The following is from a memorandum sent to members of the Academic and General
Faculty, Graduate Teaching Assistants, Graders, and Coaches from the Vice
President and Provost and the Vice President and Provost for Health Sciences,
regarding the policy on faculty-student relations.
We recently issued a policy addressing certain conflict of interests that
might arise in faculty-student relations. Included in that are sexual relations
between students and faculty members in a position of authority over them. In
addition, the policy addresses conflict of interests between faculty members
and members of their immediate family in the "teacher-student" context (as
defined by the policy).
In cases where the conflict is known prior to the commencement of a "teacher-student"
relationship (as most typically would be the case with respect to faculty
members and immediate family members), we would expect that ways would be devised
to avoid the conflict of interest in the first place, such as reassignment of the
student/faculty member to another class. In other cases, the conflict should
generally not arise (because it is now University policy that a faculty member
avoid sexual relations with or sexual overtures to students over whom the faculty
member is in a position of authority--and we expect faculty to abide by that
policy). Should the conflict nonetheless arise, it will be for the relevant
department chair, dean, or unit head, in the first instance, to determine
the appropriate remedy and/or sanction.
For context purposes, refer to the current version of the University's
conflict of interest policy,
of which this new faculty-student relations policy is now part. You should
be familiar with, and abide by, all aspects of the policy.

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