Conservative parents can rest easy now, because a study published in PS: Political Science and Politics has found that students—whether liberal or conservative—are not easily swayed by the political ideologies of their professors.

Roughly 7,000 students at 38 institutions were surveyed, and the results suggested that a professor’s influence beyond the realm of academia is negligible at best.

Still, college students historically lean left, and each year the gap between the number of liberals and conservatives on campus continues to widen.

And so, the question must be asked: If professors aren’t affecting students, who or what is?

The Cornell Daily Sun reports:

Lisa Opdycke ’11 says Cornell was instrumental in her shift to a liberal political stance. Coming from Steuben County, Indiana, a historically Republican district, Lisa maintained conservative viewpoints until her senior year of high school.“Coming here had a definite influence on becoming more liberal, but only because I got to see other people and hear other people’s stories of where they come from. As cliché as it sounds, there is a lot of socio-economic and racial diversity here. Coming from a very homogenous place, I didn’t get to see any political discussion. There was only one viewpoint [to] base your own beliefs on,” Opdycke said.

Opdycke attributes her political transition to the readily accessible information provided by Cornell’s libraries and frequent political discussions among her racially diverse group of peers.

The answer, then, is everything.

When students attend a university, they leave their “element” and become exposed to an array of new ideologies, beliefs and trains of thought.

Those who embrace this enlightenment unwillingly accept liberalism into their hearts; those who do not shun it in favor of stodgy conservatism.

I, for one, welcome our Liberal Puppetmasters.