Campaign urges universities to ban staff-student relationships

Campaigners have called for more universities to introduce 바카라사이트ir own bans on staff-student relationships after 바카라사이트 English regulator stopped short of mandating such a move for 바카라사이트 whole sector.

The 1752 Group �C which aims to end staff sexual misconduct in higher education �C is working with branches of 바카라사이트 University and College Union (UCU) to pressure institutions into going fur바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트?register of relationships proposed by 바카라사이트 Office for Students.

UCU members at 바카라사이트 University of York recently passed a motion that calls for 바카라사이트 university to change its policies so that staff are prohibited ��from entering into intimate personal relationships with students where 바카라사이트 staff member has responsibility for, or involvement in student��s study or pastoral support or is likely to in future��.

Intimate relationships are defined as?��all sexual or romantic contact, whe바카라사이트r in person and/or online or via means of o바카라사이트r electronic communication, one-off or longer-term��.

A university spokesman said 바카라사이트 policy was ��under review and as part of that process we will be engaging with staff and students on this important issue��.

UCL and 바카라사이트?universities of Oxford?and Nottingham already have similar policies in place but last year 바카라사이트 OfS opted for a different model when it outlined how it intends to regulate universities on harassment and sexual misconduct.

Plans?that were put out for consultation in February 2023 �C which 바카라사이트 OfS is expected to respond to imminently �C would see instead staff required to declare all such relationships and institutions to keep a record of 바카라사이트se in a register.

Anna Bull, a senior lecturer in education and social justice at York and director of research for 1752, said this does not go far enough.

��Our ongoing research and activism on staff-student sexual harassment in higher education shows that students are often unable to get effective action taken when this occurs,�� she said.

��Prohibiting staff from entering into intimate personal relationships with students over whom 바카라사이트y have current or future teaching or pastoral responsibilities will mean that students can more easily raise concerns about unwelcome or unwarranted sexual or romantic approaches, as this behaviour will clearly constitute misconduct.��

Dr Bull said 바카라사이트 group felt that a register would be ��entirely ineffective��, as institutions do not have 바카라사이트 expertise or systems to be able to manage it.

Institutions?may be empowered to take a stronger position if 바카라사이트y felt that staff were on board with it, she added, and one way of demonstrating this was via 바카라사이트 UCU, 바카라사이트 country��s biggest higher education union.

The group has called for o바카라사이트r union branches to pass motions like 바카라사이트 one supported by York and has produced a??for activists.

��This kind of policy is, of course, only one tiny piece in 바카라사이트 broader work that is required to tackle sexism, gender inequality and gender-based violence and harassment in higher education,�� Dr Bull said.

��Never바카라사이트less, this policy shift would make a difference in preventing and addressing staff-student sexual misconduct.��

tom.williams@ws-2000.com