The University of Cincinnati is changing fast this week, and students are feeling every bit of it. Thanks to Ohio’s new Senate Bill 1, UC’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs are being shut down with almost no warning. For a lot of students, this move is bigger than just moving offices around. It’s about what kind of campus they’re waking up to this fall.
Senate Bill 1 Hits Campus Hard
Ohio’s Senate Bill 1 got signed into law by the Republican-controlled legislature and it’s all about cutting DEI out of public universities. Schools like UC have no choice but to follow. The law also bans faculty strikes and calls for more state oversight into how colleges run their day-to-day.
Supporters say it levels the playing field and stops what they see as unfair treatment based on identity. They say DEI policies pick favorites and push political ideas. Opponents see it completely differently. For them, this is a direct hit to safe spaces that give students who feel overlooked a place to belong.
What UC Is Closing Right Now
UC President Neville Pinto announced the big list this week. Gone are the Equity & Inclusion Office and four identity centers that students have leaned on for years.
- Ethnic Programs & Services
- LGBTQ Center
- Women’s Center
- African American Cultural & Resource Center
The African American Cultural & Resource Center won’t totally disappear, but it’s getting a name change to “The Cultural Center.” The new goal is to serve everyone, not focus on specific communities. The Center for Student Involvement is going to run the spaces where these offices used to be.
Why This Matters to Students
These centers aren’t just rooms with posters and pamphlets. For a lot of students, they’re second homes. They’re where first-gen college kids find mentors. They’re where LGBTQ students can talk without judgment. They’re where students of color meet other students who get what they’re going through.
Now students wonder who’s going to do that work. A general student involvement office might plan events and keep clubs organized, but it doesn’t replace staff who specialize in helping students who’ve been pushed to the margins for years.
Campus Reactions Are Loud and Clear
Students didn’t stay quiet when they heard the news. Back in February, a huge crowd marched to the Board of Trustees to push back. They wanted the university to stand up to the state and keep the DEI work alive.
That protest didn’t go smoothly. The meeting ended early because of the outcry. Since then, the Board has started holding its meetings off-campus at the Digital Futures building, about a mile from the heart of UC. Some students think that’s no accident. They say it’s an easy way for trustees to dodge questions and protests.
Just this week, students who showed up said they felt shut out again. They called out the trustees for hiding from campus. They asked how the university plans to keep students involved if big decisions happen far from where students live and study.
How Big This Could Get
UC’s sudden shift shows how political fights are landing right in the middle of student life. Ohio isn’t the only place doing this. Across the country, lawmakers are targeting anything they see as “woke” campus culture. That means DEI offices, race-focused classes, even how teachers talk about history and social justice.
What makes it sting more at UC is that these offices did more than host talks or hang up flyers. They gave real help, from tutoring to crisis support to connecting students with scholarships. Without them, students are left wondering who’s going to step up next.
Students Asking: Now What?
Right now, UC students are stuck in a swirl of questions. Who will run programming that used to come from these centers? What happens to staff who worked there? Will “The Cultural Center” really do enough for students who counted on dedicated services before?
Nobody’s got clear answers yet. But students and faculty are bracing for what comes next. Some are planning more protests, hoping their voices won’t fade away just because the law says the offices have to. Others are watching to see if other Ohio schools follow the same script or find creative workarounds.
One thing’s for sure. The University of Cincinnati looks different this week than it did last week. And for a lot of people on campus, it feels like more than policy. It feels personal.
