Ohio Student Association promoted student advocacy during its student-led discussion “The Enemies of Our Education,” which focused on Senate Bill 1, March 5.
A group of students gathered during Black Student Equity Week to identify the politicians behind Senate Bill 1, spreading awareness of administrative power and resources for advocacy.
Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, written by Ohio State Senator Jerry Cirino, aims to prohibit diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in higher education including training courses, departments, offices and more.
Michelle Stanley, president of OSA, said the bill threatens the underserved communities, like students of color and a part of the LGBTQ+ community, on Kent campus and other universities.
“The goal of the bill is to eliminate diversity, difference of opinions and the ability to ignore harmful beliefs [that] separate us, as humans, as a culture, as a community,” Stanley said.
The bill also could restructure how universities can instruct topics the state deems controversial to ensure schools have intellectual diversity.
Intellectual diversity implies an inclusion of a variety of perspectives on public policy.
According to the bill these topics include: climate change, elections, foreign policy, DEI programs, immigration policy, marriage and abortion
Chandler Newman, a junior fashion design major, believes student voices are not being heard by administrative higher-ups.
“I feel like in that sense, our voice isn’t being heard because SB1 had a record breaking opponent testimony, and [the Ohio Senate] still passed it,” Newman said.
OSA protested the bill in front of its author, Cirino and the Ohio Senate Higher Education Committee on Jan. 29.
Nica-Emmanuel Delgado, vice president of OSA, described the protest during the proponent testimony hearing of SB1.
“We went with copies of the bill because Senator Cirino was adamant that we actually didn’t know what we were talking about and [that] we had not even read the bill,” Delgado said.
Delgado continued describing the student protest saying that students wore shirts that read “Cirino equals death to higher ed.”
“We had black tape over our mouths to symbolize the fact that they are silencing students, professors and higher education.” Delgado said.
Students expressed worries about their rights to an uncensored education, diversity on campus and scholarship funds that help underserved communities access resources.
Newman said that the importance of going to college is being in a diverse place.
“I grew up in Texas, a small Texas home, there weren’t really a lot of spaces for Black students or queer students, I’m both,” he said. “Then I came here, there’s the LGBTQ+ center, we have student run organizations like the Black United Students and those are things that are very valuable to me.”
Delgado encouraged students to join the rest of Black Equity Week and use their political anger to defend higher education.
“If there are people who are just pissed off generally and don’t really know what to do with their anger, I always recommend putting it into action,” she said.
Members of the OSA and students will be sharing their thoughts and feelings on Senate Bill 1 with President Todd Diacon on March 7.
The meeting is open to the public and will take place Friday March 7 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in room 240 of Oscar Ritchie Hall.
“It is a very great thing to see and understand how much power students have,” Stanley said. “At the end of day, we’re people, we are constituents and our voices matter, that is what democracy is.”
Zane Steiner is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].