My experience at a Florida public university.

[dianaredwing]

10. I got my BA

much later in life (50 some) at a Southern university and then went for an MA in Washington State. My Southern advisor (very liberal) thought it was a major advancement but I found that there were lots of professors and students at both universities who were both liberal and liberal-minded (I make the distinction on purpose). I had a best friend who continued her education at Florida State at the same time as I was in Washington and both she and her partner were appalled at the prejudice they encountered there. As a note, she finished up her BA at the same time as I did in Louisiana. Therefore, I agree that universities are in general places of diversity and it depends a great deal on the focus of one's studies and the faculty teaching those classes as to whether the perception of the student is that of liberal or conservative. It is not a blanket issue. If one studies business and economics one is much more likely to run into conservative instructors than if one (like me) studies liberal arts with a focus on indigenous studies.