President Rodney Rogers released a statement on Senate Bill 1 and its implications for the university, if signed by Governor Mike DeWine.
On March 26, the Office of the President sent out an email on what will and won’t happen at BGSU if the bill becomes law, 90 days after signed by DeWine.
As stated in the letter, “SB1 [Senate Bill 1] will require changes to our processes across several areas, including the Board of Trustees, academic and faculty affairs, enrollment, student engagement, human resources, finance and administration and University communications.”
While there may be many changes coming to BGSU, Rogers stated that the university agrees on how the bill’s language moves towards equality.
“We unequivocally agree, as the bill states, that institutions of higher education should, ‘treat all faculty, staff, and students as individuals, hold every individual to equal standards, and provide those individuals with equality of opportunity, with regard to those individuals’ race, ethnicity, religion, sex, secual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression,’” as said in the letter.
Senate Bill 1 moves to eliminate DEI, diversity, equity and inclusion, making students across Ohio express their frustration due to the potential loss of equality. While Senate Bill 1 moves to eliminate some discussions around this topic, Rogers does not want to hinder the intellectual diversity held by faculty and students.
“We also believe that it is vital not to prohibit ‘faculty or students from classroom instruction, discussion, or debate, so long as faculty members allow students to express intellectual diversity,’” as stated in the email.
Rogers said that this bill may just lead to organizational changes and wants to continue supporting students on their path.
“While SB1 may require some organizational changes, as a lean organization, we have long focused our support efforts on student success and providing opportunities for all, and we believe the law will not stop us from continuing to do so,” as stated in the letter.
To continue discussing this bill, there will be opportunities for the BGSU community to share their thoughts.
“In the coming weeks, we will offer opportunities for members of the campus community to share their thoughts and participate in discussions regarding the implementation of SB1,” as stated.
He recommends sharing these feelings because of how Senate Bill 1 is affecting students.
“I recognize how deeply personal these conversations, and potential changes, are for some members of our learning community, and understandably, this can cause strong personal and emotional reactions,” as stated in the email.
Now that faculty, students and the community have to wait to hear from DeWine, Rogers relays that this is a time of change, yet the school will continue to support its students and its academic freedom.
“While this is a time of change among higher education, Bowling Green will continue to foster a learning environment where all can belong, we will continue to support free speech, as enshrined by our Constitution and SB1, we will continue to remain committed to academic freedom and shared governance, and we will, above all, continue to support our students, faculty and staff in the learning experiences that a public university like Bowling Green has long provided,” as stated in Rogers’ letter.
