Heterodox Split in Campus Reform

A formerly cohesive coalition for freer campus discourse has cleaved into three durable camps—hawkish enforcers who favor radical institutional sanctions, conciliatory doves who prioritize protecting universities from political attacks, and a 'mushy middle' that wants calibrated remedies. The fracture was speeded by an external political shock (the Trump administration’s public 'war' on elite universities) and now constrains strategy, messaging, and the feasibility of bipartisan reform. — If true, this fissure will determine whether higher‑education reform becomes a technocratic, bipartisan project, a punitive cultural crusade, or a moribund debate—shaping policy, appointments, litigation, and public trust in universities.