In January of 2023, Georgia State University proposed a policy stating that, if graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) taught courses that reported grades of Ds, Fs, or withdrawals (DFW) at a rate of twenty percent or higher, GTAs would be required to complete a course on how to teach college students before they could resume their job as a teaching assistant. If GTAs teach a course with a DFW rate of twenty percent or higher, they not only risk losing their jobs, but they also risk losing their tuition coverage until they complete a remedial course. By examining the implementation of this policy, as well as the broader political and cultural context in which it occurs, the authors argue that policies such as the DFW policy at Georgia State University limit academic freedom, bridle epistemic curiosity, and lead to a performance of knowledge.