Certain personal relationships, due to intimacy or power imbalance, between members of the CWRU community may create actual or perceived inequities, exploitation or favoritism. These can be detrimental to the university’s learning and working environment. To manage these risks, and maintain our community that values learning and working environments of inclusion, trust, and respect, CWRU recently updated and implements its Relationship Management Policy.
Formerly known as the “Consensual Relationship Policy,” this policy identifies certain circumstances when personal relationships between CWRU community members can be managed, and other relationships that are prohibited at CWRU because of the power imbalance between the participants. For example, personal relationships between an employee and an undergraduate student, and between a graduate student and the person supervising their research in furtherance of their degree, are prohibited because of the inherent power imbalance. There also are certain circumstances in which a personal relationship, because of the actual or perceived power imbalance between the participants, may be permitted but must be disclosed and managed. Managing a personal relationship may involve eliminating the power differential or providing oversight to prevent abuse.
If you have questions about the policy, contact the Office of Equity by calling 216.368.3066.