Wellesley College Guidelines
On Intimate Relationships
and Unprofessional Conduct

A. Unprofessional conduct and Intimate Relationships between College employees and those they supervise

The College prohibits all individuals it employs, whether faculty, staff or students, from directly or indirectly supervising other individuals at the College with whom they have a sexual, intimate, and/or romantic relationship, whether or not such relationships are consensual. Sexual, intimate, and/or romantic relationships (even consensual ones) between College employees and those they supervise are potentially exploitive because of the imbalance of power inherent in them. Such relationships raise concerns about the validity of consent, conflict of interest, fairness of treatment, and the creation of a hostile or intimidating work environment. Further, they may give rise to liabilities for the College and/or the individuals involved in the relationships.

The term “directly or indirectly supervising” includes, but is not limited to: 1) making or influencing hiring, promotion, salary, tenure, or similar advancement and compensation or benefit decisions; 2) evaluating work performance, contributing to, or conducting, performance reviews; 3) making or participating in decisions about work assignments or schedules; and 4) participating in the resolution of employee relations matters. Specifically, a supervisor (faculty, staff or student) involved in a sexual, intimate and/or romantic relationship with an employee under his or her supervision shall not write a job performance review, recommend a salary increase, or become involved in any disciplinary or other employee relations matter involving the individual, participate in re-appointment, assignment, tenure, promotion, compensation or merit increase decisions.¹

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¹ An individual under review may also request the relevant Executive officer to exclude a supervisor from participating in the review if the individual and the supervisor are, or have been, sexually involved.

Any employee who violates this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

B. Unprofessional conduct and Intimate Relationships between students and College employees

One of the foundations upon which Wellesley College’s educational mission rests is the maintenance of a safe and intellectually stimulating environment where students may learn, think, work, and live without undue negative influences, concerns of favoritism, intimidation, and/or a hostile working or learning environment.

When a supervisory relationship exists between faculty or staff members and students, or such a relationship is likely in the future, sexual relations between those individuals are clearly detrimental to the education process and to promoting an environment where favoritism and/or intimidation are absent. Even when no supervisory relationship is present or anticipated, however, sexual intimacy can be detrimental to the ideal of a collegial and supportive mentoring environment. For this reason it is important that students, staff, and faculty seek to avoid licit sexual relations which may undermine the common educational goals defining our community and shaping the work place.

A “supervisory relationship” is defined to include relations between a student and any faculty, staff member or student who 1) now supervises or would have a reasonable or usual expectation of supervising the student in the future; 2) now provides or would have a reasonable or usual expectation of providing the student with oral or written recommendations; 3) now grades and/or formally evaluates or would have a reasonable or usual expectation of grading and/or formally evaluating the student in future; and/or 4) now makes significant decisions, or would have a reasonable or usual expectation of making significant decisions in future affecting the student’s living space, financial aid, and/or access to essential College programs and services.

The College strongly discourages faculty or staff from engaging in any consensual sexual, intimate, and/or romantic relationships with any student, even where a supervisory relationship is not present. When a supervisory relationship exists between a student and a faculty or staff member, sexual relations are unconditionally unacceptable. Of course, non-consensual sexual relationships are unlawful and strictly prohibited by the College.²

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²A definition of supervisory relations between faculty and students would include, but not be limited to: a) individuals involved, or likely to be involved, in a classroom situation; b) individuals involved, or likely to be involved, in a tutorial such as the 350s, 360s, or other independent work; c) any situation wherein a student is majoring in a professor’s department; or d) any situation wherein a student is a member of a group under the professor’s supervision, such as junior year abroad programs, or other group activities. In addition, other kinds of academic supervisory roles come under this definition (e.g. class deans and students).

A definition of supervisory relations between staff and students would include, but not be limited to:a) relations involving the heads of any division, and/or the managers of any department within the college; b) relations between students and student life staff, including Resident Directors, counseling and medical staff; c) relations between members of the Wellesley College Campus Police and any student; d) students working for and/or reporting to any staff member as part of their employment; e) students and staff serving on College committees together; or f) any formal or informal advising relationship between staff and students.

Even if the relationship is consensual, and the initiator of the relationship is a student, any ensuing penalties arising from it will affect the employee whose institutional responsibility it is to deal in a professional manner with such situations. In addition, because of the implicit or explicit power differential, if a student makes an allegation of sexual harassment, the affected faculty or staff member may have difficulty proving the relationship was fully consensual. Relationships that begin on a consensual basis sometimes deteriorate into unwanted situations.

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Page created:June 2001.
Last edited: August 22 2004.