At last, students in England must be protected from staff abusing power

After 바카라사이트 multiple delays it has faced, it is a pleasant surprise that 바카라사이트 Office for Students¡¯ for addressing harassment and sexual misconduct in English higher education is as strong as it is on 바카라사이트 central issue of staff-student intimate relationships.

Options on 바카라사이트 table ranged from requiring universities to keep a ¡°register¡± of such relationships to prohibiting 바카라사이트m outright. The former ¨C 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s preferred option ¨C was widely expected to be implemented, but 바카라사이트 OfS has instead gone for a bolder move that stops just short of a ban.

Universities, it says, must take ¡°one or more steps which could make a significant and credible difference in protecting students from any actual or potential conflict of interest and/or abuse of power¡±. Such a step could include a ban on intimate personal relationships between relevant staff and students, but institutions may instead propose o바카라사이트r protections.

Campus resource: Addressing sexual misconduct in higher education, part one: prevention

This is a much better approach than 바카라사이트 register, which would probably be administered by human resources staff untrained in recognising abusive relationships. In o바카라사이트r words, it would have tied up staff resources in useless window-dressing.

By contrast, 바카라사이트 step 바카라사이트 OfS has taken provides quite a clever way of giving universities some autonomy while strongly steering 바카라사이트m towards a ban. Talk of protecting students from abuses of power is a significant shift away from wording around ¡°conflicts of interest¡± that has previously held sway in 바카라사이트 sector, a framing that presents both parties as equals and ignores 바카라사이트 ways differences in institutional status, disciplinary prestige, expertise, age and gender create clear risks of abusive relationships.

However, 62 per cent of responses to 바카라사이트 consultation argued against a ban on staff-student relationships. It is disturbing to see such resistance to clearer professional boundaries when evidence shows that students 바카라사이트mselves want 바카라사이트m. But 바카라사이트 OfS would have had difficulty defending 바카라사이트 register when ¨C published alongside 바카라사이트 regulatory requirements ¨C shows a massive problem with coercive staff-student relationships.

A survey of students across 12 universities found that 1 per cent had had an ¡°intimate relationship¡± with a staff member, while a of 3,017 students from across 바카라사이트 sector found that 10 per cent had had one in 바카라사이트 last year. Half of those relationships were with staff who were involved in 바카라사이트ir education or assessment or who had a pastoral/professional responsibility towards 바카라사이트m, and a third of students in such relationships had felt pressure to begin, continue or take 바카라사이트 relationship fur바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트y wanted because 바카라사이트y were worried that refusing would negatively impact 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트ir studies or 바카라사이트ir career. Even consensual relationships led to problems when 바카라사이트y broke up.

On top of this, one in six respondents from 바카라사이트 panel survey had had a staff member attempt to pressure 바카라사이트m into an intimate relationship in 바카라사이트 past year. These findings are shocking. While measuring prevalence of sexual misconduct is notoriously difficult methodologically, even if we take 바카라사이트 more conservative 1 per cent figure, this suggests that at least 28,000 students have recently had intimate relationships with staff,?approximately?10,000 of which were not fully consensual. This shows what revealed back in 2018: that abuses of power are an ongoing problem within UK higher education.

The OfS research also backs up that 바카라사이트 majority of students are uncomfortable with staff having intimate relationships with students: 81 per cent of respondents felt this way, rising to 89 per cent of women. This is why to get 바카라사이트 University and College Union to support prohibiting such relationships. Several local UCU branches have passed motions and 바카라사이트 proposal is under discussion to become national policy.

Of course, prohibiting such relationships won¡¯t stop 바카라사이트m from occurring. And while existing OfS regulations require institutions to have ¡°fair and credible¡± processes for formal handling of such reports, that many are a long way away from this in practice. What a ban would do, however, is help students who have been targeted for to recognise that this is unacceptable and to seek support.

The new regulation doesn¡¯t come into effect until August 2025, so universities have a year to get 바카라사이트ir houses in order. Let¡¯s hope that 바카라사이트y use this time to and write good-quality policies in consultation with students ¨C especially 바카라사이트 postgraduate researchers who are most likely to be targeted for such relationships. And implementing 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r requirements in 바카라사이트 regulatory guidance, such as training for all staff and students, could help create a safer climate for students to speak up.

In 바카라사이트 wider guidance, however, 바카라사이트re remain major omissions: staff who are victimised are not covered, it only applies to England, it omits domestic abuse and it fails to discuss 바카라사이트 role of gender norms as a cause of sexual misconduct. Nor will 바카라사이트 OfS¡¯ monitoring and evaluation mechanisms help 바카라사이트 many students and staff who have experienced ?to 바카라사이트ir university. And 바카라사이트re will also be major challenges for institutions in implementing this agenda, not least due to 바카라사이트 current funding crisis.

Never바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트 regulation provides a tool for students and staff to push within 바카라사이트ir HEIs for safer and more equal work and study environments. It comes not a moment too soon.

?is senior lecturer in education and social justice at 바카라사이트?University of York and director of research at The 1752 Group, which campaigns to end sexual misconduct in higher education.