|
You are viewing
Volume 40, Issue 5
October 29, 2002
To return to the current issue please
click here.
|
 |
Back to Top
| Previous Page | Home
Back to Top
| Previous Page | Home
Back to Top
| Previous Page | Home
Back to Top
| Previous Page | Home
Back to Top
| Previous Page | Home
Back to Top
| Previous Page | Home
Back to Top
| Previous Page | Home
Dating policy aims to curb Cupid's arrow
By P.J. Javaheri
For the Mesa Legend
What seems to be a scene from a TV sitcom, has become a problem for many
universities with escalating numbers of romantic relationships occurring
between teacher and student.
Due to these problems, the University of Arizona has implemented a new
policy concerning such affairs not only between students and teachers
but with faculty to faculty relationships as well.
According to the Arizona Daily Wildcat, the policy states, "When
one person is in a position of power over another, faculty-faculty relationships,
faculty-student relationships and student-student relationships all may
be monitored."
According to Jeanne Kleespie, Director of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative
Action, "It's not forbidding these relationship's, it's saying they
need to be public so the power differential can be neutralized."
Kleespie stresses that the idea behind this policy is to get relationships
out in the open so that it is clear of problems and other students don't
feel a peer is getting preferential treatment.
This may seem like a reasonable point, but many MCC students might be
against such a policy.
Tiffany Vega, MCC sophomore, opposes a dating policy stating, "This
is college, people are older and responsible."
Vega also said that she could see it being a problem in high school, but
when you enter college you should have the choice to make your own decisions.
Currently MCC does not have any such policies on dating.
According to Pete Kushibab, a lawyer for the Maricopa County Community
College District, such relationships are highly discouraged mainly because
of the disparity of power.
Kushibab believes that we do not need to enforce such policies at MCC,
and "we hope that the persons in power are incumbent not to abuse
that."
Another student at MCC, who wished to stay anonymous, proves that it may
be too late for "hope" as last semester she witnessed a student
in her Biology class in a relationship with her teacher.
She stated, "The whole class knew what was going on, it was so obvious."
She also said that she noticed that the teacher was slowly favoring this
student over others. "They always made private jokes, and there was
one time when they actually argued in class about their personal problems."
Such situations are what U of A is trying to avoid.
Similar to MCC, Arizona State University has no current policies on dating
because they believe that this problem has not reached a level that many
other schools have and they do not feel the need to enforce it.
Like all schools, they highly discourage such relationships and stay confident
that the person in power will not abuse this current privilege.
Back to Top
| Previous Page | Home
|
|
|
