A recent survey of college faculty found that 43 percent avoid discussing certain topics with students, both in and out of class, while 24 percent hold back from research or publishing on topics they would otherwise pursue. Half of faculty reported feeling less free to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion compared to a year ago. Forty-five percent feel the same about the Israel-Palestine conflict, and 44 percent about federal politics.
Kristina Brezicha, an associate professor of educational leadership at Neumann University who studies education and democracy, attributed the avoidance to high-profile cases of faculty being punished or fired for discussing these subjects. She told Inside Higher Ed reporter Emma Whitford that on DEI and Palestine, "faculty have been fired or disciplined for their speech or actions on and off campus." She added that in an era of polarized social media and secret recordings, faculty members fear retribution for statements about federal politics.
Research shows that students involved in co-curricular activities have higher grade point averages than those who don't. Baylor University President Linda Livingstone reported that the institution retained 100 percent of students who participated in at least one intramural sport last year. Baylor is now working to increase participation rates among first-year students by 20 percent.
Charlotte M. Canning at the University of Texas at Austin and Michael Sy Uy at the University of Colorado at Boulder wrote in Inside Higher Ed that the performing arts provide opportunities for community building and can strengthen democracy. "The performing arts can complement civics education by cultivating the practices of participatory deliberation, empathy and public engagement," they wrote.