Dartmouth undergraduates seeking age and maturity in an on-campus romantic partner are in luck. Though the Dartmouth student dating pool has disappointed some, the College currently maintains no written policy prohibiting students from dating members of the faculty.
While student-faculty dating at Dartmouth has not created enough attention to necessitate an official policy, several other peer academic institutions have recently instated guidelines as a result of specific instances.
However, a feeling of uncertainty and confusion envelops the issue, leaving students and members of the faculty unsure of what the boundaries are.
Director of the Ethics Institute Aine Donovan stressed that maintaining professionalism and a sense of community is important in consideringwhether professors should be allowed to date students.
"As a community, we try to counsel professionals that may be entering into areas of embarrassment," she said.
While no official written guidelines exist, an unspoken rule bars professors from having an amorous relationship with students in their class. Departmental chairs would be the first to review the case should a professor be discovered to have an involvement with a student in his or her class. Further possible review and sanctions would be brought before the Dean of the Faculty.
The Graduate School of the College does however maintain a formal policy. "The Policy on Consensual Relationships and Conflict of Interest" prevents graduate students from being in a relationship with a student or employee that he or she supervises.
The policy notes, "By entering into a romantic or sexual relationship with a student or employee she or he supervises or evaluates, the supervisor diminishes the advisee's freedom of choice, regardless of the advisee's consent, because of the real or implied power imbalance that rests with the supervisor."
Donovan said that because an "air of impropriety" exists within these specific relationships, the College deeply frowns upon such involvement. Donovan further stresses that the College's lack of a written policy on the issue does not signify a lack of concern.
"This does not mean Dartmouth is lax on the issue of professional conduct, yet we believe through counseling, we can together as a community uphold standards of professional integrity," said Donovan, preferring to review incidents on a case-by-case basis.
Noting a general infrequency of such incidents, most departmental chairs are unaware of what specific actions they would take should they be confronted with the issue. Chair of the English Department Peter Travis commented that during his time the department has yet to face the issue and thus has no policy implicit or explicit on the matter. If a situation were to arise, however, he would consult the College counsel.
Government Department Chair Anne Sa'adah said she believes the issue is hard to qualify with rules. Without a specific policy, the department would take any situations on a case-to-case basis.
"You'll allow the situations you want to allow, but you don't have a pre-packaged way of dealing with the problems that are a bit on the edge," Sa'adah said.
At other institutions, policies are more explicit than those at Dartmouth. In 1998, allegations of sexual harassment by a Yale student romantically involved with a professor caused the University to institute a formal policy prohibiting faculty from engaging in romantic relationships with students over which they have any direct supervisory responsibilities.
The College of William and Mary takes a much stricter stance on the issue -- prohibiting students and faculty from dating even if their interactions are limited to outside of the classroom.
Dartmouth's community-oriented identity makes it more difficult for students and faculty to be inconspicuous about their involvement. Therefore, Sa'adah said, faculty must not compromise the learning environment of the College with their actions.
"We understand that this is a small community and faculty are responsible for maintaining a learning environment in which everyone is comfortable," she said.
Dartmouth students expressed mixed reactions regarding whether a formal policy should exist limiting the freedom of professors and students to interact romantically.
Most students, like Louisa McCarthy '08, said they believe professors and students should be allowed to date as long as their interaction doesn't extend to the classroom.
"If you're not in a class with them, then it's your own personal choice if that's what you want to do."
Jaime Padgett '07 took a different stance on the issue, questioning what would motivate a Dartmouth undergraduate to date a professor in the first place.
"I mean, what do a 20-year-old college student and a professor have in common?" Padgett said.
Regardless of the type of interaction, Donovan stressed that faculty members are responsible for maintaining a level of professionalism and order within the college.
"Dartmouth does not ever encourage a romantic relationship between a professor and a student," Donovan said, "but Dartmouth takes seriously that people will act as professionals."
