With the passage of Senate Bill 1 into law during the 136th General Assembly, Kent State's faculty face new challenges in educating our students in a way consistent with the mission and values of Kent State. Faculty are advised to familiarize themselves both with the specific provisions of SB 1 and with additional information posted by the Ohio Department of Higher Education on its website about how the Chancellor is interpreting SB 1. The University has a website dedicated to SB 1 compliance. This webpage includes information and resources about what the University is doing to comply with SB 1.
KSUFA is committed to helping faculty navigate those challenges and to being a space where all faculty are heard, cared, and advocated for. There are several important things to keep in mind:
- Nothing that you taught before the law took effect has become illegal to teach. However, we do understand that teaching subjects that might be deemed "controversial beliefs or policies" under the law has become significantly more challenging.
- KSUFA will defend your academic freedom and keep pressure on the University to do the same.
- As an independent organization, KSUFA's ability to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is not curtailed by this legislation. We are committed to being a vocal advocate for and providing support to minoritized faculty and faculty who teach in areas targeted by the bill.
KSUFA has developed additional detailed information and advice to faculty concerning elements of the law in the links below. (Disclaimer: we at KSUFA are not lawyers and none of this information is intended as legal advice.) We will continue to keep you informed and will be revising this information as our understanding of the law changes and as we develop new strategies for navigating the challenges of SB 1.
Promoting Intellectual Diversity While Preserving Academic Freedom
Know Your Rights! Academic Freedom
What to do if a student threatens to file a formal complaint or sue
Know Your Rights! Formal Complaint Procedures That Can Protect Faculty
Procedures for SB 1 Investigations and Hearings
KSUFA's Diversity Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Advocacy
Online Harassment Resources (Includes preventative tools for strengthening your digital security and tools for responding if you or someone you know is being harassed.)
Expert Voices Together (Provides trauma-informed support to journalists and researchers whose vital public-interest work is being undermined by coordinated campaigns of abuse and harassment.)
If you are interested in working with us to develop new strategies or have suggestions for how to revise any of our current materials, please contact KSUFA (
Dear Kent State faculty,
Despite its current name, the Kent State faculty union is not a chapter of AAUP in the way in which that notion is commonly understood. Our union is an independent entity that voluntarily affiliates with AAUP rather than a dependent, local unit that owes its very existence to AAUP. From time to time over our history, the leadership of Kent State’s faculty union has questioned whether continuing the affiliation with AAUP is in the best interest of our union. We once again find ourselves in such a time.
As you will have seen on the news, the autoworkers are on strike. Here are a few ways that you can help UAW members:
- Sign the "All In with UAW" petition and share it on social media;
- Call 1-318-300-1249 to leave a message for the CEOs of Ford, GM, and Stellantis and tell them that UAW members deserve the same 40% raise the CEOs received over the past four years;
- Join an active picket line (not during times where you have class, office hours, etc.);
- Organize a Community Canvas at a Big Three auto dealership.
On Wednesday April 19th, Kent State University Professors Deborah Smith (Chapter President of AAUP-KSU) and Debra Calhoun gave testimony during a hearing at the Ohio Capitol in opposition to Senate Bill 83. Also present were Kent State University Professors Theresa Walton-Fisette, Yuko Kurahashi, and Denise Harrison.
