Click here to send a message to your State Senator asking them to oppose HB 164.

Last week, the Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 164 — the so-called “Student Religious Liberties Act” — which, if signed into law, would prohibit K-12 teachers from penalizing students for giving incorrect answers on tests or other schoolwork, if those facts conflict with their religious beliefs.

The bill’s sponsor, State Representative Timothy Ginter (R-Shelby), has built a reputation of introducing legislation based upon his personal religious beliefs; so the introduction of this bill was no surprise. What’s alarming is that his colleagues in the House supported this problematic bill.

HB 164 now moves on to the Ohio Senate for consideration. Click here to send a message to your State Senator asking them to oppose HB 164.

Our colleagues from the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) issued a statement calling the bill “unnecessary,” further stating that it “has the potential to infringe on the academic integrity of our public schools.” We agree.

The bill also has implications for higher education. Students exiting the K-12 system need to be critical thinkers and understand scientific fact. Ohio is setting up students for failure by preventing teachers from correcting factually-incorrect answers. This also could impact College Credit Plus courses taught by high school faculty or college and university professors.

In addition, although the bill is probably aimed at science content such as evolution, how long will it be before “religious” belief is used to justify complaints about climate science, political history, etc.?

Moreover, imagine what it would be like if a similar bill were passed that applied to post-secondary courses. Bad ideas get traction if they are not countered; and that is why we are asking our members to take action.

We urge our members to contact their Ohio Senators to ask them to oppose this misguided legislation. Click here to send a message to your State Senator asking them to oppose HB 164.

On November 8-9, the Ohio Conference welcomed members from across the state to Columbus for the 69th Annual Meeting.

At the November 8 reception, two exceptional, long-time AAUP leaders whose terms will be wrapping up at the end of this academic year were honored: AAUP President Rudy Fichtenbaum and OCAAUP President John McNay.

Speaking about Fichtenbaum, OCAAUP Executive Director Sara Kilpatrick recalled his rousing testimony against Senate Bill 5 in 2011, and commended him for his outstanding service as National AAUP President during challenging times.

Turning to McNay, Kilpatrick praised his activism over the last eight years as OCAAUP President, citing his numerous times testifying to the Ohio Legislature, op-eds written, organizing work, coalition meetings attended, and so much more.

Fichtenbaum and McNay each were presented with a plaque commemorating their long-time service.

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Melody J. Stewart — the first African American woman elected to the Court — spoke at the November 8 dinner. She shared her journey as an undergraduate music student to law student to ultimately running a positive, educational campaign for the Supreme Court.

During the November 9 business meeting, the assembly approved the 2020 budget, changes to the Code of Regulations, and three resolutions. Reports were given by the President, Executive Director, and chairs of the Government Relations, Committee A, and Pension Committees.

The keynote luncheon address was delivered by Professor Tom Nichols of the U.S. Naval War College and Harvard Extension School. Nichols spoke about his book, The Death of Expertise.

During his remarks, Nichols lamented today’s know-it-all society, in which real expertise is devalued and Americans seem to have an opinion on everything even when they know little to nothing on a particular subject.

In response to a question, Nichols recommended that people focus on their local communities in terms of trying to make a positive difference instead of being overwhelmed by the onslaught of national and international news.

The final piece of the program was a presentation by Wright State AAUP members Gretchen McNamara and John Martin about “lessons learned” from their recent strike.

McNamara and Martin discussed all aspects of the three-week strike at WSU — everything from the breakdown of negotiations to taking a strike vote to organizing picketing and even the emotional aspects of going through such an intense, high-stakes process.

Of the lessons learned from the experience, the presenters advised other collective bargaining chapters to have a strike fund, talked about the importance of having a united faculty and student activists, as well as the importance of communications with reporters and on social media.

Thank you to all members who attended and made this a successful and productive meeting! Mark your calendars for the 2020 meeting, slated for November 6-7 in Columbus.

On Wednesday, October 30, OCAAUP President John McNay testified on behalf of the Ohio Conference as an interested party on Senate Bill 181.

SB 181 would require the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education to establish a workforce-education template for Ohio’s colleges and universities to use, should they so choose.

A workforce-education program is one that connects students to job opportunities, where the employer would assist the students with tuition costs.

The idea is that — between the employer and institution financial aid — the students who participate will graduate debt-free.

In his testimony, Dr. McNay told the Ohio Senate Higher Education Committee that the Conference supports the intent of the legislation, but relayed concerns that faculty have about the financial arrangement. He recommended that the legislation should be changed so that responsibility of costs is clarified.

McNay stated, “The bill does not specify that the employer must cover a certain amount of costs. Additionally, the legislation merely says that the institution of higher education and employer must seek out additional funding sources for any costs of attendance not covered by the employer or financial aid.”

The Senate committee favorably reported the bill without amendment. We intend to keep working with legislators to encourage more specificity in the enabling legislation for this program.

Legislative Hearing Summary
On Tuesday, October 15, Prof. David Jackson, president of the Bowling Green State University chapter of the AAUP, delivered opponent testimony on behalf of the Ohio Conference AAUP to the Ohio Senate Education Committee on Senate Bill 40.

Senate Bill 40, dubbed the “Forming Open and Robust University Minds (FORUM) Act,” also has been called the “campus free speech” bill. However, the bill has very little to do with free speech, and instead wants to impose rules on public institutions of higher education that would force them to host any speaker on campus and would create new mandates that likely would lead to more bureaucracy.

In his testimony, which you can watch below, Dr. Jackson relayed the AAUP’s 1992 statement On Freedom of Expression and Campus Speech Codes, which states, “On a campus that is free and open, no idea can be banned or forbidden. No viewpoint or message may be deemed so hateful or disturbing that it may not be expressed.”

“However,” Jackson said, “there is a substantial difference between banning an idea and disallowing a controversial speaker that would cause massive disruption and create crowds that campus police could not control.”

Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Powell), one of the primary sponsors of the bill, said a recent poll showed more than 70% of students who identify as Republicans are afraid to disclose their political leanings for fear that it will negatively affect their grades.

In response, Prof. Jackson said that there is a difference between perception and reality, and that polls measure perceptions. He later said that students are not graded on their beliefs, but on their knowledge of the material being taught.

The committee adopted a substitute version of the bill during the hearing, which Sen. Brenner described as being more in line with the companion bill (HB 88) in the House.

Thank you to Dr. Jackson for testifying on behalf of OCAAUP!

To learn more about “campus free speech” legislation, read this report by National AAUP.

TAKE ACTION!
We encourage our members to contact members of the Ohio Senate Education Committee to tell them you are opposed to the FORUM Act/”Campus Free Speech” bill.

To e-mail all members of the committee, use the following e-mail addresses:
brenner@ohiosenate.gov; coley@ohiosenate.gov; fedor@ohiosenate.gov;gavarone@ohiosenate.gov; mhuffman@ohiosenate.gov; shuffman@ohiosenate.gov; lehner@ohiosenate.gov; maharath@ohiosenate.gov; manning@ohiosenate.gov; sykes@ohiosenate.gov

Here is a sample message:
Subject: Reject SB 40, the so-called “Campus Free Speech” bill

Senator,

As a professor at [insert your institution here], I can tell you that there is no problem with free speech on campuses. Ohio’s institutions of higher education are bastions of the free exchange of ideas. Colleges and universities have done well balancing free speech and the safety of our campus communities. SB 40, the so-called FORUM Act or “Campus Free Speech” bill, very simply, is unnecessary.

Please reject SB 40 and allow our institutions to continue operating without new, needless state mandates.

Thank you for your time,

[Your Name]

Last week, the Ohio Conference signed onto a letter opposing the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System’s (OPERS) plan to create a new tier of pension benefits for future hires known as “Group D.”

The letter also was signed by the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT), Ohio Education Association (OEA), Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

The difference between the proposed Group D benefits and current Group C benefits are substantial. Group D beneficiaries would face increased age and service requirements, reduced calculation of pension benefits, double the years to calculate the final average salary, and a reduced cost of living adjustment (COLA).

We believe the proposed reduction in benefits for future hires is unnecessary, unfair, and also may dissuade people from choosing public service careers. We continue to fight for quality pensions for our members in OPERS, as well as the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS).