Purpose

All employees are expected to recognize the importance of avoiding conflicts of interest between their professional responsibilities and their personal relationships.

Scope

This policy applies to all employed by or seeking employment with the University.

Policy

Employees who supervise, evaluate, grade, or exercise any form of authority over students, or to any professional relationship where one employee’s supervisory capacity over another has the potential to create a power imbalance. Romantic or sexual relationships between supervisors and subordinates or instructor-employees and students may pose risks not only to the employees and students or subordinates involved in the relationship, but also to co-workers, other students, the department, or even Lindenwood University as a whole. Such relationships may lead to complaints of sexual harassment if the students, subordinates, or even uninvolved third parties believe that the relationship is exploitative.

In order to protect employees, subordinates, and students and to assure that supervision, evaluation, grading, and mentoring are fairly conducted, employees are prohibited from entering into romantic, sexual, or other relationships that might create the perception of bias with a student or employee whom the employee supervises, evaluates, grades, or otherwise mentors. In practical terms, this prohibition means employees may not have romantic relationships with students or employees they supervise, with students enrolled in their courses or for whom they oversee research or dissertations, or with students who are members of athletic teams coached by the employee.

Employees should avoid consumption of alcohol with students at all times, even after working hours or off-campus. There may, however, be instances in which employees attend off-campus functions where students are in attendance and alcohol is being served. Employees are expected to exercise good judgment and avoid any instance or appearance of inappropriate behavior. If a student initiates inappropriate behavior toward an employee, that employee shall document the incident and report it to a supervisor.