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The Legislative Service Commission staff updates the Revised Code on an ongoing basis, as it completes its act review of enacted legislation. Updates may be slower during some times of the year, depending on the volume of enacted legislation.

Chapter 1713 | Educational Corporations

 
 
 
Section
Section 1713.01 | Institution defined.
 

As used in sections 1713.01 to 1713.06 of the Revised Code, "institution" includes:

(A) Any nonprofit university, college, academy, school, or other institution, incorporated or unincorporated, that does any of the following:

(1) Awards or intends to award diplomas for the completion of a course designed to prepare students to be eligible for certification as registered nurses;

(2) Offers or intends to offer instruction in the arts and sciences, teacher education, business administration, engineering, philosophy, literature, fine arts, law, medicine, nursing, social work, theology and other recognized academic and professional fields of study, and awards or intends to award degrees for fulfilling requirements of academic work beyond high school;

(3) Offers or intends to offer a course or courses in any of the areas described by division (A)(1) or (2) of this section that are applicable to requirements for a diploma or degree named in either such division.

(B) Any college, university, or school that offers or intends to offer one or more courses in this state of the type described in division (A) of this section and that is operated by another state or a subdivision or other governmental entity of another state.

Section 1713.02 | Certificate of authorization.
 

(A) Any institution described in division (A) of section 1713.01 of the Revised Code may become incorporated under sections 1702.01 to 1702.58 of the Revised Code.

(B) Except as provided in division (E) of this section, no nonprofit institution or corporation of the type described in division (A) of section 1713.01 of the Revised Code that is established after October 13, 1967, may confer degrees, diplomas, or other written evidences of proficiency or achievement, until it has received a certificate of authorization issued by the chancellor of higher education, nor shall any such institution or corporation identify itself as a "college" or "university" unless it has received a certificate of authorization from the chancellor.

(C) Except as provided in division (E) of this section, no institution of the type described in division (A)(3) or (B) of section 1713.01 of the Revised Code that intends to offer or offers a course or courses within this state, but that did not offer a course or courses within this state on or before October 13, 1967, may confer degrees, diplomas, or other written evidences of proficiency or achievement or offer any course or courses within this state until it has received a certificate of authorization from the chancellor, nor shall the institution identify itself as a "college" or "university" unless it has received such a certificate from the chancellor.

(D) Each certificate of authorization shall specify the diplomas or degrees authorized to be given, courses authorized to be offered, and the sites at which courses are to be conducted. A copy of such certificate shall be filed with the secretary of state if the institution is incorporated. Any institution or corporation established or that offered a course or courses of instruction in this state prior to October 13, 1967, may apply to the chancellor for a certificate of authorization, and the chancellor shall issue a certificate if it finds that such institution or corporation meets the requirements established pursuant to sections 1713.01, 1713.02, 1713.03, 1713.04, 1713.06, 1713.09, and 1713.25 of the Revised Code.

(E) An institution that clearly identifies itself in its name with the phrase "bible college" or "bible institute" and has not received a certificate of authorization may confer diplomas and other written evidences of proficiency or achievement other than associate, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees or any other type of degree and may identify itself as a "bible college" if such institution:

(1) Prominently discloses on any transcripts, diplomas, or other written evidences of proficiency or achievement, and includes with any promotional material or other literature intended for the public, the statement: "this institution is not certified by the department of higher education or the state of Ohio."

(2) Limits its course of instruction to religion, theology, or preparation for a religious vocation, or is operated by a church or religious organization and limits its instruction to preparation for service to churches or other religious organizations.

(3) Confers only diplomas and other written evidences of proficiency or achievement that bear titles clearly signifying the religious nature of the instruction offered by the institution.

(F) Except as otherwise provided in section 3333.046 of the Revised Code, no school of the type described in division (E) of section 3332.01 of the Revised Code that intends to offer or offers a degree program within this state or solicits students within this state may confer a baccalaureate, master's, or doctoral degree or solicit students for such degree programs until it has received both a certificate of authorization from the chancellor of higher education under this chapter and program authorization from the state board of career colleges and schools for such degree program under section 3332.05 of the Revised Code.

Section 1713.03 | Standards for certificate of authorization.
 

The chancellor of higher education shall establish standards for certificates of authorization to be issued to institutions as defined in section 1713.01 of the Revised Code, to private institutions exempt from regulation under Chapter 3332. of the Revised Code as prescribed in section 3333.046 of the Revised Code, and to schools holding certificates of registration issued by the state board of career colleges and schools pursuant to division (C) of section 3332.05 of the Revised Code. A certificate of authorization may permit an institution or school to award one or more types of degrees.

The standards for a certificate of authorization may include, for various types of institutions, schools, or degrees, minimum qualifications for faculty, library, laboratories, and other facilities as adopted and published by the chancellor. The standards shall be adopted by the chancellor pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.

An institution or school shall apply to the chancellor for a certificate of authorization on forms containing such information as is prescribed by the chancellor. Each institution or school with a certificate of authorization shall file an annual report with the chancellor in such form and containing such information as the chancellor prescribes.

The chancellor shall adopt a rule under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing fees to pay the cost of reviewing an application for a certificate of authorization, which the institution or school shall pay when it applies for a certificate of authorization, and establishing fees, which an institution or school shall pay, for any further reviews the chancellor determines necessary upon examining an institution's or school's annual report.

Section 1713.031 | Review of application for certificate of authorization.
 

The chancellor of higher education shall review an application for a certificate of authorization from a school described in division (E) of section 3332.01 of the Revised Code within twenty-two weeks.

Section 1713.04 | Certificate subject to revocation.
 

A certificate of authorization provided for in section 1713.02 of the Revised Code is subject to revocation by the chancellor of higher education for cause pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.

Section 1713.05 | Rates for loans to students.
 

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "College or university" means a nonprofit educational institution qualifying under division (A)(2) of section 1713.01 and holding a certificate of authorization issued under section 1713.02 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Controlled entity" means a wholly owned subsidiary of a college or a university or a partnership in which a college or a university, or its wholly owned subsidiary, is the sole general partner.

(3) "Student" means a person attending a college or university who borrows money or obtains credit from such college or university, or from a controlled entity of such college or university, to finance the costs of attending such college or university, and includes the parents, guardians, and spouse of the student.

(B) Notwithstanding section 1343.01 of the Revised Code, a college or university, or a controlled entity of such college or university, may charge interest or finance charges on loans made or credit granted to a student for the student's costs of attending such college or university at any rate or rates agreed upon or consented to by the student in any open accounts receivable, loan agreement, or promissory note, but not to exceed the maximum interest rate applicable to the federal Stafford loan program under 34 C.F.R. 682.202(a)(1). The chancellor of higher education shall adopt rules specifying a schedule for the certification of such maximum interest rate.

(C) A college or university, or a controlled entity of such college or university, may charge students for the late payment of any costs of attending such college or university, including any payment under an agreement or note pursuant to division (B) of this section, at a rate not exceeding five per cent of any unpaid amount due and not paid per month for two months and not exceeding two per cent of such amount for subsequent months. A charge for a full month may be made for payments more than ten days late.

Section 1713.06 | Corporation may be restrained from exercise of its franchise.
 

If any institution, school, or person confers degrees, diplomas, or other written evidences of proficiency or achievement or offers or intends to offer a course or courses in this state applicable to requirements for a diploma or degree without the certificate of authorization required by section 1713.02 of the Revised Code, the chancellor of higher education may, through the office of the attorney general, apply to the court of common pleas in the county in which such institution, school, or person is operating to restrain such institution, school, or person from the exercise of its franchise, if the institution, school, or person is a corporation, from the awarding of the degrees or diplomas the institution, school, or person is not authorized to award, and from offering any course or courses or enrolling any student in any course or courses it is not authorized to conduct.

The chancellor may, through the office of the attorney general, petition the court of common pleas in the county in which the institution, school, or person is operating for an order enjoining the awarding of diplomas or degrees, the offering of courses, and the enrolling of students. The court may grant such injunctive relief upon a showing that the institution, school, or person named in the petition is awarding degrees or diplomas, offering courses applicable to requirements for such degrees or diplomas, or enrolling students in such courses to be offered in the state without receiving the appropriate certificate of authorization issued by the chancellor.

Section 1713.07 | Institution may hold donated property in trust.
 

A university, college, or academy, or the board of trustees thereof, may hold in trust any property devised, bequeathed, or donated to such institution, upon any specific trust consistent with the objects of such institution.

Section 1713.08 | Faculty.
 

The president and professors shall constitute the faculty of any incorporated literary college or university. They may enforce the rules and regulations enacted by its board of trustees for the government and discipline of the students and may suspend and expel offenders.

Section 1713.09 | Location may be changed.
 

A college, university, or other institution of learning, existing by virtue of an act of incorporation, or that becomes incorporated for any of the purposes specified in sections 1713.01 to 1713.39, inclusive, of the Revised Code, if three-fourths of the trustees or directors thereof deem it proper, or if the institution is owned in shares, or by stock subscribed or taken, by a vote of the holders of three-fourths of the stock or shares, may change the location of such institution, convey its real estate, and transfer the effects thereof, and invest them at the place to which such institution is removed. Any institution which has a certificate of authorization from the chancellor of higher education shall give written notice to the chancellor before such institution changes its location. No such removal shall be ordered, and no vote taken thereon, until after publication in the manner provided by law in case of a sale and distribution of the property of such an institution. Such publication shall fully set forth the place to which it is proposed to remove the institution. In case of removal, a copy of the proceedings of such meeting shall be filed with the secretary of state.

Section 1713.10 | Endowment fund diverted.
 

The board of trustees of a corporation incorporated to create, hold, and manage a college endowment fund, the articles of incorporation of which provide that the fund may be applied to any object not inconsistent with the purposes of education different from that particularly specified therein, may apply to the court of common pleas in the county in which the corporation is located for permission to make such change, designating particularly the purposes to which it is proposed to apply the fund. On being satisfied that such change is not inconsistent with the object of the original creation and institution of the fund, the court shall authorize and sanction it.

Section 1713.11 | Temporary loans secured by mortgage authorized.
 

The board of trustees of a college, university, academy, seminary, or other institution devoted to the promotion of education, in anticipation of donations to be received and collections to be made, for the purpose of constructing, enlarging, or adding to college buildings or improvements, may borrow such sum of money, upon such terms, and with such conditions as it determines necessary therefor, by temporary loans without mortgage or by the issue of bonds or notes and secure them by a mortgage upon the property on which such improvement is to be made, if the property is not held by it under some specific trust.

Section 1713.12 | Sections applicable to certain boards of trustees.
 

The board of trustees of any university or college operating under the patronage of one or more conferences or other religious bodies of any religious denomination, may accept sections 1713.12 to 1713.21, inclusive, of the Revised Code, by resolution adopted at any regular meeting of the board, and entered upon the record of its proceedings. After such acceptance the board in all respects shall be organized, constituted, regulated, and perpetuated, pursuant to such sections. No right acquired by any such board, university, or college, under its charter or any law of this state, shall in any way be affected thereby.

Section 1713.13 | Trustees to be divided into classes - president ex-officio member - limitations and designations.
 

The president of a university or college referred to in section 1713.12 of the Revised Code, shall, ex officio, be a member of the board of trustees after the acceptance of sections 1713.12 to 1713.21, inclusive, of the Revised Code, by any such university or college. At any of its meetings such board shall divide its number, not including such president, into classes, making one class for each conference or religious body at the time patronizing such university or college, one class for the alumni of such university or college, and one class of trustees at large. No class shall have more than ten members. Each conference or other religious body patronizing such university shall have the same number of trustees. The board may designate the number of trustees to be assigned to the alumni association and to the class of trustees at large, but the combined number of trustees apportioned to said patronizing conferences of other religious bodies shall constitute a majority of the entire board, not including the president.

Section 1713.14 | Term of office of trustees - vacancies.
 

The regular term of office of the trustees referred to in section 1713.13 of the Revised Code shall be five years, but upon the original formation of classes of trustees one or more trustees may be elected for one, two, three, and four-year terms until the regular order can be established. The term of office of an equal number of trustees in each class, as near as is possible, shall expire each year. Vacancies which occur in any class of trustees in any manner except by expiration of time shall be filled only for the remainder of the term, but the term of office of a trustee shall not expire during any meeting of the board of trustees which does not continue for more than two weeks.

Section 1713.15 | Term of trustees - expiration - members - vacancies.
 

If any university or college operating under the patronage of one or more conferences or other religious bodies in any denomination, where one of the conferences or other religious bodies holds regular biennial instead of annual meetings, the regular term of office of the trustees referred to in section 1713.13 of the Revised Code may be four years. The term of office of an equal number of trustees in each class, as near as is possible, shall expire biennially. None of the classes into which the board of trustees divides its number, in the manner provided in section 1713.13 of the Revised Code, shall have more than thirty members. Vacancies which occur in any class of trustees in any manner, except by expiration of time, shall be filled only for the remainder of the term, but the term of office of a trustee shall not expire during any meeting of the board which does not continue for more than two weeks.

Section 1713.16 | Reclassification and reapportionment of trustees.
 

If the number of conferences or other religious bodies patronizing a university or college referred to in section 1713.12 of the Revised Code shall at any time be increased or decreased, the board of trustees of such university or college may reclassify the trustees of said bodies by an equal reduction of the number in each such class when a new conference or other religious body becomes a patronizing body and by an equal increase of the number in each such class when a conference or other religious body ceases to be a patronizing body. Whenever, by reason of a change in the number of patronizing conferences or religious bodies, it becomes necessary to reclassify the trustees in said board, and whenever said board deems it proper, for any other reason, to increase or decrease its total membership within the limits established by section 1713.13 of the Revised Code, the board, a lawful quorum being present, shall by appropriate resolution designate the number of trustees apportioned to each class and certify such apportionment to each patronizing conference or other religious body and to such alumni association, and all vacancies in such class thereafter shall be filled in accordance with such apportionment.

Section 1713.17 | Alumni association may elect one fifth of board.
 

The alumni composing the alumni association of a university or college referred to in section 1713.12 of the Revised Code may elect as members of the board of trustees of such university or college, as many members of such alumni association as there are members of the class of alumni trustees assigned or apportioned to said alumni association by the board. Such class shall constitute not less than one fifth of the entire board, not including the president. This election shall be held under such regulations as the alumni association prescribes, and the result shall be certified by the proper officials of the alumni association to the board and entered upon the records of said board. Such board composed of alumni trustees and trustees elected by patronizing conferences or other religious bodies, as provided in sections 1713.13 to 1713.17, inclusive, of the Revised Code, may increase its own numbers by the election of a class of trustees at large, the number of which class shall be fixed by said board, under the limitations fixed by sections 1713.13 and 1713.17 of the Revised Code.

Section 1713.18 | Presiding head of conference may be trustee - life trustees.
 

Any university or college operating under the patronage of one or more conferences or other religious bodies of any religious denomination, having accepted sections 1713.13 to 1713.17, inclusive, of the Revised Code, may, upon the authority of a resolution of its board of trustees, make the bishop, or the presiding head by whatever name called, of the area included in the conference or conferences under whose patronage the university or college is operating, ex officio, a trustee and a member of its board, with the same effect as the president of said university or college occupies as a trustee, with the complete right to vote, to participate in discussions, and to serve on committees. The presence of said bishop or the head as a member of the board shall not affect in any way the classifications, divisions, or allotments of the board into classes, and, like the president of the university, the bishop or head of the area shall not be included in the designation of said classes, or as a member of any class, or in determining the total per cent of the trustees to be allotted to the patronizing conferences.

The board may, by appropriate resolution, create and elect life trustees, whose total number at any one time shall never exceed ten, and who shall not have the power to vote but who shall have the right to be present at all meetings of the board and to participate in all of its discussions, and, without vote but with the right for discussion, to serve on any committee. The creation and election of such life trustees shall in no way modify the rules or the laws applicable to the creation of classes of trustees in such university or college, or to the numbers allotted to each class, or to the total per cent of the trustees to be elected by the patronizing conference or conferences.

Section 1713.19 | Conference may become a patron.
 

Any conference or other religious body not patronizing any particular university or college may become a patronizing body upon invitation of the board of trustees of such university or college by a majority vote of the whole board. The intention to become such patronizing body shall be evidenced by the adoption of an appropriate resolution and certification of the same to the board, and such certified resolution shall be entered upon the minutes of the board thereby completing the right of such conference or religious body to act as a patronizing body.

Last updated February 25, 2022 at 2:29 PM

Section 1713.20 | Quorum of trustees.
 

Eleven trustees shall constitute a quorum of the board of trustees of any university or college referred to in section 1713.12 of the Revised Code, whatever the number of trustees, if more than twenty, is or may become; but when the number is twenty or less, a majority thereof shall constitute a quorum.

Section 1713.21 | Termination of right of representation.
 

If a conference or other religious body patronizing a university or college and having a representation in its board of trustees, ceases to exist, or ceases to patronize such university or college, the right of such conference or other religious body to such representation shall cease, and the board shall apportion or distribute the number of trustees in such class to the remaining patronizing conferences or other religious bodies in order to maintain, as nearly as possible, the established number of trustees, and equality of representation from each patronizing body.

Before a conference or other religious body represented in the board of such university or college shall cease to be represented, the board shall declare and enter in the record of its proceedings that the conditions terminating such representation have taken place.

Section 1713.22 | Colleges under ecclesiastical patronage.
 

A corporation may be formed for the promotion of academic, collegiate, or university education, under religious influences, may set forth in its articles or certificate of incorporation, as a part thereof, the name of the religious sect, association, or denomination with which it is to be connected, and may grant any ecclesiastical body of such religious sect, association, or denomination, whether it is a conference, association, presbytery, synod, general assembly, convocation, or otherwise, the right to appoint its trustees or directors, or any number thereof. Such corporation may set forth in its articles or certificate such other rights as to the administration of the purpose for which it is organized, consistent with the laws of this state and of the United States, which the corporation desires to confer upon the ecclesiastical body of such sect, association, or denomination; and that body may exercise all rights and powers set forth therein.

Section 1713.23 | Religious educational corporations - trustees.
 

A corporation formed for the promotion of academic, collegiate, or university education, under religious influences, incorporated under the laws of this state, by special act or otherwise, may avail itself of section 1713.22 of the Revised Code, as a part of its articles or certificate of incorporation, and may confer on an ecclesiastical body of such religious sect, association, or denomination, which it is or proposes to be connected with, whether it is a conference, association, presbytery, synod, general assembly, convocation, or otherwise, all of the rights, powers, or privileges allowed to be conferred by such section on corporations organized under such section, and may accept the provisions of such section by a vote of the majority of its trustees at any regular meeting.

When so accepted, a copy of the acceptance, certified by the secretary or clerk of its board of trustees or directors, shall be sent to the ecclesiastical body with which it is or proposes to be connected. If such body agrees to accept the powers proposed to be conferred upon it, it shall certify its approval upon the certified copy, and the certified copy thereupon shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state. When thus filed it will be a part of the charter of such corporation, and such ecclesiastical body shall exercise all the rights and powers set forth in the articles or certificate of incorporation.

After such acceptance the board shall certify it to the patronizing conference or other religious body having the right to elect or appoint trustees of such university or other institution of learning, at the next meeting of such conference or other religious body. Thereafter the board shall consist of twenty-one trustees elected or appointed, and the president of such university or other institution of learning, who shall be ex officio a member thereof. Such elected or appointed trustees shall be divided into three classes of seven members each.

At the first election or appointment after such acceptance, one of such classes shall be elected or appointed for one year, one for two years, and one for three years. In subsequent elections or appointments each of the classes of trustees shall be elected or appointed for three years. No term of office of such a trustee shall expire during a meeting of the board which does not continue more than two weeks. Ten members of the board shall constitute a quorum. Vacancies which occur in any class of trustees otherwise than by expiration of the term of office shall be filled only for the remainder of the term.

Section 1713.24 | Sale and distribution of property of certain corporations.
 

The trustees of a university, college, or other institution of learning, incorporated by authority of this state under special charter, and which is owned in shares or stock subscribed or taken, may dispose of its property at public sale, on such terms as to payment as the stockholders by a vote of three fourths of the shares or stock of the institution direct after giving public notice thereof by publication for six consecutive weeks in some newspaper published in the county where the institution is located. Such notice shall contain a full statement of the terms, time, and place of sale, and such action of the trustees. The trustees may wind up the corporate existence of such institution, and make an equitable division and distribution of the proceeds of the sale among all the holders of shares or stock, after the payment of its just debts.

Section 1713.25 | Institutions may change name or purpose.
 

The board of trustees of an institution of learning incorporated under the authority of this state for the sole purpose of promoting education, religion and morality, or the fine arts, at a regular or special meeting of such board called for that purpose, after thirty days' actual notice to each trustee, may change the name and enlarge the purposes and objects of such institution of learning, by amendment to its charter, approved by a majority of the board.

No institution as defined in section 1713.01 of the Revised Code or school that holds a certificate of registration issued by the state board of career colleges and schools pursuant to division (C) of section 3332.05 of the Revised Code, that has been issued a certificate of authorization by the chancellor of higher education shall change the purposes of the institution without giving written notice to the chancellor, who shall issue an amended certificate of authorization to the institution or school upon receipt of such notice.

Section 1713.26 | Procedure and effect.
 

When the amendment referred to in section 1713.25 of the Revised Code is adopted by the board of trustees, a copy thereof with a certificate thereto affixed, signed by any authorized officer of such board and sealed with the corporate seal, stating the fact and date of such amendment, and that such copy is a true copy of the original amendment, shall be filed and recorded in the office of the secretary of state. When so filed and recorded such amendment shall be an integral part of the articles of incorporation of such corporation. The property, real and personal, corporate powers and franchise, endowment funds, gifts, bequests, legacies, mortgage securities, and promissory notes, belonging to such original corporation, by such amendment shall pass to, and be enjoyed and exercised by the corporation created and organized by such amendment for the promotion of the objects of its creation and organization. Such new corporation shall be liable for and must perform all the lawful obligations and contracts of the original corporation.

Section 1713.27 | Fees of secretary of state.
 

For recording the amendment referred to in section 1713.25 of the Revised Code and furnishing certified copies thereof, the secretary of state shall receive a fee of twenty cents per hundred words, to be in no case less than five dollars.

Section 1713.28 | Organic rules may be prescribed in articles of certain corporations.
 

An association incorporated for the purpose of receiving gifts, devises, or trust funds to erect, establish, or maintain an academy in any department of fine arts, a gallery for the exhibition of paintings, sculpture, or works of art, a museum of natural or other curiosities or specimens of art or nature promotive of knowledge, a law or other library, courses of lectures upon science, art, philosophy, natural history, or law, and to open them to the public on reasonable terms, an industrial training school or a mechanics' institute for advancing the best interest of mechanics, manufacturers, and artisans by the more general diffusion of useful knowledge in those classes of the community, or homes for indigent and aged persons and unmarried persons, whose directors or trustees may be of either sex, may prescribe in its articles of incorporation the tenure of office of the trustees or directors, the mode of appointing or electing successors, the administration and management of the property, trust, and other funds of the corporation, and such other organic rules as are deemed expedient or acceptable to donors, which shall be the permanent organic law of the corporation.

By certificate duly acknowledged by the trustees or directors and filed in the office of the secretary of state, such association may add to the original objects and purposes thereof any of the objects and purposes mentioned in this section and not provided for by the articles of incorporation.

Section 1713.29 | Accounts of receipts and disbursements.
 

The officers of a corporation referred to in section 1713.28 of the Revised Code, charged or entrusted with the receipts and disbursements of its funds or property, shall make and keep accurate and detailed accounts of such funds, and the receipts and disbursements thereof such as are required to be kept by the fund commissioners of the state. On or before the third Monday in January of each year the trustees shall file with the clerk of the court of common pleas of the county in which the corporation is located an abstract of their account which shall correspond in date, amount, person to whom paid, from whom received, and on what account, with the vouchers taken or given on account of such receipts and disbursements. At the same time they annually shall file in such clerk's office a report of the names of the donors, the kind, amount, or value of gifts of each, and a brief statement of the conditions and purposes of the gifts. The filing of such abstract and report and the supplying of any omission in either may be enforced by order and attachment of the court against the trustees on motion of any respectable citizen.

Section 1713.30 | Trustees ineligible to other office.
 

No trustee of a corporation referred to in section 1713.28 of the Revised Code, shall be eligible to any office or agency of the corporation to which a salary or emolument is attached, nor shall the trustees be allowed any salary, emoluments, or perquisites, except the right of free ingress to the grounds, rooms, and buildings of the corporation.

Section 1713.31 | Attorney general may enforce duties of officers.
 

On application in writing to the attorney general by five citizens of the proper county, verified by the oath or affirmation of one of them, setting forth specific charges against any of the fiscal or other agents or trustees of a corporation referred to in section 1713.28 of the Revised Code involving a breach of trust or duty, the attorney general shall give notice thereof to the trustees or agents complained of, and inquire into the truth of such charges. For this purpose he may receive affidavits or enforce, by process from the court of common pleas of Franklin county, the production of papers and the attendance of witnesses before him. If, on testimony or other evidence, he believes any of the charges to be true, he shall proceed by action in that court, in the name of the state, against the delinquent trustees, or fiscal agents, and, on the hearing the court may direct the performance of any duty or the removal of any agents or trustees, and decree such other and further relief as is equitable.

Section 1713.32 | Mechanics' institute may borrow money.
 

A mechanics' institute incorporated under the laws of this state prior to 1851 may borrow money, issue bonds or notes therefor at no more than the legal rate of interest, and secure them by mortgage upon its real estate.

Section 1713.33 | Liability of directors and trustees.
 

The directors and trustees of an institute referred to in section 1713.32 of the Revised Code, are not personally liable for debts permitted to be contracted by such section.

Section 1713.34 | Medical colleges or embalming board may receive bodies for study or dissection - procedure.
 

Superintendents of city hospitals, directors or superintendents of city infirmaries, county homes, or other charitable institutions, directors or superintendents of workhouses, founded and supported in whole or in part at public expense, superintendents or managing officers of state benevolent institutions, boards of township trustees, sheriffs, or coroners, in possession of bodies not claimed or identified, or which must be buried at the expense of the state, county, or township, before burial, shall notify the professor of anatomy in a college which by its charter is empowered to teach anatomy, or the secretary of the board of embalmers and funeral directors of this state, of the fact that such bodies are being so held. If after a period of thirty-six hours the body has not been accepted by friends or relatives for burial at their expense, such superintendent, director, or other officer, on the written application of such professor, or the secretary of the board of embalmers and funeral directors, shall deliver to such professor or secretary, for the purpose of medical or surgical study or dissection or for the study of embalming, the body of any such person who died in any of such institutions from any disease which is not infectious. The expense of the delivery of the body shall be borne by the parties in whose keeping the body was placed.

Section 1713.35 | Body to be delivered to claimant.
 

If the body of a deceased person delivered as provided in section 1713.34 of the Revised Code, is subsequently claimed in writing by a relative or other person for private interment at his own expense, it shall be given up to such claimant.

Section 1713.36 | Interment of body or ashes after study or dissection.
 

After the bodies referred to in section 1713.34 of the Revised Code have been subjected to medical or surgical examination or dissection or for the study of embalming, the remains thereof shall be interred, or shall be cremated and the ashes interred, in some suitable place at the expense of the parties in whose keeping the corpse was placed.

Section 1713.37 | Notification of relatives.
 

In all cases the officer having a body referred to in section 1713.34 of the Revised Code under his control must notify in writing the relatives of the deceased person.

Section 1713.38 | Bodies of strangers or travelers.
 

The bodies of strangers or travelers, who die in any of the institutions named in section 1713.34 of the Revised Code, shall not be delivered for the purpose of dissection unless the stranger or traveler belongs to that class commonly known as tramps. Bodies delivered as provided in such section shall be used for medical, surgical, and anatomical study only, and within this state.

Section 1713.39 | Liability for having unlawful possession of body.
 

A person, association, or company, having unlawful possession of the body of a deceased person shall be jointly and severally liable with any other persons, associations, and companies that have had unlawful possession of such body, in any sum not less than five hundred nor more than five thousand dollars, to be recovered at the suit of the personal representative of the deceased in any court of competent jurisdiction, for the benefit of the next of kin of the deceased.

Section 1713.40 | Prohibition against detention of corpse.
 

No person shall detain a corpse claimed by relatives or friends for interment at their expense.

Section 1713.41 | Prohibition against refusal to deliver corpse.
 

No superintendent of a city hospital, city infirmary, county home, workhouse, hospital for persons with mental illnesses, or other charitable institution founded and supported in whole or in part at public expense, coroner, infirmary director, sheriff, or township trustee, shall fail to deliver a body of a deceased person when applied for, in conformity to law, or charge, receive, or accept money or other valuable consideration for the delivery.

This section does not require the delivery of the body until twenty-four hours after death.

Last updated March 10, 2023 at 11:07 AM

Section 1713.42 | Prohibition against unlawful possession of corpse.
 

No person shall be in possession of a corpse for the purpose of medical, surgical, or anatomical study, except as provided by law.

Section 1713.50 | Private college or university may establish campus police department.
 

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Political subdivision" means a county, municipal corporation, or township.

(2) "Private college or university" means a college or university that has all of the following characteristics:

(a) It is not owned or controlled by the state or any political subdivision of the state.

(b) It provides a program of education in residence leading to a baccalaureate degree or provides a program of education in residence, for which the baccalaureate degree is a prerequisite, leading to an academic or professional degree.

(c) It is accredited by the north central association or another nationally recognized agency that accredits colleges and universities.

(3) "Felony" has the same meaning as in section 109.511 of the Revised Code.

(B) The board of trustees of a private college or university may establish a campus police department and appoint members of the campus police department to act as police officers. The board shall assign duties to the members of a campus police department that shall include the enforcement of the regulations of the college or university. Subject to division (E) of this section, the board shall appoint as members of a campus police department only those persons who have successfully completed a training program approved by the Ohio peace officer training commission and have been certified as having done so or who have previously successfully completed a police officer basic training program certified by the commission and have been awarded a certificate to that effect by the commission.

Members of a campus police department shall not be reimbursed with state funds for any training they receive or be eligible to participate in any state or municipal retirement system. The uniforms, vehicles, and badges of members of a campus police department shall be distinct from those of the law enforcement agencies of the political subdivisions in which the private college or university that established the campus police department is located.

(C) Each member of a campus police department appointed under division (B) of this section is vested, while directly in the discharge of that member's duties as a police officer, with the same powers and authority that are vested in a police officer of a municipal corporation or a county sheriff under Title XXIX of the Revised Code and the Rules of Criminal Procedure, including the same powers and authority relating to the operation of a public safety vehicle that are vested in a police officer of a municipal corporation or a county sheriff under Chapter 4511. of the Revised Code. Except as otherwise provided in this division, members of a campus police department may exercise, concurrently with the law enforcement officers of the political subdivisions in which the private college or university is located, the powers and authority granted to them under this division in order to preserve the peace, protect persons and property, enforce the laws of this state, and enforce the ordinances and regulations of the political subdivisions in which the private college or university is located, but only on the property of the private college or university that employs them. The board of trustees of a private college or university may enter into an agreement with any political subdivision pursuant to which the members of the campus police department of the college or university may exercise within that political subdivision, but outside the property of the college or university, the powers and authority granted to them under this division. A member of a campus police department has no authority to serve civil process.

(D) Except as otherwise provided in this division, the board of trustees of a private college or university shall provide to each member of a campus police department appointed under division (B) of this section, without cost to the member, liability insurance coverage that insures the member against any liability that may arise out of or in the course of the member's employment and that is in an amount of not less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars. A board of trustees may provide the liability coverage required by this division by self-insurance.

(E)(1) The board of trustees of a private college or university that establishes a campus police department shall not appoint a person as a member of the campus police department pursuant to division (B) of this section on a permanent basis, on a temporary basis, for a probationary term, or on other than a permanent basis if the person previously has been convicted of or has pleaded guilty to a felony.

(2)(a) The board of trustees of a private college or university shall terminate the employment of a member of its campus police department appointed under division (B) of this section if the member does either of the following:

(i) Pleads guilty to a felony;

(ii) Pleads guilty to a misdemeanor pursuant to a negotiated plea agreement as provided in division (D) of section 2929.43 of the Revised Code in which the member agrees to surrender the certificate awarded to that member under section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(b) The board of trustees of a private college or university shall suspend from employment a member of its campus police department appointed under division (B) of this section if the member is convicted, after trial, of a felony. If the member of the campus police department files an appeal from that conviction and the conviction is upheld by the highest court to which the appeal is taken or if the member does not file a timely appeal, the board shall terminate the employment of that member. If the member of the campus police department files an appeal that results in that member's acquittal of the felony or conviction of a misdemeanor, or in the dismissal of the felony charge against that member, the board shall reinstate that member. A member of a campus police department who is reinstated under division (E)(2)(b) of this section shall not receive any back pay unless that member's conviction of the felony was reversed on appeal, or the felony charge was dismissed, because the court found insufficient evidence to convict the member of the felony.

(3) Division (E) of this section does not apply regarding an offense that was committed prior to January 1, 1997.

(4) The suspension from employment, or the termination of the employment, of a member of a campus police department under division (E)(2) of this section shall be in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.

Section 1713.55 | Meningitis and hepatitis B vaccination.
 

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Nonprofit institution of higher education" or "institution" means a nonprofit college, university, or other institution that offers instruction in the arts and sciences, business administration, engineering, philosophy, literature, fine arts, law, medicine, nursing, social work, theology, and other recognized academic and professional fields of study, and awards degrees for fulfilling requirements of academic work beyond high school.

(2) "On-campus student housing" means a dormitory or other student residence that is owned or operated by or located on the campus of a nonprofit institution of higher education.

(3) "Parent" means either parent, except that if one parent has sole custody, "parent" means the parent with custody. "Parent" also includes a guardian or, in the absence of a parent or guardian, another person who has accepted responsibility for the care of the student.

(B) Beginning with the academic year that commences on or after July 1, 2005, a nonprofit institution of higher education shall not permit a student to reside in on-campus student housing unless the student, or, if the student is younger than eighteen years of age, the student's parent, discloses to the institution whether the student has been vaccinated against meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B by submitting to the institution the meningitis and hepatitis B vaccination status statement described in division (B) of section 3701.133 of the Revised Code or a meningitis status statement form provided by the institution that meets the requirements of division (B) of section 3701.133 of the Revised Code. The statement may be submitted in written form or, if the institution has a secure web site, in electronic form.

(C) On receipt of an application for residence in on-campus student housing, a nonprofit institution of higher education shall do both of the following:

(1) Inform the student of the disclosure requirement;

(2) Provide the student in either written or, if the school has a secure web site, electronic form the meningitis and hepatitis B vaccination status statement described in division (B) of section 3701.133 of the Revised Code or a meningitis status statement form provided by the institution that meets the requirements of division (B) of section 3701.133 of the Revised Code.

(D) This section does not require an institution to provide or pay for a meningococcal meningitis or hepatitis B vaccination for any student.

Section 1713.60 | Military leave of absence for student on active duty.
 

As used in this section, "active duty" means full-time duty in the active military service of the United States, including full-time training duty, annual training duty, and active state duty for members of the national guard.

(A) Each institution of higher education that holds a certificate of authorization issued under this chapter shall grant a student a military leave of absence from the institution while the student is serving on active duty, and for one year after the conclusion of that service, if the student is a member of the United States national guard or other reserve component of the armed forces of the United States, or a member of those armed forces in a retired status, and is called to active duty. The student shall not suffer an academic penalty as a result of the leave of absence.

(B) If requested by a student granted a military leave of absence pursuant to division (A) of this section not later than one year after the student's release from active duty, the institution in which the student is enrolled shall do either of the following, as elected by the student:

(1) Credit tuition and fee charges toward a subsequent academic term in an amount that is one hundred per cent of what the student paid the institution for the academic term in which the student withdraws;

(2) Refund tuition and fees paid for the academic term, provided the student withdraws before the withdraw date established by the institution. The refund shall equal one hundred per cent of the tuition and fee charges the student paid the institution for the academic term. If the student withdraws after the withdraw date established by the institution, the student is ineligible for a refund of tuition and fee charges. For the purposes of this section, the "withdraw date" shall be the same as the date set by the institution for its general student population to withdraw from the institution or a course or class without academic penalty.

(C) If requested by a student granted a military leave of absence pursuant to division (A) of this section not later than one year after the student's release from active duty, the institution shall restore the student to the educational status the student had attained prior to being called to active duty without loss of academic credits earned, scholarships or grants awarded, or tuition and other fees paid prior to the commencement of active duty, except as provided in division (B) of this section.

(D) If an institution fails to comply with this section, the student may bring an action against the institution to enforce its provisions in the court of common pleas of the county in which the student resides. If the student resides outside of this state, the action shall be brought in the court of common pleas of the county in which the campus of the institution previously attended by the student is located. The court may award reasonable attorney's fees and expenses if the student prevails in the action.

Section 1713.99 | Penalty.
 

(A) Whoever violates section 1713.40, 1713.41, or 1713.42 of the Revised Code shall be fined not less than twenty-five nor more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than six months.