Countless Kent students left their classes on March 19 and assembled outside of the Student Center to protest Senate Bill 1, as part of a statewide walkout organized by the Ohio Student Association.
Senate Bill 1, which the Ohio House of Representatives passed on March 19, stands to reshape higher education as it will cut Ohio universities’ funding to diversity, equity and inclusion programs, limit conversations in the classroom, prohibit faculty from striking and more. As the House voted on the bill, college students across the state gathered to ensure their voices were heard.
“I think we unfortunately knew that it’s very likely that they’d pass it, and we needed to show how many students are upset with that decision, and this was just the best way to do that,” said Grace Goodin, a junior applied communications major and member of Kent State OSA.
Goodin, along with many other students, believes students should have a large role in shaping policies such as Senate Bill 1 and that students’ voices are the most important in this case.
Sohaela Rojas, a senior fashion merchandising major and the president of Kent State Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity (KSURGE), stressed the importance of students speaking up for what they believe in.
“I think we really need to make sure that we’re using our voices because we, as students, have the power to influence these changes,” Rojas said. “We are the ones that pay to go to school, so we’re the ones that are being affected by this and we need to be able to use our voices to stand up, speak out and fight back for our education.”
Rojas expressed fear and disappointment for how Senate Bill 1 will affect her education, which was a sentiment shared by many at the protest.
“It’s going to affect a lot of marginalized communities, a lot of students who are minorities and who are no longer going to have access to DEI and the safe spaces that DEI creates,” Rojas said.
The protest began at noon, drawing in a large crowd of students and faculty. According to Anna Stevenson, Kent State OSA member and senior game design major, the turnout was better than they had expected.
“I’m so, so, so happy that this many people showed up and showed out,” Stevenson said. “I think it really says a lot about what our university students stand for and what we’re not willing to put up with.”
As the protest went on, OSA members recited their testimonies against Senate Bill 1 intended for the Ohio House of Representatives. The floor was then opened for volunteers from the crowd to come forward and share their thoughts.
“I think it’s very interesting, the way people voice something that they don’t agree with and the government chooses to go forward with it,” said senior human resources major Kade Ebert. “I think it proves that the government doesn’t really care about the people, just their own personal agendas.”
Following several students’ testimonies, the crowd began to march across campus while chanting, “Higher Ed will be dead” and “DEI will survive.” The march ended at Blanket Hill, where students continued to deliver passionate speeches against Senate Bill 1, hoping to send a message to Ohio lawmakers as they made their decision.
“I’m hoping to send a message that queer culture and all minority culture has existed long before these bills and that it’s going to continue to exist whether these bills go in place or not,” Ebert said.
Though Senate Bill 1 has now passed through the House, OSA encourages students to contact Governor Mike DeWine and share their feelings about the bill, as he has 10 days to either veto the bill or sign it into law.
Connor Nagy is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
