TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Ohio’s Senate Bill 1, the education overhaul bill that bans diversity, equity and inclusion practices and enacts other reforms on Ohio college campuses, is still facing some widespread pushback.
Organizations across Ohio are gathering signatures to put a repeal of SB1 on the ballot.
Organizers have until June 25 to collect the needed signatures. It’s a tight timeline.
However, with every voter signature collected, a repeal of the controversial SB1 could be closer.
Efforts by Republicans to rein in colleges and universities have persisted in recent years, not only in Ohio but nationwide.
Ohio Republican House member Josh Williams represents Sylvania and is a chief supporter of SB1.
“I believe in diversity, but part of the government mandating diversity is, it causes harm, it can promote racial stereotypes,” he said during the Ohio House floor debate on the bill.
Further, Williams and other General Assembly Republicans say the bill allows for diversity of thought without having students be punished for it.
“This is a waste of time in higher education, but it’s also just overreach on the part of the state,” Mark Vopat, a Professor of Philosophy at Youngstown State University, said.
Vopat and some other Youngstown State University Professors are challenging SB1 and they want the voters to have a say on the law.
“There’s a number of aspects of this bill that are just really bad for higher ed,” Vopat said.
Vopat adds that the bill restricts faculty strikes and other collective bargaining.
He also says the bill eliminates the continuance of some DEI practices and controls what can be taught at Ohio colleges.
“You’re already harming students both financially and just from the social environment at the university,” Vopat said. “And then on top of that, there’s a lot in this bill that prohibits what we can say in the classroom.”
Organizers like Toledo Troublemakers will have to work in connection with other collect a combined 250,000 signatures from registered voters.
“It’s up to Ohioans, it needs to be up to Ohioans, they need to listen to us,” Heather Spies, the lead organizer with Toledo Troublemakers, said.
Vopat says the SB1 could do severe harm to Ohio Universities and limit the potential student and faculty pools.
“If someone says the Holocaust didn’t happen, I have to entertain that in a classroom, I have to entertain if we say slavery was good for slaves, I have to entertain those ideas right,” Vopat said.
Representative Ericka White released a statement saying she intends to sign the referendum.
“The referendum process is the will of the people to bring their voice to a vote. Despite Ohioans’ growing concerns about the cost of living, Senate Bill 1 was fast-tracked throughout legislature and passed. The attack on faculty’s ability to secure better working conditions, wages, healthcare, and retirement is an assault on all working people. The denial of students and our youth who have earned admission, access, and scholarships to attend public universities has been snatched away…their very futures. The decision to ignore the very embodiment of our state, our students and push this legislation through was reckless.”
Rep. Williams was unavailable for an interview and did not supply a statement.
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This article was published by WTVG on 2025-05-14 23:19:00
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