Students Don’t Want Political Statements From Administrators

Over the last several years, we have seen many colleges and universities make aggrieved statements in response to current events, from the election of President Trump to the death of George Floyd. The social implication is that if a school doesn’t speak out on an event, it is agreeing by omission. Many argue, however, that when colleges get involved in political issues, it only makes the political divide on campus grow larger. In fact, a recent survey from Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab found that the majority of students don’t want colleges to make statements about political events at all.

In December 2024, IHE and Generation Lab polled over 1,000 students from nearly 200 two- and four-year institutions on various speech-related topics, such as the climate for civil dialogue and free speech on campus. Other questions concerned who students feel is most to blame for escalating tensions regarding free speech and whether colleges and universities should make statements about political events. The findings conclude that students want (by varying but persuasive percentages) to see the promotion of constructive dialogue on college campuses. Yet they don’t (54 percent) want administrators to weigh in every time the nation conducts an election or police violence captures the public eye.

Political comments from universities often do more harm than good by alienating people with opposing views. Immediately following the 2024 election, a separate Student Voice survey found that “a majority (63 percent) of student respondents (n=1,031) said their college did not do or say anything after the election, and only 17 percent [of colleges] released a statement to students about the election.” This is a starkly different outcome than the 2016 election produced, when classes were being canceled due to faculty and student grief. Considering that political comments from universities often do more harm than good by alienating people with opposing views, it’s not surprising that the majority of students polled in December did not think colleges should make public political comments.

Students don’t need university chancellors telling them what to think or how to feel about the latest political issue. This is a topic that the Martin Center has written about for years, and it’s refreshing to see that institutional neutrality is catching on. Institutional neutrality helps colleges and universities maintain their ultimate purpose of providing quality education and presenting students with opportunities to think critically about issues and come to their own conclusions. Students don’t need university chancellors and administrators telling them what to think or how to feel about the latest political issue.

The December survey found that 40 percent of students say that other students are to blame for escalating tensions around campus speech. Other survey choices included politicians (36 percent), college and university governing boards (24 percent), and administrators (19 percent). This contrasts with a separate survey of faculty members, in which Inside Higher Ed and Hanover Research found that the majority (66 percent) felt that politicians were the main sources of escalating tensions over campus speech, while only 15 percent said students were most at fault.

These findings pose an interesting question: Are politicians to blame for bringing political issues to campus, or is it students who are largely responsible? Unsurprisingly, the Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab survey found that “the more involved students say they are in campus activism, the more likely they are to blame administrators and governing boards” for their problems. In any case, it is quite clear that college leaders needn’t stir students’ already stirred pots. There are enough bad feelings on campus without administrators taking sides.

As we emerge from several years of colleges and universities openly taking political stances, it’s refreshing to see the tide turning. The message is clear: Students are tired of the politicization of their schools. Colleges and universities hope to attract students from all walks of life, and they claim to want a diverse pool of students, so it’s ignorant to assume that some young people won’t feel alienated by the drawing of lines in the sand on political issues.

Several colleges and university systems have taken steps to guard against the politicization of higher education, for example the UNC System’s recent moves on institutional neutrality. Colleges and universities should take note of the results of these surveys and start or continue to separate themselves from the passing political issues of the day.

Ashlynn Warta was the North Carolina reporter for the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal from 2021 through 2025.