3.5.2 Interpersonal Relationships

Policy Tracking	Date
Approved	November 10, 2003
Revised
Reviewed	October 26, 2020

Relationships between faculty and staff members and students and between those in a supervising capacity and other employees they advise, counsel, supervise, or evaluate, impose a special burden of responsibility and accountability. There are substantial risks in sexual or romantic relationships with students they teach or, in the case of those acting in a supervisory capacity, with employees they supervise or evaluate. For these stated reasons, no faculty member or employee acting in a supervisory capacity shall initiate, pursue, or be involved in an improper sexual or romantic relationship with any other employee or with a student who is advised, counseled, evaluated by, or supervised directly or indirectly or whose job performance is reviewed or evaluated by that person. Those found in violation of this policy may be subject to disciplinary action pursuant to the provisions inSection 3.11.2 Disciplinary Action, Suspension, or Dismissal, of this Manual.
Improper sexual or romantic relationships are defined as:
1. Any sexual or romantic relationship between a faculty member or employee who engages in advisory, counseling, instructional, or evaluative activities and any student who is enrolled in a course being taught by that person or whose academic work is being supervised or evaluated by that person;
2. Any sexual or romantic relationship between a supervising administrator and someone the supervising administrator advises, counsels, evaluates, or directly or indirectly supervises in any way; or
3. Any sexual or romantic relationship between any College employee and any student or employee who is less than 18 years of age.
Friendships or mentoring relationships are not affected by this policy, nor is it the intent of this policy that such non-romantic relationships be discouraged or limited in any way.
Any supervising administrator who receives an improper sexual or romantic relationship complaint, or who has knowledge of such a relationship, shall inform his/her immediate supervisor. The College will not tolerate any form of retaliation against any employee or student who has brought good faith concerns to the attention of the College.