Last week, state Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) issued the following statement after the Ohio Senate voted to pass the highly controversial Senate Bill 1:
“It is interesting that this is the number one priority of the majority members of the 136th General Assembly when there are real issues of hunger, the need for property tax relief and affordable housing, or any of the basic issues that most Ohioans actually care about,” said Hicks-Hudson. “We need to talk about education. We should focus on providing necessary support so that students go to school ready to learn and graduate with skills to compete in the world economy.”
Senate Bill 1 contains several provisions that would drastically change Ohio’s higher education landscape, including prohibiting university faculty members from striking; banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs; and forbidding institutions of higher education from taking positions on “controversial beliefs or policies.”
According to U.S. News, Ohio has nine schools in the top 200 public institutions in the United States, the fourth most in the country. Critics argue the passage of S.B. 1 would jeopardize the quality of Ohio’s higher education by driving away students, faculty, and critical business partnerships.
The U.S. Department of Labor states the groups that benefit most from DEI are white women, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, individuals with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ+, and then finally, Black Americans.