The first full academic year under Ohio's Senate Bill 1 is coming to a close. The controversial bill, which became law last summer, banned programs at public universities that promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), limited what institutions could say about controversial issues and required schools to adopt new policies embracing "intellectual diversity," along with other requirements.
In response, universities across Ohio eliminated their DEI policies, closed offices serving minority students and ended partnerships with organizations that promote diversity. These changes were met with strong opposition from some faculty, staff and students, especially at the University of Cincinnati, where several large protests against the bill were organized throughout 2025.
Though schools in Southwest Ohio, including UC and Miami University, have appeared to comply with the bill, some are questioning whether universities are actually following the law.
Secretly recorded videos surface
In recent weeks, the conservative media group Accuracy in Media has released videos online claiming that universities are covertly keeping DEI programs and policies alive. The outlet has sent people posing as parents of prospective students to UC, Ohio State, Ohio University and the University of Toledo to secretly film administrators, program directors and academic advisors answering questions about whether DEI is still part of their programs and curriculum.
The videos assert that Ohio colleges are intentionally ignoring the law, though these same schools have assured the state they're complying.
In a 2025 statement, UC clarified that the bill doesn't limit what the university's faculty can teach.
"In our view, the provision in this legislation that precludes taking a position on any 'controversial belief or policy' applies to official statements or positions by university employees on behalf of the institution," a portion of the statement reads.
Steve Mockabee, an associate professor and leader of UC's faculty union, says the idea that professors are barred from discussing race, gender or controversial issues in a classroom setting is a common misconception about Senate Bill 1 spread by outlets like Accuracy in Media.
"Are there faculty that still teach and research subjects related to DEI? Yes, and that's perfectly lawful under Ohio law," he told WVXU.
Still, he says, lawmakers' inability to clearly define DEI and the steep financial consequences for breaking the bill's many rules have created a fearful environment on campuses across the state. Though they can still discuss these subjects, some educators have chosen to avoid covering potentially risky topics that might challenge beliefs held by certain students out of fear that it might make them a target.
From Mockabee's perspective, the leaders of most Ohio colleges, including UC, haven't presented any resistance to the state's demands around DEI.
"There's not a lack of compliance," he said. "If anything, I think university administrations are bending over backwards to over-comply with this law."
Bills aims to avoid 'just checking a box'
Some lawmakers still don't seem to buy it. Tom Young, a Republican State Representative from the Dayton area, introduced House Bill 698 earlier this year. The legislation would prevent schools from reassigning employees or relabeling positions from DEI-related offices and would withhold state funding from colleges found to be out of compliance. Even if those colleges later come into compliance, their funding would still be withheld for the entire fiscal year.
Speaking to reporters, Young said he introduced the legislation to prevent schools from "just checking a box" to comply with the law.
Senate Bill 1 is still new, and not all of its rules have been fully implemented yet. Mockabee says Young's proposed bill assumes colleges are defying the law despite evidence to the contrary and threatens to punish institutions for not meeting deadlines that haven't even arrived yet.
Schools across the state were required to submit Senate Bill 1 compliance reports to the Ohio Department of Higher Education by Feb. 1. Documents shared with WVXU show that UC, OSU and Miami are self-reporting full compliance with the new state law, and promising future compliance with upcoming orders like making syllabi for all college courses publicly available online before the first day of classes for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Whether self-reporting compliance with Senate Bill 1 will be enough for lawmakers remains to be seen.
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