American Association of University Professors
What to expect this week
Today (Tuesday, 2/11), the Ohio Senate Higher Education Committee is holding a hearing for all testimony on SB 1, the new iteration of last session’s SB 83–what has been dubbed “The Higher Education Destruction Act.”
The hearing will be dominated by an anticipated large volume of opponent testimonies. Despite the fact that the Senate Republicans know there is massive opposition to this bill, they are only giving opponents this one opportunity to make their voices heard.
What is more appalling, however, is that the Republican majority on the committee is slated to vote SB 1 out of committee tomorrow morning (Wednesday, 2/12), which very likely means that the bill will be brought to the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon to be passed by the full chamber.
Let’s be clear: the Senate committee will hear hours of opponent testimony today, likely ignore the multitude of valid concerns raised by those who are fighting for public higher education, and move forward with a vote tomorrow.
We are asking the Senate to slow down their process to allow more time for stakeholder input. As we reference in our testimony, OCAAUP has submitted a number of amendments to the bill’s sponsor and full committee that would assuage our most serious concerns with this bill.
What you can do
First, we want to thank the numerous AAUP members who submitted testimony for today’s hearing, many of whom will be showing up in person to the Statehouse this afternoon. If you can’t be there, you can watch the hearing live on The Ohio Channel beginning at 2:00 pm. Look for the live stream of the Senate Higher Education Committee.
There are two opportunities on Wednesday, February 12 to show up to the Statehouse and send a message to lawmakers that we’re watching:
1) The Senate Higher Education Committee vote on SB 1 at 9:00 am in the South Hearing Room (Statehouse, 2nd floor); and
2) Senate session (Senate chambers) at 1:30 pm, where it is expected SB 1 will be brought to the floor for a vote.
We know that most of you can’t make it to Columbus, but you can still help by making phone calls to the Senate Republican offices today and tomorrow. Below is a sample script, followed by the list of senators and their office numbers.
Sample script: Hello, [name and other identifying info, if you choose] I’m calling to let the senator know that I oppose Senate Bill 1. This bill is the epitome of big-government overreach, and it will destabilize higher education in Ohio. At the very least, it needs more thorough consideration and stakeholder input. If the bill is voted on this week, I strongly encourage the senator to vote no.
List of senators to call:
Senate President Rob McColley: (614) 466-8150
Higher Education Committee Chair Kristina Roegner: (614) 466-4823
Vice Chair and SB 1 Sponsor Jerry Cirino: (614) 644-7718
Committee Member Kyle Koehler: (614) 466-3780
Committee Member Jane Timken: (614) 466-0626
Committee Member Bill Reineke: (614) 466-8049
Nathan Manning: (614) 644-7613
Michele Reynolds: (614) 466-8064
Al Cutrona: (614) 466-8285
Mark Romanchuk: (614) 466-7505
George Lang: (614) 466-8072
Stephen Huffman: (614) 466-6247
Steve Wilson: (614) 466-9737
Susan Manchester: (614) 466-6344
Terry Johnson: (614) 466-8082
Shane Wilkin: (614) 466-8156
Tim Schaffer: (614) 466-8076
Brian Chavez: (614) 466-6508
Al Landis: (614) 466-5838
Sandra O’Brien: (614) 466-7182
Theresa Gavarone: (614) 466-8060
Andrew Brenner: (614) 466-8086
Thomas F. Patton: (614) 466-8056
Louis W. Blessing III: (614) 466-8068
Calling all of these offices is helpful, but if you have limited time, calling the first 9 on the list would be most productive.
We will send another message later this week recapping the events and sharing next steps.
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Other ways to take action.
There are a number of other ways that you can help us fight the legislation:
1) E-mail Senate and House members.
You can use our easy online form above, which will send messages to all state legislators asking them to vote no on the bills. We believe we have to contact all legislators right away given the quick timeline that is expected. More than 40,000 emails have been sent already. Let’s keep up the pressure!
Due to the fast-track nature of the bills, we have to start asking the governor now to veto the bill. Gov. DeWine has been less inclined than other Republicans to buy into culture war politics, and we believe he understands the importance of a higher education system that maintains integrity.
3) Talk to your state legislators.
Talk to state legislators you know, and get to know the lawmakers who represent you, if you don’t already. Regardless of party affiliation, they need to hear from their constituents that SB 1/HB 6 will harm higher education and its economic impact on Ohio. Visit https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/ to find your legislators.
4) Write an op-ed.
Consider writing an op-ed to your local newspaper about the ways that this bill will hurt your institutions. You can also point out that the legislators who are pushing this bill once again have failed to listen to the overwhelming opposition from stakeholder groups and the broader public.
The Columbus Dispatch published this op-ed from the president of our Ohio State chapter.
5) Donate to our new “Advocacy & Defense Fund.”
THANK YOU to our generous members who already have made critical donations! OCAAUP is a small organization with one staff member that has kept dues as low as possible for our chapters and members. The challenges we face are going to require more resources, and 100% of the money donated to this fund will be used to fight political attacks and/or future legal challenges. ANY size donation is welcome and appreciated. Please note: the Ohio Conference AAUP is a 501(c)(6) organization; as a result, donations are not tax deductible.