Thank you for sharing. Just a note that everyone who supports a transparent and inclusive process can sign. Of course, people linked to Ohio State and Ohio will probably gravitate to it. But support from the outside can help. We are all in the same boat.
300 in less than 24 hours. But we’re aiming even higher.
Sign and circulate to everyone who values Ohio State, in any capacity. We need a transparent and inclusive process. We need to turn this ship in the right direction.
actionnetwork.org/petitions/tr...
Ohio State’s institutIonal leadership has produced a neverending parade of scandals so it’s no surprise this petition from @osuaaup.bsky.social demanding the search for a new Ohio State president be transparent and inclusive is popular. But 300 signatures in less than 24 hours is something else!
Ohio State University president Ted Carter resigns over ‘inappropriate relationship’ ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/03/09/o...
So after the OSU president has resigned, what comes next for Ohio State? @nbc4i.com
www.nbc4i.com/news/local-n...
Sign and share @osuaaup.bsky.social’s petition to ensure a transparent and inclusive presidential search.
It is time for faculty, students, and staff to have a robust say in the process of selecting university leadership.
Calling all members of the OSU community (faculty, students, staff, alums, parents), Ohio citizens, and more. Please sign and circulate this letter to the OSU Board of Trustees for a transparent and inclusive search for a new president.
actionnetwork.org/petitions/tr...
Always nice to see @osuaaup.bsky.social’s statement noted in news coverage www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...
Two statements on the resignation of #OhioState president Ted Carter, from our partners at #Ohio AAUP and @osuaaup.bsky.social:
Here we go again.
We're tired of this revolving door. And we need a real say in what comes next.
Now do Leslie Wexner.
This is exactly right. OSU faculty, staff, and especially students need and demand better. Real leadership means courage, deep principles, and it means modeling best behavior and core values in all aspects of the job and life.
I'm from Ohio & spent a year at OSU, & things have to fundamentally change if OSU is to effectively serve the state. It should be clear to everyone by now, & as I've been saying for awhile, OSU has a toxic culture that must be addressed. I highly doubt OSU's BOT recognizes this or will do so.
AAUP-OSU statement on Ted Carter’s resignation as OSU president: “The students, faculty, and staff of Ohio State deserve so much better than the failed leadership that has been inflicted on this institution over the years. The repression of free speech, the dismantling of diversity, the lack of accountability to survivors - the list goes on and on. We demand a more transparent presidential search that involves the input of faculty, staff, and other university stakeholders.”
![Colker said that in the wake of SB 1, some faculty have considered finding jobs elsewhere, or, as in her case, retire.
“I’m also aware of other universities that are deliberately seeking to recruit people at Ohio State, thinking that there are faculty here who would very much like to leave,” Colker said.
Colker said that this type of career move is unusual, that most university professors try to move upward to higher ranked institutions, but “[I’ve seen] people moving laterally, or sometimes even a downward shift.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cqx6lqlfjwc76oo2yc4fmtbs/bafkreici4fcbw4xheyi5ziyaa43ptk33bzcz5irbgemdpmb5mjugb4qnoi)
Colker said that in the wake of SB 1, some faculty have considered finding jobs elsewhere, or, as in her case, retire. “I’m also aware of other universities that are deliberately seeking to recruit people at Ohio State, thinking that there are faculty here who would very much like to leave,” Colker said. Colker said that this type of career move is unusual, that most university professors try to move upward to higher ranked institutions, but “[I’ve seen] people moving laterally, or sometimes even a downward shift.”
I think we’re going to see an attrition of talented faculty who can find positions elsewhere or retire,” Colker said. “I think that attrition is probably going to disproportionately be attrition by women and racial minorities who are more targeted by SB 1 than others.” Colker said that this will “harm the overall quality of the faculty.”
![Colker said that the deciding factor in her retirement was a revision regarding the voluntary disclosure of personal pronouns in the classroom.
“I learned through the university’s own webpage that it was impermissible for faculty member[s] to use any university resources to voluntarily request a student to disclose their pronouns,” Colker said.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cqx6lqlfjwc76oo2yc4fmtbs/bafkreihndqzijqawkoxwvkn4uwd66qs4aidnjb4ad7sopwbmuelg6axvjm)
Colker said that the deciding factor in her retirement was a revision regarding the voluntary disclosure of personal pronouns in the classroom. “I learned through the university’s own webpage that it was impermissible for faculty member[s] to use any university resources to voluntarily request a student to disclose their pronouns,” Colker said.
Colker said that she had been requesting students to voluntarily disclose their preferred pronouns so as not to unintentionally misgender them, similar to many of her colleagues, so the change came as incompatible to her teaching philosophy and she considers it disrespectful to her students. “That’s not how I live my life,” Colker said. “It’s important for me to gender people appropriately.”
![Colker said that when she was younger, she presented as more androgynous and would be intentionally and unintentionally misgendered as male.
“It’s important to me not to do that to other people,” Colker said. “I’m not trans[gender] but I just don’t really feel like looking like [what] the traditional rules [say] what women should look like.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cqx6lqlfjwc76oo2yc4fmtbs/bafkreifl5o54xkgk7iiv63iwy7souilby3mg62gxuewcicticxsld72eje)
Colker said that when she was younger, she presented as more androgynous and would be intentionally and unintentionally misgendered as male. “It’s important to me not to do that to other people,” Colker said. “I’m not trans[gender] but I just don’t really feel like looking like [what] the traditional rules [say] what women should look like.”
![Ruth Colker, a highly distinguished law professor and the Heck Faust Memorial Chair in Constitutional Law, said that Ohio State’s “overcompliance” with SB 1 and its DEI rollbacks played a direct role in her early retirement.
“[What] SB 1 itself says and how Ohio State implemented it, those are two different things,” Colker said. “Ohio State’s implementation of SB 1 is what caused me to retire a little earlier than I might have otherwise chosen to retire.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cqx6lqlfjwc76oo2yc4fmtbs/bafkreieuienh5gle55tpjz6twtghhcinbe4ds5yd7mnozs2xialhflpbge)
Ruth Colker, a highly distinguished law professor and the Heck Faust Memorial Chair in Constitutional Law, said that Ohio State’s “overcompliance” with SB 1 and its DEI rollbacks played a direct role in her early retirement. “[What] SB 1 itself says and how Ohio State implemented it, those are two different things,” Colker said. “Ohio State’s implementation of SB 1 is what caused me to retire a little earlier than I might have otherwise chosen to retire.”
In addition, Ohio State is required to avoid certain phrases and words in public-facing communications and on Ohio State’s website, deemed DEI language. Outlined in a style guidethat went into effect in June 2025, words like diversity, equity, implicit bias, social justice and microaggression cannot be used. “I’ve seen the university change websites to be no longer accurate because of their attempt to get rid of these words,” Colker said.
Colker gave an example of David Roper, a 2019 graduate of the Moritz College of Law and the first African American editor-in-chief of the Ohio State Law Journal, who received the 2019 Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award for his dedication in “advocating for diversity and inclusion within the Moritz College of Law and the law profession,” according to a 2019 webpage.
In June 2025, Colker said Roper was profiled in a Moritz college article for his work “to make the journal an atmosphere where everyone felt welcomed and heard,” not for receiving the diversity award. “They rewrote why he got the diversity and enhancement award in a way that made it inaccurate because they didn’t want to talk about the fact that he had worked to racially diversify the law journal,” Colker said. “That wasn’t something they could say even though it was factually true.”
Here’s more from the article.
As the Lantern notes, Ruth
was recognized in a symposium last week “for her contributions to the field of disability justice, her OSU faculty profile names her as ‘one of the country’s preeminent scholars in constitutional law & disability discrimination.’ She has published 17 books & 90+ articles.”
Ruth Colker, a highly distinguished law professor and the Heck Faust Memorial Chair in Constitutional Law, was interviewed by the OSU’s the Lantern on how SB1 and OSU’s DEI rollbacks contributed to her early retirement. Ruth is also a member of the AAUP.
www.thelantern.com/2026/03/form...
that word should be “preemptive”!
Students and faculty arm in arm
Students with signs defending DEI
Student with sign on why DEI is important
Students listen to speakers at rally
SB1 passed later in March despite years of efforts - and the chilling effect of the law remains with us today. But March 4 is a day we will all remember, because it showed how we can come together, how we will not remain silent in the face of injustice.
Professor speaking at the rally
Rep Munira Abdullahi at the rally
Professor speaking at the rally
Again, this was a protest against increasing repression of free speech on campus. The event had to be held without megaphones, which, since the pro-Palestine protests, have been banned on campus before 5:30.
Student leaders address rally on March 4 2025
View of protest from the far end of the rally
Students at rally with “Save Higher Ed” sign
Students climbing tree for better view
We also spoke out against OSU admin’s pre-emotive compliance before SB 1 even passed, shutting down DEI on campus. Anger against this decision was palpable, and remains to this day.
A thousand protestors gather on the Oval at OSU
Flyer for March 4 Day of Action with the slogan “Shred SB1”
One year ago, on March 4, 2025, about 1000 students, faculty, and staff at Ohio State came together to protest Ohio’s Senate Bill 1. Organized by AAUP-OSU. OSA at OSU, and many more, we spoke out against this bill to repress academic freedom, unions, DEi, and implement surveillance on our teaching.
Want to know more about the sweeping trend of state mandated taxpayer financed and hyper empowered civics centers, and the political project they embody, as in Ohio? See this excellent @theguardian.com article @osuaaup.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
With the recent assault of a journalist by Chase Center affiliate Luke Perez, the Center deserves more national scrutiny. Let’s hope journalists keep a spotlight on an institution that many rightfully call a “trojan horse” - hiding what it really is, and imposed on us by the legislature.
“But ideologically speaking, the diversity mostly ranges along a conservative spectrum. There are Reagan-supporting neoconservatives who object to the views of MAGA along with professors who support President Trump and others whose politics are shaped by conservative interpretations of Christianity.”
Strang brags that the Chase Center is “much more diverse than almost any academic unit in a large public university.” But check out this reporting on what it really amounts to - Chase represents the entire spectrum of opinion from Reagan to Trump!
The Hechinger Report on OSU’s Chase Center: very useful information and data.
Especially visible is the contrast between what politicians & Chase director Lee Strang says and the reality that we all see.
hechingerreport.org/conservative...
Have you signed up for our Feb chapter meeting tomorrow (online)? Register at the link below.
You don’t want to miss it: guests from AAUP national, plus updates on the NTT labor campaign, next steps after the ONA picket to remove the Wexner name, and more.
actionnetwork.org/events/aaup-...
