Rob Jenkins is a Higher Education Fellow with Campus Reform and a tenured associate professor of English at Georgia State University – Perimeter College.
In 2008, when Barack Obama was first elected president, my wife was teaching middle school. The day after the election, a black student came up to her and said, “Obama’s president now. I don’t have to do what you say anymore.”
Of course, she quickly disabused him of that notion, pointing out that the president-elect would probably be among the first to tell him he should listen to his teachers.
Today, however, I find myself sympathizing with that young man. I want to say to all the wokesters, on campus and elsewhere, “There’s a new sheriff in town. I don’t have to do what you say anymore.”
Indeed, with Republicans earning a clean sweep in the last election, taking the House, the Senate, and the Presidency, conservatism appears ascendant. And it’s not just a political phenomenon but a cultural one as well. From NFL players doing the “Trump Shuffle” to the cast of Morning Joe visiting Mar-a-Lago, it’s clear that being a Trump voter is no longer a social liability.
That doesn’t mean the woke left will just fold up their tents and slink away. On college campuses they are more likely to double down, at least for the time being. Because for all its pretense of being “progressive” and “innovative,” academia is actually one of society’s most hidebound institutions–the last to see the handwriting on the wall and adjust accordingly.
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As a college student, then, you shouldn’t expect any major changes on campus right away. Administrators will still push DEI (even in states where it’s illegal), professors will continue to defame Trump supporters, and woke students will keep insisting that men can be women.
At the same time, you no longer need to tiptoe around or just keep your mouth shut. The Left’s worldview is being repudiated across the country, while yours is gaining momentum. You have permission to behave accordingly.
If you’re still in the closet as a campus conservative, it’s time to come out. I’m not saying you should be obnoxious about it or flaunt your partisanship. I’m just saying you don’t have to hide it anymore—in the classroom, on the quad, or among your peers.
All those administrators, professors, and fellow students who tried to control you for years by threatening, demeaning, or shouting you down no longer have any real power. They can still sputter and bluster, and they will, but at this point it’s mostly just impotent rage. Public opinion has turned against them.
More importantly, the courts are following suit. The first time someone on campus tries to suppress your First Amendment rights, don’t hesitate to reach out to an organization like The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) or The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
In essence, you can hasten the de-wokification of your campus by holding administrators’ and professors’ feet to the fire. For years, they’ve gotten away with accusing white students of racism, men of sexism, and conservatives of fascism, based on nothing and with very little pushback.
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No more. Outlets like Campus Reform exist to expose such behavior. If you catch them engaging in defamatory and divisive rhetoric—or even worse, actively discriminating against people based on their race, sex, or political views—collect the receipts and send them to us. We’ll make sure they’re held accountable.
If all else fails, you can always vote with your feet—and your wallet. If your institution chooses to double down on woke, transfer. Take your tuition dollars elsewhere. If a professor likes to indulge in far-left lunacy during class, take a different professor. Or a different course. Or abandon that department altogether and major in something else.
Academics like to pretend they’re not subject to market forces, that they’re somehow above all that. They’re not. If enough students stop taking their classes, eventually professors will be out of a job. If enough people leave a university, it must either adapt or go under.
My young conservative friends, it’s a new day in America, where you no longer have to live in fear or silence. Your willingness to capitalize on that opportunity, live authentically, and stand for truth will ensure that future students can do the same.
Editorials and op-eds reflect the opinion of the authors and not necessarily that of Campus Reform or the Leadership Institute.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
