YOUNGSTOWN - Youngstown State University Professors are voicing their opinions on policy changes resulting from the Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act.

The law puts guidelines on what can be taught in classrooms, removed collective bargaining rights, requires post tenure reviews and bans faculty strikes.

As Universities across Ohio work to comply with the new law, YSU provost Jennifer Pintar is laying out the changes professors will see.

Cryshanna Jackson Leftwich, YSU professor of politics and international relations, said because the law was passed without any guidance, there is some confusion over what policies should be put into place.

“We have our administration trying to scramble to follow the law, and then you have faculty who are trying to scramble to maintain the integrity of the university, and there's a disconnect about what are the procedures and the policies that should be put into place,” said Leftwich.

One of the biggest focuses at the meeting was the workload policy. At YSU, the faculty workload is 24 hours yearly. Senate Bill 1 requires professors to have 30 hours a year. The increase led to confusion. 

“Which made faculty think that we were going to be required to teach even more classes on top of that. But that policy was clarified that the other component is going to include the other components of being a professor, which is our scholarship And our service,” said Leftwich.

The Ohio law also requires classroom syllabi to be public. Leftwich said professors are working with the University to make sure only information required by the state is accessible to the public.

“Putting out there where your classroom is, with when you're doing your office hours, it kind of makes you a sitting duck. And so that's not information that we necessarily want public,” said Leftwich.

Multiple professors spoke out about the changes to tenure. State law is requiring post tenure reviews and stops tenure negotiations. 

AJ Sumell, YSU economics professor, spoke out at the meeting. He is worried the changes will remove protections from people who have seniority.

“Because they are more expensive, right? And so, that's the purpose of the seniority clause, is to provide protection,” said Sumell.

Leftwich said YSU had their own version of post tenure reviews, but the law is taking it a step further.

“If people know they can't get job security, you know, what becomes the loyalty to the university? What becomes the loyalty to these jobs? How do we maintain faculty? How do we attract the best faculty to Youngstown State?” said Leftwich. “What are the incentives for junior faculty to want to move up in the ranks? What are going to be the incentives to bring other faculty from other states or from other universities to Ohio? In essence, when the idea or the notion be behind tenure is gone”

The new policies will go to the Board of Trustees for approval. Once approved, the policies will need the green light from the state.