If you have a date with your instructor this weekend, you may want to consider canceling it.
The University addresses mutually consenting romantic and sexual relationships between students and faculty, which includes professors and graduate student instructors, in its sexual harassment policy.
"The policy doesn't prohibit these relationships. ... We don't want to say 'No, you can't do this,'" said Diane Jordan, education and training coordinator for the Sexual Harassment Prevention and Resolution program.
"However, it raises questions about the ethical nature of that relationship," she said, referring to these types of relationships as violations of professional standards.
The policy states these relationships "can raise concerns about the validity of the consent, conflicts of interest and unfair treatment of others."
If a student and faculty member have a professional relationship with each other, the policy requires them to disclose the relationship to an administrative supervisor.
"With each situation, we have to look at the dynamics to see what the University might do," Jordan said.
Options for students and faculty in these situations include bringing in a third party to evaluate the student's work or the switching student's class sections.
"It really doesn't bother me at all," Engineering sophomore Becky Wulff said of relationships between students and faculty. "It's hard enough to find someone to date. If it happens to be your instructor, I'm all for it."
However, Jordan said these relationships can lead to concerns about favoritism, conflict of interest in the ability to fairly assess the student's grades, and sexual harassment.
"There's a power differential between the two (persons involved)," Jordan said, referring to potential sexual harassment resulting from the relationship. The person with less power may have felt compelled to become involved in the relationship, she said.
"There's a power relationship that can one: be exploitative of the student; two: can lead to inequality to the other students; (and) three: lead to false expectations about favoritism," said anthropology GSI Roxanna Duntley. "And finally I just think it's totally unethical."
Other students also expressed concerns about faculty-student relationships.
"It's a controversial (relationship) if students are dating the instructor in one of their classes," said LSA junior Suresh Pothiraj. "Other students might think that student is getting preferential treatment.
"It also causes problems for the instructor," he said, citing that faculty members do not want to be perceived by other students as giving preferential treatment.
"I think it would be very uncomfortable," said Engineering senior Kristy Walker. "If other students found out, they might feel they are paying more attention to you or giving you extra points."
LSA junior Jeff Shore agreed. "Obviously the (student) could be doing it to get a good grade and that would be unfair to the class," he said.
However, students said relationships between faculty members and students were acceptable if the student was not in the faculty member's class.
"I think it's OK if (students) date professors if they're not in the class," said LSA first-year student Sarah Gregor. "I don't think it's proper for you to date your own professor."
But Jordan said these outside relationships also may lead to problems should the student become academically involved with the faculty member in the future. For instance, students might ask for a letter of recommendation from a professor they are currently dating.
The policy further states that these relationships may lead to difficulties.
"The Senate Assembly has concluded, and the University concurs, that the asymmetry of the faculty-student relationship means that any sexual relationship between a faculty member and a student is potentially exploitative and should be avoided," the policy reads.