Ohio State faces scrutiny over DEI spending, foreign funding from China, coinciding with JD Vance’s appointment as VPOTUS – Newz9

Ohio State University (OSU) is below scrutiny for its spending on range, fairness, and inclusion (DEI) applications and its acceptance of foreign fundingin response to a report by Open the Books, a taxpayer transparency watch canine. This comes as OSU alumnus JD Vance is anticipated to develop into vp.
The report states OSU spent $13.3 million on 201 DEI-related workers within the final 12 months. Open the Books claims this quantity might cowl in-state tuition for 1,000 college students.
The report additionally highlights $15.8 million in funding OSU acquired from China since 2013, the identical 12 months a Chinese researcher at OSU was later convicted of creating false statements to federal authorities associated to analysis fraud.
Additionally, the report particulars over $3 billion in federal grants acquired by OSU since 2020, together with funding for applications like “rock climbing for Girls-(female and nonbinary teens)” and analysis on insect protein and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.
OSU spokesperson Benjamin Johnson questioned the report’s DEI worker rely, stating figures “have all been produced without the university’s input or guidance,” a neighborhood media reported said. He defined that a lot of the spending covers incapacity lodging, Title IX compliance, scholar retention applications, analysis grants, presents, and scholarships.
Open the Books stated its report on OSU is the primary in a collection inspecting DEI spendingforeign donations, and federal grants at public universities. The watchdog stated it used OSU’s publicly obtainable payroll knowledge and federal data for its evaluation.
The report notes that whereas most of OSU’s foreign donations got here from international locations like Japan and Switzerland, China was a major contributor, alongside with $7.7 million from sources tied to Saudi Arabia. It additionally highlighted OSU applications that join college students with profession alternatives in China. According to native experiences, Open the Books said, “While we spent on DEI, they were working on getting STEM-related knowledge.”