(A)
Policy statement
and purpose
Bowling Green state university (BGSU)
promotes an atmosphere of professionalism based on mutual trust and respect.
The integrity of interaction among faculty, staff, and students must not be
compromised. Consensual amorous relationships between persons having an
evaluative, supervisory, or decision-making relationship present an inherent
risk of a conflict of interest. The purpose of the consensual amorous
relationship policy is to define consensual amorous relationships and to define
the circumstances when these relationships are impermissible at BGSU and may
subject individuals involved to discipline appropriate to the
circumstances.
(B)
Definitions
(1)
Adjunct faculty:
A part-time faculty member who provides
instructional service to the "iiniversity, but who is not regularly or
continuously on the faculty.
(2)
BGSU
community:
Faculty, adjunct faculty, faculty
administrators, staff members, students, and vendors.
(3)
Consensual
amorous relationships:
For purposes of this policy, a
consensual amorous relationship is one involving individuals who mutually and
consensually understand a relationship to be romantic and/or sexual in nature
and where one of the individuals is in an evaluative or supervisory or decision
making relationship with the other. The definition of a consensual amorous
relationship does not include married persons. Amorous relationships with
individuals below the age of eighteen are not considered consensual and are
prohibited.
(4)
Evaluative or supervisory authority:
An individual has direct evaluative,
supervisory or decision-making authority when that individual is responsible
for, or makes or could make contributions to evaluating, assessing, grading,
assigning, promoting, disciplining, or otherwise determining the terms,
conditions, or benefits of the other participant's academic or employment
performance, progress, or potential.
Common examples of evaluative or
supervisory authority include:
(a)
Assessing
academic or research performance;
(b)
Determining
academic or research performance;
(c)
Influencing
academic or research progress or potential;
(d)
Assessing
employment performance;
(e)
Evaluating employment progress;
(f)
Assessing
employment potential;
(g)
Determining entitlement to any institutionally
conferred right;
(h)
determining eligibility for any institutionally
conferred benefit;
(i)
Providing an opportunity to any institutional conferred
right or benefit;
(j)
Overseeing of academic, research, or
employment;
(k)
Managing of academic research, or employment;
and
(l)
Directing co-curricular, athletic, or other
institutionally prescribed activities.
(5)
Full-time
faculty:
All persons holding full-time academic
appointment or rank who are not administrators. All persons holding full-time
faculty contracts. All persons holding faculty rank who serve as full-time
faculty in the university libraries.
(6)
Faculty
administrators:
The president, the provost, vice
presidents (holding faculty rank), associate and assistant deans, associate and
assistant vice-provosts and all individuals holding appointments as dean,
chair, or director.
(7)
Staff
members:
Any individual, other than faculty, who
is employed by BGSU. This includes classified and administrative staff, or
other employees not defined within other sections of this policy.
(8)
Students:
Any individuals who are:
(a)
Currently
enrolled in a credit or non-credit class at one of the colleges or campuses of
BGSU;
(b)
Matriculated or non-matriculated;
(c)
Prospective
students (including applicants and accepted applicants.
(9)
Vendor:
Any individual who or company or
business which contracts with the niniversity to provide goods or services to
the university.
(C)
Policy
(1)
Conduct
Consensual amorous relationships
between members of the BGSU community are prohibited when one participant has
evaluative, supervisory, or decision-making authority over the other, as such
relationships may create an inherent conflict of interest.
An individual in the evaluative,
supervisory, or decision-making position is required to disclose any consensual
amorous relationship to his or her supervisor. After disclosure, the individual
shall cooperate with the supervisor to ameliorate any existing or potential
conflict.
(2)
Violations
A violation of this policy occurs when
an individual with supervisory or evaluative or decision-making authority:
(i)
(a)
allows a consensual
amorous relationship to occur or continue without reporting; or
(ii)
(b)
fails to disclose or report a consensual amorous
relationship; or
(iii)
(c)
fails to cooperate in ameliorating any existing or
potential conflict associated with a consensual amorous relationship.
Violations of this policy must be
reported to the office of human resources or the office of the provost. The
offices of human resources or the provost will investigate or review the
alleged violation and determine appropriate action. Investigations of
violations of this policy, and any discipline that may result, shall be done in
accordance with the university policy, procedure, or collective bargaining
agreement applicable to the individuals involved. In the case of represented
employees, those shall be the collective bargaining agreement. In the case of
administrative and classified staff employees, those shall be the employment
procedures applicable to those positions, as those may change from time to
time. In the case of students, those shall be the student code of conduct as
that may change from time to time.
A violation of this policy, including
the failure to disclose a consensual amorous relationship as described above,
may lead to disciplinary action as appropriate, regardless of how the violation
is brought to the university's attention.
Replaces: 3341-5-07
