4.4.10.2 : Examples

There are many ways problems can arise when a senior member of the Greenville University community engages in an intimate relationship with a junior member. First, when one person could grade, advance, promote, recommend, or otherwise influence the employment or academic status of the other, there is the possibility that what appears to be a consensual relationship is incorrectly perceived to be so. Some recipients of romantic advances may fear that refusal will result in loss of an employment or academic benefit. They may go along with the requested relationship even though it is, in fact, unwelcome to them (and may even cause them psychological harm). The United States Supreme Court has ruled that such a person is a victim of illegal sexual harassment and that a school can be liable for monetary damages for an instructor’s coercive engagement with a student. The University insists on an environment free from sexual coercion and intimidation in which to study and work and, of course, also wants to avoid the legal liability that can result from harassment.  A senior in the position of authority who may desire a romantic relationship with a junior has strong reasons to avoid it, since what seems initially to be consensual may be unwelcome or coercive from the junior’s perspective. The junior may file an internal grievance or a formal lawsuit, creating a risk that the person in authority will suffer negative career consequences and may have to pay damages to the victim. Because of the serious consequences to the senior in the relationship, that person also subjects himself or herself to the possibility of coercion or blackmail.

Even when such a relationship is genuinely consensual (and therefore does not constitute sexual harassment or raise the other concerns noted above), the relationship can cause problems for both parties and harm the academic and work environment at the University. There is the appearance and often the reality of a conflict of interest on the part of both parties to the relationship. Others may believe that the senior favors the junior because of the intimate relationship, thus creating an atmosphere of suspicion and resentment among other juniors who think the junior in the relationship is obtaining undeserved benefits. The junior’s professional reputation or academic standing may be injured because of the perception that the benefits were due to their personal relationship with the senior, rather than to the junior's own work or study.

There is also a serious risk that one party may exploit the other. The senior may be interested in the junior solely for purposes of gratification, but the junior may construe that attention as related to the junior's intellect, as revealed through his or her studies or work. If the junior participates in a romantic relationship and then discovers the true situation, there is a potential for a damaging loss of self-esteem by the junior (especially where the two are instructor and young student and there is a significant age disparity between them). There is also the risk of the junior exploiting the senior. For example, a junior might seek out a relationship solely because of a desire to obtain some academic or employment benefit from the relationship (such as a higher grade or a promotion).