Gubernatorial elections take place every four years in Ohio, and this year on candidate is making headlines for the wrong reasons. Vivek Ramaswamy is the Republican candidate running for governor. According to Vivek for Ohio, some of his stances include a self-proclaimed “anti-woke” platform, ending birthright citizenship and implementing “merit-based” pay for educators. However, these topics may not be what high school seniors and college students should be most invested in. Instead, they should redirect their attention to his threats on Northeast Ohio public colleges.
Education has become a hot-button issue for Ramaswamy. One of his biggest initiatives is public university closure and consolidation, a lot of which will take place in Northeast Ohio. Akron University, Kent State University and Cleveland State University are the three he has been the most concerned with.
“I think this is honestly very scary as someone who has already paid the deposits for a school, knowing within the next year it’s possible for it to get shut down,” incoming collegiate swimmer at Cleveland State and current Hoover High School senior Marie Lochridge said. “These proposals make me very upset because, in my mind, they don’t make any sense; schools like CSU and KSU are foundations within communities. They are some of the more affordable schools in Ohio as well, they provide jobs, and I really don’t see how shutting these schools down could greatly impact the state more than having these schools open is.”
Out of this year’s graduating class, 32 out of 102 seniors going to college (of whom declared their college decision to The Eagle in a previous survey) are going to one of these three universities; a little over a fourth of that student demographic. This is recurring every year within our district; many students choose one of these schools because of their distance from home, affordability, desired programs or CCP acceptance, all of which make them cornerstones of our community.
“When it comes to consolidation and closure of schools, colleges, universities, etc. we’re taking away choice from individuals who are seeking education. This, in turn, can result in fewer people who obtain degrees and can then go on to find higher-paying jobs that require a degree,” Kent State University Ph.D Scott Tobias said. “One underlying issue here is the cost of education, which continues to rise. In terms of public schools, the amount of money the state allocates each year is far less than even 20 years ago. The only way to survive then, is to compensate the lower state share with higher tuition prices. Smaller schools may not be able to sustain this, leading to closure and consolidation.”
With Ohio making its steady descent in the ranking in the United States Public Education, it seems as though the closure of these schools will only perpetuate that more so.
“…they (these universities) are staples in many communities. Would people go to Kent if it wasn’t a college town? I don’t think so, these schools bring so much business to these communities that otherwise wouldn’t have any,” Lochridge said. “These schools also provide jobs for many people in the area, as well as opportunities. Why would anyone want to limit the opportunities available for the young minds that are going to be the future lawyers, designers, engineers, ect.?”
When you go to cast your vote this year, do not just think about whether you want blue or red, but how it may affect you, your education, your students and your communities. As voters, we have to weigh what we think is better: good and affordable education, or a slightly altered destination for your tax dollars. Cleveland State, Kent State and the University of Akron have been consistent post-secondary destinations for GlenOak students for decades. Threats of their closures and consolidation should not be taken lightly by students or community members. These universities impact our community too much to be closed.
