A controversial higher education bill went into effect last Friday. Senate Bill 1, or the , prohibits diversity and equity programming, bans faculty strikes and regulates classroom discussion at Ohio鈥檚 public universities and community colleges.
The expansive bill introduces student evaluations of faculty to determine bias, adds post-tenure reviews, reduces board trustees鈥� terms of office, among many other measures that are designed to protect free speech.
No student should ever be ostracized, cancelled, or have to worry about a failing grade for merely daring to have a difference of opinion with classmates or a professor, said the bill鈥檚 sponsor Jerry Cirino ( R-Kirtland) .
Critics say the measure is a direct attack against academic independence, curtailing collective bargaining and threatening the quality of higher education in the state.
In response to the bill going into effect, the state鈥檚 have shuttered Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programming and adopted policies to ensure 鈥渘ondiscrimination and intellectual diversity鈥�. It鈥檚 sparked numerous and a .
Executive director of the Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors Sara Kilpatrick said there鈥檚 been an unseen impact as well: a difficulty in recruiting faculty and graduate students to the state鈥檚 higher ed institutions
鈥淐andidates have declined recruitment. They鈥檝e withdrawn their names,鈥� Kilpatrick said. 鈥淎nd they are citing SB1 as the reason.鈥�
Closure of identity centers
Universities across the state have confirmed the closure of 24 so-called identity centers and DEI offices across the state. These institutions provided support to specific student populations or advanced diversity efforts more generally.
OSU鈥檚 Center for Belonging and Social Change, the University of Cincinnati鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Center and Kent State鈥檚 LGBTQ Center have all closed, among many others.
鈥淲e understand these centers 鈥� have been powerful sources of connection, support and growth, and we acknowledge the emotional and personal impact this change may have on many members of our community.鈥疘t is a loss. However, we are the same community. These closings do not change who we are,鈥� Kent State University spokesperson said in a statement to the Ohio Newsroom.
Some universities, like Youngstown State, Wright State and Shawnee State, did not respond to the Ohio Newsroom鈥檚 request for information about its diversity offices. But, their websites to those offices are or redirect to a different student support center.
New mechanism for compliance
While resources around DEI are disappearing from university sites, resources to monitor compliance to SB1 are popping up.
The University of Toledo added forms for reporting . Bowling Green State University has added a new to 鈥渁void extensive penalties for noncompliance.
鈥淚 believe this bill is a direct reflection of the declining trust in higher education and creates additional layers of oversight across a broad spectrum of the work happening in Ohio鈥檚 public universities,鈥� said BGSU president Rodney Rogers, in an open letter to students, faculty and staff.
Impact on academic offerings
In April, the University of Toledo announced cuts to academic programs, .
The northwest Ohio institution has eliminated nine undergraduate programs, including Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy, Religious Studies, Women and Gender Studies, Asian studies, Africana studies, Data Analytics, Disability Studies, Middle East Studies and Spanish.
These sparsely populated programs didn鈥檛 meet SB1鈥檚 new enrollment standards which require undergrad programs to have an average of at least five graduates annually over any three year period.
Opposition鈥檚 referendum fails
Since SB1 was signed into law in March, Ohio higher ed faculty members have been organizing against it. A statewide coalition led by unionized faculty at Youngstown State University collected nearly 195,000 voter signatures opposing SB1, as of last Thursday.
That number fell short of the 248,000 they needed to place the measure on the ballot as a referendum. With the bill now in effect, it can鈥檛 be challenged through a referendum.
As of now, no legal challenges have been filed in court, either, according to
But, Kilpatrick, with the UUAP, said the fight isn鈥檛 over. Their organization is consulting with attorneys to monitor whether universities actions go beyond compliance with SB1 to break the law.
鈥淭he ramifications of SB1 are not going to be seen and felt immediately, but rather unfold over a matter of years,鈥� Kilpatrick said. 鈥淭here will come a day when the many shortfalls of higher education will be traced back to SB1.鈥�
More changes to come
Not all of SB1鈥檚 provisions went into effect last week. Some major changes won鈥檛 be enacted until next school year.
By the fall of 2026, all universities are required to offer a mandatory U.S. civics course, focused on the free market. At the same time, universities will have to make the syllabi for all their courses public and provide training for trustee members.
These additions come at a cost to universities. In a statement to the Ohio Newsroom, Kent State University estimated that implementing SB1 will cost 1.5 to 2 million dollars annually.