Ohio Civil Rights Commission Hearings at Wright State University

On Thursday, April 7, 2016, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission will be at Wright State University to hold hearings on cases which have been filed with the Commission. This event is being sponsored by the Bolinga Black Cultural Resources Center under the leadership of Dr. Edward Twyman, Director.

The Ohio Civil Rights Commission was created by the Ohio Legislature 52 years ago and is responsible for enforcing Ohio’s Civil Rights laws which guarantee everyone will be treated equally.  There are five Commissioners who are appointed by the Governor for four year terms.  Complaints are filed with the Commission by individuals who believe they have been discriminated against and most of these complaints are employment related. These complaints are investigated by the staff of the Commission and recommendations are made.  The parties to these complaints, normally an individual and their employer, may request a hearing at which time evidence may be presented to the Commissioners who then make a ruling. Two of these cases will be heard during the visit to WSU.

These hearings will be held in the Atrium of the Student Union and students, faculty, staff, and the general public are invited to attend.  Many professors give extra credit to students who attend.

This year the Commissioners will open the hearings at 9:30 am with a brief discussion of the cases which will be heard and then commence the actual hearings.  At the conclusion of the hearings the Commissioners will announce their decisions.  At approximately 12:00 they will discuss the reason for their decisions and hold an open forum where students and those present will have the opportunity to ask questions.

This is an opportunity to view Ohio government at work and students are encouraged to attend recognizing that many will have classes during this time period.  The openness of the Atrium permits students to attend as much of the hearings as possible.