Cleveland State University has closed its LGBTQ+ Center, the Mary Joyce Green Women's Center and its Office of Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement in response to Senate Bill 1, which bans all diversity, equity and inclusion programs at universities.
The university does have a new center this fall semester designed to provide support to "all students," it said in a statement Friday. The Student Resource Center is located in Berkman Hall in downtown Cleveland.
"In reviewing our programs for compliance with SB1, we also determined that our delivery of resources and services to our students could be reimagined and enhanced," the university administration said in a message to campus Friday. "At this time, our core commitment to student success remains firm. We will continue to welcome every student to our campus and meet the needs of our students and campus community through a range of comprehensive services, supports, programs and resources, with dedicated staff."
The message, attributed to Tachelle Banks, vice president of student belonging and success, and Matthew Roche, executive director of compliance, also pointed to a new page on Senate Bill 1 compliance. On that website, the university said student groups are not impacted by the law, as long as they are open to "all groups" of students. The university also said it has not submitted any additional low-enrolled programs to be sunset under Senate Bill 1 due to a host of programs it eliminated in the 2024-2025 school year.
The Ohio State University, Ohio University and Kent State University similarly ended their identity-based centers earlier this year.
