enhancement’ act, or as we like to call it–the Ohio Higher Education Destruction Act,” shared CSU OSA.
Similarly, CSU College Democrats seeks to raise more awareness on the bill’s dangers as the public responds to its latest updates:
“CSU Dems continues to condemn SB83, and any efforts to damage public education in Ohio by the state government. The recent news on the bill has created mixed feelings, with some hope that it may not make it to a vote, and concerns that it will be pushed through last minute with the state representative folding under political pressure. We, as an organization, will work tirelessly to educate voters on the bill and create the pressure necessary to protect our fellow students at CSU.”
CSU President Laura Bloomberg, who met with Cirino over the summer to discuss the bill, explained in an April interview with The Cauldron that while she supports some parts of the bill, there are others she does not.
For example, Bloomberg is a known supporter for free speech, which S.B. 83 sponsors believe the bill champions, but she isn’t as convinced. Should the bill pass, Bloomberg also wishes to uphold CSU principles, not pitting the Board of Trustees, administration and faculty against each other.
The Future of S.B. 83
Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens said that the bill does not have the votes to pass in the House on Nov. 28. A week later, S.B. 83 passed 8-7 in the Ohio House Higher Education Committee on Dec. 6.
Having been reported by committee, S.B. 83 must pass in the House before being sent to Gov. DeWine’s desk for signature. The Senate would also need to agree to the bill’s revisions.
As it stands, S.B. 83 bans most mandatory diversity, equity and inclusion training, and requires “intellectual diversity” on “climate policies; electoral politics; foreign policy; diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; immigration policy; marriage; or abortion” in Ohio public universities.
The Cauldron reached out to Bloomberg for a statement on the latest changes made to the bill, with no response prior to publication.
S.B. 83 has been re-referred to the Rules and Reference Committee of the State House. Keep up with the status of the bill here.