Excerpt from the Statehouse News Bureau
Republican Senators have proposed a bill that makes big changes in public universities in Ohio, aiming at what some conservatives call “cancel culture”. It includes proposals that have been introduced in other Republican-run states.
It includes banning strikes by university employees and ending required diversity training. It would also halt new contracts for partnerships or programs with Chinese institutions, including research, though current contracts can continue till their end.
Senate Bill 83 would also:
- ban "political and ideological litmus tests" in hiring, promotion or admissions
- require annual evaluations of faculty, and make student evaluations part of that
- create a review policy for those with tenure
- require all students to take three credit hours of American history courses covering the US constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail"
- require syllabi or course outlines to be published in searchable form online, including the name and biography of the instructor
- require training for public university trustees through the Chancellor's office
And any institution that receives state funds must submit a statement that affirms this language in the bill:
- The institution is committed to intellectual diversity.
- The institution is committed to free speech protection for students, staff, and faculty.
- The institution does not require diversity, equity, and inclusion courses or training for students, staff, or faculty.
- The institution complies with the syllabus requirements prescribed under section 3345.029 of the Revised Code as if it were a state institution of higher education.
