Universities pass prof.-student sex regulations
By John Karl | April 18, 2002Ohio Wesleyan University and Duke University recently drafted official policies regarding sexual relationships between students and professors, prompting other universities to re-examine the adequacy of their own policies. At Dartmouth, where no such policy exists, administrators disagree on the merits of creating rules that would govern student-professor relations. Ohio Wesleyan drew up its approach to the issue in the wake of a student-professor relationship that turned sour and went public, stirring up negative media attention. Dale Swartzentruber, chair of the faculty personnel committee at Ohio Wesleyan, said that although the incident served as a catalyst, support for the policy would have been forthcoming regardless. "We were one of the few universities that didn't have a statement, and it was time we made one," he explained. Widely supported by the faculty, the policy outlines sanctions that range from a formal letter of reprimand to outright dismissal of the professor.