Padel steps down from Oxford Chair of Poetry

[Penthesileia]

I know it's not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things (the horrible and unjust trial of Aung San Suu Kyi being immeasurably more distressing, for instance) but does anyone else find this story just terribly depressing and disappointing?

I was so pleased when Carol Ann Duffy was named Poet Laureate (although I am not a particular fan of her poetry), and thought this election another important step.

The thing is, smallwhitecat, that this was no big deal at Oxford 20 years ago when I was there. I can't answer for how much it's changed now.
Sexual harrassment by tutors was fairly common, and the tutors always got away with it, in the cases that I personally knew. The only thing that was all-important, was hushing it up.
Ruth Padel, apart from being a pushy woman, has broken the hushing up rule.
If everything she said was true, than I don't think she should have resigned, although it would have been more dignified not to get involved at all.

just to clarify; it looked like no big deal to the academic establishment, I mean!

good points well made smallwhitecat and nighbynigh