Reputation is everything 2

There are two lessons we can learn from Terence Kealey's remarks that young female students are a "perk" for male lecturers who should "look but not touch".

The first is that it is difficult to find unanimity on the boundary between humour and offence. To this end, people may like to complete the following open-ended limerick for themselves: "A misunderstood/misguided/misogynist (delete as appropriate) vice- chancellor from Buckingham ... ".

The second is that we shouldn't assume that those in private-sector education know more about brand awareness and marketing than their public-sector counterparts.

Dominic Malcolm, School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences Loughborough University.