DEPROGRAMMED: She entered Columbia a liberal. A fight over English lit turned her conservative

Liza Libes says her experience studying English literature at Columbia University helped shift her from liberalism towards conservatism and strengthened her commitment to free speech. She says some of her essays received lower marks when they challenged interpretations favoured in class, leaving her feeling unable to express her views freely.

Libes cited a midterm on Shakespeare’s *A Midsummer Night’s Dream*: she says her professor deducted marks because she did not discuss “queer desire”, which the professor had said was central to the play. She also criticised what she described as Marxist approaches to literature and pressure to hold certain views on campus. Libes earned a bachelor’s degree in 2019 and a master’s in 2020; Columbia did not respond to a request for comment.