UToledo students asked what the new law would mean for suspended programs at a meeting Tuesday night with state Rep. Josh Williams.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Tuesday night, dozens of people came to the University of Toledo’s student union to talk about the university’s proposed educational cut.
Spurred by a new Ohio law, educational institutions have been forced to get rid of diversity, equity and inclusion programming, stop full-time faculty from striking and cut programs with low numbers of students.
“I think this is the first instance of students getting to see what the impact of Senate Bill 1 will be like,” student Antoine Washington said.
Washington is a political science major at the UToledo. He’s a senator in the student government and organized the discussion on the new law, which came front and center after the university’s announcement of the degree cuts.
“I think this will get students more engaged in the process, who don’t really seem to be aware of what is going on,” Washington said.
The university is cutting majors in several programs, including Africana studies, Middle East studies, women’s and gender studies and Spanish.
Angela Rosillo, a sophomore Spanish major, said the news was disappointing.
“It’s been really hard as a first-gen student and also a woman of color. It’s been very difficult to navigate,” explained Rosillo, whose first language is Spanish.
State Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.) said the bill is a necessary adjustment to higher education.
“We need to be fiscally sound and make sure that we’re continuing to provide taxpayer dollars to programs that are actually producing graduate degrees,” Williams said.
Rosillo is hoping students organize around the issue.
“Be aware of what’s going on, because it doesn’t just affect me, it affects colleges all across Ohio,” Rosillo said.
This article was published by Chase Bachman on 2025-04-23 00:26:00
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