Senate Bill 1, the Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act (HEEA), was signed into law on March 28, 2025 and went into effect June 26, 2025, impacting public universities and colleges throughout the state. Ohio schools have just completed their first semester under the new law.

Some of the provisions of the new law include prohibiting public universities and colleges from taking positions on “controversial beliefs or policies,” which are defined as anything subject to political controversy – including climate change, electoral politics, foreign policy, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, immigration policy, marriage, and abortion. The new law removes diversity, equity, and inclusion-based hiring practices. It also removes training, offices, or scholarships based on DEI.

As this article highlights, Ohio State University revised its signage standards and banned chalking on campus over the summer in light of continued complaints and administrative time spent evaluating chalking. In addition, dorm décor in common areas is now required to be Ohio State-specific. Students have challenged the approach, raising general repression of speech, student expression, and the effect on education quality concerns. Meanwhile, at Miami University, the student association contends professors are changing what they are comfortable talking about in the classroom. The expansive meaning of “controversial” has left many unclear as to exactly how to identify and regulate it on college campuses.

This concern expands beyond the students to the professors themselves. A professor at Ohio University sees the possibility of a chilling effect among faculty because of the new law. Specifically, there is a concern that portions of the HEEA will impact their ability to teach honestly and effectively in the classroom. There is concern the law will affect Ohio universities’ competitiveness, lowering their ability to recruit top faculty members in teaching and research.

The effects of the HEEA can also be found beyond the classroom. Diversity centers across Ohio public universities have closed as a result. At the University of Cincinnati, the words “African American” were removed from the African American Cultural and Resource Center building, which opened its doors in 1991. Other centers serving women and LGBTQ+ students were also closed. The Tyehimba Black Graduation Celebration was moved to an off-campus site, and a welcome celebration for incoming Black students was organized by current students. In response, a group of Black university alumni has created a non-profit, Cincy Cultural Resource Center Foundation, to help independently fund programs like mentorship, choir, educational, and cultural events.

One semester into the HEEA, the public is already seeing some of its effects – beyond the ways in which it is also changing the educational programs and degrees offered by Ohio universities. Some students and faculty believe it serves to quell student voices and reverse progress that certain marginalized groups have made over the years. Others believe the failure to be able to speak freely and learn about others’ perspectives negatively impacts the quality of the education they are receiving. A previous sense of community has been eliminated for others. Time will tell if students and faculty decide to depart from Ohio public universities as a result. If so, the HEEA that some believed would make education stronger in Ohio could be its undoing.