Around 150 Ohio State University students gathered Wednesday along North High Street near campus to protest Senate Bill 1.
The bill would eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at public universities and will prohibit faculty from striking.
The group of protesters were led by the OSU chapter of the Ohio Student Association. Sydney Ball, the group’s president and a fourth-year logistics major, said the bill is an attack on higher education.
“The reason why we're protesting today is because Senate Bill 1 is being voted on in the House this afternoon and it's already moved through the Senate and after it goes through the House, if it were to pass, it would go on to Mike DeWine," Ball said. “We're here calling Mike DeWine to veto Senate Bill 1 because we believe that it's an attack on higher education.”
Ball said the bill will affect numerous aspects of learning, including the loss of multiple undergraduate programs.
“It would affect what majors are allowed. It would affect what classes we can take for our majors. It would affect our faculty," Ball said. "It also will mean that less faculty will come to Ohio, if they are restricted on what they can say in the classroom, which will mean lesser quality faculty will be here and less faculty in general.”
Donna Brown, a former OSU student and current teacher’s aide, said they’re worried if the bill passes, then jobs will be at risk.
“Unfortunately, I'm worried I might lose my job that I just got,” Brown said. “With my teaching aid job that I got from my understanding. I'm still doing certifications and paperwork for it, but it's just basically I will help kids with IEDs and kids with special needs."
Brown added, "And if they pass Senate Bill 1, I might lose my job over it. My mom might lose her job over it. She's a special education teacher aid as well.”
Ball said additionally that Senate Bill 1 is a solution looking to solve a non-existent problem.
“There really is no issue right now that it is actually going to solve. There are compromises made by the Democratic Party in the House and the Senate that the House could vote on, that DeWine could propose or argue for. But right now, there's no real compromise that we would accept with Senate Bill 1. We don't want it in our state.”
If passed, the bill will go into effect in 90 days.
