We must speak up against radical progressive ideologies on university campuses

In response to the nation’s backlash against the pro-Hamas student rallies on university campuses, many of these colleges have defended their students’ rights to free speech. This might be justified were it not also hypocritical. In my own experience as a law student at the University of New Mexico, academic institutions favor the speech rights of students whose ideas align with the dominant hyper-progressive ideology.

After the attacks by Hamas, UNM refused to condemn the terrorist group in a vague statement addressed to students. UNM was less concerned about ruffling feathers when Russia invaded Ukraine or when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and made no qualms about drawing hard lines between right and wrong, good vs evil.

It seems that moral clarity has been clouded now that the issue threatens the progressive agenda. Although I applaud UNM’s stated policy in support of universal free speech, campus culture fails to walk this out as faculty and student bias has created a preference for certain viewpoints, which has led many to self-censor.

Conservative student organizations like the one I represent have been met with backlash and small protests for things like including the name “pro-life” on an event title and attempting to purchase Chick-fil-A for club events.

It’s due to instances like this that the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, FIRE, an organization advocating for student rights on college campuses, rates my school as yellow in the free speech category, with below average speech code rankings. Unless we stop picking and choosing when to defend free speech, campus discourse will completely devolve into radicalism.

Although Americans are shocked by universities’ support for Hamas, such radical progressive ideology isn’t new in academia, and universities have preferred an ideological-homogeneous community for decades. A 2007 survey showed that while 46% of university faculty considered themselves politically moderate and 44% identified as liberal, only 9% of faculty considered themselves conservative. Recent studies similarly show that conservative faculty are vastly outnumbered by liberal faculty. Even more concerning, a 2023 survey revealed that more than 58% of conservative faculty say they feel a need to self-censor.

This isn’t exclusive to faculty. Another poll showed that students who are campus liberals are more likely than their conservative classmates to support restrictive speech codes, justify violence against “hate speech,” and report other students for offensive speech to university administrators.

These statistics explain why we’re witnessing cowardly statements from university officials and sickening rallies supporting terrorism. Universities have put their heads in the sand thinking that growing ideological homogeneity would ultimately lead to favorable outcomes, such as upholding the pursuit of truth and creating better-informed students. In reality, it has allowed one line of reasoning to go uncontested, resulting in the radical convictions which fueled the pro-Hamas riots we witnessed these past few weeks.

As explained in the new PBS docu-series “Free to Speak,” American law and culture have long supported the right to free speech and expression. But what the last few weeks have shown is that toxic campus cultures are laying siege to liberty, and the outcome of the war will determine the success or decline of our society.

What starts in academia trickles down to other places. Already from the outset of 2020, universities have embraced Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which has led to an expansion of DEI within companies and other institutions.

People must begin to speak up against the radical progressive ideologies on university campuses and demand free speech for everyone. Why? Because students who uphold these radical ideologies will go on to be our future lawmakers, attorneys, and judges. A healthy society cannot crowd out other viewpoints in favor of a radical ideology; it will lead to pluralism’s demise.

Academia can no longer be picking and choosing when free speech is important. UNM and campuses like it must do better in fostering a culture that’s open to differing viewpoints among students and in the classroom. That starts with hiring faculty with diverse political, social, and cultural viewpoints, but it must be upheld by individual students.

My challenge to students is to befriend someone you disagree with; you may be surprised how much you may agree or learn.

Hunter Thomas is a Brigham Young University political science graduate, a law student at the University of New Mexico, and a Young Voices contributor.