Amid controversial end of the year, OSU president lobbies Statehouse for funds

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- From Ohio Stadium to the Ohio Statehouse, Ohio State University President Ted Carter was at the statehouse Wednesday.

One of Carter's main reasons for being at the statehouse was to ask for funding but ended up talking about the university’s response to events to end the school year.

Carter has been on the job for about five months now. Just in the last few weeks, there have been numerous pro-Palestine protests at the university, with approximately 40 people arrested during the protests including numerous students, who've called on the university to cut ties with Israel.

In addition, a woman tragically died Sunday during the commencement ceremony after falling out of the stadium. The university also received mixed reactions to the chosen commencement speaker.

During Carter's testimony to the Ohio Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee, he spoke about the successes of the university. He said in 2023, the university’s annual economic impact for the state is estimated to be around $19.6 billion dollars with 80% of the graduates staying in Ohio to work.

He said the university is submitting requests for $76.5 million for maintenance projects across their campuses for the fiscal year 2025-26. This funding would be used to update buildings on the Columbus campus and all of the branch campuses.

Carter also addressed challenges on college campuses including student debt, enrollment, and declining faith in the value of a college education.

He also spoke about pro-Palestinian protests happening on campus’ across the nation and at Ohio State University.

On April 25, 40 people including 18 students were arrested at a protest on Ohio State’s campus. There has been criticism about the university’s response to these protests.

Carter is standing firm in saying he believes the university handled the protests correctly.

“We also made it very clear that there weren't going to be any encampments or people spending the night, and not that I was worried about whether they could do it peacefully as we didn't have the security force to protect them," Carter said.

Several times, Carter said the arrests were not about limiting free speech, but about intentionally violating university rules. He said the response to keep people safe.

“Those security forces took more stuff hitting at them than the other way around. They had bottles of urine thrown up and bottles of water thrown at them," Carter said. “We had to use extra security forces, which our campus police are not large enough to do. That's why we asked for some support from the State Highway Patrol, and they came in and again, no batons, no pepper spray, no tasers, only defensive gear.”

Carter said he is committed to free speech and believes in it himself.

Following Carter's presentation, the head of the Senate committee said to him the university’s response to the protests should be used as an example.

This week, Ohio's attorney general brought to light a 70-year-old law meant to target the Ku Klux Klan.

The law makes it a fourth-degree felony for two or more people to commit a crime together while wearing a mask.

Carter said he was not aware of this law until recently, and said the university is looking at it but not taking any particular action at this time.

Carter also addressed the process for choosing the speaker for the 2024 commencement ceremony calling him non-traditional.

The speaker was Christopher Pan, a social entrepreneur who admitted on social media to taking psychedelic drugs to help write his speech, which Carter said he does not endorse.

Carter said Pan, an Ohio State graduate, had been on the university’s radar for several years as a potential commencement speaker.

“A lot of that was going on well before I even showed up in the job, so, yes, he's somebody that was known to the university," Carter said. “He'd been on a list, yes, he did get invited to come speak. I did not review his speech. I did not know what he was really going to speak about. And again, wouldn't matter, because once you get to the microphone, he's got the microphone. That was certainly an interesting speech.”