The university policy only pertains to amorous relationships in which one person has evaluative authority over the other person, such as tenured faculty and untenured faculty, a professor and a student, a coach and a player, a supervisor and an employee, or a resident advisor and a resident.
An amorous relationship exists when two individuals mutually and consensually understand the relationship to be romantic or sexual in nature.
Read the full Conflict of Interest in Cases of Amorous Relationships Policy.
The policy defines the following requirements:
- The amorous relationship must be disclosed, in person, by both consenting parties to the unit head (chair, dean, supervisor, or appointing authority of the person in the evaluative position).
- The evaluative authority must be removed.
- The unit head must inform OIEC in writing of the relationship and how the evaluative authority was removed.
These rules apply when an evaluative authority is put in place where an amorous relationship exists or existed within the past seven years.
The primary responsibility to disclose the amorous relationship rests with the person in the evaluative position, but both parties have a duty to disclose the conflict of interest in an amorous relationship. If the individuals do not report the relationship, and the evaluative authority continues, OIEC may conduct an adjudication into a potential violation of the Amorous Relationships Policy.