Also, I honestly could not tell from your post whether you were describing the modern-day cocoon of liberal academia groupthink or BYU. From the earlier posts, I assess that you were talking about BYU
For my part, I found that the quickest way to something other than an A grade on papers I submitted for grading to my professors in the English department was to take positions I thought they would want to hear as “BYU professors.” I took classes from the two professors who headed up the on-campus feminist club and another who was rather openly socialist. I found many if not most to be sympathetic if not openly enthusiastic towards the authors that they covered, a great many of whom were considered liberal for their day.
If there was pressure to conform, it would’ve come far more from students who weren’t that interested in actually thinking. I could tune them out at my discretion.
At any rate, what you’re describing doesn’t resemble my college experience. I actually think it’s a tired stereotype of BYU and that real pressure to conform can be more readily found at some of the same institutions you’d champion.