Conservative efforts to roll back DEI in higher education sweep through another state

Ohio college students should thank Jerry Cirino. The state senator has written a bill designed to spare them instruction in the type of sordid thinking that sees all of life in terms of group power dynamics, cancels opposing views, preaches color consciousness, and discourages merit.

In other words, Cirino wants to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, requirements from Ohio’s public university system. One of the nation’s largest systems, with 14 four-year research universities, 24 regional campuses, 23 community colleges, and 13 graduate schools, the system would be better off without DEI.

Some Ohioans, of course, don’t see it that way. That’s to be expected, but what’s hard to grasp is the degree of demagoguery that has met the bill. What this criticism shows, once again, is the instability produced by the type of regime politics America is gripped by at the moment. We are arguing not over fine policy points but over what type of regime we will have.