Alumni generally hold their alma maters close to their hearts. These institutions of higher learning represent a rite of passage, an arena of cherished friendships, and for some, the very place where they met their spouses.
Such fond memories naturally inspire a desire to give back, to contribute to the place that played a seminal role in one's life.
However, before letting nostalgia guide your hand to write that generous check, it's crucial to pause and examine the landscape of your university's initiatives and funding. Your cherished institution may be financially supporting causes or endeavors that don't align with your values.
For conservatives, in particular, this divergence can be pronounced, with universities funding professors and policies that veer sharply from traditional principles.
The truth might surprise, if not deeply unsettle, you.
When examining the academic landscape of American universities, the ideological skew becomes shockingly evident. In a nation where most presidential elections teeter close to a 50-50 split, reflecting our broad range of political beliefs, it's disheartening to see such an imbalance.
For instance, in the South, the ratio of liberal to conservative professors is 3 to 1. And if you venture out West — this ratio doubles, standing at 6 to 1.
However, nothing can prepare you for the academic climate of New England, which presents an alarming imbalance: a ratio of 28 liberal professors to every single conservative one.
It's a disparity that would make George Orwell cringe!
But the ideological imbalance isn't just limited to faculty. It reverberates into the campus atmosphere, especially concerning free speech.
We've witnessed an unsettling trend where discourse, once the backbone of higher education, is stifled or altogether silenced.
Across the spectrum, from Ivy Leagues to community colleges, public institutions to private ones, agitators have relentlessly worked to silence speakers they deem "controversial," underscoring a pervasive challenge to free speech on campuses nationwide.
A glaring example of this occurred last year at the University of California-Hastings, where guest speaker Ilya Shapiro, hardly a lightning rod of controversy, faced a 45-minute verbal onslaught from irate students.
Shapiro's transgression? A tweet questioning the process that led to the selection of President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Middlebury College in Vermont witnessed an even more volatile reaction when Charles Murray came to campus to speak. Protests turned so intense that they not only resulted in property damage but also led to the injury of a professor.
This trajectory of intolerance is not only alarming but has shown a consistent escalation over the years.
Just last year, Stanford University, in a bid to presumably earn extra credit in the school of political correctness, published a guide aimed at scrubbing its online spaces of "harmful language."
And guess what term made it on their hit-list? The word "American."
Stanford's suggestion? Swap "American" for "U.S. Citizen" to avoid the faux pas of suggesting the United States might enjoy a position of prominence in North America.
Not to be outdone, the University of Washington decided to join the fray, unveiling its own inclusive language guide. Innocuous words like "grandfather," "housekeeping" and "ninja" found themselves as the latest additions to the lexicon of the "problematic."
Perhaps most striking was the inclusion of the word "lame." The guide pointed out its "ableist" undertones, warning students against using it as a synonym for "uncool."
One must wonder: Are we inching closer to a world where even the most benign terms require a user manual?
In the midst of such a tumultuous academic landscape, there are, thankfully, glimmers of hope. Organizations like Young America's Foundation (YAF), Leadership Institute, The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) and a host of others are pioneering the charge to rekindle an understanding of America's founding principles on campuses nationwide.
Their endeavors ensure that students have the opportunity to engage with the ideals that have cemented our nation's greatness.
There are also universities out there that remain committed to upholding the sanctity of free speech and diverse thought. However, these bastions of academic freedom are unfortunately more the exception than the rule.
But universities can and sometimes do change.
DePauw University, my very own alma mater, serves as a shining testament to the fact that change is possible. After an effort to revise six speech policies, DePauw clinched the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's (FIRE) "green light" rating — a commendation reserved for institutions that champion student speech rights.
This dramatic transformation, from once being a "red light" school at the bottom of FIRE's College Free Speech Rankings, is a remarkable turnaround.
Unfortunately, most institutions will not heed the call for reform.
Ultimately, our responsibility as alumni extends beyond nostalgia and tradition. Echoing the wisdom of former President Ronald Reagan, when it comes to future giving, "trust, but verify."
Jacob Lane is a Republican strategist and school choice activist. He has worked for GOP campaigns at the federal, state and local levels, as well as with various PACs and nonprofits. Read Jacob Lane's Reports — More Here.
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