I also worked for a University, but I think there is something else going on here. I think it is a pattern of “never give up, never surrender” in the minds of these ideologues. Whether by outside training or just what’s been drilled into them since birth, I believe it is a recognition in them that tells them “when you are in control, KEEP control.”
When you win one concession from the administration, clamor for more - create new reasons for the administration to capitulate. Fuss, holler and stomp your feet until they acquiesce. Once a parent cedes control to his child, the game is over and the child turns out how he turns out. Not much can be done.
Or as the Soviets used to say, "Probe with steel. If you meet steel, back off. If you meet mush, keep probing."