Credit: Faith Schneider | Lantern Photographer
As diversity, equity and inclusion programs face further attack by the federal and state governments, Ohio State has taken the first steps toward removing its own DEI initiatives across campus.
Feb. 27, university President Ted Carter Jr. announced Ohio State would shut down the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Center for Belonging and Social Change the following day, along with removing 16 related staff positions over the next 60 days, per prior Lantern reporting.
Students, faculty and staff have openly shared their outrage by protesting in the days following the decision, mourning what has been lost and calling upon the university to protect its DEI programming from further cutbacks.
Now, student organizations across campus are wondering what will happen to their clubs’ own DEI initiatives following these changes.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at Ohio State
On May 2, 2024, Ohio State’s chapter of the NAACP, along with 33 other student organizations, collaborated to write “A Student Address to University Admin and President Ted Carter Regarding Protection of DEI at The Ohio State University.” The letter — shared to Instagram — discussed why the university’s DEI efforts are so important to students.
Isaac Wilson, a fourth-year in aerospace engineering, president of Ohio State’s NAACP chapter and a key leader in drafting the address, said the document’s goal was to bring attention to concerns surrounding Ohio Senate Bill 83, while also informing Carter — who had served less than five months at the time — about the significance of the university’s DEI initiatives.
Senate Bill 83, essentially the ideological predecessor of Senate Bill 1, aimed to eliminate DEI course and training requirements for Ohio’s higher education institutions, per prior Lantern reporting. SB 83 was heavily criticized by students and faculty at Ohio State, passing in the state Senate but failing to gain approval from the House of Representatives.
“[Carter] was very new to the university, so I think it was very informative to him — hoping that he read it — to know the effect of DEI and having a strong coalition of students, having over 30 organizations come together to sign something so impactful,” Wilson said. “It came from so many different perspectives, so I think that was something that [Carter] just needed to hear.”
Wilson said when he learned the university had officially cut its DEI programming Feb. 27, he felt “frustrated but not surprised.”
“A university of this size, the one thing they’re going to try and protect is their money,” Wilson said. “All I’ll say is a leader that supports [their] community will be supported by [their] community, and it’s unfortunate because I thought that [President Carter] would have fought harder.”
Wilson said the news of Ohio State’s programming cuts is especially disheartening because the NAACP’s primary goal is to raise awareness about DEI-related issues.
“We focus our programming [on] ensuring that students on this campus know how to vote, know who is on the ballot, understand the disparities that happen within the health sector, understand how different businesses may not choose you because of the push back on affirmative action,” Wilson said. “Being able to educate the community about DEI has been our main mission on this campus.”
Wilson said since Ohio State’s NAACP chapter is part of a larger national organization, it won’t need to change its name, programming or mission statement. However, he said the organization has discussed the potential of federal funding cuts.
“We’re just trying to outsource with a lot of alumni, as well as the NAACP Columbus chapter, and trying to gain funds that way so that we can operate as we please and continue the programming that the students need,” Wilson said.
Scarlette Magazine
Scarlette Magazine — a student-led fashion publication — only officially appointed its first DEI chair this semester.
As Scarlette has grown over the years, Jasmine Freeman — a third-year in psychology and the magazine’s DEI chair — said having a formal DEI executive position was a must for the organization in order to cement the importance of diversity. Since taking on her role this semester, Freeman said she makes sure the magazine features ethical photography and inclusivity in hair, makeup and skin and body types.
Freeman said Ohio State’s recent DEI changes are disappointing for both the club and her personally, as she is a recipient of the Morrill Scholarship. Although the Morrill Scholarship will continue, its eligibility criteria “may be modified to ensure compliance with the law,” according to a Feb. 27 Ohio State News article.
Beyond the Morrill Scholarship program specifically, Freeman said she is concerned the elimination of ODI will limit future students’ access to on-campus resources.
“Hearing all of the changes go back and, like, hearing that some students moving forward aren’t going to be able to have the same opportunities that I would have is really frustrating to me because it feels like we’re taking so many steps back and not progressing,” Freeman said. “And I just hate to hear that it’s going to affect the futures of a lot of people.”
In terms of the magazine, Freeman said DEI is a value it will continue to uphold, as it is embedded in Scarlette’s club constitution. However, she said many members are worried there could be issues with receiving university funding in the future.
“If it becomes a problem in receiving funding or support from the university, then we have discussed potentially changing the name of what our chair would be to either like a ‘photography ethics chair,’ or something of that nature,” Freeman said. ”But it is not fundamentally changing what our goals are or what our values are as a club.”
When asked if student organizations would lose their university funding if their name, mission or executive positions were DEI-centered, university spokesperson Ben Johnson said because student organizations are, by definition, open to all, “there are no changes needed at this time.”
Ultimately, Freeman said she thinks student organizations are doing the best they can to adapt to changes without compromising their club’s values.
“Hopefully, it’s not like this forever, and we can keep DEI chairs, and DEI implementations and everything, but for the moment, we’re just going to adapt and overcome,” Freeman said.
Minority Collegiate Outreach and Support Team
Ayana Runyan, a third-year in anthropological sciences and vice president of the Minority Collegiate Outreach and Support Team — or MCOST — said she worries not only for the future of current Ohio State students, but also for students who are planning to attend the university in the future.
“I feel like it can be a little detrimental to our youth education and rights for equality and equity,” Runyan said. “I feel like we’re kind of moving backwards in history for everything that the people who came before us have fought for — our rights that we have today.”
For MCOST, which aims to support underrepresented students in middle and high school by providing them with mentors who represent them, Runyan said the rollback of DEI programming makes it more difficult for the organization to serve its community.
“It kind of hinders our ability to properly have a voice — on campus and off campus in high school and middle schools — and then also acting on the things we believe in regarding the DEI,” Runyan said.
Many of the students MCOST works with are recipients of the university’s Young Scholars Program, which provides first-generation, low-income students from nine districts across the state with financial aid, according to its website.
The scholarship — previously housed under ODI — provides over 1,000 students a year with financial aid. Runyan said the organization is concerned that if the scholarship was to be removed in the future, the students they work with will lose their access to higher education.
“A lot of the high school students have YSP scholarships, and with the removal of DEI and ODI, it’s kind of like, ‘Where do we stand with this key [issue], and being underrepresented and stuff?’” Runyan said. “So, they [would] have less access to college because they have to pay for school versus the scholarship.”
The Young Scholars Program will continue, though its eligibility criteria “may be modified to ensure compliance with the law,” according to a Feb. 27 Ohio State News article.
Runyan said ultimately, the organization fears that marginalized students will not have the opportunity to see themselves reflected in the university community.
“Overall, I’m just really concerned about not being able to show underrepresented students that there are people who look like them and that are them, so that they’re more comfortable being in spaces like a [predominately white institution],” Runyan said.
African American Voices Gospel Choir
Shawnta Hunter, a fourth-year in music performance and alto section leader of the African American Voices Gospel Choir, said though the organization’s mission statement doesn’t explicitly include DEI initiatives, its key goal is to create a space where Black students in the arts can showcase their voices. However, Hunter did note the choir is inclusive and allows anyone to join, regardless of race.
“With me being in music and being in the arts for as long as I have, there is a lack of diversity, and equity and inclusion,” Hunter said. “Especially in orchestras, I don’t see enough people that look like me, and you definitely don’t see enough women in orchestras. Having these people have this access is just so important to me.”
Hunter said the choir offers an on-campus space where students can authentically be themselves — a place to connect, build community and immerse oneself in the rich culture of gospel music. She said she hopes the group’s atmosphere will remain unchanged, despite the initial removals of DEI programming.
“Gospel music has a deep culture to it, and we’re not erasing that — that’s not negotiable,” Hunter said. “They can’t get rid of us. I refuse to let that happen.”
Hunter said though the official discontinuation of the university’s DEI programming is both upsetting and alarming, she believes those committed to preserving its goals and mission will demonstrate that DEI cannot be easily dismissed.
“This is not something that we can just get rid of,” Hunter said. “It is not going to happen that easily. You can say, ‘Stop using these words, and stop doing this and that,’ but it’s not as easy as people are making it out to seem.”
Hunter said in a recent executive board meeting, members discussed the possible changes they would need to implement in light of Carter’s Feb. 27 announcement.
“Really, we’re just not trying to go anywhere,” Hunter said. “Even if they get rid of the words DEI, we’re going to rearrange our constitution, and we can change our names if that’s what they want, but we’re not going anywhere.”
Black Mental Health Coalition
Samuela Osae, a third-year in molecular genetics and co-president of the Black Mental Health Coalition, said the organization’s mission is to provide students with opportunities to engage in discussions and activities aimed at breaking the stigma surrounding mental health in the Black community, a goal deeply rooted in DEI values.
“What we do really tackles that point of helping students, especially ones who struggle with mental health — particularly in the Black community — get acclimated to the school setting because that is where changes in mental health tend to happen the most,” Osae said. “In my experience, it was not something that was embraced in my community, in my home life, before college, and [the Black Mental Health Coalition] was really helpful to me.”
Osae said the organization has discussed making potential alterations to its mission statement and advisor support network, as well as the possibility of a name change in the near future.
“I’m assuming we’re going to have to change it to a general mental health club, and I feel like that defeats our initial purpose of ending the stigma within our very specific community,” Osae said. “That stigma isn’t experienced the same way in other communities. It just feels like that identity aspect is being stripped away.”
Without ODI and CBSC supporting the university’s shared mission to maintain a commitment to diversity, Osae said it feels less meaningful. Osae also pointed out that on the steps of the Ohio Union’s main staircase, “diversity” is printed as one of Ohio State’s core values.
“I just feel like the integrity of the values are not being upheld if DEI programming is not upheld because I feel like that is a core value for why a lot of us chose this school in the first place — the different programs and offerings,” Osae said. “It just felt like if I came here, I knew there was going to be a place for me, and it doesn’t feel that way anymore.”
Ultimately, Osae said DEI can be the determining factor in shaping a student’s college experience.
“DEI saves lives,” Osae said. “We had that on a poster, but it really is true.”
