BGSU outlines DEI changes

Bowling Green State University announced the changes it will make to align with Senate Bill 1. In March, Ohio Gov. DeWine signed Senate Bill 1, the Advance Higher Education Act, into law. Among other provisions, Senate Bill 1: • Bans diversity, equity and inclusion programs at state universities • Prohibits college professors at state schools from going on strike • Attempts to regulate how faculty members can teach controversial subjects As the bill inched closer to a signature from DeWine, colleges and universities, like Ohio State University and Heidelberg University, prepared for its approval by cutting DEI from their campuses. BGSU, on the other hand, said it was too soon to make those decisions at that time. The act went into effect at the end of last month. Expand some programs, do away with others When the bill became effective, BGSU's president, Rodney Rogers, sent out a letter to the community announcing the changes the university would make to follow its requirements. With Senate Bill 1, "Programs that have been exclusively offered 'based on those individuals' race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression' will now be prohibited at Ohio's public universities," Rogers said in the letter. "Although few of our programs fall into this category, those that do will be discontinued." The university offered most of these programs through the division of inclusion and belonging, but the division also offered student support and success programming and services, which already complied with the provisions now enforced by Senate Bill 1. The university will continue offering the compliant programs through its "earlier divisional strategic realignments," according to Rogers' letter. The university will expand its division of community and well-being to offer these programs. But the university has also declared it will cut its division of inclusion and belonging, meaning the centers and offices offered to "specific populations" of the university outlined by the bill will no longer be accessible. This includes the centers for • Women and gender equity • Student connections and opportunity "With this change, we will reinvest resources in new and expanded programming to ensure all students can be successful, and Bowling Green remains a great value to our students, families and the public," Rogers said. From the resources reinvestment, the university can: • Grow success initiatives and support through its Firelands Pathway and the Deciding Student programs • Increase parent and family collaboration to ensure a strong support system for its students • Expand its community impact strategies It doesn't appear anyone at BGSU lost their job as a result of this. As for the staff formerly employed at the division of inclusion and belonging, the university will move them into the division of community and well-being, the office of the provost, and the division of student engagement and success. The expanded division of community and well-being will continue reporting to Rogers and will include services like Title IX and accessibility services. Staying compliant To meet the bill's requirement of reporting, compliance and ongoing monitoring and avoid penalties for non-compliance, the university created an office of state and federal compliance and non-discrimination. The new office will be managed by Katie Stygles, who agreed to become chief state and federal compliance officer and deputy chief community and well-being officer. She is responsible for ensuring the university will "treat all faculty, staff and students as individuals; hold every individual to equal standards; and provide those individuals with equality of opportunity with regard to those individuals' race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression" as outlined by the bill. Rogers announced, in the letter, that the university will update its website to reflect these changes, "ensuring all are welcome, all are supported and all can be successful at Bowling Green — principles we have long believed." 'For the public good' Rogers also asked the university to continue being curious, reframing challenges, emphasizing collaboration, taking action and embracing a growth mindset, which he described as the ideals that shape the community. "One of this nation's greatest strengths has long been its ability to harness innovation by casting a wide net in educating tomorrow's leaders, and public universities, like ours, have played a critical role in ensuring education is as accessible as possible to as many people as possible from all backgrounds and walks of life," Rogers said in the letter. "We will continue to prove, through our work, the value of public higher education." In the same way students work toward degrees, the university must work to ensure students' support and success, according to Roger's letter. "At Bowling Green, this has long defined our work — it is who we are, and who we have always been," Rogers said in the letter. "Let us be unwavering in our mission as a public university for the public good."