Excerpt from the Ohio Capital Journey
A controversial new Ohio higher education law banning diversity efforts, prohibiting faculty strikes and regulating classroom discussion takes this week.
Ohio Senate Bill 1 goes into effect Friday. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed S.B. 1 into law on March 28 after it quickly passed the House and Senate earlier this year.
S.B. 1 creates post-tenure reviews, puts diversity scholarships at risk, sets rules around classroom discussion, 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.
Higher education institutions have already been feeling the effects of the law before it’s even gone into effect.
The new law is making things more difficult for faculty and administrators, said University of Cincinnati American Association of University Professors President Stephen Mockabee.
“We’re spending time figuring out how to comply with all these state mandates, rather than focusing on research and teaching,” he said.
