06/25/2025

Government Restrictions Force Ohio School Faculty to Consider Defense Compacts

The action is in response to Senate Bill 1

Faculty at universities in Ohio are forming defense compacts in response to what they call attacks on education.The Trump administration started targeting higher education institutions soon after he took office, demanding they disband their diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) programs and curtail pro-Palestinian protests in the name of curbing antisemitism. The administration has also frozen or canceled research grants universities rely on.

Here in Ohio, Senate Bill 1 takes effect Friday. The bill’s proponents say it prevents discrimination at public colleges by outlawing DEI programs. However, faculty argue it is designed to intimidate and silence dissenting voices.

In March, faculty at Rutgers created the Big Ten Mutual Defense Compact: It is a pledge to share strategy, legal counsel and financial resources to protect member schools. Nearly all Big Ten university senates, which represent student and faculty interests, have since signed on, including Ohio State. Jill Galvan is an associate professor of English at OSU and member of its faculty senate. She voted in favor of joining the compact. "You have the same challenges hitting institutions," Galvan said. “They’re the exact same challenges."

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Ohio Newsroom.