On March 4, 2025, hundreds of students, faculty, and staff at Ohio State University gathered to protest against the impending closure of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices and the controversial Ohio Senate Bill 1, which seeks to eliminate DEI initiatives from college campuses and impose stricter academic regulations.
The protest was held near the William Oxley Thompson statue outside the Thompson Library on campus, where participants chanted slogans and delivered speeches, all without the aid of megaphones due to university restrictions on sound amplification during organized events. The primary grievances voiced by protesters centered around Senate Bill 1, which, critics say, would badly harm the state’s educational environment by stifling diversity and academic freedom.
Ohio Senate Bill 1, if passed, would abolish DEI practices across Ohio’s academic institutions, ban faculty strikes, and introduce mandatory annual tenure reviews. Justin Diles, a professor at the Knowlton School of Architecture, voiced his concern during the rally, saying, “I will say this, they've written the bill as if we teach like we're tuned to MSNBC all the time, and we need to switch the dial to Fox News — but that's not how teaching works.” Diles warned the legislation would have dire economic ramifications, deterring top talent from considering Ohio as their professional home.
Hollie Nzitatira, of the sociology department, echoed these sentiments, remarking on how the changes would undermine the recruitment of qualified faculty. "Our research is not impacted by politics. Our research is guided by research ethics, by the pursuit of knowledge, by science. And we uphold those principles,” she stated, highlighting the fundamental ethical concerns related to SB1’s potential implementation. Nzitatira also noted distress among candidates applying for senior academic positions, with some withdrawing out of concern over the state's educational climate.
Aside from the legislative issues, the protest also addressed the recent closure of two key offices at OSU: the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Center for Belonging and Social Change. Announced by OSU President Ted Carter, these offices will close as part of broader cuts mandated by the Trump administration's directives. Starting from February 28, 2025, the initiatives and services provided by these DEI offices will be phased out, affecting 16 staff positions.
Chay Rossing, a fourth-year student and member of the Undergraduate Student Government, described the feeling of isolation many first-generation students like himself experience without proper support. "This is systematically undermining students who are first generation, who are poor, who need people to just explain to them how to study,” he emphasized. Rossing added, “If there was no initiative to include me at the table to make sure I could be the best student I could be, I wouldn't be here.”
Kathrina Noma, another student and frequent attendee of DEI events, expressed her heartbreak over the decisions being made by university officials: “It really broke my heart — I went to the sit-in the last week and to see people so devastated over it, it broke my heart, so I know I had to come." Noma stressed the importance of DEI initiatives for her and others who greatly benefited from them, indicating fears about the future of students who identify with marginalized groups.
On March 4, the Ohio House was also set to review Senate Bill 1, where its proponents indicated support for the bill. At the previous hearing, extensive opposition emerged from students and faculty alike, with individuals offering testimonies against the legislation and many more submitting written objections. Diles noted the disconnect between lawmakers and constituents, wishing legislators would come down and hear the outcry firsthand about how much these issues matter.
Nzitatira put the issue plainly: “Their job is to represent the population, and clearly, a large segment of the population is not in support of this.” The resistance has intensified as public sentiment shifts, especially with President Trump's vocal opposition to DEI practices and related federal mandates.
At OSU, advocates of DEI programs have prepared for continued grassroots efforts to resist the potential fallout of legislation like SB1. Whether or not their protest will translate to tangible action against the bill remains to be seen, but students are putting forth their best efforts to bring attention to their concerns and hopes for their educational environment.
With the looming threat of Senate Bill 1 and associated cuts to DEI services, students and faculty alike at Ohio State are determined to reclaim their narrative and safeguard the principles of diversity and inclusion within their academic institutions. The outcome of this legislative push could significantly reshape the future of higher education across Ohio, dictifying how students, especially from underrepresented backgrounds, can engage and thrive on their campuses.