'I've been yelled at by professors': Conservative students share challenges of today's campuses
College students interviewed by Fox News said that they often can't freely express conservative beliefs on their campuses, facing repercussions like being 'yelled at' by professors.
A recent poll found that only 36 percent of adults have confidence in American universities, with many believing they promote liberal political agendas.
College students interviewed by Fox News recently described the political climates on their respective campuses, detailing how they cannot express their beliefs freely and are oftentimes forced to hide conservative viewpoints.
One of the students was Mya Conrad, who attends Belmont University in Tennessee. Conrad explained how, at her school, her thoughts are “constantly policed” and that she has been “yelled at” by professors.
“I’ve been told I’m dangerous for the thoughts that I have and the opinions I have, and my thoughts are constantly policed at school,” Conrad said during her interview on July 17. “I’ve been yelled at by professors, and I go to a private Christian university in Nashville.”
The other two students in the interview, William Blathras and Gaby Gerard, both attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison and said that they could not speak freely inside or outside the classroom.
“It’s so frustrating because we pay so much money to these publicly funded universities, and I still can’t speak freely in class unless I’m willing to risk my grade,” Gerard described.
“We need to see some accountability between our government funding these schools, and the school’s behavior towards their students expressing themselves,” Blathras stated.
Overall confidence in higher education is decreasing, with a recent poll from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation finding that only 36 percent of adults have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in American universities.
A significant percentage of the people who are dissatisfied with American colleges and universities believe that they are too focused on promoting specific political agendas.
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41 percent of those not confident in higher education predicated their reasoning on the “political agendas” they see universities as pushing. 25 percent of those polled believe that such schools “indoctrinate” or “brainwash” students, while 17 percent describe universities as “Too liberal/political.”
A 2023 poll conducted by AP News similarly found that many Americans believe that, while left-leaning individuals can freely speak their minds on college campuses, conservatives often cannot.
According to the poll, 47 percent of adults believed that liberals on college campuses have “a lot” of freedom to express their views, but only 20 percent of adults believed that the same was true for conservatives.
A Belmont spokesperson told Campus Reform: “We have smart and passionate students and employees at Belmont University who seek to make a meaningful difference on campus and in the world. We support their right to express their opinions civilly inside and outside of the classroom. Any member of our community who is treated with disrespect for their opinions is encouraged to notify our Provost’s office or Student Formation team who will quickly address those concerns. Belmont is deeply committed to promoting a campus culture of civil discourse where individuals with varied perspectives and backgrounds are valued and respected.”
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Wisconsin–Madison for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
