Senate Bill 83 set to pass as CSU students maintain disapproval, admin “don’t know what to expect” – The Cauldron
The higher education overhaul bill that seeks to ban diversity, equality and inclusion efforts, among other controversial initiatives, is back and projected to succeed this time.
One thing remains the same, however — Cleveland State University (CSU) students do not approve.
Senate Bill 83, renamed Senate Bill 1 and reintroduced in the Ohio Legislature on Wednesday, Jan. 22, failed to make progress in the state’s lower chamber for the past two years. With more conservative leadership now in the House, S.B. 1 brings the bill back in a more extreme version of its original form.
“It is called Senate Bill 1 for a reason,” Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland), the bill’s sponsor, said. “It is our top priority.”
The bill seeks to overhaul Ohio’s entire higher education system through bans on diversity training, faculty strikes, negotiations on tenure for unions, relationships with Chinese universities, and “political, racial, gender, and religious” bias in the classroom. Colleges and universities wouldn’t be allowed to “endorse or oppose…any controversial belief or policy…including issues such as climate policies, electoral politics, foreign policy, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, immigration policy, marriage, or abortion.”
The DEI and striking bans were not sweeping in S.B. 83, but S.B. 1 takes them a step further with complete prohibition. The new bill also reduces terms for university trustees from nine to six years and requires institutions to institute a mandatory civics course that includes “American history, key foundational documents and the fundamentals of free market capitalism.”
Unchanging student opposition
CSU students have condemned S.B. 83/1 since its introduction in 2023.
“SGA stands firm in its previous denouncement of SB 83/1,” CSU Student Government Association shared with The Cauldron last week. “We are once again concerned that a bill such as this not only undermines the purpose of higher education but stunts the ability of students to express themselves in an effective and developmental manner.”
In April 2023, CSU SGA was the first student government in the state to pass a resolution condemning S.B. 83/1. That same month, CSU SGA also signed a joint letter representing more than 200,000 students in opposition to the bill.
“We will remain hopeful that [S.B. 1] will meet the same fate as its former iteration,” added CSU SGA. “No matter the outcome of this, SGA will remain dedicated to representing students and advocating for their betterment at every available opportunity.
The CSU chapter of the Ohio Student Association (OSA) has also actively opposed the bill in its statements and work, expressing additional concern now that President Donald Trump has returned to the presidency:
“[CSU OSA] still view[s] the bill as dangerous to higher education and the state of Ohio in general. It’s even more dangerous with the current administration in The White House.”
Trump’s wave of executive orders and memos in the first weeks of his presidency has implications for the future of colleges and universities, including the elimination of federal D.E.I programs and a federal grant freeze that has since been rescinded.
Admin and faculty uncertain, focused on priorities
CSU Faculty Senate President Carol Olszewski expressed uncertainty now that the bill is projected to pass the Ohio Legislature by Feb. 12.
“There are some very clear objectives in this legislation, but there are also some unclear targets,” Olezski said during the latest Faculty Senate meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 29. “We will be affected by this legislation…I don’t know what aspects of the…legislation will prevail into fruition for us in our CSU community. What I do know is that we have jobs to do.”
CSU’s Faculty Senate and the CSU chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) also passed a resolution condemning S.B. 83 in April 2023.
Having expressed reservations over certain provisions of S.B. 83/1 in a 2023 interview with The Cauldron, University President Laura Bloomberg, Ph.D., maintains concern over the bill, though does not find it to be the community’s priority.
“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,” she shared during the Faculty Senate meeting. “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 official launch of Cleveland State United, the University’s new strategic plan, came just days after the reintroduction of S.B. 83/1 and outlines three specific priorities for CSU through 2030: “advance academic offerings, delivery, and scholarship to foster success.”
Bloomberg shared with The Cauldron that she is not yet certain of the ways in which the contents of S.B. 83/1, if made law, would conflict with these priorities.
What’s next for S.B. 83/1?
S.B. 83/1 had its first Senate Committee hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The Ohio House and Senate are both set to meet on Feb. 12, during which the bill will likely pass both chambers.
“Informing students about this bill falls in line with SGA’s dedication to civic engagement and education,” said CSU SGA. “We urge all students to research this issue at hand and communicate with one another their thoughts and opinions.”
CSU SGA encourages students to contact their representatives if they’re concerned.
CSU OSA will be conducting work “to give students the tools they need to be ready to fight this bill,” and advises students to read and understand S.B. 83/1’s ballot language.
“We’ve defeated this bill multiple times before,” said CSU OSA. “If we are consistently pressuring Cirino and others, it can be defeated again.”
Students can track the bill’s status here.