A growing number of institutions are relying on informal, verbal directives to shape faculty behavior and campus policies, provoking concern among professors and shared-governance advocates. Reports document examples where murky, unwritten guidance is being used to censor or steer instruction without formal policy or due process. At the same time, governance experts are pressing boards to reaffirm and clarify academic-freedom principles. A primer on academic freedom urges trustees to review whether institutional policies adopt the AAUP’s standards and to consider how extramural speech by faculty should be handled. The trend raises legal and operational risks: unclear directives can undermine campus trust, complicate tenure and promotion reviews, and invite external scrutiny. Boards and presidents must decide whether to codify practices or restore transparent, formal procedures for academic governance.