Student-staff relationships ‘harmful’ and ‘destructive’

CAMPAIGNERS want higher education watchdogs to ban relationships of university staff and students, as they “can and do destroy students’ careers and lives”.

The Office for Students is due to share its guidance on liaisons. It may include a monitoring register at each university or the recommendation of a blanket ban.

Its preference in a consultation was a register – but Dr Anna Bull, co-founder of lobbyists The 1752 Group, hopes they will reconsider.

She said: “Doctors and other medical professionals are prohibited by their regulatory body from entering into sexual or ‘improper emotional’ relationships with patients – and patients’ families.

“The same goes for social workers.And priests.And counsellors or psychologists.

Abuses

“But if you’re a university lecturer, in a position of trust towards students – many of whom may be only just 18 – most universities have, at best, a policy ‘strongly discouraging’ this behaviour.

“These relationships can, and do, destroy students’ careers and lives.

“Abuses of trust within this relationship are extremely harmful. It’s much easier for staff to wriggle out of sexual harassment complaints if there is no clear standard of behaviour.”

Dr Bull’s research suggests at least 80% of students are uncomfortable at staff having relationships with them – women more so than men.

Nearly 100 such affairs have been disclosed in the last three academic years at 13 universities.

The total is likely far higher as more than 100 colleges did not reply to Freedom of Information requests from the Daily Express.

At least 17 staff were disciplined and eight of them were dismissed.

Most of the 24 elite Russell Group universities ban staff-student relationships; four bar them in cases of supervision, teaching, assessment or pastoral support.

However, the University of Manchester permits such relationships – its policy states that it “relies upon the integrity of both parties to ensure that abuses of power do not occur”.

If staff fail to inform their head of department that they are involved in a relationship with a student they can be disciplined.

Dr Bull added: “While there might be some happy relationships that occur between staff and students, there is a very high level of risk of abuse of power.”

The University of Manchester was contacted for comment.

David Smy, OfS deputy director of enabling regulation, said the regulator would “set out next steps in the coming months”.