Campus Experience Survey: An Assessment of Students at Four-year Public Universities in Ohio

Ohio’s leading public universities have recently adopted several policies to protect free expression and intellectual diversity. However, as the following survey from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) and College Pulse shows, these institutions still have more work to do to build a true culture of campus freedom.

Our survey of 2,277 students and recent alumni from Kent State University, Miami University, The Ohio State University, Ohio University, and the University of Cincinnati reveals both encouraging and disheartening student views on free expression and intellectual diversity. For example, while 74% of students say their campus is at least somewhat welcoming to those who hold unpopular political opinions, nearly half also say the political climate on their campus prevents them from expressing their beliefs. Students also express conflicting perspectives on intellectual diversity. For example, while 70% of students agree that their university should take action to promote political diversity among its faculty, 65% also say that professors should be reported to the university if they say something that students find offensive.

Our survey reveals variations in these results between the five universities and between different student demographic groups. Explore the full survey report to learn more.

Visit our Ohio Report Card for a complete assessment of all five universities against ACTA’s Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™.