University of Idaho Dean of Students Bruce Pitman said the new relations policy email, sent to students March 28, was an important reminder to students who had heard of the policy before and new information to others because of UI’s constant changing demographic.
“There are expectations of both faculty and of students in making decisions about relationships,” Pitman said. “In order for the educational process to take place in a safe environment, and in an environment that furthers our academic goals, there need to be appropriate relationships so that judgments can be made about the quality of work that’s being made in the classroom.”
Policy 3205 in the Faculty Staff Handbook, enacted Dec. 13, 2011, states that the university’s mission depends on maintaining professionalism, and romantic or sexual relationships “inevitably raises concerns for objectivity, fairness, and exploitation.”
This includes instructor-student, instructor-assistant, senior faculty-junior faculty, mentor-trainee, advisor-advisee, counselor-client, teaching assistant-student, coach-athlete, student housing staff-resident and supervisor-employee relationships.
Paul Joyce, UI Faculty Senate chair, said the new policy clarifies the old policy.
“It’s always been known that theses sort of things are a bad idea,” Joyce said. “Now it’s in policy.”
Joyce said that if such a relationship arises, the couple should disclose it immediately to the supervisor.
“They will need to either end the relationship, or end the authority,” Joyce said. “If the student is in the class of the faculty member, he or she may be moved to a different section as a first step.”
Once the relationship is disclosed, the department administrator will develop a plan to remove the authority, Joyce said.
“Some could say this has to end, no matter what,” Joyce said. “It’s within their discretion. One could say you would have to move to a different section, then allow it. But there must be a plan to mitigate the situation.”
If the relationship is not disclosed when it appears, and if it comes out later, the full policy will be enforced and could lead to dismissal of the faculty member, Joyce said.
“The university acknowledges that there are preexisting relationships between faculty and students,” Joyce said. “For example, we have married couples, and one might be a gradate student and one a faculty member, or one a gradate student in chemistry and one in history.”
The university would ensure that one member of such a couple has no academic or workplace authority over the other.
“This policy would also apply to somebody who works in the office,” Joyce said. “It would not be allowed if one was the chair of a department and the other worked in the office.”
Joanna Wilson can be reached at [email protected]