The Scotsman reports that the selection of J.K. Rowling as Harvard's Commencement speaker has some Harvard students in a "row."

"Previous speakers include kings, presidents and towering literary figures, so some students awaiting the ceremony have complained that 42-year-old Ms Rowling, the 144th richest Briton, won't be impressive enough.

Adam Goldenberg, a Canadian student who writes for the Harvard Crimson, the daily newspaper at the university, said: 'Our commencement speaker tricked parents into letting their kids read books filled with sex, murder, and homosexual role models.'"

Anyone who has read Adam Goldenberg's columns in the Crimson or his now-defunct, I think, blog, called Gadfly, must wonder if, in fact, Goldenberg is having a laugh at the Scotsman's expense. Because if it is serious, that quote is just stupid.

"The speaker for Class Day, chosen by students, is chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke. Class Marshall Alexander J Tennant said: 'When we found out JK Rowling was going to be speaking, we wanted to find someone that would kind of balance our graduation ceremonies.'"

Hmmm...perhaps I will start a little controversy by suggesting that, when men are chosen as the Commencement speaker, no matter what their profession, no one says anything about needing "balance" in the form of a serious male economist type.