Ohio University’s Faculty Senate passed a resolution at its meeting Monday that denounced Senate Bill 5 and called on public officials throughout the state to support their stance.
S.B 5, which passed the state Senate on March 2, would reduce collective bargaining rights for public employees.
After OU President Roderick McDavis said he was “not opposed” to the bill last week, Faculty Senate Chair Joe McLaughlin said OU’s academic quality could be affected.
"By supporting or not opposing Senate Bill 5, I believe President McDavis has made it harder for Ohio University to recruit and attain top quality faculty. And that will certainly have an impact on academic quality in the future," McLaughlin said in an interview last week.
The Faculty Senate resolution passed despite three nays and one abstention.
“Faculty Senate opposes Senate Bill 5 and asks President McDavis, Inter-University Council President Bruce Johnson, and the other presidents of Ohio universities to publicly retract their support for it and, in so doing, affirm the importance of academic quality at their schools,” the resolution states.
The resolution also confirms support for an Ohio Faculty Council drafted resolution, which takes a stance against S.B. 5 as well.
“The OFC is opposed to limiting the collective bargaining rights of all Ohio Public Employees, including hourly staff at public colleges and Universities,” the drafted OFC resolution states.
The Ohio Faculty Council represents the faculty at all of the four-year public colleges and universities in the state.
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