JEDDAH — Al-Taif University has announced it will investigate a professor for purportedly expressing bias against male students in an online lecture, which was leaked to the public. The professor, who was not identified, was heard in the recording allegedly announcing his bias against male students in favor of their female colleagues, prompting an outcry and accusations of bullying and non-professionalism. The university said in a statement that the remarks attributed to one of its faculty members were “unacceptable.” The university added that it rejected this “individual behavior” and decided to refer the lecturer in question to an inquiry ahead of taking disciplinary action against him. The university promised to make public the findings of the inquiry. The date or exact venue of the recording is not clear. The new academic year started in the Kingdom last month with the reintroduction of in-person classes after a suspension of more than a year following the COVID-19 pandemic. — SG