Latest news with #S.B.1.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Signature collection can begin to get referendum to repeal higher education law on Ohio's ballot
Ohio college students and protesters rally at the Statehouse on March 19, 2025, against Senate Bill 1, a higher education overhaul that bans diversity efforts and faculty strikes, and sets rules around classroom discussion, among other things. (Photo by David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal.) The first major hurdle to get a referendum on the November ballot to repeal Ohio's massive higher education law has been cleared. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost certified the title and summary language for a referendum that would repeal Senate Bill 1, set to take effect at the end of June. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE S.B. 1 bans diversity efforts, regulates classroom discussion, prohibits faculty strikes, creates post-tenure reviews, puts diversity scholarships at risk, and creates a retrenchment provision that blocks unions from negotiating on tenure, among other things. The law affects Ohio's public universities and community colleges. 'My certification of the title and summary… should not be construed as an affirmation of the enforceability and constitutionality of the referendum petition,' Attorney General Dave Yost said in a letter certifying the petition. Members of the Youngstown State University's chapter of the Ohio Education Association are behind efforts to get the referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot. With the title and summary language approval, petitioners can now start gathering signatures. About 248,092 signatures are needed — 6% of the total vote cast for governor during the last gubernatorial election. The signatures must be from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties. The signatures would likely be due at the end of June. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose would then have to verify the signatures before the measure is referred to the Ohio Ballot Board to determine the language that would appear on the November ballot. The last time a referendum passed in Ohio was 2011 when voters overturned an anti-collective bargaining law. Some of Ohio's public universities have started making decisions because of S.B. 1. Ohio University announced it will close the Pride Center, the Women's Center and the Multicultural Center. The University of Toledo is suspending nine undergraduate programs in response to a controversial new higher education law that is set to take effect this summer. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Students protest DEI suppression at universities across Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Students at Ohio's public universities are speaking out against crackdowns on DEI as Ohio State University closes its diversity offices. President Donald Trump's administration gave public schools and universities two weeks to end all DEI programs, a deadline that expires March 1. The deadline is being challenged in court, but Ohio State University is complying with this order, 'sunsetting' its Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Student Life's Center for Belonging and Social Change. Ohio State President Ted Carter said federal guidelines and Ohio's advancing Senate Bill 1, which would ban DEI on college campuses, spurred the changes. S.B. 1 passed in the Ohio Senate, but has not passed the House and is not currently state law. Ohio Intel plant construction delayed into next decade These offices closed on Friday, and other programs and scholarships were adjusted or renamed as well to comply with Trump and S.B. 1. Affected employees will remain employed for 60 days and are working with the university to find additional employment at OSU. Ohio State students responded by orchestrating a sit-in Friday morning, with dozens of students sitting in protest outside the Center for Belonging and Social Change. OSU's reaction mirrored students' actions at other universities, with hundreds of Ohio University students walking out of class on Thursday to march against Senate Bill 1. Ohio University has not announced any changes to their programs or scholarships, but students are requesting transparency. Students have also been protesting at the University of Cincinnati, where the university president says the future of DEI is up in the air. The university has begun removing diversity programming and principles across university websites, but walked these decisions back after a Maryland federal district judge issued a preliminary judgement pausing portions of Trump's executive orders against DEI. Not all students are against the measures, however. OSU College Republicans expressed its 'full support' for the changes at Ohio State, applauding the closure of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Creperie opens second central Ohio storefront Ohio State's Undergraduate Student Government released a statement about the decision on Friday, telling the student body that diversity is a pillar of the university, not a political debate. The student government demanded transparency from Ohio State and said it refuses to let diversity, equity and inclusion end at OSU. In response, Undergraduate Student Government said its members will push university administration to fight S.B. 1 and pursue meetings with federal and Ohio lawmakers. It also called an emergency General Assembly meeting on Friday at 6:30 p.m. to hear from students about their concerns. The government urged students to share their stories, sign the body's letter to the governor and contact representatives. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
