Campus Reform's 5 most viral articles in 2025

Campus Reform’s most viral stories in 2025 clustered around five points readers are watching closely: the rollback of DEI ideology in high-profile institutions, evidence of cultural/competency drift among recent graduates, elite-campus faculty signaling moral contempt for America, rare institutional moves to honor and protect conservative speech, and the fight to restore merit-based admissions standards at top schools. 

Here are the top 5 most popular Campus Reform articles from 2025.

5. Air Force Academy drops ‘Diversity and Inclusion Studies’ minor

The U.S. Air Force Academy removed its “Diversity and Inclusion Studies” minor from the official majors-and-minors lineup in late January, after the program had still appeared on the academy site earlier that month. The change mirrored West Point’s similar decision and fit a broader federal turn away from DEI-branded academic programming. 

The minor had included courses such as “Gender, Sexuality, and Society,” “Diversity and Security,” and “Gender and Sexuality in History,” so its disappearance landed as a clear signal that DEI curricula were being rolled back even in elite military institutions.  

4. 77% of Gen Z job seekers have brought a parent to an interview, survey finds

A Resume Templates survey reported that 77% of Gen Z respondents said they had brought a parent to a job interview, and 53% said a parent actually spoke with a hiring manager for them. The numbers were striking enough to make the story travel instantly beyond higher-ed circles.  

The article went more viral when Campus Reform reporter Emily Sturge appeared on Fox Business to discuss. The survey also found the dependence continuing after hiring—large majorities reported parents helping with work tasks or communicating with supervisors—turning the piece into a broader cultural referendum on adulthood, entitlement, and workplace readiness.  

3. Georgetown professor walks back statement that Iran should perform ‘symbolic’ strike on U.S. base

Georgetown professor Jonathan Brown ignited a national firestorm after posting on X that he hoped Iran would carry out a “symbolic strike” on a U.S. military base following American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The post spread rapidly, drawing intense backlash.  

Brown later tried to walk the remark back, and the story became a mass-shared example of elite-campus radicalism and the perceived moral inversion of some faculty commentary on U.S. national security. 

2. LSU announces lecture series honoring Charlie Kirk to promote free speech

Louisiana State University (LSU), via the LSU Foundation, announced “Let Freedom Ring,” a lecture series honoring Charlie Kirk and explicitly aimed at promoting civil discourse and wide-ranging viewpoints. The program was framed as a campus-wide commitment to free speech after Kirk’s assassination.  

LSU’s decision pulled huge attention from all sides—supporters saw a rare institutional defense of viewpoint diversity, while critics treated it as a provocation from the right.

1. UPenn becomes sixth Ivy League school to end pandemic ‘test-optional’ policy for undergrads

The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) reinstated mandatory SAT/ACT submission for undergraduate admissions starting with the 2025–26 cycle (fall 2026 applicants), ending its COVID-era test-optional policy. UPenn said the shift would add clarity and transparency to the process and joined most other Ivies in returning to standardized testing.  

In 2025’s post-affirmative-action environment, UPenn’s move became a national proxy fight over academic standards, equity narratives, and what “merit” should mean again in elite admissions.