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On 6/19/09, Alexandra wrote:
> I find it astonishing that the very institutions that stand
> for freedom and diversity of thought -- our colleges and
> universities -- now seek to ban certain types of personal
> relations between adults.
>
> What is so special about the relationship between a
> graduate student or professor and an adult student?
> Certainly the power of the former over the latter is
> trivial compared with the power that, say, a factory
> manager has over an assembly-line worker. Why have our
> colleges and universities gone far beyond other
> environments in proscribing certain relationships?
>
> The tone in which this issue is discussed is demeaning to
> women in that it assumes a relationship between a female
> student and a male faculty member must be sinister. If the
> young women of today are so unable to reject unwanted
> advances from faculty members (who, after all, can only
> give them a low grade), how will they fare once they
> graduate and encounter men who have real power over them?
>
> My husband and I met at the University of Chicago when I
> was a student and he an associate professor. Our 11-year-
> old daughter would find it incredible that a relationship
> like ours could have consequences today if brought to the
> university's attention

You did not say what institution(s) you were talking about. As
far as I know, faculty can date students at most universities,
but it is HIGHLY discouraged.

Sexual harassment laws are the main issue here. After having
the training at my university it was clear that the person
being accused is guilty until proven innocent. You put your job
and career at risk if something were to ever go wrong with the
relationship. The biggest threat to the job security as a
professor is being accused of sexual harassment. Risky behavior!

That being said, I know at least three couples where they met
when the woman was a student in the man's class (different
universities). Nothing negative ever happened on campus as a
result. Two couples are still married and couple eventually
divorced.

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