Gov. Mike DeWine wasted no time in signing the controversial Senate Bill 1 on Friday, less than 48 hours after he received it, meaning the law will take effect in less than three months.
Activists who fought to kill the bill say DeWine’s signature isn’t the final word.
An overhaul of Ohio’s institutions of higher education, SB 1 gets rid of most mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion—colloquially, DEI—training at public universities and colleges, requires so-called “intellectual diversity” on certain subjects, and slashes university trustee terms. It also bans faculty strikes, mandates post-tenure performance reviews and requires a civics course focused on U.S. history and the free market.
Mel Searle, who with the Ohio Student Association has been demonstrating against SB 1 and the earlier Senate Bill 83, studies geology and women’s gender studies at the University of Cincinnati.
“This bill isn’t the end of anything,” Searle said in an interview Monday. “It’s the beginning of more work to be done to protect our education and students. What that looks like going forward, I myself am not sure—that is above my pay grade.”
A legal fight is very likely.
When asked Wednesday, Ohio NAACP Vice President Derrick Foward said the civil rights group was “waiting to get direction from (its) national office” on whether it would lead a case.
Union leaders, including Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro, argued SB 1 significantly undercuts faculty rights to collective bargaining. The Ohio Conference of the American Association of University Professors said in a Monday statement it is looking at challenges to “various facets of the bill.”
“Our students, academic freedom, and collective bargaining rights are always worth protecting, and we will continue to fight back against the authoritarian actions coming from the state and federal governments,” the Ohio AAUP statement continued.
A spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio wrote in an email Monday afternoon she couldn’t more about its legal strategy, “including as to any forthcoming litigation.”
None of that worries Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland), who has fought through two legislative sessions to get the bill to the finish line. “We believe we’re on firm legal ground,” Cirino said Wednesday.
In the meantime, faculty and student advocates, Searle said, will continue to watch for cuts to public universities and colleges in the biennial state budget. Barring a court order, SB 1 goes into effect June 26.
