Ohio U will 'sunset' DEI offices in response to new state law
Ohio University will eliminate all offices dedicated to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives following the passage of Senate Bill 1 last month.
University President Lori Gonzalez made the announcement to the school community on April 29.
Ohio University will eliminate all offices dedicated to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives following the passage of Senate Bill 1 last month.
University President Lori Gonzalez made the announcement to the school community on April 29.
[RELATED: Princeton maintains online DEI messaging despite federal rollback]
“The Advance Ohio Higher Education Act requires that we no longer operate a Division of Diversity and Inclusion, and as such, over the next several weeks, we will sunset the division, including the Multicultural Center, the Pride Center and the Women’s Center,” she said.
“I want to be clear that the task ahead for all of us is not to look for ways to recreate the same approaches under a different name,” she added. “Rather, the charge is to invent something new that meets the moment and delivers results for our students.”
S.B. 1 prohibits public universities from spending money on DEI initiatives or maintaining DEI offices. While state lawmakers were discussing the measure, Gonzalez stated that the school would not pursue any preemptive steps to comply.
The university is also eliminating the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Office of Inclusion, per the announcement.
The Division of Diversity and Inclusion’s website currently features a notice announcing that the office will be discontinued: “Work managed by the division that remains within the law will be moved to other areas of the University.”
Ohio University joins a growing list of state universities that have eliminated their DEI offices in response to changes in state and federal policy.
Ohio State University eliminated its DEI offices in February to comply proactively with S.B. 1. Other Ohio schools, such as Case Western Reserve University and the University of Cincinnati, have also taken steps to remove DEI programming in recent months.
Campus Reform has contacted Ohio University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
