Spectators watch the Higher Education Committee’s opposition hearing for Senate Bill 1 in an overflow room Feb. 12. Credit: Daniel Bush | Lantern Photographer
This letter was written by the Executive Board of the Ohio Academy of History, which seeks to promote the development and dissemination of historical knowledge among the citizens and students of Ohio.
We write to express our strong opposition to Senate Bill 1. This bill, just like Senate Bill 83, is a threat to every noble principle the historical profession stands for, including the freedom to read, discuss and debate new ideas and multiple perspectives on the past. Historians teach students how to think critically about complex issues and discuss them in writing and conversation in a classroom setting, among other things.
We believe SB 1 would make this impossible. Rather than protect freedom of thought, this bill will endanger the free exchange of ideas in the classroom, creating conditions in which both professors and students may be reluctant to speak openly.
The bill assumes the worst motives on the part of the faculty, and it describes a crisis that does not exist. Moreover, the bill ignores the professional standards scholars must meet before they even enter the classroom: their deep sense of obligation to their students and their dedication to the pursuit of historical knowledge.
This measure will have an impact far beyond history, as important as that is. If it becomes law, it will undermine the state’s ability to recruit top-rank faculty and students in all fields.
In addition, SB 1 will destroy the reputation of our colleges and universities, replacing serious academic standards with a narrow range of acceptable topics chosen by government officials. In a mature democracy like the United States, we should not fear the free and open exchange of ideas, regardless of the venue.
The Ohio Academy of History — a professional society comprising teachers, scholars, public historians and students interested in history — voices its opposition to Ohio Senate Bill 1. Credit: Courtesy of Daniel Rivers
We call upon the historical profession, the academic community and the people of Ohio to defend academic freedom and oppose SB 1.
Professor Daniel Rivers, The Ohio State University, president of the Ohio Academy of History, on behalf of the Executive Committee:
Professor Janet R. Bednarek, University of Dayton
Professor Joan E. Cashin, The Ohio State University
Dr. Don Eberle, Napoleon Area City Schools
Professor Arvind Elangovan, Wright State University
Professor Ann Heiss, Kent State University
Professor Bradley Keefer, Kent State University-Ashtabula
Professor Julie Mujic, Denison University
Professor Martha Pallante, Youngstown State University
Professor David Strittmatter, Ohio Northern University
