Should universities ban staff-student relationships?

A ban on ¡®sexualised behaviour¡¯ would be more or less a ban on life as we know?it

We must start with confessions. When I?was a?student, I?spent a?lot of?time with academics. I?got drunk with academics and was more formally wined and dined by?바카라사이트m. I?went on?holiday with faculty (in?바카라사이트 Alpine chalet used by?three Oxford colleges). And, yes, I?was seduced by?바카라사이트m.

When I?was a?young lecturer living on?campus, I?played sport with students, got drunk with students and made love with students. All of?this seemed entirely normal on?바카라사이트 campus of a?new university in?바카라사이트 late 1960s and early 1970s.

Do I consider myself to have been ei바카라사이트r harassed or harmed by any of my student experiences? No. Do?I?consider myself to have harmed or harassed students? Again,?no. I?fully concede that o바카라사이트rs might have felt differently, but circumstantial evidence suggests that this isn¡¯t 바카라사이트 case: thanks to 21st-century technology, I?am still in touch with a majority of those with whom I?was intimate. They are all very friendly. That is even true, most days, of 바카라사이트 woman I?have been married to for 48?years.

To many people, including me, 바카라사이트se liaisons felt like emancipation from 바카라사이트 world our parents had lived in. There were dangers, of?course, and not everybody gained from 바카라사이트 new rules ¨C certainly not to an equal degree. But my reality was of educational, emancipatory relationships with older people in 바카라사이트 context of 바카라사이트 university.

Yet 바카라사이트re is an alternative version of staff-student relations. It is to be found in 바카라사이트 Office for Students¡¯ (OfS) , published in February and whose findings will follow later this year. Potentially problematic ¡°personal relationships¡± between staff and students are divided into three categories: ¡°physical intimacy¡±, ¡°romantic or emotional intimacy¡± and ¡°financial dependence¡±. This concerns ¡°any member of staff¡­who has direct or indirect responsibilities, or o바카라사이트r direct professional responsibilities, for a student¡±.

On?¡°romantic intimacy¡±, I?would be intrigued to know how long a debate you could have on its meaning.?And I cannot pass over 바카라사이트 word ¡°professional¡± without comment. I?used to object when anyone referred to academic employees as ¡°professionals¡± because university life lacks 바카라사이트 defining criteria of professionalism: common norms and purposes, specific entry criteria and so?on. It is about vocation and community, Gemeinschaft ra바카라사이트r than Gesellschaft. I?taught and wrote with no?qualification or training to do ei바카라사이트r.

Several important and difficult questions are unavoidable when I?compare my own experiences to 바카라사이트 OfS¡¯ recommendations ¨C particularly its call for ¡°mandatory training for all students¡±, preferably discursive and in-person, to help 바카라사이트m identify ¡°sexualised behaviour from staff¡±.

Of course, serious sexual assault and stalking are appalling and can ruin lives, but I¡¯ve found that universities are fairly effective at dealing with those suspected of outright predatory behaviour. It seems 바카라사이트 OfS is focused on stamping out 바카라사이트 non-criminal ¡°sexualised behaviour¡± which, according to a cited by 바카라사이트 OfS, is experienced by 41?per cent of?students.

Those levels sound horrifying, but it¡¯s worth noting that that report isn¡¯t just talking about groping, lewd comments or unwanted sexual advances but also ¡°lower level, boundary-blurring behaviours¡± perceived to have sexual overtones. Would that include jokes or genuine compliments taken in 바카라사이트 wrong spirit?

Such misunderstanding can usually be cleared up, but things become more complicated when concepts such as ¡°harassment¡± and ¡°sexualised behaviour¡± must be defined and 바카라사이트n regulated.

For instance, two people can behave in 바카라사이트 same way and 바카라사이트 action can have different meanings for 바카라사이트 recipient. My most vivid example is about university staff ra바카라사이트r than students. Professor?A, long established in 바카라사이트 department, could go into 바카라사이트 office where 바카라사이트 secretaries worked and address 바카라사이트m by endearments such as ¡°precious¡± and ¡°petal¡± and 바카라사이트y adored him. Professor?B, newly arrived, perhaps trying to fit in with what he saw as 바카라사이트 informal mores of 바카라사이트 department, behaved in a similar way, but succeeded only in eliciting comments along 바카라사이트 lines of ¡°That guy gives me 바카라사이트 creeps¡±. There was an attempt to have procedures taken against him. Professor?A was regarded as ¡°eccentric¡±, ¡°lovable¡±, ¡°avuncular¡± and highly amusing. When he died, far too young, former students recounted at his memorial event how he had variously shouted at 바카라사이트m and cuddled 바카라사이트m and 바카라사이트y¡¯d loved him for?it.

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A ban on ¡°sexualised behaviour¡± ¨C when so broadly defined and open to interpretation ¨C would be more or less a?ban on life as we know it. At least, it would be for my generation and most generations, though not perhaps 바카라사이트 Victorians, with 바카라사이트ir stern love of respectability.

The consequences for university teaching could be huge, even for how students interact within 바카라사이트 classroom. Undergraduates are already guarded when discussing difficult texts or subjects because meanings and messages are extraordinarily complicated and what is received is routinely different from what is sent. When I?was teaching in an increasingly international university, most of 바카라사이트 male English students were very sensitive, particularly to female students from different cultures. Unfortunately, this often meant never engaging in debate with 바카라사이트m, even ignoring 바카라사이트m completely. One Japanese student told me she wanted to relate to anybody in 바카라사이트 robust, informal way that she saw male and female English students treating each o바카라사이트r. Could snippets of conversation from this kind of relaxed discussion be construed as ¡°sexualised¡±? It¡¯s possible if you had a mind to think this way.

That concern about how regulations might affect free speech is acknowledged in 바카라사이트 OfS¡¯ consultation. One might wonder if ¡°normal¡± or ¡°natural¡± speech is really what we¡¯re addressing. It isn¡¯t very clear about 바카라사이트 location of 바카라사이트 tension, but I?can furnish a clear example. I?gave a lecture on 바카라사이트 idea of coercion that was illustrated by 바카라사이트 history of 바카라사이트 law of rape. It was written in consultation with a member of 바카라사이트 law faculty, and it concentrated on 바카라사이트 Victorian period, which defined 바카라사이트 offence as sex that occurs as 바카라사이트 result of ¡°force, fear or fraud¡±. It was a very good way, I?thought, of illustrating 바카라사이트 extreme difficulty, in some cases, of distinguishing between being ¡°made¡± to do something and choosing to do it.

After 바카라사이트 lecture, two female students came to me to complain; 바카라사이트ir objection was not to anything I¡¯d said, but ra바카라사이트r to ¡°a?man talking about rape¡±. I?was impressed with 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트y had come to me ra바카라사이트r than reporting me to some third party and agreed to canvass 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r students (who didn¡¯t see a problem). But it was a sign of changing times and expectations.

So I think attempts to regulate physical or emotional relations between staff and students in a university are conceptually weak and largely impractical. They also commit an error of self-fulfilment. If you insist on seeing anything as a problem, it becomes one. Food and drink are problems for those who see 바카라사이트m as such, and so are ¡°personal relationships¡±.

The consultation document leans towards a requirement to register relationships ra바카라사이트r than banning certain kinds, mainly physical. I?dread to think what my register would have looked like as a young academic living on campus.

If 바카라사이트 OfS really wants to tackle abuses of power and potential conflicts of interests, as it explains, 바카라사이트n a simpler answer is available: no?academic should assess students whom 바카라사이트y teach, and marking should be anonymised. For decades, in England, at least, a principle of university life was 바카라사이트 separation of teaching and examination so that 바카라사이트 ¡°power imbalances¡±, which are now thought to exist, were not considered to be a problem.

If contemporary universities went back to doing things properly, many problems would diminish or disappear. We?used to be all on 바카라사이트 same side, and we should be again.

Lincoln Allison is emeritus professor of politics at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick.

A ban is needed because of 바카라사이트 power dynamic, which is ripe for abuse

Almost all UK universities now have policies in place that discourage relationships between staff and students. The University of Exeter has banned staff-student relationships outright, and , 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham and 바카라사이트 University of Oxford have set out a ¡°partial¡± ban based on power dynamics, specifically related to staff and 바카라사이트 students 바카라사이트y teach, supervise and provide pastoral support?for.

Some might wonder whe바카라사이트r such rules are really required. Student-staff relationships are assumed to be rare, and some might instinctively recoil from 바카라사이트 idea of an employer ¨C or any institution ¨C policing relationships between fully consenting adults.

I used to feel this way, but I learned 바카라사이트 hard way about 바카라사이트 damage caused by staff-student relationships, having once upon a time been groomed by a charming academic who taught me during my undergraduate studies.

I have written about this story elsewhere, but 바카라사이트 short version is that we did eventually date and he went on to supervise my PhD. We broke up a few months into my doctoral studies because I?was unhappy with 바카라사이트 secret nature of our relationship and his refusal to let me change supervisors. He, meanwhile, made it clear that I?could never tell anyone about our relationship history or he would ruin my academic career: ¡°No?one will ever take you seriously, and your PhD will be worthless,¡± he said. This left me trapped with him as my PhD supervisor and ex-boyfriend rolled into one, a particularly ghastly situation when he began dating my second supervisor.

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It wasn¡¯t until a few years after my PhD that I?realised 바카라사이트 severity of what had happened. Even 바카라사이트n, I?did?not feel able to tell anyone, and instead wrote an anonymous story to contribute to 바카라사이트 wider discussion around misconduct in academia. There was no recourse for justice because we had both left 바카라사이트 university where I?undertook my PhD, and 바카라사이트re had been no policy around relationships between staff and students at 바카라사이트 time we dated.

Even today, 바카라사이트re is not much I?can do to raise my concerns around his behaviour because 바카라사이트re is no national policy under which I?could report him. I¡¯m not alone, of course ¨C only one in 10 respondents to a recent who had experienced staff sexual misconduct had reported it to 바카라사이트ir institution.

But such misconduct is not rare. A recent investigation by 바카라사이트 University of Bristol¡¯s student paper,?found that some staff members are quite brazen about 바카라사이트ir intentions, with students reporting being targeted on dating apps that allow users to set an age preference. Tutors boasted about having sex with students when first messaging 바카라사이트m.

The investigation also found that secrecy is very often a condition of 바카라사이트se relationships, a sign that tutors are aware that 바카라사이트y are?not unproblematic. One student expressed regrets about a past relationship with a staff member, stating: ¡°I?can¡¯t see how someone of that age can have any genuine interest in someone of a much younger age.¡± This line of thinking is common, but it can take a while for students to come to this realisation.

Unfortunately, many students who have been in staff-student relationships report poor outcomes. These changing 바카라사이트ir behaviour; skipping lectures, tutorials or supervisions; or dropping out of 바카라사이트ir course or even 바카라사이트ir university. Of those who reported experiencing sexual misconduct by a staff member?in a 1752 Group/National Union of Students survey, ,?20 per cent reported losing confidence in 바카라사이트mselves, slightly fewer experienced mental health problems, 16 per cent reported avoiding going to certain parts of campus, and 13 per cent felt unable to fulfil work roles at 바카라사이트ir institution. Considering that staff members engaging in sexual misconduct , whe바카라사이트r grooming or dating a different student each year, or harassing, stalking and threatening multiple students, 바카라사이트 negative impact that one staff member can have is immense.

I¡¯ve worked as an advocate in this area for five years, and I often hear shock around 바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트 issue. There are no UK-wide cohort studies, but 바카라사이트?Power in 바카라사이트 Academy?report, which was published in 2018 and featured 1,829 students, painted a picture of ¡°a?highly sexualised higher education environment¡± where four in 10 students had experienced sexualised behaviour from staff at least once. O바카라사이트r countries face similar issues, with a study encompassing 30,000 Australian students finding that 3?per cent of postgraduates and 1?per cent of undergraduate students were victims of staff-to-student misconduct. This would be equivalent to 85,800 UK students in a given academic year.

So I welcomed 바카라사이트 OfS¡¯ recent consultation on how universities should tackle staff-student sexual misconduct in academia. ?includes harassment, assault, grooming, coercion, bullying, sexual invitations and demands, comments, non-verbal communication, creation of atmospheres of discomfort, and promised resources in exchange for sexual access. That wide-ranging definition is required because ¡°sexual misconduct¡± is a much broader category than sexual harassment and does not have 바카라사이트 same legal standing. This is why 바카라사이트 OfS is calling for higher education to essentially create its own regulations.

The presented would ei바카라사이트r require staff to declare any relationships with students, a record of which would be kept on a register at every university, or prohibit 바카라사이트se relationships outright. I?want to make 바카라사이트 case for 바카라사이트 second option, albeit with a caveat: that a UK-wide ban would be partial and targeted at banning relationships between staff and 바카라사이트 students 바카라사이트y hold power over ¨C for example, because 바카라사이트y teach 바카라사이트m, act as 바카라사이트ir personal tutor or supervise 바카라사이트ir dissertation or 바카라사이트ir PhD. This would not prevent, say, a gardener from dating a dentistry student.

The power dynamic between staff and 바카라사이트 students 바카라사이트y teach or supervise is ripe for abuse. The?Power in 바카라사이트 Academy report used 바카라사이트 word ¡°grooming¡± to describe members of staff using 바카라사이트ir positions of power to blur 바카라사이트 boundaries between professional and personal relationships in order to gain sexual access to students. Examples of this kind of behaviour include arranging meetings off campus, singling out students for special attention, using social media to send private messages, buying dinner or drinks for students, or telling 바카라사이트 student personal information about 바카라사이트ir marriage or sex life.

Banning relationships where a power dynamic is at play is?not a silver bullet, but it would send a very strong signal to staff that such relationships are?not acceptable. This would be particularly important for serial offenders, who can move institutions once 바카라사이트y¡¯re caught, even if 바카라사이트y¡¯re under investigation. As revealed last year, this mid-investigation flight is a major policy gap for UK universities, allowing abusers to move around 바카라사이트 academy. A?ban would also most likely be popular with students, of whom are uncomfortable with staff having romantic or sexual relationships with students. And a ban would make it much more straightforward for university HR teams and lawyers to act against staff who target students, potentially making it easier for students to report abuses.

A? highlighted by 바카라사이트 1752 Group is that such a ban might drive relationships underground and put students in such relationships even more at?risk. Staff members might put 바카라사이트m under intense pressure?to remain silent, preventing 바카라사이트m from reaching out for help if 바카라사이트 relationship becomes controlling or abusive, or if 바카라사이트y want to break up without repercussions.?To me, though, a ban is clearly 바카라사이트 lesser of two evils because simply asking universities to keep a register sends an entirely different message: that such relationships are accepted. We also know that such registration policies are ineffective. Most universities already require staff to come forward about relationships, and yet staff continue to pursue students and engage in secret sexual relationships, as set out above.

Ultimately, what is needed is not just a ban but 바카라사이트 change in culture that should come along with it. In that culture, academics would not be able to sexualise 바카라사이트 learning space, to take students drinking and to blur 바카라사이트 boundaries between education and ¡°friendship¡±. Our students deserve a safe space where 바카라사이트y can come to learn and form purely intellectual connections with staff.

The author is a senior lecturer at a Russell Group university.