University ‘couples’ must report

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University employees may face sanctions up to and including termination if
they do not comply with the consensual relationships policy adopted July
1.

However, this would occur only in “a most unusual and very, very extreme
circumstance,” said Robert Martin, associate vice provost. “We are
anticipating
compliance. The basic stance is that everyone involved on campus wants to
comply.”

The policy works to curb potential problematic relationships between two
university employees or university employees and students. Martin said the
person with the authority in the relationship must report the sexual or romantic
relationship to their immediate supervisor.

He said he knows of no centralized list of authority figures who have
already reported a relationship. Married professors are not affected by the
policy.

Individual departments will take the initiative to make sure a different authority
situation happens.

“This policy doesn’t forbid romantic relationships, only where authority
differentials exist,” Martin said. “We have to change the authority
relationship.
There is an inherent conflict of interests.”

A main concern is someone will benefit illegally from such a relationship.

“If you have any power over someone else, like giving them a grade, you
can’t be in the position to seek a relationship,” University President Michael
Rao said.

Faculty Association President Tanya Domina said the policy has not caused a stir to
date.

“I don’t think at this point it violates the contract; otherwise our
bargaining team would have filed a grievance,” she said.

Once the academic year begins, the Faculty Association will look over
the details and make sure they are clear on the policy language, said Kevin
Love, Faculty Association president-elect.

“Very quickly down the road, as a union, we are going to take a look at
it and ask ‘What does it mean?’” Love said. “We were taken back by
it. I
think at this point, the Faculty Association really has to take a hard look
at it and ask a number of questions. Why do we want to move in this direction,
to have this policy? Are there reasons to have it? Are we doing it because
other institutions doing it? Then the FA needs to look at the substance of
it to make sure that it is doing what is it supposed to do: protecting
faculty.”            &
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Other universities already have instituted such policies, and a main reason CMU created
one is to get up to date.

“We looked at a number of policies from (universities) across the country,”
Martin said. “I don’t think there was any single impetus to the
policy.”

The University of Michigan has had a consensual relationship policy since
October 1991, and it essentially works to the same end as CMU’s, said Laura
Lessnau, associate director of University of Michigan news service.

“There is a policy under review,” Lessnau said. “It prohibits
romantic
or physical relationships between a faculty member and a student under his
or her supervision. It also requires faculty members to disclose it to an
immediate supervisor. They must have an immediate plan.”

She said loss of job is the ultimate penalty.

“If they figure out that it is unmanageable, then the relationship must
be terminated,” Lessnau said. “If they don’t disclose it, they could
face
charges of misconduct, which could result in sanctions including termination.”