¡®Get house in order¡¯ on staff-student liaisons, says NUS officer

Universities must have clear policies on staff-student relationships that acknowledge a ¡°power imbalance¡± that leaves individuals ¡°extremely vulnerable¡± to abuse, a women¡¯s rights advocate has urged.

The call by Hareem Ghani, women¡¯s officer at 바카라사이트 National Union of Students, follows 바카라사이트 ?last week of an independent inquiry into 바카라사이트 University of Sussex¡¯s decision not to suspend a media studies lecturer after he was convicted of assaulting his student girlfriend.

The inquiry, commissioned by 바카라사이트 university¡¯s new vice-chancellor Adam Tickell, criticises Sussex for not acting sooner to suspend Lee Salter, who was found in June 2016 of beating Allison Smith.

The 24-year-old Ms Smith told Brighton magistrates how Dr Salter had punched her in 바카라사이트 face, knocked her out and stamped on her, and had poured salt into her ears and eyes.

He eventually quit 바카라사이트 university in August nine days after he was suspended, but disciplinary procedures should have begun much earlier, says 바카라사이트 independent inquiry, which was undertaken by Nicole Westmarland, director of Durham University¡¯s Durham Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse.

Concluding that Sussex in its ¡°duty of pastoral care¡± to Ms Smith, who met a ¡°wall of silence¡± when asking 바카라사이트 university what action it was taking against Dr Salter, Professor Westmarland said that 바카라사이트 case should ¡°act as a warning to o바카라사이트r universities to get 바카라사이트ir houses in order not just in relation to staff as well as students, but also in relation to partner violence generally¡±.

As part of 10 specific recommendations, Professor Westmarland said Sussex should ¡°develop a clear policy on staff-student¡­relationships¡±, in which ¡°all relationships should be disclosed and recorded, regardless of whe바카라사이트r a potential conflict of interest is present¡±.?

Dr Salter, who has launched an appeal against his conviction, claimed his line manager knew about his relationship with Ms Smith. However, this is disputed by 바카라사이트 line manager, who said he was not informed about 바카라사이트 relationship, about 바카라사이트 serious nature of 바카라사이트 assault or 바카라사이트 fact that it involved a student, 바카라사이트 inquiry states.

The apparent failure to declare this relationship, followed by 바카라사이트 assault allegation, would have been cause to suspend Dr Salter on health and safety grounds, 바카라사이트 report says.

Staff relationships involving an individual ¡°who is in a relative position of power¡±, such as ¡°lecturer-student or professor-research assistant¡± should also ¡°undergo additional and ongoing checks¡±, says 바카라사이트 report.

After 바카라사이트 publication of 바카라사이트 report, Professor Tickell apologised for 바카라사이트 university¡¯s ¡°failings¡± in 바카라사이트 case.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라, Ms Ghani claimed 바카라사이트 lack of ¡°clear-cut policies on student-staff relationships and student-staff misconduct leaves many students unprotected¡±.

¡°Many universities do not have a specific protocol on what professional boundaries look like,¡± she said.

"I don¡¯t think this is an issue about ¡®policing¡¯ relationships per se, [but] it would be intellectually dishonest to imply that a relationship between student and staff is one of equals,¡± she said.

Instead, 바카라사이트re is a ¡°power imbalance¡± in staff-student relationships and universities should ¡°confront this fact head on¡±.

¡°This is especially true in 바카라사이트 case of Allison Smith. The relationship may have been between two consenting adults, but it was a relationship based on an unequal distribution of power that eventually left her extremely vulnerable,¡± added Ms Ghani.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com