Why Ohio State won't adopt a Native American land acknowledgment
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Ohio's flagship university doesn't have a land acknowledgment — and with Senate Bill 1 in place, that's unlikely to change.
Why it matters: It's Native American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the history, cultures and contributions of Indigenous people.
- Instead, Ohio State University professors and administrators remain at odds over whether acknowledging who lived here first violates Ohio's new anti-DEI law.
Catch up quick: The funds that established OSU in 1870 existed only because the U.S. government seized and sold land from Native Americans.
- For years, educators have worked toward an official statement OSU could publicly adopt to acknowledge that "land grab" history. The university awarded grants to assist the work in 2020.
- Leadership turnover and the looming state law stalled such efforts, those involved tell Axios.
The latest: The issue recently came to a head when the university banned land acknowledgments without "a direct tie to the subject of the course."
- Officials have since loosened guidance a bit for classroom discussions, but they maintain that a university-wide land acknowledgment would be taking a stance on the "controversial beliefs or policies" SB1 prohibits.
Friction point: OSU associate professor of art Richard Finlay Fletcher, representing a committee advocating for a new policy, tells Axios the current one is an overreach and "sowing confusion."
- "It frames land acknowledgment as inherently controversial, when it isn't. It's a matter of historical record."
The other side: The university is not considering revising the policy again, spokesperson Ben Johnson tells Axios, but "continues to support students, faculty and staff from indigenous communities."
- It operates the Newark Earthworks Center, which conducts research, and offers coursework on Indigenous cultures, he notes.
The big picture: At least four other Ohio universities have land acknowledgments on their websites as of this week — BGSU, Akron, Toledo and Miami.
- While such statements are becoming more common, they also face some criticism for being performative and not doing enough to support Indigenous people.
Yes, but: OSU's faculty committee would settle for just a statement of fact.
The bottom line: "The Native and Indigenous community at OSU is absolutely tiny … and I fear that the chilling effect will make us even more invisible than we have been," Elissa Washuta, OSU's American Indian Studies program director, told The Lantern.