The University of Connecticut adopted a new policy Wednesday that bans romantic relationships between undergraduate students and faculty and staff.
UConn President Susan Herbst says university officials researched consensual relationship policies at universities all over the U.S.
“This is very common in academe, and I think that we have vetted it with all the appropriate parties on campus, so I’m very glad to see it done," Herbst said.
It’s not very common in Massachusetts, though, like UConn, Emerson College does have a total ban on consensual relationships between undergrads and faculty.
Most other schools offer a bit more leniency.
Wellesley College prohibits all employees - whether faculty, staff or students - from having relationships with anyone they supervise.
Harvard University warns its faculty that any romantic involvement with their students makes them liable for disciplinary action. Harvard's sexual harassment policy states relationships between faculty and students are "always fundamentally asymmetric in nature."
Boston University and Amherst College strongly discourage relationships between faculty and undergrads, without banning them outright.
Other schools, like the entire University of Massachusetts system, have no policies at all, though a spokesperson for UMass Amherst says it has a thorough process for handling sexual harassment complaints.
