We are proud to have helped develop the University of East London’s new personal relationships policy. Our campaigning has resulted in a policy that creates a safer campus culture for our students.
We are proud to have helped develop the University of East London’s new personal relationships policy. Our campaigning has resulted in a policy that creates a safer campus culture for our students.
The policy prohibits personal relationships between staff and students where the staff member has an academic or pastoral responsibility for that student, with consequences for those who abuse this power. It also “strongly discourages” personal relationships with students for all staff.
Student-staff relationships can be damaging in numerous ways, including favouritism or victimisation, consent concerns and power imbalances. The new policy helps to stamp this out on our campuses.
Why did we influence the policy?
Our view is that staff-student relationships should be prohibited because they can lead to potential abuses of trust and conflicts of interest. A relationship between a staff member and student is inherently imbalanced. This is because staff – academic or otherwise – have the power to influence a student’s experience and success at the University. That could take the form of anything from booking a room to marking a dissertation.
Members of staff are in a position of trust, and it is their professional and ethical responsibility not to abuse that. By introducing this policy, the University is being proactive in its duty of care to students, protecting them from power imbalances and the many issues associated with this.
Before the policy’s implementation, there were no measures in place to prevent staff taking advantage of their position and engaging in relationships with students. This led to multiple examples of such relationships at the University of East London, with negative outcomes for the students involved.
When the policy was first introduced, the initial proposals “strongly discouraged” all student-staff relationships, but did not set out any penalties for staff who did pursue relationships with students. This meant that the proposed policy lacked the weight it needed to effectively prevent such relationships.
How did we influence the policy?
Our wellbeing and community officer (2021-2023) Lavanya worked on improving this policy as part of her broader campaign on tackling sexual violence, supported by the Students’ Union team. We ensured that the policy went through the correct channels for student-facing policies, and spoke to members of the Education and Experience Committee, a group of staff who decide University policies, about why the initial proposals did not go far enough.
Explaining our concerns around power dynamics, academic research on matters like exploitation, and case studies from other universities, Lavanya and the team were able to influence the committee members’ opinions. This led to them backing a strengthened version of the policy, which prohibits student-staff relationships where there is a direct link and contains disciplinary measures for staff who pursue them. This was eventually approved and put into practice earlier this year.
While the policy could go further in prohibiting all staff-student relationships, the ban on direct relationships is a really important step in protecting students and their interests. We’re looking forward to continuing the dialogue with the University as we work together to ensure students’ safety and wellbeing.
Adherence to the policy is the responsibility of staff members. If you are a student with a personal relationship with any member of staff, we can advise you on your position. Email us at students.union@uel.ac.uk.
If you need to report any bullying or harassment, visit the University’s Report and Support site.