The University of Idaho Faculty Senate voted unanimously to approve revisions to the university’s consensual relationship policy Tuesday.
The policy formerly said consensual relationships between UI employees and students or other employees are unwise. Carmen Suarez, director of Human Rights Access and Inclusion, said the intent of the revisions was to make it clear that a consensual relationship, when one person is in a position of authority or influence over the other, is not allowed.
Suarez said she and UI Senior Associate General Counsel Hoey Graham started working on revising the policy last spring and during the summer. Graham and Suarez looked at consensual relationship policies at universities around the country.
“We developed a more progressive policy that forbid consensual relationships and provided conflict management for relationships that already existed,” Suarez said.
As a result of the revisions, Suarez said the university will be able react more efficiently in managing consensual relationships as they are now officially forbidden. At the same time, Suarez said she recognizes that sometimes relationships develop when one person is in a position of authority over another.
“We have to acknowledge that situations do arise,” Suarez said. “It could be an existing relationship, a couple in the same department, and one of us gets promoted.”
If such a situation occurs, the person with the authority must immediately disclose the relationship so the situation can be managed by the university. The solution could be as simple as changing who someone reports to so their significant other isn’t in a position of authority over them.
Paul Joyce, UI Faculty Senate Chair, said the revisions to the policy consisted of adding a few sentences to ensure the meaning of the policy was clear to everyone. Although the revision was initially scheduled to be put to vote Nov. 1, Joyce said it was delayed to allow more time to agree on the particular wording of the revisions.
“The senate is a very deliberative body and this is an important policy, so if it takes a couple of meetings to figure it out, then that’s the way it is,” Joyce said.
Suarez said the revising process has been gratifying as each constituency group at UI provided input, and the new policy is a shared document that is the result of a collective effort.
“Each of our government groups, we have come together as a community to do something that expresses our values,” Suarez said.