A university in central China said Saturday that it “followed due process” in inviting a guest lecturer after students complained that he had made sexist remarks.

Students at Central China Normal University in Hubei province told Sixth Tone’s sister publication, The Paper, on Friday that they were offended by comments about women made in a lecture delivered at the school. On Thursday, An Deyi, a self-proclaimed “Confucianist master,” had reportedly told the students that “docility is the best virtue in a woman.”

In its statement Saturday, the university defended An’s invitation, saying he had been asked to speak because of his “experience in the education of traditional Chinese culture.” However, the school added that it would “improve” future lectures.

An, the deputy director of the Hubei Confucius Academic Research Association, is a frequent guest lecturer at universities, according to media reports. Earlier this year, the provincial government had listed the association as a “suspected illegal social organization.” (Image: Screenshot from Sohu)