Petition Drive Falls Short in Repealing Ohio Law Banning DEI Programs
A petition drive aimed at overturning a recent Ohio law that prohibits diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs as well as faculty strikes at public colleges and universities has failed to gather the required number of signatures, organizers revealed on Thursday.
Despite being surrounded by boxes of petitions, the organizers admitted that they were unable to collect the 250,000 signatures needed to put a referendum on the November ballot to repeal the law. As a result, Senate Bill 1 will now be enacted as law starting Friday.
The legislation, supported by the GOP-led Legislature and signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in March, is intended to promote intellectual diversity by welcoming more conservative viewpoints on college campuses.
However, thousands of opponents, including educators and students, voiced their opposition to the bill, arguing that it infringes on academic freedom and labor rights.
In addition to banning DEI programs, the law prohibits schools from taking sides on controversial topics such as climate policies, electoral politics, immigration policy, and more.
Some of the key changes introduced by the law include the prohibition of faculty strikes, the removal of voting rights for student trustees at The Ohio State University, and a mandatory civics education course for all college students in Ohio. Schools found to be in violation of the law could risk losing state funding.
