CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard University has instituted a total ban on professors having sex with undergraduate students, strengthening language it said didn’t reflect expectations on relationships between faculty members and students.
Harvard says in a statement released Thursday the change comes as part of a review of its policy on Title IX, the federal civil rights law prohibiting sex discrimination in education.
A Harvard committee determined the university’s existing language on “relationships of unequal status” didn’t meet expectations on what constitutes an “appropriate relationship” between faculty members and undergraduates.
The university’s policy previously prohibited professors from having sex with students under their direct supervision. The policy now specifically bans professors and undergraduates from having any romantic or sexual involvements.
