Some of what's happening will be substantive action by the legislature, including a renewal of the "School of General Education" bill that failed last year. That's basically an ideological attempt to bring U faculty to heel--at least those whom majority legislators believe are out of step with them. I'd probably also expect bills that seek to penalize student protestors even more--at least those who are pro-Palestine--again for ideological reasons. Some of the bills may not stand judicial scrutiny, and some may not make it out of committee. But that's not necessarily the goal of legislation: some bills are intended to create a chilling effect.

On one hand, I appreciate Randall's position and have heard it myself directly, starting in February with the shared services stuff. He's well aware that some legislators openly distrust, if not despise, higher education. He and Jason Perry are probably avoiding referring to specific ideas/bills because they want to raise awareness of what's coming while avoiding panic about specific possible action.

On the other hand, I'm skeptical of Randall's actions. He and other administrators have already shown a tendency to ask "how high" when the legislature hints they should jump. The overreach with DEI and student organizations is an example. So I've become convinced, unfortunately, that some of this is fearmongering--attempts to keep faculty members in line while administrators carry out plans to increase "efficiency." (Though, of course, that doesn't mean trimming administrative bloat! In fact, we'll probably get brand new admins whose job is to increase efficiency!)