Ohio GOP Senate unveils higher education bill eliminating diversity and inclusion training, prohibiting Chinese university relationships, mandating an American History course.
Ohio GOP Senate unveils higher education bill eliminating diversity and inclusion training, prohibiting Chinese university relationships, mandating an American History course.
Ohio Republican-led Senate introduced a comprehensive higher education bill that could lead to significant changes in public universities and colleges throughout the state. The Higher Education Enhancement Act proposes several measures including the removal of mandates for diversity and inclusion training, prohibiting partnerships with Chinese universities, and compulsory courses on American history.
If passed, the bill would eliminate the requirement for faculty and students to undergo any form of diversity, equity, or inclusion training as well as political or ideological tests during hiring or admissions decisions. Instead, it would require institutions to incorporate free speech concepts into their mission statements.
The bill also aims to impose stricter evaluation processes for professors, emphasizing their ability to deliver an instructional atmosphere free of bias.
Republican Senator Jerry Cirino of Kirtland proposed the bill to promote intellectual diversity over social change in higher education. However, Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, a Democrat from Cleveland, expressed concerns about the Ohio Legislature’s micromanagement of higher education and questioned who would determine the meaning of each bias mentioned in the proposal.
The Ohio lawmakers are also seeking to promote transparency in higher education by requiring course syllabi to be posted online, including assignments and required readings as well as background information on the professor. The bill also includes provisions to prevent faculty from striking during contract negotiations.
In addition, high school students would be required to pass a course in American government or history including mandatory readings of important historical documents such as the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, the Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
The proposal would also ban academic and financial ties between Ohio’s higher education institutions and those in China, citing national security concerns. However, it would not affect admissions policies or impede Chinese students from attending any of the state’s colleges or universities. The bill is set to be heard in a Senate committee and echoes similar efforts made by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida earlier this year.
