DOES the college lecture discriminate? Is it biased against undergraduates who are not white, male and affluent? The notion may seem absurd on its face. The lecture is an old and well-established tradition in education. To most of us, it simply is the way college courses are taught.

Students arriving for classes at the University of British Columbia this fall will find most things appear perfectly normal. But beneath its placid facade, the school will be trying to cope with the type of public-relations crisis that can cause lasting brand damage, the kind institutions of higher learning fear and abhor.

If there is one thing that made Jennifer Berdahl's blog post harmful to UBC, it was John Montalbano calling her to say the post could be harmful to UBC. Jennifer Berdahl is the Montalbano Professor of Leadership Studies in Gender and Diversity at the Sauder School of Business.

The University of B.C.'s acting president says the school is investigating claims a professor was intimidated over a blog post suggesting former UBC president Arvind Gupta lost a "masculinity contest" with the school's leadership. Angela Redish says she's concerned by allegations leveled by Sauder School of Business Prof.