Universities embrace "neutrality" ahead of Oct. 7

Catch up quick: More universities — from Ivys like Harvard, Cornell and UPenn to big state schools like the University of Virginia, Washington State, University of Texas and University of Michigan — have committed to remaining neutral on current events.

• This means they will not comment on social or political issues with the hope it "frees students and faculty to develop and articulate their own individual ideas and opinions," according to the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

Reality check: University leadership might not have a choice, especially if protests escalate ahead of the Oct. 7 anniversary.

• "Neutrality only works until something happens on your campus," says Sandy Lish, principal and co-founder of The Castle Group.
• "As soon as a protest goes awry or something hurtful or dangerous happens to someone on campus, or a social media post by an employee or a student goes viral, neutrality is out the window. So neutrality is fine, but when it starts to affect your community, you have to comment," she added.

What they're saying: "The mantra now is one of much more caution," said one long-time higher ed communications executive.

• "A lot of institutions were looking to just get through to the next day" during the protests last spring, the executive said.
• "Now there is a greater understanding that no matter what you do, you are going to get blasted by at least one of your stakeholders."

Context: Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war in the spring demanded their universities divest from companies that do business in Israel or aid the country's war effort.

• Some schools seeking to defuse tensions and shut down encampments before commencement pledged to revisit the issue in the fall.
• But now that the new school year is underway, the effort has largely been unsuccessful, as few universities have moved toward divestment. Some boards, like that of Brown University, still plan to vote on the issue.

Zoom in: Since the spring, many universities have updated protest policies. As such, most communications coming from university leadership will focus on "creating space" for various viewpoints and reminders of campus protocols.

Yes, but: The visuals of tense protests created across campuses could continue to damage the reputation of these universities, regardless of their neutral stance.

• "You can't keep it out of your campus, so it's critical to have policies, enforce the policies and communicate about what those policies are, so that there's no surprises and there's no having to figure things out on the fly," says Lish.

What to watch: It's not just the conflict in the Middle East. Colleges also must navigate the intense divide in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

• University leaders who pledge neutrality might also get caught in the hot-button issue of voting.
• "Whether it's serving as a polling location or organizing student voter registration, college campuses have always been a bit of a battleground for voting, which is another issue to watch," added the communications executive.

More on Axios: America's institutions retreat from activism

• Exclusive poll: Most college students shrug at nationwide protests
• Where college negotiations ended campus protest chaos