Conflict of Interest- Employees and Students

College employees are prohibited from engaging in any romantic or sexual relationship with, or from making any overt romantic or sexual advances upon students whom they have professional responsibility to teach, advise, counsel or otherwise facilitate in their (the students') academic careers.

There is an inherent inequality in relationships between students and those college employees with a professional responsibility to teach, advise, counsel or otherwise facilitate students in their academic careers.  Consequently the ability of students to genuinely consent to the romantic or sexual advances of such College personnel must be considered questionable.  Such relationships may also create an appearance of favoritism in the eyes of third parties which may contribute to the creation of a hostile educational environment.

There is a similar inherent inequality between supervisors and administrators and those college employees whom they supervise when the supervisor or administrator has the ability to affect the employees’ career advancement, pay, job assignments, or other terms and conditions of employment.  Such relationships may also create the appearance of favoritism in the eyes of third parties and contribute to the creation of a hostile work environment.

College employed administrators or supervisors at any level are prohibited from engaging in any romantic or sexual relationship with, or from making any overt romantic or sexual advances upon any employee or member of the college community they supervise or the terms and conditions of whose employment or position at the college they have the ability to affect.

Complaints may be initiated by a student, employee or other member of the college community who is or has been in a romantic or sexual relationship or is or has been the subject of overt romantic or sexual advances, or by third parties who allege they have been specifically adversely affected by such a relationship.

All employees and students must make any report directly to their immediate supervisor, division dean and Executive Human Resource Officer, in person or electronically.

The college president may initiate formal proceedings on his or her own initiative.

Any complainant who files a complaint under this policy in willful disregard of the truth may be subject to appropriate disciplinary proceedings.

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