Ohio State News Alert: Election information and resources

Ohio State News Alert: Election information and resources

All Buckeyes are encouraged to support Ohio State's motto of "Education for Citizenship"

The Ohio State University

The Ohio State University is providing election information, resources and guidelines to students, faculty and staff ahead of the nationwide election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. This update includes information about:

• Nov. 5 asynchronous learning pilot
• Nonpartisan election resources
• Civil discourse and Listen. Learn. Discuss.- including Nov. 4 pre-election event
• Institutional neutrality and freedom of expression
• Political activity guidelines
• Support and resources

All of this information is also available on the election resources page on the Listen. Learn. Discuss. website.

Asynchronous learning day
Following approval of a proposal from University Senate, Ohio State will hold a day of asynchronous learning on Election Dayas a one-time trial to support student participation in the general election. Instructors whose classes would otherwise have met in person or virtually should, in lieu of meeting, assign asynchronous classwork to be determined by the instructor.

Nonpartisan election resources
All Buckeyes are encouraged to support Ohio State's motto of "Education for Citizenship" by helping to spread the message of nonpartisan civic engagement.

OSU Votesis a nonpartisan, student-led initiative in the Office of Student Life that works to register, educate and encourage other students to vote. If there are requests for voter education materials, OSU Votes can provide resources and facts on the voting process.

The Ohio Secretary of State provides all the information you need to stay informedabout election day. You can check your Ohio voter registration status, find your polling locationand view details on how to vote early.

Civil discourse and Listen. Learn. Discuss.
Ohio State is committed to building an environment that fosters productive discussions on challenging topics, even when there is disagreement. All members of the university community are expected to treat one another with respect and compassion.

The university's Listen. Learn. Discuss.initiative helps community members productively listen to and discuss different perspectives, build trust with one another and learn how to clearly articulate their point of view. The initiative's website includes a page specifically for election related resourcesincluding the Center for Ethics and Human Values' civil discourse guideto help individuals engage with one another around the election.

Students, faculty and staff are invited to join the Institute for Democratic Engagement & Accountability (IDEA)and the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society - in collaboration with Listen. Learn. Discuss.- for a virtual, interactive session on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at 6:30 p.m.Participants will be invited to share ideas and concerns in a positive environment and discuss concrete steps that can be taken individually and together to promote understanding and responsible civic engagement. The goal is to create knowledge, skills and strategies to engage responsibly in democracy and our local community, regardless of the outcome of the election.

Institutional neutrality and freedom of expression
To maintain the neutrality that assures academic freedom and freedom of speech and expression, Ohio State refrains from taking institutional positions on complex political or global matters, events, natural disasters or tragedies that extend beyond the operations of the university itself.

Ohio State's Philosophy on Institutional and Leadership Statementsuses the university's Shared Values, the Chicago Principles and the Kalven Report as guiding principles. The philosophy does not impact academic freedom or any person's ability to make statements that represent their own, individual views. Faculty have, among other things, the freedom to assemble and freedom in how they choose to conduct research, teach, publish and discuss their areas of academic expertise.

The First Amendment and Ohio law expressly protect the rights of students, faculty, staff and visitors at the university to lawfully engage in speech and expressive activities. The First Amendment protects speech that is offensive, hateful or upsetting unless it falls into a category that the U.S. Supreme Court has determined is unprotected.

When speech becomes incitement or threats of violence, Ohio State has and will always move quickly to enforce the law and university policy. Ohio State has not and will not tolerate hatred, intimidation or harassment of anyone based on their religious beliefs, nationality or identity. The university will continue to follow established processes to address allegations or reports of discrimination, harassment or other violations of university rules, standards, the Code of Student Conduct and other community expectations. The university'sOffice of Institutional Equity(OIE) reviews and responds to reports of discrimination and harassment, and reports can be made directly to OIE.

Political activity guidelines
The university has guidelines regarding political activity, which can help employees understand how to exercise their constitutional rights without creating the appearance of endorsement for a particular candidate or cause.

Support and resources
The university recognizes that members of the community may be deeply impacted by a variety of national and global events and is committed to supporting all students, faculty and staff through direct actions and interventions that actively support health, safety and well-being.

The Office of Student Life's Counseling and Consultation Service has created a Coping with Current Eventspage for students to help with concerns about global conflict, the political environment, economic stress or other issues that can impact mental health. The webpage outlines a range of resources to help students cope and give them the skills to support their peers.

Faculty and staff are also encouraged to take advantage of the resources offered through the Employee Assistance Program. The program offers tools and support resources available to eligible Ohio State employees, their dependents, household members, parents and parents-in-law.

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