^ That’s of course what I meant, int 
Too bad she didn’t slap the hell out of the prof. These jerks rely on people being caught off-guard (shocked).
Agreed that she should report him. The school might not do anything about it, but in today’s world they are more likely to, in the interests of protecting themselves, have an investigation where he is at least called on the carpet for this inappropriate behavior. This type of wrist-slap just MIGHT be enough to get his attention so he’ll never act this way again.
Depending on whether there have been any other complaints against him or others at the school, I could envision them sending him to a half-day “sensitivity training” type seminar.
We don’t know all the facts, but from what you’ve told us, at this point I don’t think his actions warrant his getting fired, but perhaps attending such a seminar is just the thing he needs.
@intparent: I’m so sorry that this happened to your daughter. This stuff makes me SO angry. I bet that this would not be the first time someone reports his inappropriate behavior to the university. Please make a complaint, don’t just let it go. You would likely be helping to ensure that this idiot doesn’t feel entitled to continue behaving this way.
And the jerk on the plane… ! That’s just disgusting.
I’m going to share your post with my daughter – I hope that hearing about your daughter’s experiences will help her to formulate a strong response if these types of things ever happen to her.
Never ok to reach into a woman’s shirt. What a creep. This guy needs to go to training.
The SI mag is just something that she will have to deal with. In her life she will come across guys that will make stupid inappropriate comments. Nothing she can do about it. Even us guys have to deal with jerks saying trash talk. All part of being in a diverse society. She will not be able to fight the whole world. Unfortunately she will have to learn to let these comments slide off her back. Touching is one thing, talk is another.
So sorry this happened to your daughter. That was completely inappropriate. I would report it.
Completely, absolutely, 100% irrelevant to the point.
@MassDaD68, I actually think the SI guy is easier to deal with. There isn’t a personal downside to hitting the call button and publicly shaming the guy. He is a stranger with no clout in her profession and not someone she has to potentially deal with in the future.
Yes, because her name tag was in her shirt, she totally deserved, or perhaps was even asking for the prof to do that.
What a brilliant idea for a come-on! Women, any time you are attracted to some bombastic, self-important geezer with hairs coming out of him wherever, just slip your name tag into your shirt to let him know.
Now, for my real advice to young women: if a person in authority does something like that, report him. You may never have to see the guy again, but the women in his department will thank you.
Regarding the boor on the plane, @MassDaD68 is right. Arm yourself with some slap-down phrases right now, and pull them out when the situation warrants it. “Not interested, thanks.” Or if he’s a persistent jerk, “Yes, those women are beautiful, but looking at them is all you can hope to do.”
Behavior of the prof was totally unacceptable. If I were your D, I’d drop a note to the head of the department and let him/her know about the offensive behavior.
OP, just out of curiosity, what field is your daughter in?
Physics. She has gotten used to a fair amount of unwanted attention. And knows some of it comes with being in a male dominated profession.
I do think it’s possible that we are dealing with a nerdy clueless physic prof who didn’t think about what he was doing. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t wrong, and she should report it by all means.
The prof was wrong, it is gross and inappropriate.
@mathmom, I happy to know a few people high up in the physic area. I find the nerdy stereo typing offensive. Would it be okay to say that about a prof in say - the social sciences?
^^ happen to know’
Somehow I had a feeling that her field would be in STEM. There is much more of that behavior than should be permitted or tolerated in male dominated fields, such as physics or engineering. I have warned my daughter about this as a downside to STEM. I also find it offensive to stereotype men in these fields as the “clueless nerd.” These men are very intelligent and absolutely know what they are doing.
Hey now, as a bombastic self-important geezer with hairs coming out of me wherever, I resent being lumped in with the jerkwad professor described in this thread!
I would be strongly encouraging my daughter to report this incident.
I happen to know a few clueless nerdy physics guys, but I probably shouldn’t base my stereotypes on them. It’s possible that this is a self-important geezer, or that it’s a guy who did something he might have done just as unthinkingly to a male colleague. It’s not right in either case, and of course she should report it.
I once got pinched by an older relative who from everything I knew of him was supportive of women. But he was old fashioned. Since I whirled around and whacked him with my umbrella he was very apologetic and I think he got the message that what might have been thought of cute in the 1050s was not cute in the 1970s.
To be fair, she can be a little nerdy and clueless herself. The “absent minded professor” stereotype kind of fits her. I don’t really object to that stereotype too much. I sometimes think it emboldens these guys that she has that vibe; they think they have a shot with her. She gets hit on in the elevator at conferences and in coffee shops when she has a physics book.