<p>Do you think it is still wrong if a collge student dates a college professor? They're both adults right? Do you think it's still inappropriate and wrong? What if the professor is young? What are your thoughts.</p>
<p>Only unethical and inappropriate if the professor is teaching said student.</p>
<p>yes, yes, and yes. Ethically, it’s wrong until the student graduates.</p>
<p>It’s certainly unethical if the student is currently in a class that the professor teaches, or if the professor is a member of the department that the student is majoring in. In other instances, where the professor and the student are in no way academically related (for example, an engineering professor and a French literature major), I still think it’s highly inappropriate. Yes, they are both adults, but because one is a professor and one a student, it’s not an equal power relationship.</p>
<p>Highly inappropriate if they are in different departments, because “it’s not an equal power relationship?” Seems a bit extreme. So, in that case:</p>
<p>A director can’t date an actor
A doctor can’t date a nurse</p>
<p>So who can a CEO date? Other CEO’s? This reminds me of royalty always needing to marry other royalty.</p>
<p>Everyone has to be at the same “status” in order to date? This is silly.</p>
<p>Re the OP, I’m in agreement with #2. Not while in the class, or in any position to be evaluated by the prof. Professor needs to follow the rules of employment to the letter. No sneaking around.</p>
<p>
Maybe the answer is “anybody not below them in their company.” A CEO dating a secretary who works for them? Power disparity. A CEO dating a secretary who works for the company across the street? Neither has any sway over the other’s position.</p>
<p>I would say that as long as both are adults and there’s no chance of the professor teaching the student, it’s okay, but then there are other things to consider too. If there’s some sort of abuse problem, the student now lives in fear of reporting the abuser, if it’s a well-respected tenured professor, who could screw things up for them at school. All in all, I think it’s wisest to wait until the student is no longer a student.</p>
<p>If this is not a hypothetical, check the student handbook and honor code. In many cases, the professor and students will not be allowed to date, or the relationship parameters would be spelled out.</p>
<p>long post just recently closed about this <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1135514-help-i-need-some-advice-my-daughter-relationship-her-professor.html?[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1135514-help-i-need-some-advice-my-daughter-relationship-her-professor.html?</a></p>
<p>^ What she said.</p>
<p>But also what the rest of the adults seem to be saying here. Non-issue of there is no existing relationship with a power-differential. If the prof is not teaching the student, won’t be teaching the student, is not sitting on a committee making a decision about the student etc., it should be fine. Absolutely no reason one has to have graduated. This isn’t highschool.</p>
<p>It isn’t high school, but college aged kids aren’t really adults quite yet, even if they like to think they are. And profs are in a position of authority and power, or at least they should be, which makes this a bad situation. There are just some lines that shouldn’t be crossed. I don’t care if they’re in the same dept. or not, you just don’t. A decent professor should know that.</p>
<p>Wait, what if it is between a professor and a post doctorate fellow? or a grad student?</p>
<p>The term professor can be interpreted in many different ways. Some people use it only when referring to someone who has a Ph.D. Some use it for faculty who have master’s degrees. So if you’re talking about someone with a master’s degree, who perhaps is only 24 years old, and the college student is 21 or 22, what’s the big deal? As long as the relationship meets the criteria starbright posted in #9. Most Ph.D. programs are a minimum of 4 years, making the youngest professors with a Ph.D. about 26 years old. Again, I don’t have a problem with a 26-year old dating a 21 or 22 year old, as long as there is absolutely no possibility that the student would be in one of the profs classes or that the prof would sit on any kind of committee which would have implicit or explicit influence on the student’s academic future.</p>
<p>Ever seen the movie Loser? Haven’t? Good, I don’t recommend it 
But that movie showcases the bad things that can come from that.</p>
<p>Chances are, a professor and student are in two different places in their lives. Professors can abuse students, students can blackmail professors, and it can isolate the student from classmates who find out. “Find out” because chacnes are the professor will want to keep it somewhat secret. And secret relationships are always twice as much trouble.</p>
<p>Besides, there’s all kinds of intelligent people of your own age to date when you’re at college.</p>
<p>I agree with #2. No if the student is in the profs class or the prof is in any particular position of influence directly related to the student. If not, I don’t see anything wrong. Where I differ from some I think, is I do believe college kids are adults.</p>
<p>Call me old school (no pun intended) but if a faculty contract says no dating students, then its NO DATING STUDENTS.</p>
<p>Someone above me (#7 I think) said that these things are in the handbook?? It is actually a hypothetical but I wouldn’t think something like that would be specifically written, I thought it was more of something open to opinion. </p>
<p>And yeah I don’t necessarily have a problem as long as they are else wise unconnected and not like 40 years apart, but the age that’s just me</p>
<p>This post from that other thread gives some samples from university policies and procedures. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/12557884-post421.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/12557884-post421.html</a> There are also ethical considerations. This doesnt mean that some post doc in Anthropology cant date a student in the physics dept., especially if he/she plans to never take an anthro class or participate in any clubs/organizations run/sponsored by said postdoc. But a salaried faculty member should not be dating students. JMO</p>
<p>Even if that prof never teaches a student, sits on a committee that has authority over the student, etc. . . . it is still completely inappropriate, and frankly I think only a professor bent on career suicide (or arrogant enough to think she/he’s above the law) would do it. </p>
<p>It’s just too easy for a jilted student to make a false allegation, and it’s just too easy for a jilted professor to talk to other university personnel who DO have power directly over the student.</p>
<p>^ That. </p>
<p>Well said, G2BG</p>
<p>It’s not so much about the age, although that’s part of it. A 21 year old may be an “adult” by law, but they still have a lot to learn about the world, and they don’t always make the best choices. I can remember a lot of really stupid things my friends and I did in college that we’d never do now.</p>
<p>If it wasn’t ethically wrong, it wouldn’t need to be mentioned in the college’s policies, and the professor wouldn’t need to hide it. Right? The fact that it would not be an open relationship means there is at least some question as to whether it’s proper.</p>