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Ohio University will close all diversity, equity and inclusion offices in response to Ohio’s new higher ed law

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — Ohio University is closing all offices related to diversity, equity and inclusion after this semester, according to an email from President Lori Stewart Gonzalez.

That includes the Multicultural Center, The Pride Center, the Women’s Center and the Office of Inclusion at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Ohio University's Cutler Hall on the first day of the semester.
Ohio University’s Cutler Hall. [Aaron Payne | Ohio Valley ReSource]
Stewart Gonzalez wrote the closures are a direct response to the passage of Ohio’s SB 1 earlier this year. The new law bans DEI programs on college campuses that receive state funding.

“We must continue to ensure every person we invite to be a part of our University community finds their place here and develops connections. Without forgetting that essential commitment, we must also follow the law,” Stewart Gonzalez wrote.

The Office of Accessibility Services and the Veterans and Military Students Center will not be affected, according to Stewart Gonzalez.

The push to eliminate DEI is not limited to Ohio. President Donald Trump has made eliminating DEI a priority of his administration. He signed an executive order last week ordering accreditors to stop applying DEI requirements to colleges.

This story will be updated as more information comes in.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled President Lori Stewart Gonzalez’s name as Stewart Gonzales.