5 times Americans pushed back against universities this year
Americans are done subsidizing universities’ ideological one-way streets. In 2025, that pushback has taken concrete form.
Americans are done subsidizing universities’ ideological one-way streets. In 2025, that pushback has taken concrete form: students and parents rejecting politicized programs, donors yanking major gifts, and faculty suing over discrimination and retaliation. Some of these revolts are cultural signals, others are legal and financial blows—but together they show a widening refusal to let higher ed operate without accountability.
Campus Reform has compiled a list of 5 times Americans revolted against universities.
Cornell Law professor William Jacobson, who leads the Equal Protection Project, saids he will file a federal civil rights complaint with the Departments of Justice and Education after an Israeli (and Jewish) Cornell student was allegedly doxxed for reporting discrimination. The student had claimed he was excluded from a course on Gaza because of his nationality, and soon afterward his name and past Israeli military intelligence service were leaked publicly, which Jacobson argues endangered the student and deterred others from coming forward. Jacobson contends Cornell handled the initial discrimination complaint but failed to investigate or punish the doxxing campaign, creating a chilling effect for Israeli and Jewish students who might otherwise report bias.
2. FAU professor files federal lawsuit after being put on leave for defending Charlie Kirk
Florida Atlantic University (FAU) finance professor Rebel Cole filed a federal lawsuit after the university put him on leave for social-media posts condemning celebration of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Cole argues FAU retaliated against protected speech and removed him from classes and student supervision without due process. By taking the school to court, Cole is part of a growing legal backlash against universities’ selective enforcement of speech norms, especially when faculty defend conservative figures.
3. UPenn donor halts multimillion-dollar pledge, demands his name be removed from building
Longtime University of Pennsylvania donor Stephen A. Levin withdrew the remainder of a $15 million pledge and demanded his name be removed from a neuroscience building, citing the university’s ideological drift and handling of antisemitism. Penn complied, stripping the building of his name. Levin’s move is a high-profile example of donors revolting not with statements, but with money—using financial leverage to protest campus culture and leadership failures.
4. University of Arizona professor files lawsuit after being fired for objecting to DEI initiatives
University of Arizona English professor Matthew Abraham has filed a federal lawsuit against the university and the Arizona Board of Regents, alleging retaliation in violation of Title VII after he objected to what he says were race-based, DEI-driven hiring and selection practices. Abraham claims that from 2017–2022 he pursued internal grievances, public-records requests, a formal demand letter, a records lawsuit, and EEOC charges about discriminatory practices; in response, university officials allegedly labeled him “ineligible” and excluded him from influential faculty governance committees. The suit argues that the school used his protected complaints as a blacklist, harming his professional standing and chilling other faculty from challenging DEI policies, and seeks a court order barring the university from disqualifying professors from committees for filing discrimination grievances.
5. MACYNSKI: I challenged a ‘Queer Wedding’ skit at St. Olaf’s family concert
At St. Olaf College, viola player Carson Macynski objected to a planned “queer wedding” skit during the orchestra’s family concert, arguing it was inappropriate for a children’s event and conflicted with his Catholic beliefs. After he raised concerns internally, the section scrapped the skit. Macynski said some fellow musicians explicitly wanted the performance to provoke or “trigger” conservative families, underscoring how ordinary campus events are being repurposed into ideological theater—and how students are starting to refuse to play along.
