Ohio bill would require colleges adopt racial, religious, ethnic harassment and intimidation policy

The Ohio State University campus. Photo via Google Maps.

Lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill in response to the recent rise in antisemitic incidents on college campuses last school year after the start of the Israel-Hamas war. 

Reps. Justin Pizzulli, R-Scioto County, and Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, recently put forth House Bill 606 — also known as the Enact Campus Act — which would require public and private colleges and universities to adopt and enforce a policy regarding racial, religious and ethnic harassment and intimidation. 

“House Bill 606 is a comprehensive effort to address the alarming rise in racial, religious, and ethnically charged acts of harassment and intimidation on our college campuses,” Jarrells said in his testimony. 

“The need for this legislation is evident in recent events on college campuses across Ohio and the nation,” he said. “Students should not have to live in fear of expressing their identities or beliefs.”

A recent Hillel and Anti-Defamation League study reported nearly 1,600 antisemitic incidents on college campuses since Oct. 7 — a 700% increase, Pizzulli said in his testimony. 

Eliana Goldner, a junior at Ohio State University, explained to the Ohio House Finance Committee how this bill would help her. 

“As a proud Jew, I have always embraced my identity,” she testified during Thursday’s meeting. “The campus, which once felt like a welcoming home where I could be true to myself, now leaves me feeling isolated.” 

StandWithUs, the Anti-Defamation League and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights against Ohio State earlier this year, arguing Jewish students have “faced a litany of antisemitic incidents, verbal taunts and threats … (and) “outright physical assault” since the Israel-Hamas War started Oct. 7. 

“As a college student, the knowledge that my institution’s administration, faculty, and staff will be trained to handle incidents of hate and harassment makes me feel significantly safer,” Goldner said. 

The bill comes after several Ohio universities saw protests over the Israel-Hamas War at the end of Spring Semester. About 40 people were arrested at various protests at Ohio State.

The Inter-University Council of Ohio said HB 606 would help Ohio’s colleges and universities prevent racial, religious and ethnic harassment and intimidation.

“Our universities are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful educational environment for all students and IUC believes that HB 606 provides a framework to help all institutions of higher education in Ohio achieve this,” Nick Derksen, IUC’s vice president of government relations, testified. 

What else is included in the bill? 

HB 606 would create a campus student safety grant program which would appropriate $1 million in fiscal year 2025 to increase student safety and another $1 million to help with outreach between institutionally sanctioned student organizations at universities.

It would also require colleges and universities to publicize on its website any time, place or manner restrictions placed on activities.

The Campus would require the Chancellor of Higher Education to create a committee to prevent antisemitism and other forms of racial, religious and ethnic harassment and intimidation by creating a model policy, guidance and recommendations for further action for policies for public and private universities. They would issue a report with their recommendations to the governor by July 1. 

Representatives from the school’s legal counsel, offices of student life, organizations representing faith-based and racial communities, institutionally sanctioned student organizations, the Inter-University Council of Ohio and the Ohio Association of Community Colleges would be on the committee.

Senate Bill 83 

State Rep. Juanita Brent, D-Cleveland, brought up Senate Bill 83, a massive higher education bill that would — among other things — prohibit mandatory diversity, equity and inclusion training unless it is required to comply with state and federal law, professional licensure requirements or get accreditation or grants. 

SB 83 passed the Senate and was voted out of the House Higher Education Committee last year, but has yet to be brought to the House floor. The House is in session one more time on Wednesday before going on summer break. 

“If we pass Senate Bill 83 — which is anti-diversity, equity and inclusion — it will neutralize this bill,” Brent said. “How would this program be implemented, because it conflicts with Senate Bill 83?”

Since neither of these bills are law, Derksen said he can’t answer that. 

“We can’t really speak to how they will be implemented,” he said. “However, if they both do go into effect, we’ll be working to figure out how to implement that.” 

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