Note: On May 17, the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 83 by a vote of 21-10, largely along party lines. The Ohio House must still consider the bill and would need to vote on it before it could go to the governor's desk. Following the bill's passage, the Inter-University Council (IUC) of Ohio issued a lengthy statement sharing its approval of certain aspects of the bill while outlining 'serious concerns' over its implementation.
When Kent State President Todd Diacon discussed Senate Bill 83 during “Talking with Todd,” a live virtual chat conducted from his office May 1, he assured faculty and staff that the university’s commitment to diversity is unwavering.
If passed, Senate Bill 83, the proposed legislation known as the Ohio Education Enhancement Act, may have an impact on some diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies at Ohio’s public universities.
“We’ll see how the final legislation looks, but even if it does change, there is nothing in that legislation that moves us away from staying true to who we are as an institution – one fiercely committed to access and one fiercely committed to diversity and making it a welcoming environment for everybody,” Diacon said.
Diacon and members of the Inter-University Council (IUC) of Ohio, an education association of Ohio’s public universities, have spent numerous hours in meetings with the bill’s sponsors in hopes of bringing clarity to parts of the bill that could lend itself to future unintended consequences.
“I am troubled by what I think are unclear passages in the bill,” Diacon said. “I have great concern about the language and complexity of the bill and unintended consequences. And well-meaning people who read the same bill and come to wildly different conclusions about what is mandated.”
Here is an explanation of Senate Bill 83 and what its passage may mean for Kent State’s students, faculty and staff members.
What is Senate Bill 83?
Senate Bill 83, the Ohio Education Enhancement Act, is a far-reaching bill that:
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Proposes rules aimed at ending mandated diversity training.
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Institutes new evaluations for students to rate professors on how well bias has been removed from classrooms.
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Prohibits partnerships with Chinese institutions.
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Prohibits faculty unions from striking during contract negotiations.
Kent State does not mandate DEI training, which is offered to students, faculty and staff, but is not required, Diacon said. In addition, Kent State does not require students and employees to sign diversity, equity and inclusion commitments as a condition of employment or admission, which is another prohibition of the bill.
What is driving the creation of Senate Bill 83?
When Diacon spoke with supporters of the legislation, they articulated two broad concerns: “There is a belief, driven by what I consider anecdotal assertions not supported by any strong data, that conservative students enrolled in public universities consistently face harassment and discrimination because of their conservative beliefs. We do not want any student to feel any kind of harassment because of (their) beliefs. We have internal procedures to deal with this type of harassment.”
The second concern is that universities should not issue wide official statements siding one way or another with current controversies because the taxpayers who provide funding to public universities have widely differing political beliefs. Kent State receives 23 percent of its budget from the state of Ohio.
Will Senate Bill 83 become law?
With Republican elected officials holding a veto-proof majority in the Ohio legislature, there is a 100% chance that the bill will pass, Diacon said.
Will Senate Bill 83 affect whether Kent State and Ohio’s other public universities comment on political controversies or policies?
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Senate Bill 83 also will prohibit state universities from endorsing, commenting on, or acting as an institution on current public policy controversies or controversial beliefs or policies.
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Faculty and staff will be prohibited from endorsing or expressing a given ideology, political stance, or view of a social policy.
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Further students will not be required to endorse or express a given ideology, political stance, or view to obtain an undergraduate or post-graduate degree.