Tonight, we saw something that this administration cannot ignore. We saw heartbreak. We saw outrage. We saw students past and present pouring their souls into a room that could barely contain the energy, the fury, the demand for justice. We sat face to face with the consequences of this university’s betrayal.

Students sobbed as they spoke about the lifelines that are being ripped away from them. Alumni pounded the table demanding to know why the programs they fought to build are being erased. Senators raised their voices, not just in frustration, but in defiance.

And let us be absolutely clear: This is not just sadness. This is rage.

Rage at an administration that looks students in the eye and dares to call this a “restructuring.” Rage at the cowardice of leadership who would rather kneel to political pressure than stand for the students they claim to serve. Rage at the blatant, shameless destruction of the very programs that have made this university stronger, more inclusive, and more just.

They expect us to be demoralized. They expect us to accept this as a done deal. They are wrong.

Ohio State belongs to the students, not to politicians in Columbus. Not to wealthy donors who see diversity as an inconvenience. Not to an administration more interested in optics than actual student success. We are Ohio State.

And we are telling you that this ends now. We reject this decision. We reject the lie that this is about “efficiency.” We reject the idea that diversity, equity, and inclusion are expendable.

This administration had a choice. And they chose to gut the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. They chose to shut down the Center for Belonging and Social Change. They chose to throw marginalized students under the bus in exchange for political cover.

And now, we choose to fight.

If the administration thought we would roll over, they don’t know their students. If the state government thought we wouldn’t resist, they don’t know what it means to be a Buckeye. If they thought this decision would go unanswered, they do not understand the fire they have lit.

To President Carter and every administrator responsible for this disgrace: You have a choice.

This is not just anger. This is a movement. And we are just getting started.

Senator Ryan Poor

Let’s call this what it is: a calculated and politically motivated decision disguised as “institutional restructuring.” President Carter’s move to “sunset” the Office of Diversity and Inclusion , eliminate the Center for Belonging and Social Change, and rebrand the Office of Institutional Equity is not about making Ohio State better. It’s about appeasing the right people, consolidating power, and ensuring the university stays in line with the growing national war on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

This is not about students. This is not about improving efficiency. This is about optics. It’s about bowing to political and financial pressures from those who want to see higher education stripped of any commitment to progress. It’s about making Ohio State palatable to those who see diversity as a threat and inclusion as an inconvenience. And if a few thousand students, many of whom relied on these offices for support, community, and opportunity, get left behind in the process? Well, that’s just collateral damage.

Our administration will try to spin this as a mere “restructuring” effort, insisting that Ohio State remains committed to “excellence” and “student success.” But let’s be real, removing dedicated resources for underrepresented students while throwing vague reassurances about modified scholarships and compliance offices is not a commitment to anything but the status quo. A status quo that ensures those in power stay in power, that funding pipelines remain uninterrupted, and that Ohio State remains on the good side of the people who would rather see universities scrubbed clean of DEI efforts altogether.

Students are not blind to what’s happening. We see through the empty justifications, the bureaucratic double-speak, and the performative concern for student wellbeing. This decision is not just disappointing, it is a betrayal of Ohio State’s stated values and a blatant abandonment of students who have long relied on these resources for support, advocacy, and empowerment.

To President Carter and the administration: If you truly believe in student success, then prove it. Reverse this decision. Listen to the students, faculty, and staff who are telling you, loudly, that this is wrong. Stand for something more than just political convenience. Because history will remember those who stood for progress, and those who stood in its way.

We will not forget. We will not let this go. And we will not stop fighting.

Senator Ryan Poor