The University of Connecticut has banned "romantic relationships" between faculty and undergraduate students, a step that some attorneys feel is prudent for a higher education institution wanting to reduce the chances of sexual harassment complaints and legal entanglements under the federal law known as Title IX.
The new policy supplants a previous one that only strongly discouraged faculty-student liaisons. Violations of the new rules can lead to discipline up to and including termination of employment. The change comes as UConn prepares to hire a law firm to investigate its handling of allegations of sexual misconduct by a professor.
