University of Cincinnati trustees approved changes to the university's policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion to comply with Ohio's Senate Bill 1. The bill, which takes effect Friday, bans DEI at public colleges and bars faculty unions from going on strike, among other restrictions.
UC President Neville Pinto announced Tuesday that the policy change means the university's Equity & Inclusion Office and all four of its identity centers will need to close immediately.
Pinto says UC's Center for Student Involvement will move into a space at the Steger Student Life Center, currently occupied by Ethnic Programs & Services, the LGBTQ Center, and the Women's Center, all of which will cease operations.
The African American Cultural & Resource Center building will be renamed "The Cultural Center" and will be geared toward all students.
Faculty and students have been anticipating the potential impact of Senate Bill 1 on campus life since a version of it was first introduced more than two years ago.
Proponents of the bill say the banning of DEI will prevent schools from discriminating against students or faculty based on race, and will balance what they see as liberal bias in college curriculum. Those opposed to the bill say it's intended to tamp down dissenting voices and disrupt the work of faculty and students.
Senate Bill 1 sparked several large protests on UC's main campus at the beginning of the year. In February, hundreds of students and faculty marched to a Board of Trustees meeting to encourage university leaders not to cave to political pressure from Columbus and Washington. Protestors flooded the halls outside the meeting room and banged on the walls, eventually forcing the meeting to end early.
Since then, UC's trustees have not held a regularly scheduled meeting on the main campus, instead choosing to hold them off-campus at the university's Digital Futures building about a mile away. That move was criticized by some in the audience on Tuesday, who claimed school leaders were trying to make it more difficult for students to attend.
Despite the location, dozens of faculty and some students showed up to protest the policy change. Most of the protestors were not allowed into the meeting room due to a lack of space, according to security outside the meeting room. Several times during Tuesday's meeting, faculty who were watching a livestream could be heard outside the doors booing as university leaders shared the fate of its DEI programs and identity centers.
Not all Board members approved of the changes. Trustee J. Phillip Holloman voted against amending some of the university's policies, claiming UC's DEI programs were not harmful to anyone, and the lawmakers behind Senate Bill 1 are using the legislation to push their political agenda onto the public.
"I believe UC will continue to do its best in these very, very challenging conditions and circumstances," Holloman said. "But, I think this is an abomination and absolutely an overreach and an overuse of financial leverage to make us do something."
Over the roar of boos from outside, Pinto attempted to reassure those in attendance that UC's values won't change despite the new law.
"As we move forward, we will strive to ensure that every student, faculty, and staff member finds their place here and has the individual support they need to be successful. Including the opportunity to build genuine and lasting personal connections," Pinto said.
UC's Student Affairs website says the new rules under Senate Bill 1 and the closure of identity centers present an opportunity to introduce new programming and offerings to help grow student success.
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