Recent report from a university.
Personally, I don’t think there is any particular “reason.” Young people pick up cues from their environment. “Don’t look and don’t talk” is now the norm in every mainstream corporate office, and a lot of gyms as well. I don’t think the situation at universities has become so dire that it is necessary there too.
If I was a young person at a university today, I would buck this trend, and make a habit of talking with women (or men) regularly. We used to have dinner parties every Wednesday while in college. It was a constantly rotating mix of regulars and new faces. That’s what I would do, today.
Cornerstone 