Ohio State University resident halls advisers will have fewer options when it comes to decorating their dormitory’s communal spaces this year, in part because of Ohio Senate Bill 1, the sweeping new higher education law.
In years past, resident advisers — students who supervise others living in their same residence hall — have decorated the halls and common spaces of their dorms with creative themes, often inspired by pop culture from “Stranger Things” to “Grey’s Anatomy” to “Spongebob.”
But now, resident advisers are asked to focus themes on “Ohio State spirit,” Ohio State spokesperson Dave Isaacs said in an email. That includes, but isn’t limited to, scarlet and gray, Block Os and Brutus Buckeye.
Students walk and ride across Ohio State’s campus on Aug. 26, 2025.
RAs learned about the change during orientation sessions before fall semester started, an announcement that was met with shock and gasps in the room, one student told The Dispatch.
“SB1 was certainly a factor” in the decision, Isaacs said, with the goal “to create an open and welcoming environment for all students.”
“We are committed to providing an open and welcoming environment for all students, including in our residence halls, as we build community throughout our spaces and programming,” he said.
Isaacs said the guidance only applies to how resident advisers, who are employed by the university, and decorate common spaces. Students are still allowed to decorate their personal rooms as they like.
Ohio SB 1, passed earlier this year, officially went into effect on June 27. Universities hustled to implement the massive higher education overhaul over the summer that, among other things, bans diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs on campus, bans faculty strikes, limits the power of tenure among university educators and prevents higher education institutions from taking positions on “controversial beliefs or policies.”
The resident hall changes come on the heels of Ohio State banning chalking on campus earlier this month. Chalking was a popular practice in which students wrote slogans, announcements and political commentary in chalk on the sidewalks around campus.
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State limits themed decorations in dorm common spaces due to SB 1
