digitalfeminism

A Middlebury blog

Student-Staff Relationship Policy

In September of 2007, University of Virginia professor Ann J. Lane delivered a talk in which she encouraged Middlebury College administrators to oppose student-staff relationships. Following the talk, discussions of a relationship policy spread to the Community Council in November. Up until that point, the College had no clear policy on student-staff relationships, though the College Handbook discouraged both parties from engaging in any “sexual or romantic” relationships. The November Community Council meeting endorsed a proposal that drew from Carleton College’s policy discouraging student-staff relationships, but it did not specify what would happen if a faculty member were to break the policy. As of February, 2008, the College had officially adopted a policy that strongly discouraged any student-staff relationships and required staff to immediately report any relationship with a student to the Dean of Faculty. The policy raised criticism from faculty and students because it did not explicitly forbid student-staff relationships, and it did not specify any consequences for staff who do engage in relationships with students. See below for articles from The Campus on the policy debates in 2007-2008:

https://middleburycampus.com/6622/news/staff-student-relations-heat-up-council/

https://middleburycampus.com/6827/news/professors-debate-amorous-relationships/

2008 Faculty Discusses Garza, Relationship policy