Probably because not enough people know where Houghton is.
Unfortunately, small pockets of flaming liberalism can be found even in snowy Houghton. My son learned that the hard way as a freshman, by attending the ELCA campus ministry congregation. The pastor looks and sounds like George Carlin. Just an old hippie. I had the personal displeasure of sitting through one of his political tirades masquerading as a sermon. One of the most active members of this congregation is the county DNC chair. My son hadn't even yet experienced his first Houghton snowfall before he refused to again set foot at this poorly-attended excuse for a congregation.
On the whole, however, agreed... MTU is still a relatively conservative place and an excellent school!
You should see how freaked out Bay Area liberals get when I tell them that we had a student armory in the basement of each dorm hall.... :-)
I knew a Mich. Tech grad when I was in graduate school. One of
the saner people I met while I was in the mad house of higher education.
Of course the shooting range is indoors in the UP. It's a frozen land.