YOUNGSTOWN — With 60 days remaining until it goes into effect, Youngstown State University’s faculty union is continuing its push to have legislation they say threatens the quality of higher education in the state on the ballot for Nov. 4’s General Election, removed.

The university’s chapter of the Ohio Education Association announced earlier this month that they were starting a “grassroots effort” to put Senate Bill 1, state Sen. Jerry Cirino’s, R-Kirtland, Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, on the ballot as a referendum.

The bill, passed by the state’s House of Representatives in March, inserts measures that universities would have to follow, such as eliminating DEI programs and trainings, restricting the teaching of subjects deemed controversial like climate change and current events, and requiring all course syllabi to be posted publicly starting in the 2026-27 academic year.

It also prohibits full-time faculty from striking over unfair practices.

Mandy Fehlbaum, referendum organizer and YSU-OEA executive committee member, questioned what would be left to teach, as the bill defined a “controversial belief or policy” as “any belief or policy that is the subject of political controversy,” then went on to list topics including marriage and foreign policy.

“Researchers study and teach about marriage in counseling, economics and so on. We study and teach foreign policy in political science, finance and economics,” Fehlbaum said. “And we have no way of knowing what the next political hot-button issue is going to be that this poorly written bill would restrict.”

Fehlbaum, active during the 2020 faculty strike, explained later that SB1’s ban on strikes removes the faculty’s chance to be taken seriously.

“In 2020, we specifically went on strike over a holiday weekend — or what was a holiday weekend — because we specifically didn’t want to interrupt classes,” Fehlbaum said. “We hated having to interrupt our classes, take our things down, because we don’t want to hurt our students.”

Even though SB1 is not in effect yet, Fehlbaum said she’s already seen some of the changes as the faculty adviser for YSUnity, an alliance on campus for LGBT+ students.

She said she attended one of its meetings, and members discussed which rules on campus have changed.

Fehlbaum said they lost the ability to have a “lavender graduation,” an informal ceremony held on many college campuses to celebrate and honor the achievements of LGBT+ students. Any university funds to buy a cake for it also have been cut.

Fehlbaum admitted that the faculty’s relationship with the university has improved from two years ago, when some professors questioned if the university had a plan moving forward.

“We have been working together collaboratively on a master plan and we have no complaints about that process. We’re on board with the idea of articulating what the future of YSU is and how we see teaching and helping students moving forward,” Fehlbaum said. “I think a lot of progress has been made, and that’s a testament to the good relationship that the union has with the administration right now.”

She added that it could be “incredibly soured” if SB1 changes things.

YSU-OEA President Mark Vopat echoed Fehlbaum’s concerns, deeming the bill another “nail in the coffins” of unions and freedom of speech in the state.

“This is a watered-down federal approach to DEI that leaves universities vulnerable because there is no clear guidance on ‘controversial topics,’ while it also attacks union rights,” Vopat said. “We expect that other public unions will be next.”

University President Bill Johnson released a statement Wednesday regarding the OEA’s opposition to the bill. He emphasized that the university’s board of trustees and leadership team recognized their constitutional right to oppose and collect signatures to possibly reverse it, adding the university had no intention of supporting their efforts.

“We remain dedicated to educating students on critical thinking and teaching students how to think rather than what to think,” Johnson said.

Johnson said YSU continues to work collaboratively with Gov. Mike DeWine’s office, the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the state’s attorney general — as well as other elected officials — to review legislative provisions requiring further clarification.

“SB1 does not alter YSU’s identity or core values. We remain committed to treating all individuals with respect, enforcing our anti-discrimination policies, fostering an environment conducive to intellectual growth, and prioritizing our students’ success,” Johnson said.

Vopat said in a Thursday evening statement that he “respectfully disagreed” with Johnson’s interpretation of the bill’s effects on higher education in the state. He recognized the university’s respect for their movement, however.

“I appreciate that he and other institutional administrators respect our and anyone’s constitutional right to disagree and engage in this normal activity that is exercised in true democracies everywhere,” Vopat said.