Academic: Why I said that pretty women students are a perk

"Using humour": Dr Terence Kealey is accused of sexism
Terry Kirby12 April 2012

A university vice-chancellor today defended his claim that attractive young female students are a "perk" to be enjoyed — at a safe distance — by older male academics.

Dr Terence Kealey, of the University of Buckingham, prompted outrage over the article in Times Higher Education, with critics on its website accusing him of sexism and demanding his resignation.

Although the National Union of Students said his views were "completely unacceptable," Dr Kealey said he was simply using humour to underline a moral point about self-restraint.

Writing about "lust" in a light-hearted article on the seven deadly sins of university life, Dr Kealey said: Most male lecturers know that, most years, there will be a girl in class who flashes her admiration and who asks for advice on her essays. What to do? Enjoy her! She's a perk."

Dr Kealey said that on American campuses, girls wanted relationships with heroic sports stars, but on English campuses, "academics can be heroes".

As a result, some women students fantasised about male lecturers and "flaunted" their bodies — "which you should admire daily to spice up your sex, nightly, with your wife. Yup, I'm afraid so.

"As in Stringfellows, you should look but not touch."

He added: "So, sow your oats while you are young, but enjoy the views — and only the views — when you are older."

Dr Kealey said it is now a "myth" that an affair between a student and a male academic represented an abuse of his power, because of the accountability imposed by the Quality Assurance Agency — the university standards watchdog — and other "intrusive" bodies.

"It is no longer the case that sex can be traded for better marks," he said. "I know of two girls who, in 1982, got firsts in biochemistry from a south-coast university in exchange for favours to a professor, but I know of no later scandals."

Dr Kealey, a clinical biochemist, is the author of Sex, Science And Profit and a regular writer on academic matters. Olivia Bailey, women's officer at the NUS said the comments showed a lack of respect.

"Regardless of whether this is an attempt at humour, it is completely unacceptable for someone in Terence Kealey's position to compare a lecture theatre to a lap-dancing club.'' Comments on the magazine's website included: "He does a disservice not only to the many female scholars who have struggled to get a foothold in academia, but also the many bright female students who have got their good grades through nothing more exciting than hard work."

Posting his own response, Dr Kealey said: "This is a moral piece that says that middle-aged male academics and young female undergraduates should not sleep together. Rather, people should exercise self-restraint."

He had deliberately used inappropriate language and humour as literary devices to make his point.

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