Intimate Relationships Between Students and Teachers Banned at Cambridge University Following Oxford’s Lead
In a significant move to uphold student welfare and academic integrity, Cambridge University has implemented a ban on intimate relationships between faculty members and undergraduates they are responsible for. This decision follows in the footsteps of Oxford University, which had earlier enacted similar measures. The new policy explicitly prohibits faculty members from “following or entering into an intimate relationship with any student for whom they have direct or indirect academic responsibilities.” While there is no outright ban on relationships between staff and students they are not teaching, the university strongly encourages prioritizing and protecting student welfare. This step comes after reports and concerns about intimate relationships between students and faculty at Cambridge. These relationships have ranged from casual affairs and flirting to more serious sexual relations, raising significant ethical and power imbalance issues within the academic communit...
