MY BILL AIMS TO USHER IN GOLDEN AGE IN OHIO ACADEMIA

Our First Amendment is under assault in academia and that is destroying our higher education system by replacing the pursuit of truth with a submission to politically correct doctrine.
I have introduced a revolutionary bill in the Ohio Senate designed to completely reverse this trend and overthrow the woke status quo on campus.
The Advance Ohio Higher Education Act will ban Diversity, Equity and Inclusion courses, mandatory training, litmus tests, required statements, any oath of allegiance to woke ideology on controversial topics, and all spending for any DEI initiatives or programs at our public universities and colleges.
This bill will restore the fundamental right to free speech on campus and prevent professors from censoring or punishing opposing views expressed by students.
No student should ever be ostracized, cancelled, or have to worry about a failing grade for merely daring to have a difference of opinion with classmates or a professor.
It is essential for students to learn how to think rather than what to think, and how to listen to opposing views with a respectful but critical ear.
The simple but potent changes in my bill will return our public universities and colleges to their rightful mission of education rather than indoctrination.
This bill will also protect the free speech rights of professors and help curb the woke screening process DEI poses to faculty hiring at our institutions of higher education. Applicants won’t have to express university-approved positions in order to be eligible in all hiring, promotion, and admissions decisions.
The leaders of the Ohio Senate have recognized the importance of this landmark legislation by designating it Senate Bill 1. We want all Ohio students, regardless of race, gender, or religion to receive a world-class education. However, as the federal government has now recognized, DEI programs are inherently discriminatory and cannot be tolerated or paid for by taxpayers.
This issue is so important that President Trump has already issued an executive order eliminating all federal DEI programs. The order listed higher education among the institutions that have "adopted and actively use dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' (DEI) or 'diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility' (DEIA) that can violate the civil-rights laws of this Nation."
Similarly, Senate Bill 1 would prevent training or teaching that says "an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously," or that "an individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex."
The bill does NOT prohibit the discussion of any subjects. Critics who claim the bill promotes censorship have it exactly backwards. Senate Bill 1 will allow students to exercise their right to free speech without threat of reprisal by professors or administrators. That will permit the marketplace of ideas to flourish, which is the ideal environment for any educational institution.
We want to ensure we do not end up with institutions that are more focused on social engineering than the teaching of useful analytical skills. We believe the mandatory adherence to DEI requirements hinders those goals.
Additionally, this bill reinforces the right of students NOT to have their course of instruction interrupted by faculty labor issues. Students enter into a contract with their institution to provide instruction for which they pay up front. The students come first and there should never be a threat of classes not being conducted or, worse, delaying their graduation.
I spent more than three years consulting with academic leaders and experts in drafting this bill. I visited numerous campuses to meet with students, faculty, administrators and trustees to talk about the need for reforms.
I found a strong silent majority who agree – reform is essential.
There is no longer a debate. Reforming higher education to restore free speech is no longer a partisan issue. Even the left is now seeing the wisdom in this. The culture on campus must change – trustees must direct university presidents to restore academic integrity and create intellectual diversity among their faculty.
We are already making good progress. Senate President Rob McColley and I championed legislation that established academic centers at five of Ohio's public universities.
We created the Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership within the University of Toledo’s College of Law to better prepare law students through civil discourse and rigorous inquiry, regardless of their philosophical viewpoint.
We also created the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society at the Ohio State University, as well as similar civic engagement centers at Miami University, Wright State University, and Cleveland State University.
But passage of Senate Bill 1 is the surest way we have to keep the promise of the American Dream alive in Ohio. We expect that to happen soon, and hope it will serve as a model for more states across our great land.
We have an extraordinary opportunity right now to help secure a great future for our children and untold generations to come.
It is right in our hands. All we have to do is turn the key.
Jerry Cirino represents Ohio Senate District 18
He chairs the Senate Finance Committee and is Vice Chair of the Higher Education Committee