In 2025, Senate Finance chair Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) got legislation passed, dramatically changing higher ed.
Ohio bill would defund public universities for promoting DEI
S.B. 1 focuses on what Cirino calls “free speech,” banning public universities in Ohio from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, having “bias” in the classroom and limiting how “controversial topics” can and can’t be taught. “Controversial” under Ohio law includes “belief policy that is the subject of political controversy, including issues such as climate policies, electoral politics, foreign policy, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, immigration policy, marriage, or abortion.”
A free speech education bans talking about controversal topics? Totally free speech right there. The subtle bit of speech this conveniently ignores is the speech opportunity that is being denied to the students in abstaining from attending the demonization of DEI, climate policies, electoral politics, foreign policy, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, immigration policy, marriage, or abortion.
What really gets me is that marriage is controversial now? What marriage stuff is controversial? Oh, right. Being against marriage equality is a hill they’re wanting to die on.
No chance they’d talk about Regan sending the national guard to kill protesters of the Vietnam war?
Hm, that’s weird, because the conservatives in things like the Seven Mountain Mandate would be quite happy with forced attendance of the “right” churches, too. Weird how that works. Words like “freedom” and “liberty” and the Constitution mean very different things to wingers. In their view, the Constitution was written to create a xtian nation, and people being free to ignore all their bullshit and xtians being treated just like any other religion is absolute tyranny. Same goes for all their views on everything “woke”. If normal people were able to ignore them as the crazies they are, they view that as oppression. They are only “free” if the government is there to indoctrinate ridiculous absurd conservative dogma onto everyone else, under the threat of violence if needed.
I can remember when lots of Tone Police/Murc’s Law dumbasses would come riding into just about every conversation to declare it’s “both sides” that are “just as bad”.
Oh, wait, never mind, many of them are still doing this kind of stuff…no matter how awful the conservatives get, there is always a certain type of person waiting to come in and remind everyone that Democrats are just as bad, and they allowed this, etc…
But these conservative centers aren’t popular with students. Only 159 OSU students out of the more than 67,000 were enrolled at the Chase Center for Civics, Culture and Society in 2025, according to state data. That is .2% of the campus.
It would be funny, if they weren’t gearing up to force the youth through their re-education centers. Article says they have a supermajority.
Republicans are doubling-down on the brain-drain, I see.
If I were a student in that state, I’d make it crystal clear why I’m transferring out by referencing this bullshit. Loudly. To everyone - my classmates, those in charge of the college, the legislators behind it all, and any social media I had access to.
At this point, it might be best to transfer out of the country. They won’t leave sane/free states (“blue” states) alone.
and then the admin will refuse to process your transcripts and you won’t be able to transfer.
Republicans are bullies. They have unearned power and don’t know why educated, thinking, and skilled people want nothing to do with their small minded hatred.
On a plus side though we don’t have to deal with a Harris presidency.
They told me that if i voted for Harris all of the things currently happening would happen and I just wouldn’t listen and I voted for Harris. I should have listened.
You are much more eloquent than I.
Thank goodness we now have the acceleration we need to have everyone come to their senses, put a stop to this, and institute the approved utopia.
COME VISIT THE MANDATORY FREE SPEECH* ZONE OR ELSE.
*limitations apply
They’ll never discover they’re the baddies.
They don’t care
How many hours a year will a student have to waste time listening to such propaganda?
Under his bill, the center directors have the sole, exclusive and unlimited authority to oversee, develop and approve the center’s curriculum. They would also have all control over hiring and tenure.
OSU’s human resources department recommended that the Chase Center fire a civics center professor after he tackled a cameraman, according to WOSU.
Bangup job, then.
