Saturday at 11 a.m., Ohio University students, faculty and Athens residents gathered at Alumni Gateway to call attention to Senate Bill 1, which has moved progressed to House Bill 6, and the Trump administration’s anti-diversity, equality, inclusion and accessibility actions.
To do this, the protestors chanted, held up signs and handed out QR codes people could scan for resources to get involved. The resources are presented on a seven-page document titled "Take Action Demand Change," which gives an overview of SB 1, steps of what citizens can do and links to organizations against the bill.
The bill will pass over the desk of the Workforce and Higher Education Committee. The document also included the names of representatives involved in the committee and their contact information.
“We must make our voices heard to our representatives,” the document said. “Now is not the time to say it won’t help; it will. If your representatives don’t listen, take action in your community to ensure they are not reelected! Election cycles are coming up!”
The protest was organized by a group of three masters students who do not want essential OU resources for LGBTQIA+ students to be lost. They spread the word by putting up posters in academic buildings, Instagram posts and on their Yik Yak pages.
Michael Rohs, a sophomore studying marine biology, came out to support the protest and every other protest the past week. He said could not stand to watch opportunities brought by DEIA be threatened by the government.
“I cannot stand for any law that would take away opportunities or rights from anyone, especially when you're talking about communities that have historically been excluded and put on the margins of society,” Rohs said.
Rohs said throughout history student movements and protests tend to be the front lines of solving social issues. It is tough to ignore hundreds of students holding up signs and chanting which was what the university saw Thursday.
“When it comes to anti-war stuff but also with diversity, equity and inclusion,” Rohs said. “Student protests have always been on the forefront because we are the young people. We are the people who are just now voting, and if we do not make our voices heard, then why would someone listen to us?”
Abbie Lantz, a junior studying hearing, speech and language science, came to the protest because she said supporting DEI is awesome. She said it is awesome to see all the students getting together.
“If we don't advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, then we're not going to get anywhere with that, and then all of the laws and the bills are gonna take over these programs,” Lantz said. “I think that diversity, equity, inclusion programs are super important to schools and OU, especially because it gives every student a place and a voice where otherwise they may not feel like they have one.”
Lantz said she fears that without these programs, people will feel isolated and voiceless, which is why people should get together and fight to keep these programs alive. Being silent will not benefit anyone, according to Lantz.
“I feel like there's a lot of ignorance going on, especially with the Ohio Senate,” Lantz said. “They're not recognizing the power that these programs have to improve the lives of people in their state and in their schools.”
Cody Sigmon, an Athens resident, came to support the protest because he said he finds the attacks on higher institutions disturbing.
“Ohio University is an extremely important fixture in our community and brings lots of different people together into a community that maybe wouldn't come here otherwise,” Sigmon said. “I feel that it's important that we continue to support all kinds of people, and it's important that we show up for demonstrations like this.”
According to Sigmon, the recent actions of the government at the state and federal level are attacks and demonstrate a lack of empathy for the different people in society.
"It makes me feel like we are having targets painted on our backs so that we can be a distraction from the fact that we have billionaires stealing from our government,” Sigmon said. “It's a way to get us to fight among each other, even though we're in a wonderful community that clearly loves one another.”
