Do professors have a constitutional right to sleep with their students?

Queasy

Moderator<br>Console Gaming
Aug 24, 2001
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Link

* A psychology professor explains why universities should not try to forbid relationships between students and teachers.

Paul R. Abramson is a happily married, 57-year-old psychology professor at UCLA. He says he has never had a serious romantic relationship with one of his students. Nevertheless, Mr. Abramson doesn't think universities have any business telling professors whom they can date. In 2003, UCLA's Academic Senate did precisely that, joining a growing list of universities that have banned romance between professors and students. Mr. Abramson says the rules violate faculty members' constitutional rights. "The right to romance," he says, is protected by the Ninth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. ... The professor lays out his arguments in a book due out this fall called Romance in the Ivory Tower: The Rights and Liberty of Conscience (MIT Press).

Mr. Abramson talked to The Chronicle about the issues by telephone from his home outside Los Angeles.

Q. Have you ever dated a student?

A. I was 26 when I came to UCLA. I dated students, I dated faculty, I dated staff.

That's all I could get. The link to the entire article is a paid site.

 

compuwiz1

Admin Emeritus Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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I wonder how many random students he's banged, even though he claims he's happily married? I mean, afterall, people like that usually practice their beliefs.
 

OdiN

Banned
Mar 1, 2000
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I don't think anyone has the right to limit who someone can or cannot date or be romantically involved with.

As long as both are legal consenting adults, I see no problem.
 

her209

No Lifer
Oct 11, 2000
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It would be a violation of ethics. Imagine if a "student" was coerced into "extra credit" activity.
 

imported_Imp

Diamond Member
Dec 20, 2005
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Does position of authority mean anything to this dude?

Do whatever the hell you want, just not when you are giving them grades. I would be SUPER pissed if I found out one of my classmates was banging the professor for "unofficial" extra credit. My ranking sucks, but it's just unethical and unfair. It is impossible to be "fair" after you form that type of relationship with a student.
 

Ricochet

Diamond Member
Oct 31, 1999
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This psych professor doesn't fully understand the concept "conflict of interest".
 

BigJ

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
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Originally posted by: sponge008
Former students should be fine for sure.

You'd need somebody to audit the grades for the student. Who knows if they actually did meet after the class, or they had been fooling around all along and came out after the class ended.
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
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Originally posted by: Imp
Does position of authority mean anything to this dude?

Do whatever the hell you want, just not when you are giving them grades. I would be SUPER pissed if I found out one of my classmates was banging the professor for "unofficial" extra credit. My ranking sucks, but it's just unethical and unfair. It is impossible to be "fair" after you form that type of relationship with a student.

The problem is is usually a professor that's looking for quid pro quo is not going to be dating them.

 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
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There are many ways that this could be bad, including sexual harrassment against an instructor, coersion charges, charges of "extra-credit activities that might be unfair to other students, etc., BUT, as long as they're both over 18, I don't think it should be banned. Advised against...yes, but not banned.
 

imported_Imp

Diamond Member
Dec 20, 2005
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Originally posted by: alkemyst
Originally posted by: Imp
Does position of authority mean anything to this dude?

Do whatever the hell you want, just not when you are giving them grades. I would be SUPER pissed if I found out one of my classmates was banging the professor for "unofficial" extra credit. My ranking sucks, but it's just unethical and unfair. It is impossible to be "fair" after you form that type of relationship with a student.

The problem is is usually a professor that's looking for quid pro quo is not going to be dating them.

Probably not on purpose, but nothing stopping a manipulative student from faking a real relationship to bypass the appearance of an equal exchange of "services". Once the door opens for "relationships", the desperate college student will have no problem saying they just want to "date".
 

Juno

Lifer
Jul 3, 2004
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Originally posted by: sponge008
Former students should be fine for sure.

former students?!

what if a student is 28 years old just coming back to college from military and falls in love with a faculty who can be a year younger or two than the student. what's the difference??
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,967
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It really comes down to ethics. Lots of companies allow siblings and relatives to even work for their family members. If the person is honest there is no problem. If the person is not, then no matter what the rules are it's going to happen.

IMHO most of this is due to 'older man/young woman' jealousy.
 

Queasy

Moderator<br>Console Gaming
Aug 24, 2001
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Originally posted by: Juno
Originally posted by: sponge008
Former students should be fine for sure.

former students?!

what if a student is 28 years old just coming back to college from military and falls in love with a faculty who can be a year younger or two than the student. what's the difference??

It's not the age but the conflict of interest. Especially if the professor/faculty member is in a position of authority over the student.
 

Juno

Lifer
Jul 3, 2004
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Originally posted by: Queasy
Originally posted by: Juno
Originally posted by: sponge008
Former students should be fine for sure.

former students?!

what if a student is 28 years old just coming back to college from military and falls in love with a faculty who can be a year younger or two than the student. what's the difference??

It's not the age but the conflict of interest. Especially if the professor/faculty member is in a position of authority over the student.

is that really a problem? i've seen those type of relationships at RIT...
 

OdiN

Banned
Mar 1, 2000
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Originally posted by: her209
It would be a violation of ethics. Imagine if a "student" was coerced into "extra credit" activity.

That's different. And it's not a violation of ethics all the time.

If they both consent, it's nobody elses fucking business.
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
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Originally posted by: OdiN
Originally posted by: her209
It would be a violation of ethics. Imagine if a "student" was coerced into "extra credit" activity.

That's different. And it's not a violation of ethics all the time.

If they both consent, it's nobody elses fucking business.

but how do you know there is really consent on the student's part and not just a submission to authority?
 

Mxylplyx

Diamond Member
Mar 21, 2007
4,197
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Fireable offense....yes.

Illegal....definately not.

Both parties are consenting adults.