I read this article in the NYT today with a sense of real sadness. As an academic on a T10 campus, I echo the reality of what is being described. The pendulum has swung so much that now rather than being a “hotbed of liberalism” where conservative thought wasn’t well tolerated, we are now in a place where fear of the administration, bad publicity, and loss of donors is making it such that any controversial topic is steered away from - at risk of termination. Rather than a fulsome conversation around Israel and Gaza, for example, there is an expectation that it be avoided at all costs.
What colleges are doing this well - and in a balanced way? Harvard - after standing up for some time - is now toeing the new line. I was disappointed to hear about Northwestern in this article, and we know Columbia has laid down.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/opinion/harvards-campus-speech-trump.html