When it comes to that historic mission, colleges are failing abysmally.

The Constructive Dialogue Institute reported this fall that 45% of students say they’re frequently afraid to share their thoughts in the classroom. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and College Pulse found that, when it comes to controversial political topics, over half of students say they’d be “very” or “somewhat” uncomfortable voicing their views in class or disagreeing with a professor in a written assignment. Just last month, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government reported that a majority of its students don’t feel comfortable sharing their “genuine views on controversial topics related to politics, international affairs, and public policy” in classrooms, seminars, or public events.