The university has less than two months to adhere to required Senate Bill 1 changes, and the administration said it’s doing all it can to keep the community updated.
Since Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed the bill into law in late March, the university created a new website, President Diacon led a “Talking With Todd” session and the administration has held several town halls with the intention of informing students and faculty of what changes Kent State will undergo.
Melody Tankersley, executive vice president and provost, led a town hall meeting with the Division of Academic Affairs on April 22 while Eboni Pringle, senior vice president, led a town hall with the Division of Student Life on April 17. The main goals of the town halls were to answer possible questions and help others form a shared understanding of SB1.
“There’s some things that aren’t necessarily clear,” Pringle said. “Many individuals and institutions have addressed that there’s not a real definition of DEI in the legislation, so we’re trying to understand what that means in terms of the law and us being in compliance.”
For faculty, different topics like workload, union terms and curriculum and syllabus information were discussed, according to Tankersley. Despite these numerous SB1 policies that affect faculty, Tankersley said many faculty members asked questions that concerned how students would be affected by changes.
“They were worried about students getting the best education, and that they were getting the support they needed,” she said.
Attendees at the student life town hall experienced a wide range of emotions, according to Pringle. She said students felt a combination of curiosity, creativity, disappointment and optimism.
Although the academic affairs town hall was held virtually and not in person, Tankersley said she could feel a sense of appreciation but also disappointment from faculty members on the disconnect between public officials and higher education.
“There’s this overwhelming negative view of higher education,” Tankersley said. “It’s people’s jobs, livelihoods and passions.”
Both Pringle and Tankersley said the town halls helped people share their voice and feel valued in the planning process. They also said these town halls are a good start, but that more discussions will be necessary to navigate these changes.
“We had a small group, which nowhere represents every voice at Kent State,” Pringle said. “It’s definitely not the last conversation we need to have.”
As for what major changes SB1 will bring to campus, Pringle said the LGBTQ+ Center, LGBTQ+ Living-Learning Community, Student Multicultural Center and Women’s Center are not in alignment with the bill and can no longer operate as they are. She added that the administration isn’t completely certain that they must go, but it’s the current understanding.
However, Pringle also said students generated several ideas in town hall discussions to potentially bring elements of the centers and communities back in the form of student organizations or alumni partnerships.
“We really would like to partner more closely with alumni who may have had some interaction and support during their time here from one of those centers and see how and if they would like to support us in continuing that experience,” she said.
One of the biggest fears for faculty is the new reporting and complaint process in SB1, according to Tankersley. This process deems that faculty can be reported and face consequences for having teaching biases or curating an atmosphere where students don’t feel comfortable sharing their opinion. Tankersley said many faculty already value student opinions and expression, and this causes anxiety and worry.
Additional changes, such as publicly posting syllabi and implementing a new American Civics course, are projected to cost $1.5 to $2 million per year, according to Tankersley. She said the university will have to bring in a vendor to create the public webpage, hire someone to maintain it and potentially bring in new faculty to teach the new course.
“We don’t have a public posting requirement of our syllabus now, so syllabi aren’t already publicly available in that way,” Tanksersley said. “That’s no small feat when we offer between 5,000 and 8,000 sections of courses a year.”
On a personal level, Pringle and Tankersley said they felt “heavy” about how these changes will affect students and faculty. Tankersley said she especially felt bad for faculty who have felt demeaned and undervalued throughout this process.
“It’s personal for the people here at Kent State,” she said. “These faculty members have dedicated their lives to their students and disciplines and bettering our society, world and people’s lives.”
While these changes will be hard for many to adapt to, Pringle and Tankersley both feel confident the university will manage through it. Pringle hopes to “not lose” any students or faculty during the transitional period.
“If anybody’s got this, Kent State’s got it,” she said. “I have complete faith in our community to be responsive to this.”
John Engoglia is a beat reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
