DAYTON, OHIO

Some Ohio legislators want to force Central State University to merge with another institution of higher education despite a graduation rate for Black students that exceeds that of nearly half of the state's public universities.

One of the suggested merger partners is, ironically, the very institution from which CSU split exactly fifty years ago--Wilberforce University, one of the nation's oldest, private, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Wilberforce is located across the street from CSU in southwestern Ohio. The chairman of the board of trustees at Wilberforce has embraced the possibility of reuniting the two schools, although Central State supporters say they'll oppose any attempt to strip the school of its status of a four-year, independent university.

In response, Raymond Pierce, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U. S. Department of Education, wrote to Ohio governor George V. Voinovich to inform him that talk of the merger has prompted a resumption of an Office of Civil Rights (OCR) investigation into Ohio's higher education system.

In May of 1981 the OCR found Ohio to be in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because of its segregation of Central State University. The federal government and the state of Ohio have had several agreements to develop a plan for Central State. However, Pierce said in his letter, "OCR has no reasonable expectation that the state will provide OCR with a plan to remedy this matter. "

The reopening of the OCR's discrimination complaint against the state of Ohio over its funding and treatment of CSU could lead to a federal lawsuit or the withholding of federal funds from Ohio. [See box for excerpt from letter.] Central State is battling for its political and financial life after the school amassed a debt estimated by some state officials at nearly $20 million. An interim report of an investigation by Ohio's Inspector General suggested that CSU officials engaged in "numerous instances of fraud, waste and abuse" that could result in criminal prosecution. Some legislators--particularly Republicans who control both sides of Ohio's legislature--say the school has squandered previous bailouts and should be either closed or merged with another school such as Wilberforce or Ohio State University.