COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Senate Bill One, also known as the “Advance Ohio Higher Education Act,” takes effect Friday, marking a significant shift in the landscape of higher education across the state.
Signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine in March, the legislation eliminates diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at public colleges and universities in Ohio.
The law also prohibits faculty strikes and mandates annual evaluations for all faculty members, including those with tenure.
Opponents of SB1 have labeled it as toxic and a threat to free speech and academic freedom.
Efforts to halt the bill’s implementation through a signature collection campaign fell short, as opponents confirmed they did not gather enough signatures to block the higher education overhaul that took effect Friday.
According to a member of the volunteer-run group, 195,000 signatures were collected during a roughly six-week period. The group needed to collect more than 248,000 valid signatures to put the issue to a vote in November.
In response to the new law, Ohio State University has released detailed guidance on compliance. The university has established an implementation committee with representatives from all its campuses.
According to OSU’s compliance page, the committee has decided to remove official opportunities to disclose pronouns, although students and staff may voluntarily share them in email signatures or on name tags.
Additionally, the university will discontinue or modify programs supporting identity-based groups. Last month, OSU took down its LGBTQ-plus website as part of the transition.