The College Girl’s Guide To Dealing With Hostile Liberal Professors

The pervasive herd mentality in American classrooms has never been so detrimental to independent thinking and nuanced perspectives. Today, approximately 56% of women in college identify as liberal, while only 15% identify as conservative.

We’ve seen how the repercussions of liberal groupthink have manifested themselves in modern society: We witness the constant ostracization and silencing of women with dissenting viewpoints every day. Colleges – which are supposed to be places of high esteem, full of well-educated individuals – have turned into campuses for censorship. Suddenly, the liberal students and professors who tout “acceptance” of others no longer seem to think that tolerance is okay.

What happens, then, to new students as they set foot on campus for the very first time? How do they navigate an environment constantly trying to shape them into the “ideal” mold, urging them to conform to certain ideas that go against their values? 

Karin A. Lips, the Founder and President of the Network of enlightened Women (NeW), understands that women on campus are in need of guidance, one that will help them maneuver the liberal landscape – so she wrote You're Not Alone: The Conservative Woman’s Guide to College.

"Conservative college women face silencing pressure from their peers, hostile liberal professors, biased administrators, and more," Karin tells Evie. "I wrote You're Not Alone: The Conservative Woman’s Guide to College to prepare young women for what they may encounter on college campuses and equip them to stand up for their conservative beliefs.”

In her book, Karin shares the college experience of many women with more conservative-leaning principles. In chapter 8, she opens with Seton Hall University junior Peyton Smith and how she dared to share her opinion on the Supreme Court in class – only to be silenced and warned by her professor for speaking her mind. “I explained why I believe the Supreme Court should not be reformed, and he cut me off in the middle of my sentence. He said that I should ‘be careful’ with what I say because ‘some people might not agree’ with me, despite it being an opinion,” Peyton recalled. “Throughout the rest of the semester, that professor would continue to talk over students whom he did not agree with or cut them off completely. I have never been so blatantly silenced or witnessed others silenced so rudely.”

Conservative college women face silencing pressure from their peers, hostile liberal professors, biased administrators, and more.

In another example, University of Cincinnati student Olivia Krolczyk needed to write a paper on feminism. As Karin shared in her book, Olivia was "a chemistry major who ran cross-country and track in high school." At the start of the young woman's college career, Olivia decided to "write on the opportunities and challenges female athletes have faced, and included the subject of transgender athletes competing in women’s sports." Evidently, this was a topic that was personal and important to Olivia.

She turned in her paper – but failed the project. Her professor responded, “Olivia, this is a solid proposal. However, the terms ‘biological women’ are exclusionary and are not allowed in this course as they further reinforce heteronormativity.” Olivia contacted the university's Office of Gender Equity & Inclusion, and another professor re-graded her project, finally earning her the A that she deserved. Still, Karin noted: "Olivia’s grade ultimately wasn’t affected due to her persistence, but I worry that other students may face the same situation and not get the same resolution."

These stories in You're Not Alone: The Conservative Woman’s Guide to College reveals how difficult it can be for young women to speak up about their beliefs. It's clear from these accounts that, unlike liberals, conservative women cannot share their ideas freely without being shut down. These reports are a wake-up call that campuses are not as inclusive as they proclaim to be. Luckily, Karin offers valuable insight and advice to empower conservative women seeking to strengthen their resolve in college.

“Sharing the stories of students and recent graduates involved in NeW, I identify problems on campus and provide practical tips on how conservative young women can thrive in this environment. This college guide covers many of the obstacles and tricky situations awaiting conservative women on campus,” Karin explains. “Chapters focus on topics such as responding to censoring from peers, dealing with hostile liberal professors, picking a college major, running for student government, building a community, and more!”

Read You're Not Alone: The Conservative Woman’s Guide to College to better understand the state of higher education today and learn from young conservative women. You can buy this book on Amazon here.

Want to follow Karin A. Lips on socials? Check out her Instagram at @karin.lips or X at @klips!