The bond between students and professors can extend past a working relationship and into an intimate one.

If it happens at NIU, there’s nothing another student, professor or even the university can do about it.

At NIU, relationships between students and their professors are simply frowned upon.

“We don’t have anything in the bylaws about that particular thing,” Ombudsman Tim Griffin said. “We do have in our academic policy that faculty are strongly discouraged from amorous relationships with students that are in their classes.”

Griffin said the topic of faculty and student relationships has not been discussed at University Council in some years.

However, he explained that relationships between teachers and their students bring up a number of problematic situations.

“I hear frequently that it doesn’t affect any of the other students in the class, but it does affect students very directly if you’re grading on a curve,” Griffin said. “So they would be affected if you’re giving special treatment to someone that you’re dating.”

NIU’s Statement of Professional Ethics for Faculty states that teachers should adhere to their “proper roles as intellectual guides and counselors” and should “foster honest academic conduct to ensure that their evaluations of students reflect each student’s true merit.”

“In the bylaws, we made sure to incorporate an assumption of risk,” said Ken Davidson, associate vice president and general counsel. “If it’s not clearly articulated, it’s implied that it’s inappropriate for students and professors to date.”

Griffin said professors teaching students in a relationship with one of their colleagues can become difficult as well.

“Let’s suppose that the faculty member in the relationship is a powerful member in the college, and a new professor comes on and they know that one of their students is in a relationship with the powerful professor,” Griffin said. “Wouldn’t that make things difficult for the other professor?”

NIU’s Academic Policy and Procedures Manual states that NIU realizes the dangers that come along with such relationships, but for different reasons – mainly legal – they have stopped just short of banning it.

“Since this is a public university, it would be unconstitutional to prohibit relationships, according to the freedom of association,” Griffin said.

Walter Atkinson, assistant professor of communication, thinks that romance in the workplace only complicates matters.

“I’m sure that it happens, but it’s not the most appropriate thing to do,” he said.

He said he experienced something similar while working in corporate America.

Atkinson said when one of the people who worked under him was having an affair with his boss, it complicated things for members of the staff, including himself.

He also said it would be awkward if one of his students was involved with another professor on campus.

“I think that in the classroom there would be a sensitivity for me since they’re involved with a colleague,” Atkinson said.

Griffin said not all relationships are the stereotypical male professors and young female coeds.

“There are all sorts of situations, including homosexual relationships,” Griffin said. “There are so many gray lines … it’s not hard and fast.”