Undergraduate Student Government’s General Assembly votes to pass a resolution calling out Ohio State to support House Bill 249. Credit: Owen Conn | Lantern Reporter
A resolution — backed by abuse survivors of former university physician Richard Strauss — asking Ohio State to support a bill in the state legislature that would allow survivors of Strauss to sue the university was passed with unanimous consent by the Undergraduate Student Government Wednesday night.
House Bill 249, proposed by State Rep. Brett Hillyer, is intended to allow survivors an opportunity for compensation by lifting the statute of limitations, the time limit for filing lawsuits, specifically for Strauss victims. The current statute of limitations in this case is two years, according to the Ohio Legislative Service Commission’s analysis of the bill.
USG’s General Assembly voiced its support with unanimous passage of resolution 52-R-13, “A Resolution to Express Support for the Passage of Ohio H.B. 249,” including an alumni statement signed by 13 survivors in support of the resolution.
“Let it Be Further Resolved, that The USG reaffirm that it believes the survivors that have come forward to share their experience, and Let it Be Further Resolved, that The USG calls on the Ohio State University to publicly express its support of House Bill 249 and stand with OSU survivors past, present, and future,” the resolution reads.
Strauss served as team doctor for 17 varsity sports and a physician at the Student Wellness Center from 1978 to 1998.
An independent investigation conducted by Perkins Coie, LLP, released in May, found that Ohio State failed to stop Strauss from abusing at least 177 students during his career. Ohio State’s latest count, according to a university press release, includes nearly 1,500 instances of Strauss-related abuse.
Strauss died by suicide in 2005.
USG Sen. Ose Arheghan, sponsor of the resolution, said they have been working with survivors to write the resolution and received the statement of support about a week ago. Arheghan said taking a position as USG is important, as is having leaders who show support for survivors and educate people about House Bill 249.
“I just think it’s really important that as current students, we support the efforts of OSU alums who are standing up saying, ‘We are survivors, and we want to see accountability.’ I think it’s really important that we support that message,” Arheghan said.
Survivor Steve Snyder-Hill, a former student, Strauss plaintiff and signatory of the alumni statement, said that a show of support of House Bill 249 from USG would help hold the university accountable.
“I think that the student government standing up to something like that would actually show the organization, itself, that they do have a responsibility to take care of kids today. They had a responsibility to take care of kids 24 years ago, and they need to show us that they’re going to do that,” Synder-Hill said.
Arheghan said that they feel as if the university and its legal counsel are pressuring the chamber to vote one way.
“Ohio State University has a huge financial interest in avoiding the passage of this bill,” Arheghan said.
During the public comment period of GA, student organizations spoke in support of the resolution, including Take Back the Night at OSU and #Fight4Her.
“Our university, Ohio State University, has failed us, the students,” Mia Cariello, president of Take Back the Night at OSU and a third-year in women’s, gender and sexuality studies, said. “The Ohio State University is supposed to protect its students, and it failed.”
Speaker of the General Assembly Cade Santha said it is not uncommon for parties outside of USG, such as Strauss victims who are alumni of the university, to provide a statement regarding a piece of legislation, and it helps to support senators’ claims within the resolution.
The statement quoted in the resolution and attached as an appendix states that the support from USG will help hold Ohio State accountable.
“Your support could send a message to current and future OSU students that there is no expiration date on ensuring justice for survivors,” the statement reads.
Ben Johnson, university spokesperson, said in an email that the university took action immediately following allegations of Strauss’ abuse.
“For more than a year, Ohio State has led the effort to investigate and expose the misdeeds of Richard Strauss and the systemic failures to respond, and the university is committed to a fair resolution,” Johnson said. “The university is actively participating in good faith in the mediation process directed by the federal court.”
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article quoted the resolution as calling for the support of House Bill 294. The document has since been corrected and the change citing House Bill 249 is reflected here.
