At least two students formally complain to the university every year about being harassed while in a professor-student relationship, a Ball State official said.
Sali Falling, executive director of Ball State's University Compliance, said Ball State, however, still does not have a policy prohibiting consensual relationships between students and faculty since a proposal for the policy died two years ago.
"The university would be better-served as a community to have a policy that does prohibit professor-student relationships entirely," she said. "With a policy that prohibits these relationships, it would then be crystal clear as to what behavior is expected from both faculty and students."
In the past, students, especially freshmen and sophomores, have ended up in situations they couldn't handle, she said.
Falling said many students who become romantically involved with a professor often don't have the negotiation and refusal skills necessary to end the relationship without experiencing a threat to their grade.
"They don't know how to assess the benefits and the risks of being in such a relationship," Falling said. "It interferes with the future academic freedom of students."
In addressing professor-student relationships, Ball State currently abides by a Statement on Professional Ethics in the Faculty and Professional Handbook online, which unfortunately does not forbid these relationships, Falling said.
According to the statement, professors must "demonstrate respect for the student as an individual and adhere to their proper role as intellectual guide and counselor."
The statement also said professors should "respect the confidential nature of the relationship between professor and student" and "avoid any exploitation of students for their private advantage."
The statement, however, is very broad and too general, Falling said.
"The ethics policy we have now leaves a lot of room for discretion in terms of behavior," she said.
Falling said Ball State's Academic Freedom and Ethics Committee initially drafted a proposal addressing the risks of professor-student relationships in April 2001. However, after the Professional Affairs Council changed the proposal into a policy forbidding consensual relationships, the policy went to the University Senate in February 2002, where it didn't pass the Senate process.
"I feel we really should have a clear policy saying those types of relationships are prohibited," Falling said.
Psychological science professor Kerri Pickel, who was part of the Academic Freedom and Ethics Committee when the original proposal was drafted, said the committee was serious about developing a policy to prevent consensual relationships between students and faculty.
"We heard a lot of stories about relationships between students and university staff that went horribly wrong because the student has less power," Pickel said. "We felt motivated to help students avoid getting into situations like that."
While considering a policy, Pickel said the committee looked at the policies of five different universities, including the University of Virginia, Michigan State University and universities in California.
Steve Akers, executive associate dean at Purdue University, said like Ball State, Purdue does not have a policy regarding professor-student relationships.
"We do have a policy on sexual harassment in University Regulations, though," Akers said.
Indiana University-Bloomington does have a policy in the Faculty Code of Student Ethics, said David Nordloh, the university's associate dean of faculty.
"Here, all romantic and sexual relationships are unacceptable," Nordloh said. "The two parties may consent to the relationship, but it's a violation of the code, and there's a possibility that the faculty member could be reprimanded," he said.
Pickel said if Ball State's goal is to prevent these relationships, the university should also create a policy that addresses them specifically.
Serious ethical and legal problems can arise from professor-student relationships, Pickel said.
"If not addressed at all, it seems like nothing's going to change," she said.
The Counseling Center is available for students who feel they don't have the skills to handle a professor-student relationship and want to think through their issues in a safe environment, Falling said.
The Office of University Compliance is also available if a student wants to file a complaint, she said.
"Our administration continues to be concerned that students find themselves in situations where they can be exploited," Falling said. "We want students to come and experience the best our faculty has to offer, and that should not have to include personal and certainly not sexual interaction."
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