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Policy on Romantic or Sexual Relationships Between Employees and Students
As a condition of employment, all employees of the College (including full- and part-time administrative staff, full- and part-time regular faculty, guest faculty, graduate faculty, coaches, and employees of independent contractors or vendors) may not engage in sexual or romantic relations with any Sarah Lawrence College student, regardless of whether the student consents to such interaction. The Policy does not apply to students who are already spouses/domestic partners of current employees at the College, or spouses/domestic partners of contractor or vendor employees working at the College.
A romantic or sexual relationship between a faculty or staff member and a student poses a significant potential threat to the health and well-being of the College community.
- Such a relationship could lead to preferential treatment or other acts, actual or perceived, of alleged favoritism or alleged retaliation on the part of an employee toward a student.
- Given the power differential between students and faculty or staff members, there is serious concern that such relationships could never be fully consensual, or could be perceived by others, at the time or in retrospect, as coercive in nature.
- Such relationships can also be harmful to other students and employees not directly involved, and highly injurious to the College’s commitment to providing a nurturing learning and work environment for all in the community.
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Procedures on Romantic or Sexual Relationships Between Employees and Students
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Reporting Violations of This Policy
- For Concerns Regarding Faculty: Students, faculty, and staff concerned about a sexual or romantic relationship involving a faculty member and a student should speak to the Title IX Office. The Title IX Office and/or Human Resources Office will meet with the parties involved to discuss this report. The Office will confer with the director of human resources and the provost and dean of the faculty or, if appropriate because the student is a graduate student, the dean of graduate and professional studies. The matter may be referred to the process established for complaints involving faculty (see Article Ill, Section GD of the faculty bylaws). The appropriate dean will report the resolution of any such complaint to both the student and faculty member.
- For Concerns Regarding Staff: Students, faculty, and staff concerned about a sexual or romantic relationship involving a staff member or contractor/vendor employee with a student should contact the director of human resources.
Employees who engage in sexual or romantic relationships with a student contrary to the requirements provided in this Policy are subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, depending upon the nature of and context for the violation. Employees who are approached by a student seeking to establish or embark upon a romantic relationship shall (in addition to rejecting the overture) immediately report the overture to their direct supervisor and to the director of human resources. Failure to make such a report can constitute grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.
For advice or consultation regarding the appropriate course of action, community members may seek assistance from the director of human resources or the College’s Title IX coordinator. If there is any doubt whether a relationship falls within this Policy, individuals should disclose the facts and seek guidance rather than fail to disclose. Additional questions may be addressed to an appropriate supervisor, the provost and dean of the faculty, the dean of graduate and professional studies, the College’s Title IX coordinator, or the Human Resources Office.
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Jurisdiction of This Policy
Should a romantic or sexual relationship with a student be considered to potentially have been nonconsensual, or to potentially have met the definition of sexual harassment against a faculty member or staff member, the College will investigate and resolve this matter in accordance with the Sarah Lawrence College Policy on Sexual Violence. This Policy on Romantic or Sexual Relationships Between Employees and Students therefore applies to such relationships only to the extent that they are not covered by the Policy on Sexual Violence. In the event a question arises as to which policy is applicable to a given set of circumstances, the College, in its sole discretion, will choose the policy and the procedures that will control.
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Adjudicating Violations of This Policy
Upon receipt of a notification involving a possible violation of this Policy, the director of human resources (or the director’s designee) and/or the provost and dean of the faculty (or their designee) will meet with the parties involved. The parties involved may have an adviser of their choice present during the initial interviews and during such further interviews as the director and/or the provost and dean of the faculty may deem necessary.
The director of human resources and/or the provost and dean of the faculty will use a preponderance of the evidence standard to determine responsibility (i.e., it is more likely than not that the Respondent was responsible for the prohibited behavior). The director of human resources and/ or the provost and dean of the faculty will report the resolution to both parties. This report will summarize the conclusions of the investigation and also may include, where deemed appropriate, any actions taken or penalties imposed.
The facts about individual cases and their disposition are confidential. This means that such information is shared by the College only on a need-to-know basis. The College reserves the right, moreover, to correct or address misinformation or incomplete information that becomes public as a result of the alleged violation, or to make such disclosures as may be in the best interest of the College and the College community.
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