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USA Today
07-03-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Ohio State cut my DEI job. It's a betrayal of our social progress.
Ohio State cut my DEI job. It's a betrayal of our social progress. | Opinion DEI belongs to all of us. Its principles of equity, inclusion and respect are the cornerstones of a just society. We must protect them with everything we have. Show Caption Hide Caption Consumers to boycott companies retreating from DEI. Here's what we know. Consumers are planning to boycott certain companies retreating from diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. In 1968, 34 young people at Ohio State University refused to accept a world built on exclusion. They stood in Bricker Hall and demanded a better future – a future with Black faculty, fair housing and a place for African American studies. They paid the price with indictments, expulsions and years of struggle. But they left us a gift: the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which for 55 years has opened doors of opportunity that were once slammed shut. The closure of ODI marks more than the end of an institution; it is a betrayal of the courage and sacrifice of those who came before us. It unravels decades of progress and erases the tangible impact of initiatives like the Morrill Scholarship and the Young Scholars Program, which have provided hope and opportunity to countless students. Are we so blind to history, so indifferent to justice, that we can stand by as these legacies are dismantled? DEI is about all of us Too many see diversity, equity and inclusion through a distorted lens, believing it exists only to uplift racial minorities or LGBTQ+ individuals. That belief is not just wrong – it is a failure of compassion. DEI is all of us. It uplifts the veteran who has sacrificed so much and now seeks belonging in civilian life. It supports the rural student striving to overcome generational poverty. It champions the disabled professional breaking barriers in their field. It empowers the first-generation college student daring to rewrite their family's story. Opinion: In halting Trump ban on DEI, judge sides with patriotism for America DEI is not about division – it is about connection. It is about ensuring that no one is left behind, that every voice is heard, and that every person is treated with dignity. To dismantle DEI is to dismantle ourselves – the very values that make us human. It is a fight for humanity, for dignity, and for the collective soul of our society. At this pivotal moment, we are faced with a choice that will define us: Will we rise to the challenge of justice and compassion, or will we falter into silence and complicity? DEI initiatives are not merely programs – they are lifelines that transform lives and bridge the gaps of inequality. To tear them down is to abandon the dream of equity, and with it, the people who depend on it. DEI's fall warns of a greater collapse When DEI is stripped away, the impact is deeply personal. It is the student who no longer has a mentor to guide them through the labyrinth of higher education. It is the professional who feels unsupported, unseen and out of place in their workplace. It is the doors that once opened to opportunity now closed, as hope crumbles into despair. And make no mistake – this is only the beginning. What we see now is the first crack in a dam that has held back generations of inequity and exclusion. If we allow DEI to crumble, everything it has built will collapse into a heap of rubble, forgotten and buried. The bridges we have fought so hard to build, the opportunities created, the lives changed – all will be erased. The world will look as it did before, stark and unforgiving, and the progress we have made will become a distant memory. History judged the Ohio State 34. What will it say about you? History is not kind to those who remain silent in the face of injustice or complicit in its perpetuation. It will not forgive those who blindly follow without questioning or those who trade humanity for convenience. It will remember the inaction, the indifference, and the apathy. But it will also remember the brave – the ones who stood up, who spoke out, and who fought for what is right even when the odds were against them. Tell us: Did you vote for Trump? Do you support his actions and policies now? | Opinion Forum The OSU 34 were judged harshly in their time, but today we honor their courage. They show us that while the arc of justice may be long, it bends only because of those willing to push with all their might. Now it is our turn. Will we rise to the occasion, or will we allow ourselves to be remembered as the generation that let it all fall apart? Silence on DEI is a betrayal This is not a time for neutrality. Neutrality is complicity. Silence is betrayal. If we believe in justice, if we believe in the dignity of every human being, we must act. We must fight for DEI – not as a policy, but as a moral imperative, as a reflection of the kind of world we want to leave for future generations. DEI belongs to all of us. Its principles of equity, inclusion and respect are the cornerstones of a just society. We must protect them with everything we have. We owe it to the OSU 34. We owe it to the students and employees whose futures hang in the balance. And we owe it to ourselves. This is the moment to lead with empathy, to act with compassion, and to stand with courage. Let us not falter. Let us not be silent. Let us rise. Because the fight for DEI is the fight for the soul of our society. And it is a fight we cannot afford to lose. Marchem Pfeiffer is among 16 Ohio State University employees told their positions are being eliminated in response to President Donald Trump's DEI executive orders. This column originally appeared in the Columbus Dispatch.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio State cuts diversity offices, programming
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio State University announced its next steps in reviewing the institution's diversity, equity and inclusion policies, which will include discontinuing the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and modifying scholarships geared toward students of diverse backgrounds. In a message to students, faculty and staff on Thursday, Ohio State President Ted Carter laid out initial steps to comply with new state and federal directives about higher education. To start, Carter said, the university is closing its Office of Diversity and Inclusion, discontinuing the programming and services under Student Life's Center for Belonging and Social Change, and renaming the Office of Institutional Equity to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance. Carter said these decisions will not affect current student scholarships or financial aid. It will modify the eligibility for scholarship programs like the Morrill Scholarship or Young Scholars Program. The Morrill Scholarship is historically awarded to students who will actively engage in diversity-based leadership, and the Young Scholars Program is geared toward first-generation, low income underrepresented students. Fort Rapids waterpark may finally be sold after legal hurdle cleared Carter also said the university will work with anyone employed under discontinued departments, student or staff, to find new university employment opportunities. He also confirmed all students would be offered alternative jobs. However, the university acknowledged these decisions will result in some position eliminations. Carter said the decision came because of federal threats to withdraw funding if DEI programs continued, including a memo from President Donald Trump's administration with a Friday deadline to eliminate diversity programs. He also said Ohio's Senate Bill 1, which would ban DEI on college campuses and passed in the Senate on Feb. 12, is making its way through the legislature. 'The Attorney General of Ohio – our statutory counsel – has advised us that his office concurs with the federal government's position regarding the use of race in educational activities,' Carter said. Senate Bill 1 has not yet passed in the House of Representatives, and teachers unions are challenging Trump's directive, alleging it violates the First and Fifth Amendments. Ohio State's Office of Diversity and Inclusion oversees the university's Black cultural center, Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male, Women's center and a variety of diverse programs geared toward uplifting minority students. It also housed the Morill and Young Scholars programs, which will be transferred to the Office of Academic Affairs. The Center for Belonging and Social Change offered workshops, grants and networking opportunities to ensure all students live and learn on a welcoming campus, according to its website. According to the website's 'About Us' page, which does not mention diversity, race or gender, the center discussed civic engagement and social change. Fort Rapids waterpark may finally be sold after legal hurdle cleared Ohio State faculty and students have spoken out against legislation like S.B. 1, telling lawmakers, Ohio State officials, and NBC4 that they felt legislation barring DEI would harm higher education. 'If S.B. 1 succeeds in Ohio, it will embolden politicians everywhere to kill higher education under the guise of 'neutrality,'' Sabrina Estevez, a second-year student at Ohio State, said. 'This is a warning: the fight for academic freedom isn't just Ohio's fight, it's America's fight.' 'These are difficult conversations, as we knew they would be. All of higher education is facing a challenging environment,' Carter said. 'Nonetheless, I continue to believe that the best course for our university is to take actions proactively so that we can manage this new landscape in ways that best uphold the values of excellence, access and opportunity that we hold dear.' The Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Center for Belonging and Social Change will both be discontinued starting Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Students say they will leave Ohio if lawmakers go forward with massive higher education overhaul
On the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Graham Stokes for the Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original story.) Where 16-year-old Michelle Huang goes to college hinges largely on what happens with a massive, controversial higher education bill that the Ohio Senate recently passed. Huang, a junior at Olentangy Liberty High School in Delaware County, said she always imagined herself going to Ohio State University to study political science, but is not so sure anymore because of Ohio Senate Bill 1. She wants to receive Ohio State's Morrill Scholarship, a merit scholarship program where one of the requirements is to 'contribute to campus diversity.' But S.B. 1 would, among other things, ban diversity and inclusion efforts and jeopardize diversity scholarships. 'The fact that S.B. 1 puts (diversity) scholarships in jeopardy is a big deterrent for me applying to Ohio State and other Ohio schools who offer similar scholarships,' Huang said. Ohio State University Spokesman Ben Johnson said the Morrill Scholarship Program 'is open to students of any background and would continue,' he said in an email. 'We will continue to work with elected officials on both sides of the aisle to advance Ohio State and ensure our students, faculty and staff have the resources and support needed to succeed,' Johnson said in an email. 'It's too early to comment further at this time.' S.B. 1 would ban diversity and inclusion efforts, prevent faculty from striking, set rules around classroom discussion, put diversity scholarships at risk, shorten university board of trustees terms from nine years down to six years, and require students take an American history course, among other things. Regarding classroom discussion, it would set rules around topics involving 'controversial beliefs' such as climate policies, electoral politics, foreign policy, diversity and inclusion programs, immigration policy, marriage, or abortion. State Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, introduced S.B. 1 less than a month ago and the Ohio Senate passed S.B.1 last week, so the bill now heads to the Ohio House for consideration. S.B. 1 only applies to Ohio's public universities and community colleges. It will need to pass the Ohio House and receive the governor's signature to become law. If it were to be vetoed by Gov. Mike DeWine, lawmakers would need a 3/5 vote from each chamber to override it. 'I've always been really close to Ohio State and having one of the primary incentives to go there just to be taken away is honestly just so saddening to me,' Huang said. Huang said she still plans on applying to Ohio State in addition to other colleges such as Ohio Wesleyan University, a private school, and Georgetown University in Washington D.C. 'I just have this impending feeling of not knowing,' Huang said. 'I really hope that this bill doesn't progress much further.' Huang was among the 837 people who submitted opponent testimony and testified in-person during last week's marathon eight hour Ohio Senate Higher Education Committee meeting. In testimony, a variety of other students said they would leave the state if the overhaul becomes law in Ohio. She is also concerned about the potential implications the bill would have on classroom discussions, especially in history and government classes. 'I feel like if the bill is signed into law, it will just be a lot harder for students to learn about our history from a nuanced perspective and also have these important conversations that are pretty essential to our understanding of society and our government,' Huang said. Among the many provisions in S.B. 1, one would eliminate undergraduate degree programs 'if the institution confers an average of fewer than five degrees in that program annually over any three-year period,' according to the bill's language. 'It's an arbitrary number that implies things are not functioning the way they should, but it's actually not necessarily a clear view of what's going on in the program,' said Gretchen McNamara, a senior lecturer of music at Wright State University. 'When you just look at things from a data standpoint, it doesn't tell the whole story.' She is also concerned tenured faculty would lose their jobs if a university program is cut. 'It's just very detrimental to the profession, and there's no point in tenure if it can so easily be dismissed without a clear metric and understanding of that specific number that they've selected,' said McNamara, who is also the president of the Ohio conference of American Association of University Professors. There are many reasons why a program might be small, said John Huss, the chair of the University of Akron's philosophy department. 'It could be difficult, so students don't want to major in it, or they flunk out of it because it's just hard,' he said. 'It may be that it's a niche program that's very important, but it's never going to be numerically large. I think of, for example, strategic languages.' This provision would hurt the competitiveness of Ohio's public universities, Huss said. 'We're having less flexibility for students at public universities than exists for students at state schools in other states or private schools in our own state,' he said. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
