Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University (DC), writes: Academic freedom is being voted on in the midterm elections, but you wouldn’t know it from the gags muzzling the voices of college presidents. Too many leaders have taken a vow of silence when it comes to addressing difficult issues in American life, even those that directly threaten the academy, our students, and faculty. The implications for the future of higher education and this nation are dire if we presidents fail to break out of our posture of self-censorship and take our rightful places in the bully pulpit.