Faculty dating graduate students

This policy applies broadly to all “affiliates” who engage in “supervision” over “students” (all as defined below).“Affiliates” includes, but is not limited to University faculty, graduate and professional students, postdoctoral fellows and associates, coaches and athletic trainers, resident assistants, residence hall directors, academic advisors, teaching assistants, graders, and University staff and volunteers who supervise students.A consensual romantic or sexual relationship between an affiliate and a student over whom the affiliate has supervision may undermine the integrity of the educational process and adversely affect the learning and living environment for the student in the relationship and for other students.The risks associated with relationships between an affiliate and a student include conflicts of interest, perceptions of undue advantage, and the potential for abuse of the inherent power differential.Others have toughened their policies to require professors to give up supervisory or evaluative roles over students with whom they are involved, and to report such relationships to their own supervisors.

“The very integrity of the university’s academic mission is dependent on the accountability of the faculty member as a mentor, educator and evaluator,” she said. But six campuses, including Berkeley, have conflict-of-interest guidelines urging professors to recuse themselves from overseeing students with whom they are romantically involved.Affiliates also should avoid entering into a romantic or sexual relationship with any student over whom the affiliate reasonably expects to exercise supervisory authority in the future.All affiliates who are not students should avoid entering into romantic or sexual relationships with undergraduate students, regardless of whether or not they exercise supervision over a particular student.The integrity and professionalism of the teacher-student relationship is fundamental to the University’s educational mission.The University recognizes that relationships may develop between individuals teaching or working at the University and students, and this Policy addresses the propriety of those relationships.

Therefore, Boston University’s policy is that no affiliate shall supervise a student with whom the affiliate has a consensual romantic or sexual relationship.