Dame Professor Mary Beard has sparked controversy by claiming the University of Cambridge has improved because 'thick white rugger buggers' have been 'excluded' from the institution. The renowned classicist, who taught at Cambridge for over 40 years, made the comments during a panel discussion at the Cheltenham Literature Festival.
Speaking on a panel titled 'Universities Under Fire', Professor Beard said: 'When you say: "Why are there so few third-class degrees at Cambridge?" I can tell you it's because those thickos have been removed.' She added: 'There weren't any of those thick white rugger buggers that I used to teach in 1982. They have been excluded.'
The 70-year-old academic reflected on the transformation of the university since her undergraduate days in the early 1970s, describing it then as a 'white, posh, male enclave' with only 10% female students. She said: 'I left and the place has been transformed for the better.'
Professor Beard also addressed the issue of cancel culture on campuses, denying that she lived in fear of being 'cancelled'. She stated: 'I've spent a lifetime on campuses and I haven't lived in fear that I was going to be cancelled.' She acknowledged that free speech is a complex issue in diverse environments but concluded that 'things are not going too badly'.
