The glum zone

Dundee University's new departmental handbook reminds us that in 1989, the court decided "to adopt a policy banning smiling in all parts of the university . . . except in areas specifically designated as smiling areas".

It adds that it cannot identify these smiling areas centrally: this job falls to departments, which will also ensure that the policy is observed. A few individuals, who are not taking the policy seriously, laughingly believe that it stems from a computerised spell-check correcting a mis-spelling: "smiking" of "smoking".