Not welcome: Many academics say conservative professors don't fit on campus

SALT LAKE CITY — Free speech is considered elemental to college campuses — that time-honored academic privilege to express diverse opinions in pursuit of truth and knowledge without fear of retribution.

But a recent report that surveyed over 6,000 faculty members from 55 four-year colleges and universities across the United States — including over 200 faculty members from Brigham Young University and the University of Utah — reveals that fear and self-censorship are campus realities for many academics.

Campus "free speech chill," according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression survey, appears to be felt most deeply by conservative faculty members.

Nearly half of "conservative faculty" (47%) who responded to the survey report feeling unable to voice their opinions because of how others might react.

Only a fifth of "liberal faculty" (19%) reported similar fears.

Conservative faculty were much more likely than their liberal and moderate peers to report self-censoring. More than half — 55% — say they at least occasionally hide their political views in order to keep their jobs, compared to only 17% of liberal faculty.

Meanwhile, when asked how well a "conservative individual" would fit in their department, less than a quarter (20%) responded "very/somewhat" well.

Just over 70% responded that a "liberal individual" would be a positive fit in their respective department.

"There are very few conservative faculty," said Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's manager of polling and analytics Nathan Honeycutt in response to the findings. "If they're not expressing their views, then students are even less exposed to conservative perspectives than one might expect based on the numbers."

Among other findings from the foundation's survey:

• 87% of faculty reported finding it difficult to have an open and honest conversation on campus about at least one hot button political topic.
• About 1 in 7 faculty members (14%) reported being disciplined or threatened with discipline for their teaching, research, academic discussions, or off-campus speech.
• 35% reported toning down their written work to avoid controversy.

Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization "dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought," according to its website.

Over 112,00 potential faculty participants were contacted for the foundation survey. The final sample reflects a 5.57% response rate. The survey included 148 and 89 faculty responses from BYU and the University of Utah, respectively, according to the foundation.

Tenure: No immunity to self-censorship

Many faculty survey respondents report difficulties having "open and honest" conversations with several issues of the day — including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, racial inequality, transgender rights, affirmative action and the recent presidential election.

While tenured faculty were less likely to report campus self-censoring than their nontenured colleagues, the difference was not substantially large, according to the survey.

Between tenured and nontenured faculty, there was only a 9-percentage-point difference for hiding their political views, and a 5-percentage-point difference for likelihood of self-censoring in emails or during classroom discussions.

Two-thirds of surveyed faculty also said colleges and universities "should practice institutional neutrality by not taking positions on political and social issues," according to a Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression report.

Meanwhile, majorities from all three classification of faculty respondents — conservative, moderate and liberal — voiced opposition to universities and colleges issuing political statements.

Conservative faculty, according to the survey, were also strongly opposed to mandatory diversity, equity and inclusion pledges (85%), as were a majority of moderate faculty (59%).

Liberal faculty were split, with a little under half in favor (47%) of DEI pledges, but a third opposed (35%).

The Foundation for Individual Rights and ExpressionI report also suggested that faculty are "preemptively silencing themselves in their own research and writing. One in five or more faculty reported self-censoring in professional contexts such as academic publications, classroom lectures and discussion and outside talks.

The likelihood of such self-censorship, according to the report, is more prevalent among conservative faculty.

Self-censoring, the report added, also sometimes stretched into conversations with administrators, other faculty and their students.

Cited in the report was this comment from a Texas A&M professor: "I am starting (for the first time in my career) to censor myself out of a desire for self-preservation. I say nothing at all in faculty meetings now, if I attend at all."

University of Utah: Academic freedom a 'bedrock principle'

The University of Utah has called academic freedom "the bedrock principle of our scholarly enterprise."

Last August, the University of Utah posted an online Q&A regarding free speech and academic freedom on campus.

"The University of Utah is committed to open, free and robust discussion, debate, and exchange of ideas as an indispensable part of its educational mission — especially when the ideas expressed are controversial and unpopular," the post noted.

"The university supports creative, thoughtful, and respectful discourse where conflicting perspectives are vigorously debated and thoroughly discussed."

Regarding "freedom of expression" in the classroom, the university's report emphasized discussion and expression of all views relevant to the subject matter of a class "are recognized as necessary to the educational process."

University of Utah employees, meanwhile, "are welcome to weigh in on any issues of public concern" — although they must make it clear they are not speaking on behalf of the university.

"Academic freedom is of the utmost importance for faculty at the university. It is recognized as a right of all members of the faculty, whether with or without tenure or continuing appointment, of all administrative officers, and of all students."

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