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An education watchdog group has urged Ohio’s attorney general to investigate Ohio State University for allegedly violating a new state law banning mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in public colleges.
Defending Education recently sent a letter to the Office of the Attorney General of Ohio claiming that OSU’s “Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Diversity” coursework requirement goes against Senate Bill 1, the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act.
Signed into law earlier this year, it prohibits “any orientation or training course regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion” at public universities unless the state chancellor grants an exception.
Under the law, state institutions also may not “encourage, discourage, require, or forbid students, faculty, or administrators to endorse, assent to, or publicly express a given ideology, political stance, or view of a social policy, nor will the institution require students to do any of those things to obtain an undergraduate or post-graduate degree.”
OSU’s general education curriculum, launched in 2022, requires students to complete courses in seven “foundational” areas, including Race, Ethnicity & Gender Diversity. While OSU insists it’s in compliance, Defending Education points to the law’s plain text: no mandatory DEI without approval.
Defending Education argues that OSU’s general education requirement, listed in the student portal, is in direct violation of the prohibited mandate.
“Our letter showed that the Ohio State student registration portal still lists one course in ‘Race, Ethnicity & Gender Diversity’ as required as a Foundation in General Education,” Reagan Dugan, PDE’s Project Manager for Higher Education, told The College Fix in an interview. “We believe this DEI requirement in General Education clearly violates this prohibition.”
Benjamin Johnson, OSU assistant vice president for media and public relations, told The College Fix in a statement: “We are aware of the letter, in contact with the Attorney General, and in compliance with Senate Bill 1.”
The dispute centers on whether academic coursework falls under the law’s ban on “training.” Defending Education says yes—especially when it’s mandatory.
“Promoting a course in ‘Race, Ethnicity & Gender Diversity’ as equivalent in status to courses in Writing, Math, and History, seems to go against S.B. 1 and the university’s own internal policies,” Dugan said, citing an August OSU policy memo pledging not to require students to “endorse, assent to, or publicly express a given ideology.”
Critics of DEI mandates argue that it transitions into ideological territory. Supporters say that studying race and gender fosters critical thinking, not indoctrination.
Defending Education discovered the requirement through an anonymous tip, and Dugan said they are looking for more examples, urging whistleblowers to come forward.
The group hopes an AG probe prompts stricter compliance statewide. The AG’s office did not respond to multiple requests from The College Fix for comment.
“This serves as a reminder that merely passing legislation is not a magic wand,” Dugan said. “We expect university leaders to take their duty of implementing it seriously.”
Sarah Parshall Perry, Defending Education’s vice president and legal fellow, framed the issue broadly.
“Colleges and universities have skated their legal obligations for far too long,” she said in a statement. “It’s time for states like Ohio to clean house.”
