LoveUni, that does sound extreme, but, knowing the reputation of uni professors, I am reminded of the old expression, 'where there's smoke, there's fire'. I would venture to guess that the devil is in the details (and context of the political climate of that particular institution, at that particular time).
The academic environment has abuses on both sides. One of the local universities was run by the Sisters of Charity. The Motherhouse is still on the campus, if I am not mistaken. My bestie got his degree there in the early 80s, and he was one of the first men to be admitted into a degree program at said university. (I was taking 1st year Maths there at the same time, but we didn't meet until the late 90s.)
It was a hotbed of fringe feminism. Their Women's Studies program was filled with academics who seemed to revel in their quest to humiliate and abuse male students (or any male that was available - you know the type). He suffered a great deal, and his university life was hell. We were friends a long time, before he told me why he hated the "F" word. A lot of that element is to be found in academia.
PS. My friend achieved his BA with Honours in American History. He made the Dean's List for 3 years (that is because he completed the 4-year program in 3, with a 4.0 GPA. His background was tough, and he did it all on scholarship. I'm so proud of him!